Inverse star replication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9910739-B1
Application number	US-201113077262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 31, 2011
Priority date	Mar 31, 2011
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for enabling a virtual service layer to consume a storage medium at a first site and map the storage medium as one or more virtual storage volumes, enabling the virtual service layer to present the one or more virtual storage volumes for consumption at the first site, enabling a splitter of the virtual service layer to intercept I/O written to the one or more virtual storage volumes, splitting intercepted I/O to a journal based replication appliance, enabling the virtual storage volumes to be accessible at a second site, wherein the one or more the virtual storage volume are mirrored at the second site by the virtual service layer; and replicating IO from either the first site or the second site to a third site.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for data replication, the system comprising:
a virtual service layer;
a first site, coupled to the virtual service layer, the first site comprising:
a splitter;
a storage medium; and
a journal based replication appliance;

a second site coupled to the virtual service layer comprising:
a splitter;
a storage medium; and
a journal based replication appliance;

a third site communicatively coupled to the first and second sites, the third site comprising:
a journal based replication appliance; and
a storage medium; and
computer-executable logic operating in memory, wherein the computer-executable program logic is configured for execution of:

enabling the virtual service layer to consume the storage mediums and map the storage mediums as one or more virtual storage volumes;
enabling the virtual service layer to present the one or more virtual storage volumes for consumption at both the first site and second site;
enabling contemporaneous read/write access to the one or more virtual storage volumes at the first and second site; wherein data corresponding to the one or more virtual storage volumes mapped to the storage mediums on the first and second site is synchronized at the first and second site;
enabling the splitter to intercept I/O written to the one or more virtual storage volumes;
splitting intercepted I/O to a journal based replication appliance; and
replicating IO written to the one or more virtual storage volumes from either the first site or the second site to the third site.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer-executable logic operating is further configured for execution of:
enabling the first site and the second site to replicate to the third site; wherein either the first site or the second site replicated to the third site; wherein one or more virtual storage volumes are replicated to the third site.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer-executable logic operating is further configured for execution of:
enabling the third site to choose the first site or the second site to replicate to the third site.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the computer-executable logic operating is further configured for execution of:
enabling the virtual service layer to create flush points of virtual storage volumes.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the computer-executable logic operating is further configured for execution of:
upon failure of the site replicating to the third site, resuming replication from second site to third site enabling the virtual storage volumes to be moved to the same point in time using the flush points, by transferring all only differences which occurred after the latest common flush points between the new production volume and the replica.

6. A computer implemented method for data replication, the method comprising:
enabling a virtual service layer to consume storage mediums and map the storage mediums as one or more virtual storage volumes;
enabling the virtual service layer to present the one or more virtual storage volumes for consumption at a first site and a second site;
enabling contemporaneous read/write access to the one or more virtual storage volumes at the first and the second site; wherein data corresponding to the one or more virtual storage volumes mapped to the storage mediums on the first and second site is synchronized at the first and second site;
enabling a splitter of the virtual service layer to intercept I/O written to the one or more virtual storage volumes;
splitting intercepted I/O to a journal based replication appliance; and
replicating IO written to the one or more virtual storage volumes from either the first site or the second site to a third site.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein the code further enables:
enabling the first site and the second site to replicate to the third site; wherein either the first site or the second site replicated to the third site; wherein one or more virtual storage volumes are replicated to the third site.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the computer-executable logic operating is further configured for execution of: enabling the third site to choose the first site or the second site to replicate to the third site.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the computer-executable logic operating is further configured for execution of:
enabling the virtual service layer to create flush points of virtual storage volumes.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the computer-executable logic operating is further configured for execution of:
upon failure of the site replicating to the third site, resuming replication from second site to third site; and
enabling the virtual storage volumes to be moved to the same point in time using the flush points, by transferring all only differences which occurred after the latest common flush points between the new production volume and the replica.

11. A computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with computer executable program code for implementing consistent snapshots in a replication environment, the replication environment having a production site and a splitter, the production site having storage mediums, the code:
enabling a virtual service layer to consume storage mediums and map the storage mediums as one or more virtual storage volumes;
enabling the virtual service layer to present the one or more virtual storage volumes for consumption at a first site and a second site;
enabling a splitter of the virtual service layer to intercept I/O written to the one or more virtual storage volumes;
enabling contemporaneous read/write access to the one or more virtual storage volumes at the first and the second site; wherein data corresponding to the one or more virtual storage volumes mapped to the storage mediums on the first and second site is synchronized at the first and second site;
splitting intercepted I/O to a journal based replication appliance;
replicating written to the one or more virtual storage volumes IO from either the first site or the second site to a third site.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the code further enables:
enabling the first site and the second site to replicate to the third site; wherein either the first site or the second site replicated to the third site; wherein one or more virtual storage volumes are replicated to the third site.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the code further enables:
enabling the third site to choose the first site or the second site to replicate to the third site.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the code further enables: configured for execution of:
enabling the virtual service layer to create flush points of virtual storage volumes.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the code further enables:
upon failure of the site replicating to the third site, resuming replication from second site to third site; and
enabling the virtual storage volumes to be moved to the same point in time using the flush points, by transferring all only differences which occurred after the latest common flush points between the new production volume and the replica.

16. The system of claim 4 wherein the computer-executable logic operating is further configured for execution of:
creating a bookmark containing a flush point meta data, at the site replicating the IO;
sending the bookmark to the third site;
and writing the flush point meta data, on the site not replicating the IO, to delta ma

Assignees

• Natanzon Assaf
• Bromling Steven R
• Cohen Saar
• Shemer Jehuda
• Solan Alex
• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc

Inventors

• Natanzon Assaf
• Bromling Steven R
• Cohen Saar
• Shemer Jehuda
• Solan Alex

Classifications

• G06F11/1471 Primary

  involving logging of persistent data for recovery · CPC title

• G06F11/1456 Primary

  Hardware arrangements for backup · CPC title

• G06F11/2074

  Asynchronous techniques · CPC title

• G06F11/1458

  Management of the backup or restore process · CPC title

• G06F2201/855

  Details of asynchronous mirroring using a journal to transfer not-yet-mirrored changes · CPC title