# US 10,310,750 B2 · Managing disaster recovery replication for storage volumes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,310,750 B2 - Document ID: US10310750B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/291,935 - Filed: 2016-10-12 - Published: 2018-04-12 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-12 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Richard A. Bordoli; Christopher W. Bulmer; Andrew D. Martin; Timothy A. Moran - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10310750B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0619: {in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors} - G06F 3/065: {Replication mechanisms} - G06F 3/067: {Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]} - G06F 3/0689: {Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD} - G06F 11/20: using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements - G06F 11/2069: {Management of state, configuration or failover} - G06F 11/2071: {using a plurality of controllers} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A storage area network comprises: one or more replicating source and target storage volumes accessible by one or more hosts; a volume replication status checker for determining an active replication relationship between a source storage volume and a target storage volume; and a volume visibility engine for setting the target storage volume to be hidden from a host if the target storage volume is visible to the host and has a determined active relationship. The volume replication status checker is further for determining an inactive replication relationship between a source storage volume and a target storage volume; and the volume visibility engine is further for setting the target storage volume to be visible to a host if the target storage volume is hidden from the host and has a determined inactive replication relationship. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A storage area network comprising: a source and target storage volume, accessible to one or more hosts, and having a possible replication relationship; a volume replication status checker for determining an active replication relationship between the source storage volume and the target storage volume; and a volume visibility engine for setting the target storage volume to be hidden from a host as a result of determining that the target storage volume is visible to the host and as a result of the volume replication status checker determining that there is an active replication relationship between the source storage volume and the target storage volume, wherein determining that the target storage volume is visible to the host comprises checking a volume mapping table for an indication of whether the target storage volume is visible to the host. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A storage area network according to claim 1, wherein: the volume replication status checker is further for determining an inactive replication relationship between the source storage volume and the target storage volume; and the volume visibility engine is further for setting the target storage volume to be visible to a host with access if the target storage volume is hidden from the host and has a determined inactive replication relationship. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A storage area network according to claim 1, wherein: the volume replication status checker is further for determining if other target storage volumes in the storage area network have active replication relationships; and the volume visibility engine is further for setting a further target storage volume to be hidden from a host if the further target storage volume is visible to the host and has a determined active relationship. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) A storage area network according to claim 2, wherein: the volume replication status checker is further for determining if other target storage volumes in the storage area network have inactive replication relationships; and the volume visibility engine is further for setting a further target storage volume to be visible to a host if the further target storage volume is hidden from the host and has a determined inactive replication relationship. ### Claim 5 A controller for a storage area network, said storage area network comprising one or more replicating source and target storage volumes accessible to one or more hosts, said controller comprising: volume replication status checker for determining an active replication relationship between a source storage volume and a target storage volume; and a volume visibility engine for setting the target storage volume to be hidden from a host as a result of determining that the target storage volume is visible to the host and as a result of the volume replication status checker determining that there is an active replication relationship between the source storage volume and the target storage volume, wherein determining that the target storage volume is visible to the host comprises checking a volume mapping table for an indication of whether the target storage volume is visible to the host. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A controller according to claim 5, wherein: the volume replication status checker is further for determining an inactive replication relationship between a source storage volume and a target storage volume; and the volume visibility engine is further for setting the target storage volume to be visible to a host if the target storage volume is hidden from the host and has a determined inactive replication relationship. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) A controller according to claim 5, wherein: the volume replication status checker is further for determining if other target storage volumes in the storage area network have active replication relationships; and the volume visibility engine is further for setting a further target storage volume to be hidden from a host if the target storage volume is visible to the host and has a determined active replication relationship. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) A controller according to claim 6, wherein: the volume replication status checker is further for determining if other target storage volumes in the storage area network have inactive replication relationships; and the volume visibility engine is further for setting a further target storage volume to be visible to a host if the target storage volume is hidden from the host and has a determined inaction replication relationship. ### Claim 9 A method for a storage area network, said storage area network comprising a replicating source and target storage volume accessible by one or more hosts, said method comprising: determining an active replication relationship between the source storage volume and the target storage volume; and setting the target storage volume to be hidden from a host as a result of determining that the target storage volume is visible to the host and as a result of the volume replication status checker determining that there is an active replication relationship between the source storage volume and the target storage volume, wherein determining that the target storage volume is visible to the host comprises checking a volume mapping table for an indication of whether the target storage volume is visible to the host. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, further comprising: determining an inactive replication relationship between a source storage volume and a target storage volume; and setting the target storage volume to be visible to a host if the target storage volume is hidden from the host and has an inactive replication relationship. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, further comprising: determining if other target storage volumes in the storage area network have active replication relationships; and setting a further target storage volume to be hidden from a host if the target storage volume is visible to the host and has a determined active replication relationship. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10, further comprising: determining if other target storage volumes in the storage area network have inactive replication relationships; and setting a further target storage volume to be visible to a host if the target storage volume is hidden from the host and has a determined inactive replication relationship. ### Claim 13 A method for a storage area network, said storage area network comprising one or more hosts with access to one or more replicating source and target storage volumes, said method comprising: determining an inactive replication relationship between a source storage volume and a target storage volume; and setting the target storage volume to be visible to a host as a result of determining that the target storage volume is hidden from the host and as a result of the volume replication status checker determining that there is an inactive replication relationship between the source storage volume and the target storage volume, wherein determining that the target storage volume is hidden from the host comprises checking a volume mapping table for an indication of whether the target storage volume is hidden from the host. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A method according to claim 13, further comprising: determining an active replication relationship between a source storage volume and a target storage volume; and setting the target storage volume to be hidden from a host if the target storage volume is visible to the host and has a determined active replication relationship. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) A method according to claim 13, further comprising: determining if other target storage volumes in the storage area network have inactive replication relationships; and setting a further target storage volume to be visible to a host if the further target storage volume is hidden from to the host and has a determined inactive replication relationship. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) A method according to claim 14, further comprising: determining if other target storage volumes in the storage area network have active replication relationships; and setting a further target storage volume to be hidden from a host if the target storage volume is visible to the host and has a determined active replication relationship. ### Claim 17 A computer program product for a storage area network, said storage area network comprising one or more replicating source and target storage volumes accessible by one or more hosts, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to: determine an active replication relationship between a source storage volume and a target storage volume; and set the target storage volume to be hidden from a host as a result of determining that the target storage volume is visible to the host and as a result of the volume replication status checker determining that there is an active replication relationship between the source storage volume and the target storage volume, wherein determining that the target storage volume is visible to the host comprises checking a volume mapping table for an indication of whether the target storage volume is visible to the host. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A computer program product according to claim 17, the program instructions executable by a processor to further cause the processor to: determine an inactive replication relationship between a source storage volume and a target storage volume; and set the target storage volume to be visible to a host if the target storage volume is hidden from the host and has a determined inactive replication relationship. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) A computer program product according to claim 17, the program instructions executable by a processor to further cause the processor to: determine if other target storage volumes in the storage area network have active replication relationships; and set a further target storage volume to be hidden from a host if the target storage volume is visible to the host and has a determined active replication relationship. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) A computer program product according to claim 18, the program instructions executable by a processor to further cause the processor to: determine if other target storage volumes in the storage area network have inactive replication relationships; and set a further target storage volume to be visible to a host if the target storage volume is hidden from the host and has a determined inactive replication relationship.