Data system for managing synchronized data protection operations at nodes of the data system, source node and destination node, and computer program product for use in such data system

A data system for managing synchronized data protection operations at plural nodes of the data system, comprising:

• one or more physical devices which provide resources that configure the plural nodes which include a node chain including at least a first node, a second node downstream of the first node, and a third node downstream of the second node in the node chain, and the first node being communicably connected to the second node, and the second node being communicably connected to the third node, the first node receiving data from an application host,
• wherein the resources are configured to store data associated with an application running on the application host,
• wherein the first node is configured to operate on the basis of first sequence information including instructions of a sequence of operations to be executed by the first node for performing a first data protection operation and for synchronizing the sequence of operations to be executed by the first node with the second node and the third node,
• wherein the second node is configured to operate on the basis of second sequence information including instructions of a sequence of operations to be executed by the second node for performing a second data protection operation and for synchronizing the sequence of operations to be executed by the second node with the first node and the third node,
• wherein the third node is configured to operate on the basis of third sequence information including instructions of a sequence of operations to be executed by the third node for performing a third data protection operation and for synchronizing the sequence of operations to be executed by the third node with the first node and the second node,
• wherein the first node is configured to put the application into a hold on the basis of a respective instruction included in the first sequence information,
• wherein the first, second and third data protection operations relate to data associated with the application running on the application host, and after the first node, second node and third node each initiate their sequence of operations, respectively, the first node is configured to request to the application, on the basis of a respective instruction included in the first sequence information and before putting the application on hold, application context information which indicates one or more logical storage locations of data related to the application,
• wherein the first node is configured to request, on the basis of a respective instruction included in the first sequence information and before putting the application on hold, storage context information which indicates one or more physical storage locations, of storage areas of the first node, of data related to the application associated with the one or more logical storage locations indicated in the application context information,
• wherein the first node is configured to, when needed, translate the application context information into the requested storage context information, which indicates one or more physical storage locations, of the storage areas of the first node, of data related to the application associated with the one or more logical storage locations indicated in the application context information, on the basis of a respective instruction included in the first sequence information and on the basis of the application context information, and to transmit the generated storage context information to the second node,
• wherein the first node is configured to transmit, on the basis of a respective instruction included in the first sequence information and before putting the application on hold, the requested application context information to the second node,
• wherein the second node is configured to request, on the basis of a respective instruction included in the second sequence information, storage context information which indicates one or more physical storage locations, of storage areas of the second node, of data related to the application associated with the one or more logical storage locations indicated in the application context information,
• wherein the second node is configured to transmit, on the basis of a respective instruction included in the second sequence information and before putting the application on hold, the requested application context information to the third node,
• wherein the third node is configured to request, on the basis of a respective instruction included in the third sequence information, storage context information which indicates one or more physical storage locations, of storage areas of the third node, of data related to the application associated with the one or more logical storage locations indicated in the application context information,
• wherein the first node, the second node and the third node are each configured to perform the first data protection operation, the second data protection operation and the third data protection operation, respectively, after putting the application into the hold,
• wherein the first node is configured to perform the first data protection operation, after the first application is put into the hold, and to then transmit a first synchronization notification to the second node on the basis of respective instructions included in the first sequence information,
• wherein the second node is configured to receive the first synchronization notification from the first node, perform the second data protection operation in response to the first synchronization notification from the first node, and to then transmit a second synchronization notification to the third node on the basis of respective instructions included in the second sequence information,
• wherein the third node is configured to receive the second synchronization notification from the second node and perform the third data protection operation in response to the received second synchronization notification from the second node,
• wherein the third node is further configured to transmit a first confirmation notification to the second node when having performed the third data protection operation on the basis of a respective instruction included in the third sequence information,
• wherein the second node is further configured to transmit a second confirmation notification to the first node when having performed the second data protection operation and having received the first confirmation notification from the third node on the basis of a respective instruction included in the second sequence information, and
• wherein the first node is configured to resume the application upon receiving the second confirmation notification from the second node on the basis of a respective instruction included in the first sequence information.