Dynamic compression for data replication

A method comprising:

• maintaining a primary array replica storage object, including responding to commands from host servers to update segments of data on the primary array replica storage object;
• maintaining a secondary array replica storage object, including compressing the segments into replication data at line rate for transmission to a target storage system via a network to update the secondary array replica of the storage object;
• and
• for compression hardware having finite capabilities for performing compression at line rate, adjusting operation of the compression hardware toward full utilization while maintaining performance of compression at line rate by selectively implementing one of a plurality of compression levels characterized by inversely related compression efficiency and processing efficiency for each segment of the replication data, where compression efficiency correlates with achieved compression ratios and processing efficiency correlates with number of segments of data of a given size that can be compressed per unit of time, per unit of compression resources, the compression levels including a first compression level that exhibits greater compression efficiency and lower processing efficiency than other compression levels, where utilization of the capabilities to compress a segment is inversely related to processing efficiency, and a second compression level that exhibits lower compression efficiency and greater processing efficiency than other compression levels, and including selecting ones of the compression levels to compress ones of the segments of replication data based on forecast utilization of the compression hardware, including changing from use of the first compression level to use of the second compression level responsive to a forecast that the compression hardware will be underutilized, and including changing from use of the second compression level to use of the first compression level responsive to a forecast that the compression hardware will not be underutilized, where at least one threshold value distinguishes underutilization of the compression hardware from the compression hardware not being underutilized.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that are executed by a computer in a storage system to perform a method comprising:

• maintaining a primary array replica storage object, including responding to commands from host servers to update segments of data on the primary array replica storage object;
• maintaining a secondary array replica storage object, including compressing the segments into replication data at line rate for transmission to a target storage system via a network to update the secondary array replica of the storage object;
• and
• for compression hardware having finite capabilities for performing compression at line rate, adjusting operation of the compression hardware toward full utilization while maintaining performance of compression at line rate by selectively implementing one of a plurality of compression levels characterized by inversely related compression efficiency and processing efficiency for each segment of the replication data, where compression efficiency correlates with achieved compression ratios and processing efficiency correlates with number of segments of data of a given size that can be compressed per unit of time, per unit of compression resources, the compression levels including a first compression level that exhibits greater compression efficiency and lower processing efficiency than other compression levels, where utilization of the capabilities to compress a segment is inversely related to processing efficiency, and a second compression level that exhibits lower compression efficiency and greater processing efficiency than other compression levels, and including selecting ones of the compression levels to compress ones of the segments of replication data based on forecast utilization of the compression hardware, including changing from use of the first compression level to use of the second compression level responsive to a forecast that the compression hardware will be underutilized, and including changing from use of the second compression level to use of the first compression level responsive to a forecast that the compression hardware will not be underutilized, where at least one threshold value distinguishes underutilization of the compression hardware from the compression hardware not being underutilized.