Simultaneous activation of virtual devices

#1. Technical Field

#This application relates to computer storage devices, and more particularly to the field of providing copies of portions of data stored on a computer storage device.

#2. Description of Related Art

#FIG. 1 is a diagram of a storage device used in connection with the system described herein.

#FIG. 2 is a diagram of a storage that shows various logical volumes that are used in connection with the system described herein.

#FIG. 3 is a diagram showing use of a virtual device according to the system described herein.

#Referring to FIG. 1, a storage device 30 includes a plurality of host adapters (HA) 32-34, a plurality of disk adapters (DA) 36-38 and a plurality of disk drives 42-44. Each of the disk drives 42-44 is coupled to a corresponding one of the DA's 36-38. The storage device 30 also includes a global memory 46 that may be accessed by the HA's 32-34 and the DA's 36-38. The storage device 30 also includes a RDF adapter (RA) 48 that may also access the global memory 46. The RA 48 may communicate with one or more additional remote storage devices (not shown) and/or one or more other remote devices (not shown) via a data link 52. The HA's 32-34, the DA's 36-38, the global memory 46 and the RA 48 are coupled to a bus 54 that is provided to facilitate communication therebetween.

#Each of the HA's 32-34 may be coupled to one or more host computers (not shown) that access the storage device 30. The host computers (hosts) read data stored on the disk drives 42-44 and write data to the disk drives 42-44. The global memory 46 contains a cache memory that holds tracks of data from the disk drives 42-44 as well as storage for tables that may be accessed by the HA's 32-34, the DA's 36-38 and the RA 48. Note that, for the discussion herein, blocks of data are described as being a track or tracks of data. However, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, that the system described herein may work with any appropriate incremental amount, or section, of data, including possibly variable incremental amounts of data and/or fixed incremental amounts of data.

#Referring to FIG. 2, the storage device 30 is shown as including a plurality of standard logical devices 61-68. Each of the standard logical devices 61-68 may correspond to a volume that is accessible to one or more hosts coupled to the storage device 30. Each of the standard logical devices 61-68 may or may not correspond to one of the disk drives 42-44. Thus, for example, the standard logical device 61 may correspond to the disk drive 42, may correspond to a portion of the disk drive 42, or may correspond to a portion of the disk drive 42 and a portion of the disk drive 43. Each of the standard logical devices 61-68 appears to the host as a contiguous block of disk storage, even though each of the standard logical devices 61-68 may or may not correspond to actual contiguous physical storage of the disk drives 42-44.