Apparatus and method to provide information from a first information storage and retrieval system to a second information storage and retrieval system

An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable-medium having computer readable program code disposed therein to provide information from a first information storage and retrieval system to a second information storage and retrieval system, wherein said first information storage and retrieval system comprises (N) PPRC adapters, a plurality of host adapters, at least one host computer interconnected with at least one of said plurality of host adapters, a cache, a plurality of device adapters, a plurality of disk drives interconnected with said plurality of device adapters, and information, and wherein said second information storage and retrieval system is capable of receiving said information from said first information storage and retrieval system via one or more of said (N) PPRC adapters, the computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

• ascertaining, for each value of (j), if the (j)th PPRC adapter is in communication with said second information storage and retrieval system, wherein (j) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N);
• operative if the (j)th PPRC adapter is in communication with said second information storage and retrievaL system, including said (j)th PPRC adapter as one of (M) tested adapters, wherein (M) is less than or equal to (N);
• generating a PPRC task comprising a flag, wherein said flag is set to “off”;
• selecting the (i)th tested adapter, wherein (i) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (M), and wherein (i) is initially set to 1;
• providing said information to said second information storage and retrieval system using said (i)th tested adapter;
• determining if said information was received by said second information storage and retrieval system using said (i)th tested adapter;
• operative if said information was not received by said second information storage and retrieval system using said (i)th tested adapter, establishing if (i) equals (M);
• operative if (i) does not equal (M):
• incrementing (i);
• repeating said selecting step, said providing step, said determining step, and said incrementing step.

A computer program product encoded in an information storage medium, said computer program product being usable with a programmable computer processor to provide information from a first information storage and retrieval system to a second information storage and retrieval system, wherein said first information storage and retrieval system comprises (N) PPRC adapters, a plurality of host adapters, at least one host computer interconnected with at least one of said plurality of host adapters, a cache, a plurality of device adapters, a plurality of disk drives interconnected with said plurality of device adapters, and information, and wherein said second information storage and retrieval system is capable of receiving said information from said first information storage and retrieval system via one or more of said (N) PPRC adapters, comprising:

• computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to ascertain, for each value of (j), if the (j)th PPRC adapter is in communication with said second information storage and retrieval system, wherein (j) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N);
• computer readable program code which, if the (j)th PPRC adapter is in communication with said second information storage and retrieval system, causes said programmable computer processor to include said (j)th PPRC adapter as one of (M) tested adapters, wherein (M) is less than or equal to (N);
• computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to generate a PPRC task comprising a flag, wherein said flag is set to “off”;
• computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to select the (i)th tested adapter, wherein (i) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (M), and wherein (i) is initially set to 1;
• computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to provide information to said second information storage and retrieval system using said (i)th tested adapter;
• computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to determine if said information was received by said second information storage and retrieval system using said (i)th tested adapter;
• computer readable program code which, if said information was not received by said second information storage and retrieval system using said (i)th tested adapter, causes said programmable computer processor to sequentially increment (i) and provide said information to said second information storage and retrieval system using, for each incremental value of (i), the (i)th tested adapter until said information is received by said second information storage and retrieval system or until (i) equals (M).