Method, system and program for forming a consistency group
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsGail Andrea Spear, Robert Francis Bartfai, Edward Hsiu-Wei Lin, William Frank Micka, Olympia Gluck, Aviad Zlotnick, Michael E. Factor, Thomas Charles Jarvis, Sam Clark Werner
Provided are a method, system, and program for forming a consistency group of data. Information is provided on a consistency group relationship indicating a plurality of slave controllers and, for each indicated slave controller, a slave storage unit managed by the slave controller. A command is transmitted to each slave controller in the consistency group relationship to cause each slave controller to transmit data in the slave storage unit to a remote storage in a manner that forms the consistency group. A determination is made as to whether all the slave controllers successfully transmitted the data in the slave storage units that is part of the consistency group to the remote storage.
Drawings
Claims36
A method for forming a consistency group of data, comprising:
providing information on a consistency group relationship indicating a plurality of slave controllers and, for each indicated slave controller, an indicated portion of a slave storage unit managed by the slave controller, wherein the slave controllers indicated in the consistency group transmit data from the indicated portions of their respective slave storage units consistent as of a point-in-time;
transmitting a command to each slave controller in the consistency group relationship to cause each slave controller to transmit data in the portion of the slave storage unit to a remote storage in a manner that forms the consistency group;
determining whether all the slave controllers successfully transmitted the data in the portions of the slave storage units that is part of the consistency group to the remote storage;
and
copying data from a plurality of local controllers at a local site to the slave controllers at an intermediate site to store in the slave storage units, wherein the local controllers and slave controllers are at different geographical sites and the remote storage is at a remote geographical location with respect to the geographical sites including the local and slave controllers.
2 more elements
A method for forming a consistency group of data, comprising:
providing information on a consistency group relationship indicating a plurality of slave controllers and, for each indicated slave controller, an indicated portion of a slave storage unit managed by the slave controller, wherein the slave controllers indicated in the consistency group transmit data from the indicated portions of their respective slave storage units consistent as of a point-in-time;
transmitting a command to each slave controller in the consistency group relationship to cause each slave controller to transmit data in the portion of the slave storage unit to a remote storage in a manner that forms the consistency group;
determining whether all the slave controllers successfully transmitted the data in the portions of the slave storage units that is part of the consistency group to the remote storage;
and
transmitting a command to each slave controller to cause each slave controller to initiate a virtual copy operation to cause the data from the slave storage unit at the remote storage to be copied to a remote backup storage after determining that all the slave controllers have successfully transmitted the data in the slave storage units to the remote storage.
2 more elements
A method for forming a consistency group, comprising:
receiving a command from a master controller to generate a first data structure to indicate updates to a slave storage unit to form a consistency group initiated by the master controller, wherein data in the slave storage unit in the consistency group is transmitted consistent as of a point-in-time;
generating the first data structure in response to the command;
transmitting complete to the master controller after generating the first data structure;
copying updated data in the slave storage unit indicated in a second data structure to a remote storage, wherein the data is copied to form the consistency group, wherein updates to the slave storage unit received while copying the updated data indicated in the second data structure to form the consistency group are indicated in the first data structure;
transmitting complete to the master controller after successfully copying the data in the slave storage unit indicated in the second data structure to the remote storage;
indicating in the second data structure that data in the slave storage unit is not updated in response to transmitting the corresponding data to the remote storage;
indicating in the second data structure updated data in the slave storage unit that is indicated as updated in the first data structure in response to the second data structure not indicating any updated data to copy to the remote storage;
and
indicating updates to data in the slave storage unit in the second data structure that are received after completing the copying of the data to the remote storage.
6 more elements
A system in communication with a plurality of slave controllers, wherein each slave controller manages at least one slave storage unit, and wherein each slave controller is in communication with one remote storage, comprising:
a processor;
a computer readable storage medium including storage management software executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
providing information on a consistency group relationship indicating a plurality of the slave controllers and, for each indicated slave controller, an indicated portion of a at least one slave storage unit managed by the slave controller, wherein the slave controllers indicated in the consistency group transmit data from the indicated portions of their respective slave storage units consistent as of a point-in-time;
transmitting a command to each slave controller in the consistency group relationship to cause each slave controller to transmit data in the portion of the slave storage unit to one remote storage in a manner that forms the consistency group;
determining whether all the slave controllers successfully transmitted the data in the portions of the slave storage units that is part of the consistency group to the remote storage;
and
copying data from a plurality of local controllers at a local site to the slave controllers at an intermediate site to store in the slave storage units, wherein the local controllers and slave controllers are at different geographical sites and the remote storage is at a remote geographical location with respect to the geographical sites including the local and slave controllers.
4 more elements
A system in communication with a plurality of slave controllers, wherein each slave controller manages at least one slave storage unit, and wherein each slave controller is in communication with one remote storage, comprising:
a processor;
a computer readable storage medium including storage management software executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
providing information on a consistency group relationship indicating a plurality of the slave controllers and, for each indicated slave controller, an indicated portion of a at least one slave storage unit managed by the slave controller, wherein the slave controllers indicated in the consistency group transmit data from the indicated portions of their respective slave storage units consistent as of a point-in-time;
transmitting a command to each slave controller in the consistency group relationship to cause each slave controller to transmit data in the portion of the slave storage unit to one remote storage in a manner that forms the consistency group;
determining whether all the slave controllers successfully transmitted the data in the portions of the slave storage units that is part of the consistency group to the remote storage;
and
transmitting a command to each slave controller to cause each slave controller to initiate a virtual copy operation to cause the data from the slave storage unit at the remote storage to be copied to a remote backup storage after determining that all the slave controllers have successfully transmitted the data in the slave storage units to the remote storage.
4 more elements
A system in communication with a master controller, comprising:
a slave storage unit;
a processor;
a computer readable storage medium including storage management software executed by the processor to function as a slave system with respect to the master controller and perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving a command from the master controller to generate a first data structure to indicate updates to the slave storage unit to form a consistency group initiated by the master controller, wherein data in the slave storage unit in the consistency group is transmitted consistent as of a point-in-time;
generating the first data structure in response to the command;
transmitting complete to the master controller after generating the first data structure;
generating a second data structure indicating updated data in the slave storage unit;
copying updated data in the slave storage unit indicated in the second data structure to a remote storage, wherein the data is copied to form the consistency group, wherein updates to the slave storage unit received while copying the updated data indicated in the second data structure to form the consistency group are indicated in the first data structure;
transmitting complete to the master controller after successfully copying the data in the slave storage unit to the remote storage;
indicating in the second data structure that data in the slave storage unit is not updated in response to transmitting the corresponding data to the remote storage;
indicating in the second data structure updated data in the slave storage unit that is indicated as updated in the first data structure in response to the second data structure not indicating any updated data to copy to the remote storage;
and
indicating updates to data in the slave storage unit in the second data structure that are received after completing the copying of the data to the remote storage.
10 more elements
An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium including code executed to form a consistency group of data, wherein a plurality of slave controllers manage slave storage units and to perform operations, the operations comprising:
providing information on a consistency group relationship indicating a plurality of the slave controllers and, for each indicated slave controller, an indicated portion of a slave storage unit managed by the slave controller, wherein the slave controllers indicated in the consistency group transmit data from the indicated portions of their respective slave storage units consistent as of a point-in-time;
transmitting a command to each slave controller in the consistency group relationship to cause each slave controller to transmit data in the portion of the slave storage unit to a remote storage in a manner that forms the consistency group;
determining whether all the slave controllers successfully transmitted the data in the portions of the slave storage units that is part of the consistency group to the remote storage;
and
copying data from a plurality of local controllers at a local site to the slave controllers at an intermediate site to store in the slave storage units, wherein the local controllers and slave controllers are at different geographical sites and the remote storage is at a remote geographical location with respect to the geographical sites including the local and slave controllers.
2 more elements
An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium including code executed to form a consistency group of data, wherein a plurality of slave controllers manage slave storage units and to perform operations, the operations comprising:
providing information on a consistency group relationship indicating a plurality of the slave controllers and, for each indicated slave controller, an indicated portion of a slave storage unit managed by the slave controller, wherein the slave controllers indicated in the consistency group transmit data from the indicated portions of their respective slave storage units consistent as of a point-in-time;
transmitting a command to each slave controller in the consistency group relationship to cause each slave controller to transmit data in the portion of the slave storage unit to a remote storage in a manner that forms the consistency group;
determining whether all the slave controllers successfully transmitted the data in the portions of the slave storage units that is part of the consistency group to the remote storage;
and
transmitting a command to each slave controller to cause each slave controller to initiate a virtual copy operation to cause the data from the slave storage unit at the remote storage to be copied to a remote backup storage after determining that all the slave controllers have successfully transmitted the data in the slave storage units to the remote storage.
2 more elements
An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium including code executed to form a consistency group of data and to perform operations, the operations comprising
receiving a command from a master controller to generate a first data structure to indicate updates to a slave storage unit to form a consistency group initiated by the master controller, wherein data in the slave storage unit in the consistency group is transmitted consistent as of a point-in-time;
generating the first data structure in response to the command;
transmitting complete to the master controller after generating the first data structure;
copying updated data in the slave storage unit indicated in a second data structure to a remote storage, wherein the data is copied to form the consistency group, wherein updates to the slave storage unit received while copying the updated data indicated in the second data structure to form the consistency group are indicated in the first data structure;
transmitting complete to the master controller after successfully copying the data in the slave storage unit indicated in the second data structure to the remote storage;
indicating in the second data structure that data in the slave storage unit is not updated in response to transmitting the corresponding data to the remote storage;
indicating in the second data structure updated data in the slave storage unit that is indicated as updated in the first data structure in response to the second data structure not indicating any updated data to copy to the remote storage;
and
indicating updates to data in the slave storage unit in the second data structure that are received after completing the copying of the data to the remote storage.
27 Jul 2025Estimated · howhide20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 667 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.
#Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout:
#FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a network computing environment in which aspects of the invention are implemented;
#FIG. 2 illustrates an arrangement of a storage controller in accordance with implementations of the invention;
Detailed description5,097 words
#In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and which illustrate several embodiments of the present invention. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
#FIG. 1 illustrates a network computing environment in which aspects of the invention may be implemented. A local site 2 includes storage controllers 4a, 4b, 4c, where each storage controller 4a, 4b, 4c is coupled to an attached storage system 6a, 6b, 6c, respectively. The storage controllers 4a, 4b, and 4c manage Input/Output (I/O) access to volumes in the storage systems 6a, 6b, 6c from host systems (not shown). Each storage controller 4a, 4b, 4c copies data to a corresponding remote storage controller 8a, 8b, 8c at a remote site 10 via connections 12a, 12b, and 12c. The storage controllers 4a, 4b, and 4c transmit data consistent as of point-in-times to the remote storage controllers 8a, 8b, 8c, where the remote storage controllers 8a, 8b, 8c store the data to their respective attached remote storage systems 14a, 14b, 14c. In certain implementations, the storage controllers 4a, 4b, 4c continuously transmit data to the remote site 10, and at certain instances in time will ensure consistency of the data at the remote site 10. In certain implementations, the remote site 10 may save a consistency group of data to another storage, such as consistent backup storages 16a, 16b, 16c, to maintain a backup of the consistent data at the remote site 10. After a consistent group of data is transmitted to the remote storage 14a, 14b, 14c, a copy is made from remote storage 14a, 14b, 14c to a respective consistent backup storage 16a, 16b, 16c. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a certain number of components at the sites, such as three storage controllers and storages, the described implementations may operate with any number of storage controllers and storage systems at the sites.
#The remote site 10 may be hundreds or thousands of miles from the local site 2. The connections 12a, 12b, 12c between pairs of storage controllers may comprise a dedicated line, such as a dedicated fibre optical network or connection maintained by a long distance telecommunication carrier, long distance fibre optic connection having channel extenders, or extend through a network, such as a Storage Area Network (SAN), Local Area Network (LAN), the Internet, and Intranet, etc.