US 8,028,139 B2Granted

Remote copy method and remote copy system

AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.

InventorsRyusuke Ito, Yusuke Hirakawa, Yoshihiro Asaka, Takeshi Kaga

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Abstract

In a configuration in which it is necessary to transfer data from a first storage system to a third storage system through a storage system between the storage systems, there is a problem that it is inevitable to give an excess logical volume to a second storage system between the storage systems. A remote copy system includes first storage system that sends and receives data to and from an information processing apparatus, a second storage system, and a third storage system. The second storage system virtually has a second storage area in which the data should be written and has a third storage area in which the data written in the second storage area and update information concerning the data are written. Data sent from the first storage system is not written in the second storage area but is written in the third storage area as data and update information. The data and the update information written in the third storage area are read out from the third storage system.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A remote copy system comprising:

a first storage system being adapted to be coupled to a first host computer and having a first logical volume accompanied with a first plurality of disk drives in the first storage system;
a second storage system having a second logical volume accompanied with a second plurality of disk drives in the second storage system and a virtual volume not accompanied with the second plurality of disk drives, the virtual volume configuring a first remote copy pair with the first logical volume;
and
a third storage system being adapted to be coupled to a second host computer and having a third logical volume accompanied with a third plurality of disk drives in the third storage system and a fourth logical volume accompanied with the third plurality of disk drives, the fourth logical volume configuring a second remote copy pair with the virtual volume,
wherein, if the first storage system receives a write data sent from the first host computer to the first logical volume, the first storage system stores the write data in the first plurality of disk drives and sends the write data to the second storage system according to a synchronous remote copy procedure,
wherein, if the second storage system receives the write data sent from the first storage system, the second storage system does not store the write data in the virtual volume, stores the write data in the second logical volume, which maintains the write data temporarily, and sends the write data of the second logical volume to the third storage system according to an asynchronous remote copy procedure,
wherein, if the third storage system receives the write data sent from the second storage system, the third storage system stores the write data in the third logical volume, which maintains the write data temporarily, and stores the write data of the fourth logical volume so that the fourth logical volume stores a duplicated data of data stored in the first logical volume, and
wherein, when a failure occurs in the first storage system, the second storage system sends the write data stored in the second logical volume to the third storage system before the second host computer takes over for the first host computer by using the fourth logical volume.

5 more elements

In a remote copy system having a first storage system being adapted to be coupled to a first host computer and having a first logical volume accompanied with a first plurality of disk drives in the first storage system, a second storage system having a second logical volume accompanied with a second plurality of disk drives in the second storage system and a virtual volume not accompanied with the second plurality of disk drives, the virtual volume configuring a first remote copy pair with the first logical volume, and a third storage system being adapted to be coupled to a second host computer and having a third logical volume accompanied with a third plurality of disk drives in the third storage system and a fourth logical volume accompanied with the third plurality of disk drives, the fourth logical volume configuring a second remote copy pair with the virtual volume, a method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the first storage system, a write data sent from the first host computer to the first logical volume;
storing, by the first storage system, the write data in the first plurality of disk drives;
sending, by the first storage system, the write data to the second storage system according to a synchronous remote copy procedure;
receiving, by the second storage system, the write data sent from the first storage system, wherein the second storage system does not store the write data in the virtual volume;
storing, by the second storage system, the write data in the second logical volume, which maintains the write data temporarily;
sending, by the second storage system, the write data of the second logical volume to the third storage system according to an asynchronous remote copy procedure;
receiving, by the third storage system, the write data sent from the second storage system;
storing, by the third storage system, the write data in the third logical volume, which maintains the write data temporarily;
storing, by the third storage system, the write data of the fourth logical volume so that the fourth logical volume stores a duplicated data of data stored in the first logical volume;
and
when a failure occurs in the first storage system, sending, by the second storage system, the write data stored in the second logical volume to the third storage system before the second host computer takes over for the first host computer by using the fourth logical volume.

8 more elements

A second storage system in a remote copy system, the second storage system being coupled to a first storage system, which is coupled to a first host computer, and a third storage system, which is coupled to a second host computer, the second storage system comprising:

a second logical volume accompanied with a plurality of disk drives in the second storage system and a virtual volume not accompanied with the plurality of disk drives, the virtual volume configuring a first remote copy pair with a third logical volume in the first storage system and configuring a second remote copy pair with a third logical volume in the third storage system,
wherein the second storage system receives write data from the first storage system according to a synchronous remote copy procedure, does not store the write data in the virtual volume, stores the write data in the second logical volume, which maintains the write data temporarily, and sends the write data of the second logical volume to the third storage system according to an asynchronous remote copy procedure, and
wherein, when a failure occurs in the first storage system, the second storage system sends the write data stored in the second logical volume to the third storage system before the second host computer takes over for the first host computer by using the third storage system.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/467,155Filed 15 May 2009 · continuation
Priority: JP 2004-12243119 Apr 2004
Published: US 2009/0327629 A131 Dec 2009
Granted: 27 Sep 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G06F 11/2074
Using a plurality of controllers: asynchronous techniques
G06F 11/2066
By mirroring: optimisation of the communication load
G06F 2201/855
Indexing scheme relating to error detection, to error correction, and to monitoring: details of asynchronous mirroring using a journal to transfer…
Y10S 707/99953
Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users: recoverability

Family

Application10/871,341Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Jun 2004
Application11/585,747Parent of this continuation · filed 23 Oct 2006
US 2009/0327629 A1Pre-grant publication · published 31 Dec 2009
US 7,640,411 B2Parent of this continuation
US 7,130,976 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2005/0235121 A1Published application
US 2008/0098188 A1Published application
US 8,028,139 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.