Non-disruptive data migration between processing systems that do not share storage
AssigneeNetApp, Inc.
InventorsPrashanth Radhakrishnan, Vaibhav Singh
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Abstract
A technique is disclosed for non-disruptive migration of data between storage on hosts that do not share storage with each other. Aggregate relocation is enabled to operate between the hosts in the absence of shared storage connectivity. The technique includes mirroring an aggregate from storage of a first host to storage of a second host by using a sub-RAID level proxy in each of the first and second hosts to proxy data communications between the hosts. The proxy is used in lieu of the mirroring application in the first host having direct access to the storage devices of the second host. The technique further includes relocating the aggregate from the first host to the second host.
Claims17
A method comprising:
- mirroring a data aggregate from a storage set of a first physical host to a storage set of a second physical host, wherein the storage set of the first physical host and the storage set of the second physical host are not shared between the first physical host and the second physical host, by using a sub-RAID level proxy in at least one of the first physical host or the second physical host to proxy data mirroring communications between the first and second physical hosts;
- and
- relocating the data aggregate from the first physical host to the second physical host.
A host processing system comprising:
- a processor;
- a local storage set;
- a network interface through which to receive over a network, from a storage client, a data access request relating to data stored in the local storage set;
- a storage operating system;
- a mirroring module to mirror data from the local storage set to an external processing system;
- and
- an import proxy configured to operate logically below the mirroring module, to import and present to the storage operating system an exported storage device of a storage set of the external processing system, wherein the local storage set and the storage set of the external processing system are not shared between the host processing system and the external processing system;
- wherein the host processing system is configured to cause a data aggregate on the local storage set to be mirrored to the storage set of the external processing system cause the data aggregate to be relocated from the first physical host to the second physical host.
An apparatus comprising:
- means for mirroring a data aggregate from a first storage set of a first physical host to a second storage set of a second physical host, by using a sub-RAID level proxy in at least one of the first or second physical hosts to proxy data mirroring communications between the first and second physical hosts, wherein the first storage set and the second storage set are not shared between the first and second physical hosts;
- and
- means for relocating the data aggregate from the first physical host to the second physical host.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.