Processing a recall request for data migrated from a primary storage system having data mirrored to a secondary storage system

• US 10,678,661 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2017
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McBride, Gregory E., Mellgren, Carol S., Reed, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Tian-Pong
• Application Number:
  US15/463,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20180267723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/16 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0649 Lifecycle management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays

Abstract

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for processing a recall request for data migrated from a primary storage system having data mirrored to a secondary storage system mirroring data from the primary storage system to the at least one secondary storage system. The primary storage system receives a recall request to recall a data object that was migrated from the primary storage system to a remote storage location. The recall request is transmitted to each of the at least one secondary storage system to cause each of the at least one secondary storage system receiving the recall request to directly retrieve the data object from the remote storage location. The primary storage system retrieves the data object from the remote storage location in response to the recall request. The primary storage system returns complete to the recall request in response to the data object being confirmed as restored to the primary storage system and the at least one secondary storage system.

Claims

1. A computer program product for recalling data at a primary storage system coupled to a plurality of secondary storage systems, wherein the computer program product comprises a computer readable storage medium deployed at the primary storage system having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause operations, the operations comprising:

mirroring data from the primary storage system to the secondary storage systems;

migrating, from the primary storage system, data objects to a remote storage location external to the primary storage system and the secondary storage systems, wherein the remote storage location stores migrated data objects from the primary storage system;

receiving, at the primary storage system, a recall request to recall a data object that was migrated from the primary storage system to the remote storage location;

causing transmission of the recall request to each of the secondary storage systems to cause each of the secondary storage systems receiving the recall request to directly retrieve the data object to recall from the remote storage location;

retrieving, by the primary storage system, the data object to recall from the remote storage location in response to the recall request; and

returning, by the primary storage system, complete to the recall request in response to the data object to recall being confirmed as restored to the primary storage system and each of the secondary storage systems.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the remote storage location is implemented in a cloud computing storage system accessible over an Internet, wherein the primary and the secondary storage systems communicate over a storage network separate from the Internet.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the causing transmission of the recall request to the secondary storage systems comprises the primary storage system transmitting the recall request to each of the secondary storage systems to cause the secondary storage systems to directly recall the data object from the remote storage location.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the primary storage system and the secondary storage systems are in a cascade copy relationship, wherein a subset of the secondary storage systems operate as primary storage systems to mirror data to other of the secondary storage systems, wherein the causing the transmission of the recall request comprises each of the primary storage system and the subset of the secondary storage systems receiving the recall request further transmitting the recall request to one of the secondary storage systems to which data is mirrored from the primary storage system and the subset of the secondary storage systems.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to determining that the transmission of the recall request did not complete to at least one of the secondary storage systems, performing;

suspending mirroring of data to the secondary storage systems; and

indicating in a change recording data structure changes to data in the primary storage system resulting from host write operations and the recalling of the data object after suspending the mirroring of the data.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining one of the secondary storage systems is accessible after determining that the recall request could not be transmitted to the determined secondary storage system; and

transmitting changes to data at the primary storage system indicated in the change recording data structure to the determined secondary storage system in response to determining that the determined secondary storage system is accessible.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

creating a consistency group for data on the primary storage system as of a point-in-time for each of the secondary storage systems to which data is mirrored, wherein data as of the point-in-time is copied to the secondary storage systems, wherein the recall request is received while copying the data as of the point-in-time to the secondary storage systems; and

cancelling each consistency group in response to receiving the recall request while copying the data as of the point-in-time to the secondary storage systems to end copying over data as of the point-in-time to the secondary storage systems.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the point-in-time comprises a first point-in-time, wherein the operations further comprise for each cancelled consistency group:

recording updates to the data at the primary storage system in a change recording data structure before the recalling of the data object to the primary storage system has completed;

creating a new consistency group at a second point-in-time having the primary storage system and a secondary storage system in the cancelled consistency group after completing the recalling of the data object to the primary storage system and the secondary storage system; and

copying over data at the primary storage system as of the second point-in-time not yet mirrored to the secondary storage system for the new consistency group, including updates indicated in the change recording data structure, to the secondary storage system as part of the new consistency group.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the operations further for each consistency group that was canceled:

maintaining an out-of-synch data structure indicating changed data in the primary storage system as of the first point-in-time that have not yet been mirrored to the secondary storage system in the new consistency group;

copying data indicated in the out-of-synch data structure to the secondary storage system for the consistency group for the first point-in-time before the receiving the recall request; and

in response to creating the new consistency group, merging indication of changed data in the change recording data structure with changed data indicated in the out-of-synch data structure so that the out-of-synch data structure indicates data as of the first point-in-time and changed data in the primary storage system received after the first point-in-time, wherein the copying over the data at the primary storage system as of the second point-in-time not yet mirrored comprises the changed data indicated in the out-of-synch data structure merged with the change recording data structure.

10. A system for recalling data comprising a primary storage system coupled to secondary storage systems, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium deployed having program instructions embodied that when executed by the processor perform operations, the operations comprising;

mirroring data from the primary storage system to the secondary storage systems;

migrating, from the primary storage system, data objects to a remote storage location external to the primary storage system and the secondary storage systems, wherein the remote storage location stores migrated data objects from the primary storage system;

receiving, at the primary storage system, a recall request to recall a data object that was migrated from the primary storage system to the remote storage location;

causing transmission of the recall request to each of the secondary storage systems to cause each of the secondary storage systems receiving the recall request to directly retrieve the data object to recall from the remote storage location;

retrieving, by the primary storage system, the data object to recall from the remote storage location in response to the recall request; and

returning, by the primary storage system, complete to the recall request in response to the data object to recall being confirmed as restored to the primary storage system and each of the secondary storage systems.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the remote storage location is implemented in a cloud computing storage system accessible over an Internet, wherein the primary and the secondary storage systems communicate over a storage network separate from the Internet.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the causing transmission of the recall request to the secondary storage systems comprises the primary storage system transmitting the recall request to each of the secondary storage systems to cause the secondary storage systems to directly recall the data object from the remote storage location.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to determining that the transmission of the recall request did not complete to at least one of the secondary storage systems, performing;

suspending mirroring of data to the secondary storage systems; and

indicating in a change recording data structure changes to data in the primary storage system resulting from host write operations and the recalling of the data object after suspending the mirroring of the data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining one of the secondary storage systems is accessible after determining that the recall request could not be transmitted to the determined secondary storage system; and

transmitting changes to data at the primary storage system indicated in the change recording data structure to the determined secondary storage system in response to determining that the determined secondary storage system is accessible.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

creating a consistency group for data on the primary storage system as of a point-in-time for each of the secondary storage systems to which data is mirrored, wherein data as of the point-in-time is copied to the secondary storage systems, wherein the recall request is received while copying the data as of the point-in-time to the secondary storage systems; and

cancelling each consistency group in response to receiving the recall request while copying the data as of the point-in-time to the secondary storage systems to end copying over data as of the point-in-time to the secondary storage systems.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the point-in-time comprises a first point-in-time, wherein the operations further comprise for each cancelled consistency group:

recording updates to the data at the primary storage system in a change recording data structure before the recalling of the data object to the primary storage system has completed;

creating a new consistency group at a second point-in-time having the primary storage system and a secondary storage system in the cancelled consistency group after completing the recalling of the data object to the primary storage system and the secondary storage system; and

copying over data at the primary storage system as of the second point-in-time not yet mirrored to the secondary storage system for the new consistency group, including updates indicated in the change recording data structure, to the secondary storage system as part of the new consistency group.

17. A method for recalling data at a primary storage system coupled to a plurality of secondary storage systems, comprising:

mirroring data from the primary storage system to the secondary storage systems;

migrating, from the primary storage system, data objects to a remote storage location external to the primary storage system and the secondary storage systems, wherein the remote storage location stores migrated data objects from the primary storage system;

receiving, at the primary storage system, a recall request to recall a data object that was migrated from the primary storage system to the remote storage location;

causing transmission of the recall request to each of the secondary storage systems to cause each of the secondary storage systems receiving the recall request to directly retrieve the data object to recall from the remote storage location;

retrieving, by the primary storage system, the data object to recall from the remote storage location in response to the recall request; and

returning, by the primary storage system, complete to the recall request in response to the data object to recall being confirmed as restored to the primary storage system and to each of the secondary storage systems.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the remote storage location is implemented in a cloud computing storage system accessible over an Internet, wherein the primary and the secondary storage systems communicate over a storage network separate from the Internet.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the causing transmission of the recall request to at least one of the secondary storage systems comprises the primary storage system transmitting the recall request to each of the secondary storage systems to cause the secondary storage systems to directly recall the data object from the remote storage location.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

in response to determining that the transmission of the recall request did not complete to at least one of the secondary storage systems, performing;

suspending mirroring of data to the secondary storage systems; and

indicating in a change recording data structure changes to data in the primary storage system resulting from host write operations and the recalling of the data object after suspending the mirroring of the data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining one of the secondary storage systems is accessible after determining that the recall request could not be transmitted to the determined secondary storage system; and

transmitting changes to data at the primary storage system indicated in the change recording data structure to the determined secondary storage system in response to determining that the determined secondary storage system is accessible.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

creating a consistency group for data on the primary storage system as of a point-in-time for each of the secondary storage systems to which data is mirrored, wherein data as of the point-in-time is copied to the secondary storage systems, wherein the recall request is received while copying the data as of the point-in-time to the secondary storage systems; and

cancelling each consistency group in response to receiving the recall request while copying the data as of the point-in-time to the secondary storage systems to end copying over data as of the point-in-time to the secondary storage systems.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the point-in-time comprises a first point-in-time, further comprising for each canceled consistency group:

recording updates to the data at the primary storage system in a change recording data structure before the recalling of the data object to the primary storage system has completed;

creating a new consistency group at a second point-in-time having the primary storage system and a secondary storage system in the cancelled consistency group after completing the recalling of the data object to the primary storage system and the secondary storage systems; and

copying over data at the primary storage system as of the second point-in-time not yet mirrored to the secondary storage system for the new consistency group, including updates indicated in the change recording data structure, to the secondary storage system as part of the new consistency group.