Flexible data replication mechanism

• US 20030187945A1
• Filed: 03/26/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hess, Randy, Lubbers, Clark, Leveille, Jason, Korgaonkar, Anuja, Elkington, Susan, McCarty, James, Sicola, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,947,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/201 between storage system components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A data replication management (DRM) architecture comprising a plurality of storage cells interconnected by a fabric. Flexibility in connectivity is provided by configuring each storage cell port to the fabric to handle both host data access requests and DRM traffic. Each storage cell comprises one or more storage controllers that can be connected to the fabric in any combination. Processes executing in the storage controller find a path to a desired destination storage cell. The discovery algorithm implements a link service that exchanges information related to DRM between the storage controllers. The DRM architecture is symmetric and peer cooperative such that each controller and storage cell can function as a source and a destination of replicated data. The DRM architecture supports parallel and serial “fan-out” to multiple destinations, whereby the multiple storage cells may implement data replicas.

Claims

1. A system for replicating data between a first storage location and a second storage location, the system comprising:

a data communication network having an interface for receiving data access requests from one or more host systems;

a first storage location comprising a controller having at least two ports to the data communication network and a first pool of storage;

a second storage location comprising a controller having at least two ports to the data communication network and a second pool of storage;

wherein both of the at least two ports communicate both with the one or more host systems to handle host data operations and with each other and to handle data replication operations.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the data communication network comprises a plurality of sub-networks, and each of the at least two ports is coupled to a separate one of the plurality of sub-networks.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein both the first storage location and the second storage location include processes enabling their controllers to function as sources of replicated data.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein both the first storage location and the second storage location include processes enabling their controllers to function as destinations for replicated data.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third storage location comprising a controller having at least two ports to the data communication network and a third pool of storage;

wherein both of the at least two ports of the third storage location communicate both with the one or more host systems to handle host data operations and with the first and second storage locations to handle data replication operations.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first storage location comprises more than two ports to the communication network.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first storage location comprises two controllers each having at least two ports to the data communication network and the first pool of storage,

8. A SAN storage controller comprising:

a data processor system configured to implement software processes;

at least one host port;

a pool of storage accessible through the data processor system;

processes executing in the processor to enable the at least one host port to couple to an external communication network;

processes executing in the processor for communicating data access requests with the at least one host port; and

processes executing in the processor for communicating data replication transactions with external storage controllers through the at least one host port.

9. The storage controller of claim 8 wherein the at least one port handles both data access requests and data replication transactions.

10. The storage controller of claim 8 further comprising at least two host ports.

11. The storage controller of claim 8 further comprising more than two host ports.

12. The storage controller of claim 8 further comprising processes within the controller causing the controller to register with a name server in the external communication network.

13. The storage controller of claim 12 wherein the name server stores a storage cell universally unique identification (UUID) value.

14. The storage controller of claim 13 further comprising processes for discovering external storage controllers coupled to the external communications network using the UUID registration information in the name server.

15. The storage controller of claim 8 wherein the at least one port comprises a fibre channel port.

16. The storage controller of claim 8 further comprising processes executing in the processor to virtualize the storage capacity.

17. A data replication controller comprising:

a data processor system configured to implement software processes;

at least one host port;

a pool of storage accessible through the data processor system;

processes executing in the processor to enable the at least one host port to couple to an external communication network;

processes executing in the processor operable to designate a source virtual disk in the pool of storage; and

processes executing in the processor operable to create a destination virtual disk in the pool of storage.