System, method and computer program product to automatically select target volumes for a fast copy to optimize performance and availability

• US 20040181641A1
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seaman, Mark James, Nguyen, Lu, Jafri, Syed Mohammad Amir Ali
• Granted Patent: US 7,146,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0671 In-line storage system

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes, in response to detecting that a fast copy function has been invoked, automatically selecting at least one target volume for writing fast copy-related data, where the at least one target volume is selected for optimizing fast copy performance, and writing the fast copy data to the selected at least one target volume. Also disclosed is a data processing system having circuitry that operates in accordance with the method, as well as a computer program product, embodied on a computer readable media, that implements the method.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied on or in a computer readable media for causing a computer to execute program instructions that result in the computer executing a method of performing a backup of data, the method comprising:

in response to detecting that a fast copy function has been invoked, automatically selecting at least one target volume for writing fast copy-related data, the at least one target volume being selected for optimizing fast copy performance; and

writing the fast copy data to the selected at least one target volume.

2. A computer program product as in claim 1, where automatically selecting comprises considering at least one policy.

3. A computer program product as in claim 1, where the selected at least one target volume is selected from a list of available volumes.

4. A computer program product as in claim 1, where automatically selecting comprises obtaining a list of available volumes in a data storage subsystem, and where the selected at least one target volume is selected from the list of available volumes.

5. A computer program product as in claim 3, where if no target volume is available, further comprising creating an available target volume in a data storage subsystem.

6. A computer program product as in claim 1, where automatically selecting considering a selection policy that comprises at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion.

7. A computer program product as in claim 6, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises at least one of an identity of the target volume, a response time of the target volume and the busyness of the target volume.

8. A computer program product as in claim 6, where the at least one reliability-related criterion comprises at least one of an identity of the target volume, and a potential for failure of the target volume.

9. A computer program product as in claim 6, where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical data storage media than the source target volume.

10. A computer program product as in claim 6, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises the target volume being a same type and having a same size as the source volume.

11. A computer program product as in claim 1, where said computer that executes the program instructions comprises a part of a host system that is coupled to a data storage system, where said data storage system comprises said source and target volumes.

12. A computer program product as in claim 1, where said computer that executes the program instructions comprises a part of a data storage system that is coupled to a host system, where said data storage system comprises said source and target volumes.

13. A data processing system comprising a data storage subsystem, comprising:

selection logic, responsive to a detection that a fast copy function has been invoked, for automatically selecting at least one target volume for writing fast copy-related data, the at least one target volume being selected by the selection logic for optimizing fast copy performance; and

circuitry for writing the fast copy data to the selected at least one target volume.

14. A data processing system as in claim 13, further comprising a selection policy unit coupled to said selection logic, said selection policy unit storing at least one selection criterion, where said selection logic considers during operation said at least one selection criteria.

15. A data processing system as in claim 14, where said at least one selection criterion is provided by a user.

16. A data processing system as in claim 13, where said selection logic selects at least one target volume from a list of available volumes.

17. A data processing system as in claim 13, where said selection logic obtains a list of available volumes in said data storage subsystem, and where the selected at least one target volume is selected from the list of available volumes.

18. A data processing system as in claim 16, further comprising means, responsive to a condition that no target volume is available, for creating an available target volume in said data storage subsystem, the target volume being created to match at least one characteristic of the source volume.

19. A data processing system as in claim 14, where said selection policy unit comprises at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion.

20. A data processing system as in claim 19, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises at least one of an identity of the target volume, a response time of the target volume and the busyness of the target volume.

21. A data processing system as in claim 19, where the at least one reliability-related criterion comprises at least one of an identity of the target volume and a potential for failure of the target volume.

22. A data processing system as in claim 19, where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical data storage media than the source target volume.

23. A data processing system as in claim 19, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises the target volume being a same type and having a same size as the source volume.

24. A data processing system as in claim 13, where said system comprises at least one host data processor coupled to said data storage subsystem through a bus, and where said host data processor comprises said selection logic.

25. A data processing system as in claim 13, where said system comprises a host data processor coupled to said data storage subsystem through a bus, and where said data storage subsystem comprises said selection logic.

26. A data processing system comprising at least one host coupled through a bus to a data storage system, said at least one host comprising selection means, responsive to a detection that a fast copy function has been invoked, for automatically selecting at least one target volume from a list of available target volumes, the list being received through said bus, for writing fast copy-related data, the at least one target volume being selected by the selection means in accordance with at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion;

said data storage subsystem comprising means for writing the fast copy data to the selected at least one target volume.

27. A data processing system as in claim 26, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises at least one of a response time of the target volume and the busyness of the target volume, where the at least one reliability-related criterion comprises at least a potential for failure of the target volume, and where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical data storage media than the source target volume.

28. A data storage system comprising an interface to a bus for being coupled to at least one host, said data storage system comprising selection means, responsive to a fast copy function being invoked, for automatically selecting at least one target volume from a list of available target volumes for writing fast copy-related data, the at least one target volume being selected by the selection means in accordance with at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion, further comprising means for writing the fast copy data to the selected at least one target volume.

29. A data storage system as in claim 28, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises at least one of a response time of the target volume and the busyness of the target volume, where the at least one reliability-related criterion comprises at least a potential for failure of the target volume, and where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical data storage media than the source target volume.

30. A method to perform a fast data copy function in a data processing system that comprises at least one host data processor coupled through a bus to a data storage system comprising a plurality of physical disks, comprising in response to a fast data copy function being invoked:

automatically selecting at least one target volume from a list of available target volumes for writing fast copy-related data, the at least one target volume being selected in accordance with at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion; and

writing the fast copy data to the selected at least one target volume residing on at least one of said physical disks.

31. A method as in claim 30, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises at least one of a response time of the target volume and the busyness of the target volume, where the at least one reliability-related criterion comprises at least a potential for failure of the target volume, and where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical disk than the source target volume.