Data restoring method and an apparatus using journal data and an identification information

• US 20040193945A1
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mogi, Kazuhiko, Oeda, Takashi, Yamamoto, Yasutomo, Eguchi, Yoshiaki, Arai, Kouji
• Granted Patent: US 7,185,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/6.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/142 Reconfiguring to eliminate the error group management mechanisms in a peer-to-peer network H04L67/1044
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A host and a storage system each keep a shared identifier indicating a state of a system. The storage system acquires, at update of data, a data pair including data for a change through processing of the host and data before the update. The storage system relates the data pair to a shared identifier. When the host indicates an identifier, the storage system restores data using the data pair.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

a computer; and

a storage system coupled to the computer,

wherein the storage system further comprising;

a control unit;

a first storage;

a second storage; and

a third storage,

wherein the control unit copies, according to a predetermined indication, data stored in the first storage onto the second storage;

stores, when a request to update data stored in the first storage is requested after the predetermined indication, contents of update of the data in the third storage as an update history; and

records, when predetermined identification information is sent from the computer after the predetermined indication, the predetermined identification information with a correspondence established between the predetermined identification information and the update history.

2. An information processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the computer transmits a data restoration indication including identification information to the storage system,

wherein the control unit restores in the first storage, when the data restoration indication is received, the data stored in the first storage using the data stored in the second storage and the update history recorded in the third storage before the predetermined identification information concordant with the identification information contained in the data restoration indication is recorded.

3. An information processing system according to claim 2,

wherein the first, second, and third storages are logical storages.

4. An information processing system according to claim 3 further comprising another computer coupled to the storage system,

wherein the data update request is sent from the second computer to the storage system.

5. An information processing system according to claim 3,

wherein the computer sends the data update request to the storage system.

6. An information processing system according to claim 4,

wherein the computer comprises a storage and

the computer records the identification information contained in the data restoration indication in the storage when the data restoration indication is sent to the storage system.

7. An information processing system according to claim 6,

wherein the computer comprises a display for displaying thereon information regarding the identification information stored in the storage.

8. An information processing system according to claim 7,

wherein the computer comprises an input unit and transmits the identification information specified by information inputted from the input unit to the storage system.

9. A storage system coupled to a computer comprising:

a control unit;

a first storage;

a second storage; and

a third storage,

wherein the control unit copies, according to a predetermined indication, data stored in the first storage onto the second storage;

stores, when a request to update data stored in the first storage is requested after the predetermined indication, contents of update of the data in the third storage as an update history; and

records, when predetermined identification information is sent from the computer after the predetermined indication, the predetermined identification information with a correspondence established between the predetermined identification information and the update history.

10. A storage system according to claim 9,

wherein the control unit restores in the first storage, when a data restoration indication is received from the computer, the data stored in the first storage using the data stored in the second storage and the update history recorded in the third storage before the predetermined identification information concordant with the identification information contained in the data restoration indication is recorded.

11. A storage system according to claim 10,

wherein the first, second, and third storages are logical storages.

12. A data restoration method in an information processing system which includes a computer and a storage system comprising the steps of:

sharing one identification information item between the computer and the storage system;

managing by the storage system the identification information and update history with a relationship established therebetween; and

restoring, in response to an indication from the computer, data stored in the storage system up to a state of an update history indicated by a particular identification indication.

13. A data restoration method according to claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

copying by the storage system, according to a predetermined indication, data stored in a first storage onto a second storage;

storing by the storage system, when a request to update data stored in the first storage is requested after the predetermined indication, contents of update of the data in a third storage as an update history; and

recording by the storage system, when predetermined identification information is sent from the computer after the predetermined indication, the predetermined identification information with a correspondence established between the predetermined identification information and the update history, and

restoring, by the storage system, in the first storage, when the data restoration indication is received from the computer, the data stored in the first storage using the data stored in the second storage and the update history recorded in the third storage before the predetermined identification information concordant with the identification information contained in the data restoration indication is recorded.