Method of and a system for recovering data in an information processing system

• US 20050251517A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamagami, Kenji, Arai, Kouji, Watanabe, Haruaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

In an information processing system including a central processor for generating commands to process storage data stored and for executing a sequence processing and a storage subsystem including a plurality of storage media for transferring data between the plural storage media according to commands from the central processor, a data recovery method recovers data to a predetermined state upon occurrence of a failure in a sequence of processing executed by the central processor. Before execution of a sequence of processing, the central processor issues to the storage subsystem a saving request to save in the plural storage media a copy of data stored in either one of the storage media used in the sequence of processing. In response to the saving request, the storage subsystem saves a copy of data of the storage media.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A computer system comprising:

a host computer; and

a storage system storing data accessed by said host computer;

wherein said storage system includes a first physical storage area in a disk in said storage system, a second physical storage area in a disk in said storage system, and a controller accessing a disk in said storage system,

wherein said first physical storage area corresponds to a first logical volume accessed by said host computer and said host computer stores backup data in said second physical storage area, said backup data is data stored in said first physical storage area at a certain time,

after said certain time, said controller updates data stored in said first physical storage area according to an access request to said first logical volume from said host computer,

said host computer sends a swap request to said storage system upon occurrence of a failure in a sequence of processing executed by said host computer, and

said controller relates said second physical storage area to said first logical volume according to said swap request, so that said controller accesses said second physical storage area when said controller receives an access request to said first logical volume from said host computer.

12. A computer system according to claim 11,

wherein before receiving said swap request, said controller relates an ID of said first logical volume to an ID of said first physical storage area and accesses said first physical storage area according to an access request including said ID of said first logical volume received from said host computer, and

after receiving said swap request, said controller relates an ID of said first logical volume to an ID of said second physical storage area, and accesses said second physical storage area according to an access request including said ID of said first logical volume received from said host computer.

13. A computer system according to claim 11

wherein said backup data is stored in a tape medium, and

said host computer stores said backup data from said tape medium to said second physical storage area.

14. A computer system according to claim 11,

wherein said storage system includes plural first physical storage areas, each of which corresponds to a first logical storage area in said first logical volume, and plural second physical storage areas, each of which corresponds to one of said plural first physical storage areas,

said controller stores backup data in said plural second physical storage areas, backup data stored in a second physical storage area is data stored in a first physical storage area corresponding to said second physical storage area at a certain time,

according to said swap request, said controller relates one of said plural second physical storage areas to a first logical storage area which corresponds to a first physical storage area corresponding to said one of said plural second physical storage areas, so that said controller accesses said one of said plural second physical storage areas when said controller receives an access request to said first logical storage area.

15. A computer system according to claim 14,

wherein before receiving said swap request, said controller relates an ID of said first logical volume to IDs of first logical storage areas and IDs of said plural first physical storage areas and accesses one of said plural first physical storage areas according to an access request including said ID of said first logical volume and an ID of a first logical storage area, and

after receiving said swap request, said controller relates said ID of said first logical volume to said IDs of said first logical storage areas, an ID of at least one of said plural first physical storage areas, and an ID of said one of said plural second physical storage areas, and accesses said one of said plural second physical storage areas according to an access request including said ID of said first logical volume and an ID of a first logical storage area corresponding to said ID of said one of said plural second physical storage areas.

16. A storage system coupled to a computer, comprising:

at least one disk,

a controller coupled to said at least one disk;

a first physical storage area in at least one disk; and

a second physical storage area in at least one disk;

wherein said first physical storage area corresponds to a first logical volume accessed by said computer,

backup data is stored in said second physical storage area, said backup data is data stored in said first physical storage area at a certain time,

after said certain time, said controller updates data stored in said first physical storage area according to an access request to said first logical volume from said host computer,

said host computer sends a swap request to said storage system upon occurrence of a failure in a process executed by said host computer, and

said controller relates said second physical storage area to said first logical volume according to said swap request, so that said controller accesses said second physical storage area when said controller receives an access request to said first logical volume.

17. A storage system according to claim 16,

wherein before receiving said swap request, said controller relates an ID of said first logical volume to an ID of said first physical storage area, and accesses said first physical storage area according to an access request including said ID of said first logical volume received from computer, and

after receiving said swap request, said controller relates an ID of said first logical volume to an ID of said second physical storage area and accesses said second physical storage area according to an access request including said ID of said first logical volume received from said computer.

18. A storage system according to claim 16, wherein said backup data is stored from tape medium to said second physical storage area according to an operation of said computer.

19. A storage system according to claim 16,

wherein said storage system includes plural first physical storage areas, each of which corresponds to a first logical storage area in said first logical volume, and plural second physical storage areas, each of which corresponds to one of said plural first physical storage areas,

said controller stores backup data in said plural second physical storage areas, backup data stored in a second physical storage area is data stored in a first physical storage area corresponding to said second physical storage area of a certain time,

according to said swap request, said controller relates one of said plural second physical storage areas to a first logical storage area which corresponds to a first physical storage area corresponding to said one of said plural second physical storage areas, so that said controller accesses said one of said plural second physical storage areas when said controller receives an access request to said first logical storage area.

20. A storage system according to claim 19,

wherein before receiving said swap request, said controller relates an ID of said first logical volume to IDs of first logical storage areas and IDs of said plural first physical storage areas and accesses one of said plural first physical storage areas according to an access request including said ID of said first logical volume and an ID of a first logical storage area, and

after receiving said swap request, said controller relates an ID of said first logical volume to said IDs of said first logical storage areas, an ID of at least one of said plural first physical storage areas, and an ID of said one of said plural second physical storage areas, and accesses said one of said plural second physical storage areas according to an access request including said ID of said first logical volume and an ID of a first logical storage area corresponding to said ID of said one of said plural physical second storage areas.

21. A storage system coupled to a host computer, comprising:

at least one disk;

a first physical storage area in said at least one disk,

said first physical storage area is included in a logical volume accessed by said host computer,

a second physical storage area in said at least one disk; and

a controller coupled to said at least one disk;

wherein backup data is stored in said second physical storage area, said backup data is data stored in said first physical storage area at a certain time, and

wherein said controller accesses said first physical storage area according to an access request to said logical volume received from said host computer, and

after said controller receives a swap request from said host computer, said controller accesses said second physical storage area according to an access request to said logical volume received from said host computer.

22. A storage system according to claim 21, wherein said controller relates an ID of said logical volume to an ID of said second physical storage area according to said swap request, so that said controller accesses said second physical storage area when said controller receives an access request including said ID of said logical volume after receiving said swap request.

23. A storage system according to claim 22, wherein said backup data is stored from a tape medium to said second physical storage area.

24. A storage system coupled to a computer, comprising:

at least one disk;

first physical storage areas in said at least one disk, said first physical storage areas are included in a logical volume accessed by said computer.

second physical storage areas in said at least one disk; and

a controller coupled to said at least one disk;

wherein backup data is stored in said second physical storage areas, said backup data is data stored in said first physical storage areas at a certain time, and

wherein said controller accesses one of said first physical storage areas according to an access request to said logical volume received from said computer, and

after said controller receives a swap request from said computer, said controller accesses one of said second physical storage areas according to an access request to a partial logical storage area in said logical volume received from said computer and accesses one of said first physical storage areas according to an access request to another partial logical storage area in said logical volume received from said computer.

25. A storage system according to claim 24, wherein said swap request includes an ID of said logical volume and an ID of said partial logical storage area in said logical volume, and said controller relates said logical volume to one of said second physical storage areas corresponding to said partial logical storage area, so that said controller accesses said one of said second physical storage areas according to an access request to said partial logical storage area in said logical volume.

26. A storage system according to claim 25, wherein said controller relates an ID of said partial logical storage area to an ID of said one of said second physical storage areas according to said swap request, so that said controller accesses said one of said second physical storage areas according to an access request including said ID of said partial logical storage area.