Storage system for multi-site remote copy

• US 20070005917A1
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Noboru Morishita, Seiichi Higaki, Toshio Nakano
• Original Assignee: Noboru Morishita, Seiichi Higaki, Toshio Nakano
• Inventors: Nakano, Toshio, Morishita, Noboru, Higaki, Seiichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,343,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2058 using more than 2 mirrored copies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Information about remote copy target volumes of other storage systems 2 each having one and the same original volume V1 is registered for each remote copy target volume in advance. When there occurs a failure in a copy source storage system 2, a copy source volume for remote copy target volumes using the storage system 2 having a failure as their copy source is selected newly from the registered copy source volumes, and remote copy is resumed.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a first disk array system, in a primary site, coupled to a host computer, and having a plurality of first disk drive units in which data are stored and a first controller which controls to store data sent from said host computer to a primary volume related to a portion of said first disk drive units;

a second disk array system, in a remote site, coupled to said first disk array system, and having a plurality of second disk drive units in which data are stored and a second controller which receives data of said primary volume from said first disk array system by an asynchronous remote copy procedure and controls to store data received from said first disk array system to a secondary volume related to a portion of said second disk drive units; and

a third disk array system, coupled to said first disk array system, and having a plurality of third disk drive units in which data are stored and a third controller which receives data of said primary volume from said first disk array system by a synchronous copy procedure and controls to store data received from said first disk array system to a third volume related to a portion of said third disk drive units;

wherein said third disk array system comprises a first area and a second area, said first area storing information related to data of a plurality of write requests received from said first disk array system by said synchronous copy procedure during a first time period,

wherein said second area storing information related to data of a plurality of write requests received from said first disk array system by said synchronous copy procedure during a second time period being different from said first time period,

wherein said third disk array system stores information related to data of a plurality of write requests received from said first disk array system in said first area during said first time period and said second area during said second time period, and

wherein said information stored in said second area is used to decide data to be transferred from said third disk array system to said second disk array system in the event of a disaster that affects said primary site.