System and method for creating an application-consistent remote copy of data using remote mirroring
First Claim
1. A method of creating an application-consistent remote copy of data using remote mirroring, comprising:
- intercepting a write request from at least one of a plurality of application hosts;
appending the intercepted write request as a write record in a write record format to a local log in a local replication volume;
instructing the application hosts to prepare a consistency point;
generating a consistency point record to identify a set of write records comprising a consistency point data set;
replicating the write records and the consistency point records to a remote log in a remote replication volume;
scanning the remote log for the consistency point record;
verifying the validity of the write records in the remote log, to generate a validated consistency point update transaction; and
writing the validated consistency point update transaction to a remote storage device to generate an application-consistent remote copy of the consistency point data set.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An application consistent data protection system provides application-assist and replication-technology neutral mirroring that ensures that a remote data copy is application-consistent. The system comprises a coordination protocol to coordinate application hosts across heterogeneous hosts and heterogeneous storage devices. The system utilizes a disk layout and data record format that enables use of an underlying replication ability of a storage device, minimizing development cost and utilizing customer investment. The system comprises on-demand consistency point initiation to minimize performance impact and maximize system resource usage. The system can be applied to both synchronous and asynchronous mirroring and can be incorporated into any virtualization device.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of creating an application-consistent remote copy of data using remote mirroring, comprising:
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intercepting a write request from at least one of a plurality of application hosts;
appending the intercepted write request as a write record in a write record format to a local log in a local replication volume;
instructing the application hosts to prepare a consistency point;
generating a consistency point record to identify a set of write records comprising a consistency point data set;
replicating the write records and the consistency point records to a remote log in a remote replication volume;
scanning the remote log for the consistency point record;
verifying the validity of the write records in the remote log, to generate a validated consistency point update transaction; and
writing the validated consistency point update transaction to a remote storage device to generate an application-consistent remote copy of the consistency point data set. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer program product having a plurality of executable instruction codes that are stored on a computer-readable medium, for creating an application-consistent remote copy of data using remote mirroring, comprising:
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a first set of instruction codes for intercepting a write request from at least one of a plurality of application hosts;
a second set of instruction codes for appending the intercepted write request as a write record in a write record format to a local log in a local replication volume;
a third set of instruction codes for instructing the application hosts to prepare a consistency point;
a fourth set of instruction codes for generating a consistency point record to identify a set of write records comprising a consistency point data set;
a fifth set of instruction codes for replicating the write records and the consistency point records to a remote log in a remote replication volume;
a sixth set of instruction codes for scanning the remote log for the consistency point record;
a seventh set of instruction codes for verifying the validity of the write records in the remote log, to generate a validated consistency point update transaction; and
an eight set of instruction codes for writing the validated consistency point update transaction to a remote storage device to generate an application-consistent remote copy of the consistency point data set.
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20. A system for creating an application-consistent remote copy of data using remote mirroring, comprising:
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an intercept agent for intercepting a write request from at least one of a plurality of application hosts;
the intercept agent further appending the intercepted write request as a write record in a write record format to a local log in a local replication volume;
a replication coordinator for instructing the application hosts to prepare a consistency point;
the replication coordinator generating a consistency point record to identify a set of write records comprising a consistency point data set;
replicating the write records and the consistency point records to a remote log in a remote replication volume;
a remote agent for scanning the remote log for the consistency point record;
the remote agent verifying the validity of the write records in the remote log, to generate a validated consistency point update transaction; and
the remote agent further writing the validated consistency point update transaction to a remote storage device to generate an application-consistent remote copy of the consistency point data set.
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Specification