Copying storage units and related metadata to storage

• US 20070038822A1
• Filed: 08/15/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Correl, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 7,870,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and program for copying storage units and related metadata to storage. A user data storage location includes user data and a metadata storage location includes metadata data for the user data. A first type of copy operation is performed to copy a at least one specified storage unit having user data to at least one copy of the at least one specified storage unit. A second type of copy operation is performed to copy metadata for the at least one specified storage unit being copied to a copy of the metadata for the copied at least one file set.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining user data in a user data storage location;

maintaining metadata for the user data at a metadata storage location;

performing a first type of copy operation to copy a at least one specified storage unit having user data to at least one copy of the at least one specified storage unit; and

performing a second type of copy operation to copy metadata for the at least one specified storage unit being copied to a copy of the metadata for the copied at least one file set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user data storage location is implemented in a user data storage system and wherein the metadata storage location is implemented in a metadata storage system, wherein the metadata storage system and user data storage system are connected to a network, and wherein client systems are connected to the network, further comprising:

issuing, by one client system, a request to copy the at least one specified storage unit; and

issuing, in response to the client system request, a first command to the user data storage system to perform the first type of copy operation; and

issuing, in response to the client system request, a second command to the metadata storage system to perform the second type of copy operation.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

accessing, by the client systems, metadata at the metadata server to determine a user data storage location of the at least one specified storage unit in the storage system;

using, by the client systems, the accessed metadata to access the at least one specified storage unit from the storage system over the network;

accessing, by the client systems, the copy of the metadata for the copied at least one storage unit at the metadata server over the network to determine the storage location of the copied at least one storage unit at the storage system; and

using, by the client systems, the accessed copy of the metadata for the copied at least one file storage unit to access the copy of the at least one storage unit from the storage system over the network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of copy operation comprises:

generating a copy data structure indicating data blocks in the at least one specified storage unit to provide a point-in-time copy of the at least one specified storage unit; and

copying the data blocks indicated in the copy data structure to the copy of the at least one specified storage unit.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

quiescing Input/Output (I/O) requests to the at least one specified storage unit; and

enabling I/O access to the at least one specified storage unit in response to generating the pointers before the data blocks are copied to the copy of the at least one specified storage unit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second type of copy operation comprises:

quiescing Input/Output (I/O) requests to the metadata for the at least one specified storage unit being copied;

copying the metadata to the copy of the metadata; and

enabling I/O access to the metadata in response to copying the metadata to the copy of the metadata.

7. A method, comprising:

maintaining user data in user data storage locations;

maintaining metadata for the user data at a metadata storage location;

performing a first copy operation to copy at least one storage unit in the user data storage locations to the copy of the at least one storage unit by generating a copy data structure indicating data blocks in the at least one storage unit to provide a point-in-time copy of the at least one storage unit and copying the data blocks to the copy of the at least one storage unit indicated in the first copy data structure; and

performing a second copy operation to copy metadata for the at least one storage unit being copied to a copy of the metadata for the copied at least one storage unit to provide a point-in-time copy of the metadata and copying the data blocks comprising the metadata to the copy of the metadata indicated in the second copy data structure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one storage unit involved in the first copy operation comprises a source volume and the copy of the at least one storage unit comprises a target user data volume, wherein there are no file sets in the source volume not included in the at least one file set being copied, wherein the second copy operation copies metadata from a first subset of metadata in one metadata volume, and wherein a second subset of metadata in the metadata volume includes metadata for at least one file set in the user data storage location not subject to the first copy operation.

9. A system in communication with a user data storage location including user data and a metadata storage location including metadata for the user data, comprising:

a processor;

code executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

initiating a first type of copy operation to copy a at least one specified storage unit having user data to at least one copy of the at least one specified storage unit; and

initiating a second type of copy operation to copy metadata for the at least one specified storage unit being copied to a copy of the metadata for the copied at least one file set.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the user data storage location is implemented in a user data storage system and wherein the metadata storage location is implemented in a metadata storage system, wherein the metadata storage system and user data storage system are connected to a network, and wherein client systems are connected to the network, further comprising:

receiving a request from the client system to copy the at least one specified storage unit; and

issuing, in response to the client system request, a first command to the user data storage system to perform the first type of copy operation; and

issuing, in response to the client system request, a second command to the metadata storage system to perform the second type of copy operation.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the system comprises one of:

a client system that uses the metadata and copy of the metadata to access the user data and copy of the user data or a metadata server in communication with a client, wherein the request is received from a client.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first type of copy operation comprises:

generating a copy data structure indicating data blocks in the at least one specified storage unit to provide a point-in-time copy of the at least one specified storage unit; and

copying the data blocks indicated in the copy data structure to the copy of the at least one specified storage unit.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the second type of copy operation comprises:

quiescing Input/Output (I/O) requests to the metadata for the at least one specified storage unit being copied;

copying the metadata to the copy of the metadata; and

enabling I/O access to the metadata in response to copying the metadata to the copy of the metadata.

14. An article of manufacture including code in communication with a user data storage location having user data and a metadata storage location having metadata for the user data, wherein the code causes operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

performing a first type of copy operation to copy a at least one specified storage unit having user data to at least one copy of the at least one specified storage unit; and

performing a second type of copy operation to copy metadata for the at least one specified storage unit being copied to a copy of the metadata for the copied at least one file set.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the user data storage location is implemented in a user data storage system and wherein the metadata storage location is implemented in a metadata storage system, wherein the metadata storage system and user data storage system are connected to a network, and wherein client systems are connected to the network, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request from the client system to copy the at least one specified storage unit;

issuing, in response to the client system request, a first command to the user data storage system to perform the first type of copy operation; and

issuing, in response to the client system request, a second command to the metadata storage system to perform the second type of copy operation.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the first type of copy operation comprises:

generating a copy data structure indicating data blocks in the at least one specified storage unit to provide a point-in-time copy of the at least one specified storage unit; and

copying the data blocks indicated in the copy data structure to the copy of the at least one specified storage unit.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

quiescing Input/Output (I/O) requests to the at least one specified storage unit; and

enabling I/O access to the at least one specified storage unit in response to generating the pointers before the data blocks are copied to the copy of the at least one specified storage unit.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the second type of copy operation comprises:

quiescing Input/Output (I/O) requests to the metadata for the at least one specified storage unit being copied;

copying the metadata to the copy of the metadata; and

enabling I/O access to the metadata in response to copying the metadata to the copy of the metadata.

19. An article of manufacture including code in communication with a user data storage location having user data and a metadata storage location having metadata for the user data, wherein the code causes operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

performing a first copy operation to copy at least one storage unit in the user data storage locations to the copy of the at least one storage unit by generating a copy data structure indicating data blocks in the at least one storage unit to provide a point-in-time copy of the at least one storage unit and copying the data blocks to the copy of the at least one storage unit indicated in the first copy data structure; and

performing a second copy operation to copy metadata for the at least one storage unit being copied to a copy of the metadata for the copied at least one storage unit to provide a point-in-time copy of the metadata and copying the data blocks comprising the metadata to the copy of the metadata indicated in the second copy data structure.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the at least one storage unit involved in the first copy operation comprises a source volume and the copy of the at least one storage unit comprises a target user data volume, wherein there are no file sets in the source volume not included in the at least one file set being copied, wherein the second copy operation copies metadata from a first subset of metadata in one metadata volume, and wherein a second subset of metadata in the metadata volume includes metadata for at least one file set in the user data storage location not subject to the first copy operation.