Establishing copy relationships to copy source data to target data

• US 20070130222A1
• Filed: 12/01/2005
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boyd, Kenneth, Day, Kenneth, Wolfgang, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,647,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and program for establishing copy relationships to copy source data to target data. A request is received to establish a copy relationship indicating to copy source data to target data. A determination is made as to whether the source data defined in the request comprises target data defined in a preexisting copy relationship. A determination is made as to whether base source data copied to the target data in the preexisting copy relationship also comprises the source data indicated in the request in response to determining that the source data defined in the request comprises target data in the preexisting copy relationship. A new copy relationship is defined to copy the determined base source data to the target data indicated in the request.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to establish a copy relationship indicating to copy source data to target data;

determining whether the source data defined in the request comprises target data defined in a preexisting copy relationship;

determining base source data copied to the target data in the preexisting copy relationship that also comprises the source data indicated in the request in response to determining that the source data defined in the request comprises target data in the preexisting copy relationship; and

defining a new copy relationship to copy the determined base source data to the target data indicated in the request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined base source data, the determined target data in the preexisting relationship and the target data indicated in the request are all in separate storage locations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the base source data is defined as the source data in the preexisting copy relationship.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the base source data does not comprise target data in any preexisting copy relationship.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request indicates to copy multiple source data units to multiple target data units, wherein the new copy relationship comprises a first copy relationship to copy one source data unit to one target data unit, and further comprising:

defining at least one additional copy relationship to copy at least one source data unit indicated in the request to at least one target data unit indicated in the request that are not defined in the first copy relationship.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the source data units indicated in the request comprise target data units in a plurality of preexisting copy relationships, wherein determining base source data comprises determining base source data units copied to the target data units in the preexisting copy relationships comprising source data units indicated in the request, and wherein defining the new copy relationship comprises defining one new copy relationship for each of the preexisting copy relationships to copy the determined base source data units to the target data units indicated in the request.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an update to current data that is defined as source data in at least one copy relationship, including the new copy relationship and the preexisting copy relationship;

writing the current data to target data defined in each copy relationship defining the current data as source data, wherein the current data is capable of being written to target data defined in multiple copy relationships; and

applying the update to the current data in response to writing the current data to the target data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the source data and target data comprise either a track or an extent of sequential tracks.

9. A system in communication with storages, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable medium including code executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

(i) receiving a request to establish a copy relationship indicating to copy source data to target data, wherein the source and target data are implemented in at least one of the storages;

(ii) determining whether the source data defined in the request comprises target data defined in a preexisting copy relationship;

(iii) determining base source data copied to the target data in the preexisting copy relationship that also comprises the source data indicated in the request in response to determining that the source data defined in the request comprises target data in the preexisting copy relationship; and

(iv) defining a new copy relationship to copy the determined base source data to the target data indicated in the request.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the determined base source data, the determined target data in the preexisting relationship and the target data indicated in the request are all in separate storage locations.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the base source data is defined as the source data in the preexisting copy relationship.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the base source data does not comprise target data in any preexisting copy relationship.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the request indicates to copy multiple source data units to multiple target data units, wherein the new copy relationship comprises a first copy relationship to copy one source data unit to one target data unit, and wherein the operations further comprise:

defining at least one additional copy relationship to copy at least one source data unit indicated in the request to at least one target data unit indicated in the request that are not defined in the first copy relationship.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the source data units indicated in the request comprise target data units in a plurality of preexisting copy relationships, wherein determining base source data comprises determining base source data units copied to the target data units in the preexisting copy relationships comprising source data units indicated in the request, and wherein defining the new copy relationship comprises defining one new copy relationship for each of the preexisting copy relationships to copy the determined base source data units to the target data units indicated in the request.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an update to current data that is defined as source data in at least one copy relationship, including the new copy relationship and the preexisting copy relationship;

writing the current data to target data defined in each copy relationship defining the current data as source data, wherein the current data is capable of being written to target data defined in multiple copy relationships; and

applying the update to the current data in response to writing the current data to the target data.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the source data and target data comprise either a track or an extent of sequential tracks.

17. An article of manufacture implementing code, wherein the code is capable of causing operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

receiving a request to establish a copy relationship indicating to copy source data to target data;

determining whether the source data defined in the request comprises target data defined in a preexisting copy relationship;

determining base source data copied to the target data in the preexisting copy relationship that also comprises the source data indicated in the request in response to determining that the source data defined in the request comprises target data in the preexisting copy relationship; and

defining a new copy relationship to copy the determined base source data to the target data indicated in the request.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the determined base source data, the determined target data in the preexisting relationship and the target data indicated in the request are all in separate storage locations.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the base source data is defined as the source data in the preexisting copy relationship.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the base source data does not comprise target data in any preexisting copy relationship.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the request indicates to copy multiple source data units to multiple target data units, wherein the new copy relationship comprises a first copy relationship to copy one source data unit to one target data unit, wherein the operations further comprise:

defining at least one additional copy relationship to copy at least one source data unit indicated in the request to at least one target data unit indicated in the request that are not defined in the first copy relationship.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the source data units indicated in the request comprise target data units in a plurality of preexisting copy relationships, wherein determining base source data comprises determining base source data units copied to the target data units in the preexisting copy relationships comprising source data units indicated in the request, and wherein defining the new copy relationship comprises defining one new copy relationship for each of the preexisting copy relationships to copy the determined base source data units to the target data units indicated in the request.

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

receiving an update to current data that is defined as source data in at least one copy relationship, including the new copy relationship and the preexisting copy relationship;

writing the current data to target data defined in each copy relationship defining the current data as source data, wherein the current data is capable of being written to target data defined in multiple copy relationships; and

applying the update to the current data in response to writing the current data to the target data.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the source data and target data comprise either a track or an extent of sequential tracks.