Remote copy method and remote copy system

• US 20080098188A1
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hirakawa, Yusuke, Asaka, Yoshihiro, Ito, Ryusuke, Kaga, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2066 Optimisation of the communication load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/855 Details of asynchronous mirroring using a journal to transfer not-yet-mirrored changes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

In a configuration in which it is necessary to transfer data from a first storage system to a third storage system through a storage system between the storage systems, there is a problem that it is inevitable to give an excess logical volume to a second storage system between the storage systems. A remote copy system includes first storage system that sends and receives data to and from an information processing apparatus, a second storage system, and a third storage system. The second storage system virtually has a second storage area in which the data should be written and has a third storage area in which the data written in the second storage area and update information concerning the data are written. Data sent from the first storage system is not written in the second storage area but is written in the third storage area as data and update information. The data and the update information written in the third storage area are read out from the third storage system.

Claims

1. A remote copy system comprising:

a first storage system coupled to an information processing apparatus, the first storage system including a first storage area in which the data from the information processing apparatus is written; and

a second storage system coupled to the first storage system, the second storage system including a virtual volume defined by a logical address to be a write destination of data sent from the first storage system, the second storage system having a second storage area in which data for that logical address and update information concerning the data are written, and

wherein data from the first storage system to be written in the logical volume of the second storage system, is written in the second storage area together with the update information of the data, instead of being written to an area indicated by the logical address.

2. A remote copy system according to claim 1 wherein the second storage area has a smaller storage capacity than the first storage area.

3. A remote copy system comprising:

a first storage system having a first storage control unit for controlling data writing in a first logical volume with reference to a first shared memory; and

a second storage system having a second storage control unit for controlling data writing in a second logical volume with reference to a second shared memory, wherein

the remote copy system stores pair information defining a correspondence relationship between the first logical volume and the second logical volume, in the first shared memory, and information, which, when data is written in the second logical volume, defines a journal volume storing the data and update information of the data, in the second shared memory;

when first data is written in the first logical volume, the first storage system issues a write instruction for the first data to the second storage control unit with the second logical volume as an object of writing on the basis of the pair information in the first shared memory, and

when a write instruction to write data in the second logical volume is received from the first storage system, with reference to the second shared memory, the second storage system does not write the first data in the second logical volume, but instead writes the first data and update information of the first data in the journal volume if an area defined as the second logical volume is defined as a logical volume area other than the second logical volume, and writes the first data in the second logical volume if the area defined as the second logical volume is not defined as a logical volume other than the second logical volume.

4. A storage system comprising:

plural storage devices; and

a storage control unit that receives a write instruction for data from an information processing apparatus and controls writing of the data in the storage devices;

wherein the storage system has a shared memory that stores information for defining logical volumes on the storage devices as configuration information, and

an area on the storage device in a first logical volume defined by the shared memory and an area on the storage device in a second logical volume defined by the shared memory are defined such that at least parts of the areas have overlapping addresses.

5. A remote copy system comprising:

a first storage system coupled to an information processing apparatus; and

a second storage system coupled to the first storage system to receive data from the first storage system;

wherein the first storage system has a first storage area in which the data sent from the information processing apparatus is written;

the second storage system has a logical address for a write destination of the data sent from the first storage system, and also has a second storage area in which data and update information, which should be written to the logical address, and when a storage area is allocated to the logical address, the data is written in the storage area, and the data and the update information is written in a second storage area, and

when a storage area is not allocated to the logical address, the data and the update information is written in the second storage area.

6. The remote copy system according to claim 5, wherein the second storage area has a smaller capacity than the first storage area.

7. A remote copy system comprising:

a first storage system coupled to an information processing apparatus and sends and receives data to and from the information processing apparatus;

a second storage system coupled to the first storage system and receives data from the first storage system; and

a third storage system coupled to the second storage system and receives data from the second storage system;

wherein the first storage system has a first storage area in which the data sent from the information processing apparatus is written,

the second storage system has a logical address to be a write destination of the data sent from the first storage system, and also has a second storage area in which data, which should be written in the logical address, and update information concerning the data are written, and when a storage area is allocated to the logical address, the data is written in the storage area, and the data and the update information is written in a second storage area;

when a storage area is not allocated to the logical address, the data and the update information is written in the second storage area;

the third storage system has a third storage area in which the data read out from the second storage area in the second storage system and update information concerning the data are stored, and a fourth storage area that is a copy destination of the first storage area; and

the data and the update information, which are stored in the second storage area, are read out from the third storage system and written in the third storage area after a predetermined time elapses, and thereafter the second storage area can be opened and is used for new storage.

8. A remote copy system according to claim 7 wherein each of the second and the third storage areas have a smaller storage capacity than either of the first and the fourth storage areas.

9. A remote copy system comprising:

a first storage system coupled to a first information processing apparatus to send data to and receive data from the first information processing apparatus;

a second storage system coupled to a second information processing apparatus and coupled to the first storage system to send data to and receive data from the second information processing apparatus, and to receive data from the first storage system; and

a third storage system coupled to the second storage system to receive data from the second storage system;

wherein the first storage system includes a first storage area in which the data sent from the information processing apparatus is written;

the second storage system includes a logical address as a write destination of data sent from the first storage system, and includes a second storage area in which data targeted for the logical address, and update information concerning the data, are written;

the third storage system includes a third storage area in which data received from the second storage area in the second storage system and update information concerning that data are stored, and includes a fourth storage area that is a copy destination of the first storage area; and

data sent from the first storage system so as to be written to the logical address in the second storage system, is written in the second storage area together with update information, and a storage area for sending and receiving data to and from the second information processing apparatus is allocated to the logical address, and the data and the update information to be stored in the second storage area are read out from the third storage system and written in the third storage area, and thereafter the second storage area can be opened and used for additional storage.

10. A remote copy system according to claim 9, wherein the second and the third storage areas are smaller than the first and the fourth storage areas.