Fast data recovery system

• US 20090094425A1
• Filed: 08/11/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axxana (Israel) Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Axxana (Israel) Ltd.
• Inventors: Winokur, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 7,984,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/161
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation

Abstract

A data processing method includes receiving data objects for storage by a primary storage device. A first instance of each of at least some of the received data objects is cached in a disaster-proof storage unit. A second instance of each received data object is sent for storage in a secondary storage device.

A list of identifiers of the data objects that are cached in the disaster-proof storage unit at a given point in time is sent from the disaster-proof storage unit to the secondary storage device. Following an event that renders at least some of the data objects on the primary storage device inaccessible, a request sent to the secondary storage device to access a given data object is received. A selection is made, responsively to the list, to serve the cached first instance or the stored second instance of the given data object in response to the request.

Claims

1. A data processing method, comprising:

receiving data objects from a data source for storage by a primary storage device;

caching a respective first instance of each of at least some of the received data objects in a disaster-proof storage unit, and sending a respective second instance of each received data object for storage in a secondary storage device;

sending from the disaster-proof storage unit to the secondary storage device a list of respective identifiers of the data objects that are cached in the disaster-proof storage unit at a given point in time;

following an event that renders at least some of the data objects on the primary storage device inaccessible at the given point in time, receiving a request sent to the secondary storage device to access a given data object; and

choosing, at the secondary storage device, responsively to the list, to serve either the cached first instance or the stored second instance of the given data object in response to the request.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending the list comprises transmitting the list to the secondary storage device over a wireless link.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein choosing to serve the first or second instance comprises serving the second instance responsively to verifying that the given data object does not appear in the list.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein choosing to serve the first or second instance comprises serving the second instance responsively to verifying that the given data object appears in the list and that the request specifies storage of the given data object.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein choosing to serve the first or second instance comprises serving the first instance cached in the disaster-proof storage unit responsively to verifying that the given data object appears in the list and that the request specifies retrieval of the given data object.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein serving the first instance comprises requesting the disaster-proof storage unit to send the cached first instance to the secondary storage device with high priority.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the disaster-proof storage unit stores multiple first instances of the given object having respective creation times, and wherein serving the first instance comprises serving the first instance whose creation time is most recent among the multiple first instances.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the request specifies storage of the given data object, choosing to serve the first or second instance comprises storing the given data object in the secondary storage device before fully receiving the list, temporarily recording an identifier of the given data object, and, upon fully receiving the list, deleting the identifier from the list.

9. The method according to claim 1, and comprising sending the cached first instances to the secondary storage device after sending the list.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein choosing to serve the first or second instance is performed before all the cached first instances are received at the secondary storage device.

11. The method according to claim 9, and comprising deleting all the identifiers pertaining to a certain data object from the list responsively to receiving the respective first instance of the certain data object from the disaster-proof storage unit.

12. The method according to claim 1, and comprising deleting the given data object from the list after serving the chosen instance.

13. The method according to claim 1, and comprising configuring an unconditional setting to serve the stored second instance responsively to verifying that the list is empty.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein configuring the unconditional setting comprises configuring a network switch to permanently forward requests to the secondary storage device.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending the list comprises producing the list responsively to the event.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending the list comprises updating the list before the event responsively to caching additional first instances.

17. Apparatus for data processing, comprising:

a mirroring processor, which is configured to receive data objects from a data source, to send respective first instances of the received data objects for storage in a primary storage device and to send respective second instances of the received data objects for storage in a secondary storage device;

a disaster-proof storage unit, which is coupled to cache the respective first instance of each of at least some of the received data objects and to send to the secondary storage device a list of respective identifiers of the data objects that are cached in the disaster-proof storage unit at a given point in time; and

a recovery processor, which is configured, following an event that renders at least some of the data objects on the primary storage device inaccessible at the given point in time, to receive a request sent to the secondary storage device to access a given data object and to choose, responsively to the list, to serve either the cached first instance or the stored second instance of the given data object in response to the request.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the disaster-proof storage unit is coupled to transmit the list to the secondary storage device over a wireless link.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the recovery processor is configured to serve the second instance responsively to verifying that the given data object does not appear in the list.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the recovery processor is configured to serve the second instance responsively to verifying that the given data object appears in the list and that the request specifies storage of the given data object.

21. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the recovery processor is configured to serve the first instance cached in the disaster-proof storage unit responsively to verifying that the given data object appears in the list and that the request specifies retrieval of the given data object.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the recovery processor is configured to request the disaster-proof storage unit to send the cached first instance with high priority.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the disaster-proof storage unit is coupled to cache multiple first instances of the given object having respective creation times, and to serve the first instance whose creation time is most recent among the multiple first instances.

24. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, when the request specifies storage of the given data object, the recovery processor is configured to store the given data object in the secondary storage device before fully receiving the list, to temporarily record an identifier of the given data object, and, upon fully receiving the list, to delete the identifier from the list.

25. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the disaster-proof storage unit is coupled to send the cached first instances to the secondary storage device after sending the list.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the recovery processor is configured to choose to serve the first or second instance before all the cached first instances are received at the secondary storage device.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the recovery processor is configured to delete all the identifiers pertaining to a certain data object from the list responsively to receiving the respective first instance of the certain data object from the disaster-proof storage unit.

28. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the recovery processor is configured to delete the given data object from the list after serving the chosen instance.

29. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the recovery processor is configured to configure an unconditional setting to serve the stored second instance responsively to verifying that the list is empty.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the recovery processor is configured to configure the unconditional setting by configuring a network switch to permanently forward requests to the secondary storage device.

31. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the disaster-proof storage unit is coupled to produce the list responsively to the event.

32. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the disaster-proof storage unit is coupled to update the list before the event responsively to caching additional first instances.

33. Apparatus for data processing, comprising:

a mirroring processor, which is configured to receive data objects from a data source, to send respective first instances of the received data objects for storage in a primary storage device and to send respective second instances of the received data objects for storage in a secondary storage device;

a disaster-proof storage unit, which is coupled to cache the respective first instance of each of at least some of the received data objects and to transmit a list of respective identifiers of the data objects that are cached in the disaster-proof storage unit at a given point in time; and

a recovery processor, which is configured, following an event that renders at least some of the data objects on the primary storage device inaccessible at the given point in time, to receive the list from the disaster-proof storage unit and to forward the list to the secondary storage device, so as to enable the secondary storage device to choose, responsively to the list, to respond to a request to access a given data object by serving either the cached first instance or the stored second instance of the given data object.

34. A system, comprising:

a data source;

a primary storage device;

a secondary storage device;

a mirroring processor, which is configured to receive data objects from the data source, to send respective first instances of the received data objects for storage in the primary storage device and to send respective second instances of the received data objects for storage in the secondary storage device;

a disaster-proof storage unit, which is coupled to cache the respective first instance of each of at least some of the received data objects and to send to the secondary storage device a list of respective identifiers of the data objects that are cached in the disaster-proof storage unit at a given point in time; and

a recovery processor, which is configured, following an event that renders at least some of the data objects on the primary storage device inaccessible at the given point in time, to receive a request sent to the secondary storage device to access a given data object and to choose, responsively to the list, to serve either the cached first instance or the stored second instance of the given data object in response to the request.

35. A computer software product for data processing, for use in a system that receives data objects from a data source, sends respective first instances of the data objects for storage in a primary storage device and respective second instances of the data objects for storage in a secondary storage device and includes a disaster-proof storage unit, which caches the respective first instance of each of at least some of the received data objects and sends to the secondary storage device a list of respective identifiers of the data objects that are cached in the disaster-proof storage unit at a given point in time, the product comprising a tangible computer-readable medium, in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer, following an event that renders at least some of the data objects on the primary storage device inaccessible at the given point in time, to receive a request sent to the secondary storage device to access a given data object and to choose, responsively to the list, to serve either the cached first instance or the stored second instance of the given data object in response to the request.