NO DATA LOSS IT DISASTER RECOVERY OVER EXTENDED DISTANCES

• US 20090271658A1
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Aidun, Mehrdad
• Application Number:
  US12/500,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271658A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2058 using more than 2 mirrored copies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2076 Synchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation

Abstract

Systems and methods operating over extended distances provide for recovery of data and operational continuity of computer applications accessing data within an information technology system if an event occurs effecting access to the data. In one embodiment, an extended distance data recovery system (100) includes first, second and third data storage devices (112, 122, 132) located at respective first, second and third sites (110, 120, 130). The second and third sites (120, 130) are remotely located from the first site (110) with the second site (120) being nearby the first site (110). The first data storage device (112) has data (116) stored thereon. A computer executable control process (150) directs synchronous replication of the data (116), either at the storage level or at the application level, onto the second data storage device (122). The control process (150) also directs asynchronous replication of the data (116) from the second data storage device (122) onto the third data storage device (132) and coordinates among the three sites (110, 120, 130) the state of application servers, storage replication, network address changes, and other prerequisite aspects of the IT infrastructure required to allow the application servers to successfully start at the disaster recovery site.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. An active/active extended distance data recovery system comprising:

a first data storage device located at a first site, said first data storage device storing the data thereon;

a second data storage device located at a second site, said second data storage device being communicatively connected with said first data storage device;

a third data storage device located at a third site, said third data storage device being communicatively connected with said second data storage device; and

a computer executable control process executable to direct synchronous replication of the data onto said second data storage device;

said control process being further executable to direct asynchronous replication of the data from said second data storage device onto said third data storage device, wherein said control process directs the synchronous and asynchronous replication of the data such that the data is initially replicated onto said second data storage device and thereafter replicated from said second data storage device onto said third data storage device with operation of a user application at the first site involving the data being allowed to continue during the asynchronous replication of the data from said second data storage device to said third data storage device; and

said control process directing synchronous replication of the data onto said second storage device at an application level such that as packets of data are created or updated by one or more user applications executing at the first site the packets of data are also created or updated by user applications executing at the second site.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein said control process is further executable to monitor an operational status of said first data storage device and, upon occurrence of an event effecting availability of the data from said first data storage device, update location identifying information associated with the data wherein a computer application accesses the data from one of said second site and said third site.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein said third site is geographically separated from said first and second sites, and wherein said second site is geographically separated from said first and third sites.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein a maximum allowable geographical separation distance between said first and second sites varies depending upon application sensitivity to a roundtrip packet delay time between said first and second sites and architectural and operational conditions of a data network connecting said first and second sites.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein said control process is executable on a computer system located at a fourth site.

38. An active/passive extended distance data recovery system comprising:

a first data storage device located at a first site, said first data storage device storing the data thereon;

a second data storage device located at a second site, said second data storage device being communicatively connected with said first data storage device;

a third data storage device located at a third site, said third data storage device being communicatively connected with said second data storage device; and

a computer executable control process executable to direct synchronous replication of the data onto said second data storage device;

said control process being further executable to direct asynchronous replication of the data from said second data storage device onto said third data storage device, wherein said control process directs the synchronous and asynchronous replication of the data such that the data is initially replicated onto said second data storage device and thereafter replicated from said second data storage device onto said third data storage device with operation of a user application at the first site involving the data being allowed to continue during the asynchronous replication of the data from said second data storage device to said third data storage device; and

said control process directing synchronous replication of the data onto said second storage device at a data storage level such that as packets of data are written to the first data storage device, the packets of data are also written to the second data storage device and confirmation that writing of the data packets to the second data storage device has been completed is provided by the second data storage device to the first data storage device.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein said control process is further executable to monitor an operational status of said first data storage device and, upon occurrence of an event effecting availability of the data from said first data storage device, update location identifying information associated with the data wherein a computer application accesses the data from one of said second site and said third site.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein said third site is geographically separated from said first and second sites, and wherein said second site is geographically separated from said first and third sites.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein a maximum allowable geographical separation distance between said first and second sites varies depending upon application sensitivity to a roundtrip packet delay time between said first and second sites and architectural and operational conditions of a data network connecting said first and second sites.

42. The system of claim 38, wherein said control process is executable on a computer system located at a fourth site.

43. A method for providing recovery of data and operational continuity of computer applications accessing the data if an event occurs effecting access to the data on an information technology system, said method comprising the steps of:

storing the data at a first site;

synchronously replicating the data from the first site to a second site, wherein synchronous replication of the data is performed under the direction of a computer executable control process, and wherein said step of synchronously replicating the data from the first site to the second site is performed at an application level such that as packets of data are created or updated by one or more user applications executing at the first site the packets of data are also created or updated by user applications executing at the second site;

asynchronously replicating the data from the second site onto a third site, wherein asynchronous replication of the data is performed under the direction of the control process after synchronous replication of the data to the second site with operation of computer applications at the first site involving the data being allowed to continue during the asynchronous replication of the data from the second site to the third site;

monitoring an operational status of the first site; and

updating, upon occurrence of the event, location identifying information associated with the data wherein the computer applications access the data from at least one of the second site and the third site.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein, in said steps of synchronously replicating and asynchronously replicating, the third site is geographically separated from the first and second sites, and wherein the second site is geographically separated from the first and third sites.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein, in said step of synchronously replicating, a maximum allowable geographical separation distance from the first site and the second site varies depending upon application sensitivity to a roundtrip packet delay time between said first and second sites and architectural and operational conditions of a data network connecting said first and second sites.

46. The method of claim 43 further comprising:

executing the control process on a computer system located at a fourth site.

47. A method for providing recovery of data and operational continuity of computer applications accessing the data if an event occurs effecting access to the data on an information technology system, said method comprising the steps of:

storing the data at a first site;

synchronously replicating the data from the first site to a second site, wherein synchronous replication of the data is performed under the direction of a computer executable control process, and

wherein said step of synchronously replicating the data from the first site to the second site is performed at a data storage level such that such that as packets of data are written to a data storage device at the first site, the packets of data are also written to a data storage device at the second site and confirmation that writing of the data packets to the data storage device at the second site has been completed is provided by the data storage device at the second site to the data storage device at the first site;

asynchronously replicating the data from the second site onto a third site, wherein asynchronous replication of the data is performed under the direction of the control process after synchronous replication of the data to the second site with operation of computer applications at the first site involving the data being allowed to continue during the asynchronous replication of the data from the second site to the third site;

monitoring an operational status of the first site; and

updating, upon occurrence of the event, location identifying information associated with the data wherein the computer applications access the data from at least one of the second site and the third site.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein, in said steps of synchronously replicating and asynchronously replicating, the third site is geographically separated from the first and second sites, and wherein the second site is geographically separated from the first and third sites.

49. The method of claim 48 wherein, in said step of synchronously replicating, a maximum allowable geographical separation distance from the first site and the second site varies depending upon application sensitivity to a roundtrip packet delay time between said first and second sites and architectural and operational conditions of a data network connecting said first and second sites.

50. The method of claim 47 further comprising:

executing the control process on a computer system located at a fourth site.