DATA STORAGE WITH SNAPSHOT-TO-SNAPSHOT RECOVERY

• US 20100042791A1
• Filed: 08/15/2008
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Palmon, Omri, Schwarz, Shemer, Helman, Haim, Sandler, Kariel Eliahu
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

A method for data storage includes creating first and second copies of a logical volume, such that the first and second copies are represented by respective first and second sets of pointers to physical storage locations in which data used by the copies is stored. Responsively to a corruption of at least part of the data that is used by the first copy, the first copy is restored from the second copy by replacing the first set with the pointers in the second set.

Claims

1. A method for data storage, comprising:

creating first and second copies of a logical volume, such that the first and second copies are represented by respective first and second sets of pointers to physical storage locations in which data used by the copies is stored; and

responsively to a corruption of at least part of the data that is used by the first copy, restoring the first copy from the second copy by replacing the first set with the pointers in the second set.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein restoring the first copy from the second copy comprises updating a list indicating respective numbers of the copies whose pointers point to the physical storage locations.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein creating the copies comprises representing the copies by a hierarchical tree structure comprising nodes, wherein each of the nodes comprises a respective set of local pointers, and wherein the copies are represented by respective nodes such that the local pointers in the nodes located along a path via the tree structure that connects a given node to a root node of the tree structure point to the physical storage locations in which the data used by the given copy is stored.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the tree structure comprises first and second nodes respectively representing the first and second copies, wherein the second node is connected to the root node via a first path via the tree structure, and wherein restoring the first copy from the second copy comprises deleting the first node from the tree structure and creating a new node representing the restored first copy, such that the new node is connected to the root node via a second path whose nodes have the same local pointers as the nodes along the first path.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein creating the new node comprises creating an artificial node to replace the second node in the tree structure, and positioning the second node and the new node below the artificial node.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein creating the artificial node comprises assigning the local pointers of the second node to the artificial node, and wherein positioning the second node and the new node comprises configuring the second node and the new node to have no local pointers.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein creating the copies and restoring the first copy from the second copy comprise communicating with a host computer over a Storage Area Network (SAN).

8. Apparatus for data storage, comprising:

an interface, which is operative to communicate with a host computer so as to receive data for storage that is addressed to a logical volume assigned on a storage device; and

a processor, which is coupled to create first and second copies of the logical volume, such that the first and second copies are represented by respective first and second sets of pointers to physical storage locations on the storage device in which the data used by the copies is stored, and, responsively to a corruption of at least part of the data that is used by the first copy, to restore the first copy from the second copy by replacing the first set with the pointers in the second set.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor is coupled to update a list indicating respective numbers of the copies whose pointers point to the physical storage locations.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor is coupled to represent the copies by a hierarchical tree structure comprising nodes, wherein each of the nodes comprises a respective set of local pointers, and wherein the copies are represented by respective nodes such that the local pointers in the nodes located along a path via the tree structure that connects a given node to a root node of the tree structure point to the physical storage locations in which the data used by the given copy is stored.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the tree structure comprises first and second nodes respectively representing the first and second copies, wherein the second node is connected to the root node via a first path via the tree structure, and wherein the processor is coupled to restore the first copy from the second copy by deleting the first node from the tree structure and creating a new node representing the restored first copy, such that the new node is connected to the root node via a second path whose nodes have the same local pointers as the nodes along the first path.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is coupled to create the new node by creating an artificial node to replace the second node in the tree structure, and positioning the second node and the new node below the artificial node.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is coupled to assign the local pointers of the second node to the artificial node and to configure the second node and the new node to have no local pointers.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the interface is operative to communicate with the host computer over a Storage Area Network (SAN).

15. A data storage system, comprising:

a storage device;

an interface, which is operative to communicate with a host computer so as to receive data for storage that is addressed to a logical volume assigned on the storage device; and

a processor, which is coupled to create first and second copies of the logical volume, such that the first and second copies are represented by respective first and second sets of pointers to physical storage locations on the storage device in which the data used by the copies is stored, and, responsively to a corruption of at least part of the data that is used by the first copy, to restore the first copy from the second copy by replacing the first set with the pointers in the second set.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the processor is coupled to update a list indicating respective numbers of the copies whose pointers point to the physical storage locations.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the processor is coupled to represent the copies by a hierarchical tree structure comprising nodes, wherein each of the nodes comprises a respective set of local pointers, and wherein the copies are represented by respective nodes such that the local pointers in the nodes located along a path via the tree structure that connects a given node to a root node of the tree structure point to the physical storage locations in which the data used by the given copy is stored.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the tree structure comprises first and second nodes respectively representing the first and second copies, wherein the second node is connected to the root node via a first path via the tree structure, and wherein the processor is coupled to restore the first copy from the second copy by deleting the first node from the tree structure and creating a new node representing the restored first copy, such that the new node is connected to the root node via a second path whose nodes have the same local pointers as the nodes along the first path.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein the interface is operative to communicate with the host computer over a Storage Area Network (SAN).

20. A computer software product for data storage, the product comprising a computer-readable medium, in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by the computer, cause the computer to communicate with a host so as to receive data for storage that is addressed to a logical volume assigned on a storage device, to create first and second copies of the logical volume, such that the first and second copies are represented by respective first and second sets of pointers to physical storage locations on the storage device in which the data used by the copies is stored, and, responsively to a corruption of at least part of the data that is used by the first copy, to restore the first copy from the second copy by replacing the first set with the pointers in the second set.

21. The product according to claim 20, wherein the instructions cause the computer to update a list indicating respective numbers of the copies whose pointers point to the physical storage locations.

22. The product according to claim 20, wherein the instructions cause the computer to represent the copies by a hierarchical tree structure comprising nodes, wherein each of the nodes comprises a respective set of local pointers, and wherein the copies are represented by respective nodes such that the local pointers in the nodes located along a path via the tree structure that connects a given node to a root node of the tree structure point to the physical storage locations in which the data used by the given copy is stored.

23. The product according to claim 22, wherein the tree structure comprises first and second nodes respectively representing the first and second copies, wherein the second node is connected to the root node via a first path via the tree structure, and wherein the instructions cause the computer to restore the first copy from the second copy by deleting the first node from the tree structure and creating a new node representing the restored first copy, such that the new node is connected to the root node via a second path whose nodes have the same local pointers as the nodes along the first path.