Snapshot reset method and apparatus

• US 20100223428A1
• Filed: 05/15/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Lee, Kent, Wayda, James George, Rodriguez, Elizabeth G., Vu, Ngoclan Thi
• Granted Patent: US 8,200,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

A method, device, and system for resetting snapshots are provided. The reset of a snapshot incorporates the traditional snapshot delete and snapshot create operations into a single operation. Additionally, a snapshot created under the reset operation may receive an array partition from a snapshot being deleted under the same snapshot reset operation thereby retaining its identifying characteristics.

Claims

1. A device for controlling a storage system, comprising:

a reset application adapted to receive a reset command and in response to receiving a reset command and to transfer a first array partition associated with first snapshot of a master volume to a second snapshot of the master volume, wherein the first array partition provides access to a virtual disk drive which can at least one of read and write fixed memory block addresses.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the virtual disk drive is adapted to at least one of read and write fixed blocks addressed by Logical Block Addresses (LBAs).

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first array partition comprises a first set of attributes that remain unchanged when the first array partition is transferred from the first snapshot to the second snapshot.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the first set of attributes comprise at least one of a global identifier, LUN, Serial Number, and zoning on the LUN.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the reset application is further adapted to alter the first array partition to reflect a size of the master volume at a point-in-time associated with the second snapshot.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the reset application is adapted to mark the first snapshot for reset, then mark the first snapshot for deletion, and then after the first array partition has been associated with the second snapshot, release the reset mark associated with the first snapshot thereby allowing the first snapshot to be deleted.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the reset application is further adapted to create the second snapshot in response to receiving the reset command.