BLOCK BASED VSS TECHNOLOGY IN WORKLOAD MIGRATION AND DISASTER RECOVERY IN COMPUTING SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110231698A1
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Zlati, Andrei C., Glaizel, Ari B., Amshukov, Arthur
• Application Number:
  US12/728,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231698A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3034 where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3079 the data filtering being achieved by reporting only the changes of the monitored data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45591 Monitoring or debugging support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

Methods and apparatus involve migrating workloads and disaster recovery. A snapshot is taken of a source volume using a volume shadow service. Depending whether a user seeks a migration or disaster recovery action, blocks of data read from the snapshot are transferred to a target volume in various amounts. The amounts of transfer include all of the blocks, only changed blocks between the volumes, or only blocks incrementally changed since a last transfer operation. Users make indications for transfer on a computing device storing and consuming data on the volumes and optionally do so in the context of Novell'"'"'s Platespin® products. Other features contemplate kernel drivers to monitor the blocks of the volumes, as well as techniques for comparing them. Still other features involve computing systems, volume devices, such as readers, writers and filters, and computer program products, to name a few.

Claims

1. A method of migrating computing workloads or undertaking disaster recovery in a computing system environment, comprising:

taking a snapshot of a workload source volume using a volume shadow service;

determining a filtering action for the workload migration or disaster recovery according to a user selection; and

transferring to a workload target volume blocks of data read from the taken snapshot in an amount based on the determined filtered action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transferring blocks of data further includes transferring from the workload source volume to the workload target volume all of the blocks of data said read from the taken snapshot.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transferring blocks of data further includes transferring from the workload source volume to the workload target volume only a delta of the blocks of data said read from the taken snapshot indicating only changed blocks between said volumes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transferring blocks of data further includes transferring from the workload source volume to the workload target volume only blocks of data changed from a last operation after the taken snapshot.

5. The method of claim 1, further including determining whether the user selection relates to the workload migration or the disaster recovery.

6. The method of claim 1, further including configuring a kernel driver for installation on a computing device to monitor the blocks of data on said volumes.

7. The method of claim 6, further including monitoring malfunctions of the kernel driver.

8. The method of claim 7, further including transferring from the workload source volume to the workload target volume when the kernel driver is determined to have said malfunctioned only a delta of the blocks of data said read from the taken snapshot indicating only changed blocks between said volumes.

9. The method of claim 1, further including comparing the blocks of data said read from the taken snapshot to blocks of data on the workload target volume.

11. The method of claim 4, further including storing the only blocks of data changed from the last operation as a bitmap on the workload source volume.

10. The method of 9, wherein the comparing further includes undertaking a hashing function for given blocks of the blocks of data.

12. A method of migrating computing workloads or undertaking disaster recovery in a computing system environment, comprising:

taking a snapshot of a workload source volume using a volume shadow service;

determining whether a user of a computing device seeks data services for the workload migration or disaster recovery;

determining a filtering action of the user per each of the workload migration or disaster recovery; and

transferring to a workload target volume blocks of data read from the taken snapshot in an amount based on the determined filtered action.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the transferring blocks of data further includes transferring all of the blocks of data said read from the taken snapshot if the determined filtering action is a full replication of the workload source volume to the workload target volume and the determined data services is for either the workload migration or disaster recovery.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the transferring blocks of data further includes transferring only a delta of the blocks of data said read from the taken snapshot if the determined filtering action is a server synch selection whereby only changed blocks of the workload source volume are replicated to the workload target volume.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the transferring blocks of data further includes transferring from the workload source volume to the workload target volume only blocks of data changed since a last operation of block transfer between the volumes after the taken snapshot.

16. The method of claim 15, further including configuring a kernel driver for installation on the computing device to monitor the blocks of data on said volumes.

17. The method of claim 16, further including monitoring malfunctions of the kernel driver.

18. The method of claim 17, further including transferring from the workload source volume to the workload target volume when the kernel driver is determined to have said malfunctioned only a delta of the blocks of data said read from the taken snapshot indicating only changed blocks between said volumes.

19. The method of claim 16, further including storing the only blocks of data changed from the last operation as a bitmap on the workload source volume.

20. A method of migrating computing workloads or undertaking disaster recovery in a computing system environment, comprising:

taking a snapshot of a workload source volume using a volume shadow service;

receiving indication from a user of a computing device storing data on the workload source volume whether the user seeks data services for the workload migration or the disaster recovery;

receiving indication from the user whether the sought data services are for a full replication, a delta replication or an incremental replication per the received indication of the workload migration or the disaster recovery; and

transferring from the workload source volume to a workload target volume blocks of data read from the taken snapshot in an amount corresponding to all of the blocks of data said read from the taken snapshot for the full replication, only changed blocks of data between the volumes for the delta replication, or only blocks of data changed from a last transfer after the taken snapshot for the incremental replication.