STORAGE SYSTEM AND A METHOD USED BY THE STORAGE SYSTEM

• US 20150242291A1
• Filed: 02/06/2015
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fang, Min, Chang, Yande, Chen, Duo
• Granted Patent: US 9,594,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2023 Failover techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2043 where the redundant components share a common memory address space
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2046 where the redundant components share persistent storage G06F11/2043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0868 Data transfer between cache memory and other subsystems, e.g. storage devices or host systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/224 Disk storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Performing failover processing between a production host and a backup host, a storage system is connected to the production host and the backup host. In response to a failure of the production host, metadata is obtained of data blocks that have been cached from an elastic space located in a fast disk of the storage system. A storage capacity of the elastic space is expanded. Data blocks are obtained to which the metadata corresponds according to the metadata and the storage capacity of the expanded elastic space, and storing the same in the expanded elastic space. In response the backup host requesting the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, and the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds have already been stored in the expanded elastic space, data blocks are obtained to which the metadata corresponds from the expanded elastic space and transmitting the same to the backup host.

Claims

1. A method for performing failover processing between a production host and a backup host, a storage system is connected to the production host and the backup host, the method comprising:

in response to a failure of the production host;

obtaining metadata of data blocks that have already been cached from an elastic space located in a fast disk of the storage system;

expanding a storage capacity of the elastic space;

obtaining data blocks to which the metadata corresponds according to the metadata and the storage capacity of the expanded elastic space, and storing the same in the expanded elastic space; and

in response to that the backup host requests the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds and the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds have already been stored in the expanded elastic space, obtaining the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds from the expanded elastic space and transmitting the same to the backup host.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein expanding the storage capacity of the elastic space comprises:

in response to that a maximum storage capacity of the elastic space is less than a storage capacity of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, expanding the elastic space to its maximum capacity;

in response to that a maximum storage capacity of the elastic space is more than a storage capacity of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, expanding the elastic space until the storage capacity of the elastic space at least is capable of storing the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein obtaining data blocks to which the metadata corresponds according to the metadata and the storage capacity of the elastic space comprises:

in response to that a maximum storage capacity of the elastic space is less than a storage capacity of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, obtaining a portion of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, a storage capability of the portion of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds being close to the maximum storage capacity of the elastic space;

in response to that a maximum storage capacity of the elastic space is more than a storage capacity of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, obtaining all the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds.

4. The method according to one of claims 1, wherein the metadata includes storage locations of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds in the storage system.

5. The method according to one of claims 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for caching data blocks from the production host;

sending the requested data blocks to the production host;

generating metadata for data blocks that have already been cached by the production host; and

storing the metadata in the elastic space as metadata of data blocks that have already been cached.

6. The method according to one of claims 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for caching data blocks from the production host;

sending the requested data blocks to the production host;

receiving a request for caching data blocks from the backup host;

sending the requested data blocks to the backup host;

generating metadata of differential data blocks between the data blocks that have already been cached by the production host and the data blocks that have already been cached by the backup host; and

storing the metadata in the elastic space as metadata of data blocks that have already been cached.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining a size relationship between a maximum storage capacity of the elastic space and a storage capacity of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds.

8. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

in response to a change to the storage locations of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds in the storage system, updating, in the elastic space, the storage locations of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds in the storage system.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a normal operation of the backup host, transferring the data blocks to which the metadata stored in the expanded elastic space corresponds to the fast disk of the storage system for storage; and

retracting the storage capacity of the expanded elastic space.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a recovery to normality of the production host, re-allocating the storage capacity of the elastic space as a storage capability of metadata of new data that has already been cached.

11. A storage system for performing failover processing between a production host and a backup host, the storage system comprising:

a metadata obtaining device configured to, in response to a failure of the production host, obtain metadata of data blocks that have already been cached from an elastic space located in a fast disk of the storage system;

an elastic space expanding device configured to expand a storage capacity of the elastic space;

an elastic space data block storing device configured to obtain data blocks to which the metadata corresponds according to the metadata and the storage capacity of the elastic space, and store the same in the expanded elastic space; and

a backup host data request responding device configured to in response to that the backup host requests the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds and the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds have already been stored in the expanded elastic space, obtaining the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds from the expanded elastic space and transmitting the same to the backup host.

12. The storage system according to claim 11, wherein the elastic space expanding device is further configured to:

in response to that a maximum storage capacity of the elastic space is less than a storage capacity of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, expand the elastic space to its maximum capacity;

in response to that a maximum storage capacity of the elastic space is more than a storage capacity of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, expand the elastic space until the storage capacity of the elastic space at least is capable of storing the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds.

13. The storage system according to claim 12, wherein the elastic space data block storing device is further configured to:

in response to that a maximum storage capacity of the elastic space is less than a storage capacity of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, obtain a portion of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, a storage capability of the portion of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds being close to the maximum storage capacity of the elastic space;

in response to that a maximum storage capacity of the elastic space is more than a storage capacity of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds, obtain all the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds.

14. The storage system according to one of claims 11, wherein the metadata includes storage locations of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds in the storage system.

15. The storage system according to one of claims 11, further comprising:

a caching request receiving device configured to receive a request for caching data blocks from the production host;

a response sending device configured to send the requested data blocks to the production host;

a metadata generating device configured to generate metadata for data blocks that have already been cached by the production host; and

a metadata storing device configured to store the metadata in the elastic space as metadata of data blocks that have already been cached.

16. The storage system according to one of claims 11, further comprising:

a caching request receiving device configured to receive a request for caching data blocks from the production host and receive a request for caching data blocks from the backup host;

a response sending device configured to send the requested data blocks to the production host and send the requested data blocks to the backup host;

a metadata generating device configured to generate metadata of differential data blocks between the data blocks that have already been cached by the production host and the data blocks that have already been cached by the backup host; and

a metadata storing device configured to store the metadata in the elastic space as metadata of data blocks that have already been cached.

17. The storage system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a determining device configured to determine a size relationship between a maximum storage capacity of the elastic space and a storage capacity of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds.

18. The storage system according to claim 14, further comprising:

a storage location updating device configured to, in response to a change to the storage locations of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds in the storage system, update, in the elastic space, the storage locations of the data blocks to which the metadata corresponds in the storage system.

19. The storage system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a data transferring device configured to, in response to a normal operation of the backup host, transfer the data blocks to which the metadata stored in the expanded elastic space corresponds to the fast disk of the storage system for storage;

an elastic space retracting device configured to retract the storage capacity of the expanded elastic space.

20. The storage system according to claim 11, further comprising:

an elastic space allocating device configured to, in response to a recovery to normality of the production host, re-allocate the storage capacity of the elastic space as a storage capability of metadata of new data that has already been cached.