STORAGE CONTROL APPARATUS AND STORAGE SYSTEM

• US 20160320975A1
• Filed: 04/05/2016
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: FURUYA, MASANORI
• Granted Patent: US 10,209,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2064 while ensuring consistency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• 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 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A storage system is able to perform an operation of remote copy from a first storage apparatus to a second storage apparatus. A first control unit transfers summary information of copy target data stored in the first storage apparatus from the first storage apparatus to the second storage apparatus. A second control unit checks the summary information against information stored in the second storage apparatus. The second control unit transfers the checked result from the second storage apparatus to the first storage apparatus. If the checked result indicates matching discrepancy, the first control unit transfers the copy target data to the second storage apparatus and completes the remote copy operation.

Claims

1. A storage control apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to perform a procedure including;

transferring a summary information piece of a copy target data unit stored in a copy-source storage apparatus to a copy-destination storage apparatus,

acquiring, from the copy-destination storage apparatus, a checked result obtained by checking the summary information piece against information stored in the copy-destination storage apparatus, and

transferring the copy target data unit to the copy-destination storage apparatus when the checked result indicates matching discrepancy.

2. The storage control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the procedure further includes completing, when the checked result indicates matching agreement, a copy operation of the copy target data unit without transferring the copy target data unit to the copy-destination storage apparatus.

3. The storage control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the procedure further includes;

transferring, to the copy-destination storage apparatus, a summary information group including the summary information piece in plurality corresponding one-to-one with the copy target data unit in plurality, and

acquiring, from the copy-destination storage apparatus, a checked result group including the checked result in plurality each associated with one of the summary information pieces.

4. The storage control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store a transfer history of the copy target data unit,

wherein the procedure further includes transferring, based on the transfer history, the copy target data unit to the copy-destination storage apparatus without transferring the summary information piece to the copy-destination storage apparatus.

5. The storage control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the transfer history indicates a transfer count of the summary information piece of the copy target data unit, and

the procedure further includes acquiring update information on one or more updates made to the information stored in the copy-destination storage apparatus and correcting the transfer count.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a storage control program that causes a computer to execute a procedure comprising:

transferring a summary information piece of a copy target data unit stored in a copy-source storage apparatus to a copy-destination storage apparatus;

acquiring, from the copy-destination storage apparatus, a checked result obtained by checking the summary information piece against information stored in the copy-destination storage apparatus; and

transferring the copy target data unit to the copy-destination storage apparatus when the checked result indicates matching discrepancy.

7. A storage system comprising:

a first storage apparatus configured to include a first processor; and

a second storage apparatus configured to include a second processor,

wherein the first processor performs a procedure including transferring a summary information piece of a copy target data unit to the second storage apparatus,

the second processor performs a procedure including checking the summary information piece against information stored in the second storage apparatus and transferring a result obtained by the checking to the first storage apparatus, and

the procedure performed by the first processor further includes performing a remote copy operation by transferring the copy target data unit to the second storage apparatus when the result indicates matching discrepancy.

8. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein:

the procedure performed by the first processor further includes completing, when the result indicates matching agreement, the remote copy operation of the copy target data unit without transferring the copy target data unit to the second storage apparatus, and

the procedure performed by the second processor further includes allowing, when the result indicates matching agreement, a data unit corresponding to the summary information piece to be accessed as the copy target data unit.