METHODS, APPARATUSES AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR PROCESSING AND MANAGING STORAGE UNIT ACCESS

• US 20200133523A1
• Filed: 09/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Xia, Sihang, Zhao, Zhenhua, Feng, Changyu, Xu, Xinlei, Li, Xiongcheng
• Granted Patent: US 11,231,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0646 Horizontal data movement in storage systems, i.e. moving data in between storage devices or systems
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

Techniques process and manage a storage unit access. In accordance with such a technique, a data access request which is from a host system and for a first storage unit in the first storage system is received, wherein the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit; and the data access request is forwarded to a second storage unit in a second storage system associated with the first storage unit via a redirection link from the first storage system to the second storage system, wherein the second storage unit is a primary storage unit. Through such techniques, the host system can be allowed to send a data access request for the secondary storage unit, so that the host system does not need to resend the data access request, thereby reducing delay and interruption caused by such requests.

Claims

1. A method for processing a storage unit access in a first storage system, comprising:

receiving a data access request which is from a host system and for a first storage unit in the first storage system, wherein the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit; and

the data access request being forwarded to a second storage unit in a second storage system associated with the first storage unit via a redirection link from the first storage system to the second storage system, wherein the second storage unit is a primary storage unit.

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

receiving an acknowledgment which is from the second storage unit and for the data access request;

the confirmation for the data access request being forwarded to the host system.

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

receiving a replication identification information acquisition request which is from the host system and for the first storage unit;

sending a response to the replication identification information acquisition request to the host system, wherein the response indicates that the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

determining whether the first storage unit is a primary storage unit or a secondary storage unit;

sending the response to the host system in response to determining that the first storage unit is the secondary storage unit.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the response comprises device identification information of the second storage unit associated with the first storage unit.

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

receiving a role change indication from the second storage unit in the second storage system;

changing the first storage unit from a secondary storage unit to a primary storage unit;

in response to receiving another data access request which is from the host system and for the first storage unit, the first storage unit as the primary storage unit processes the another data access request.

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

receiving a role exchange indication from the second storage unit in the second storage system;

changing the first storage unit from a secondary storage unit to a primary storage unit;

in response to receiving another data access request which is from the host system and for the first storage unit, the first storage unit as the primary storage unit processes the another data access request.

8. A method for processing a data access request in a second storage system, comprising:

receiving a data access request forwarded by a first storage system via a redirection link from the first storage system to the second storage system, wherein the data access request is for a first storage unit in the first storage system, and wherein the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit; and

the data access request being processed by a second storage unit in the second storage system associated with the first storage unit, the second storage unit being a primary storage unit.

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

sending an acknowledgment for the data access request to the first storage unit in the first storage system.

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

receiving a replication identification information acquisition request which is from the host system and for the second storage unit;

sending a response to the replication identification information acquisition request to the host system, wherein the response indicates that the second storage unit is a primary storage unit.

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

determining whether the second storage unit is a primary storage unit or a secondary storage unit;

sending the response to the host system in response to determining that the second storage unit is a primary storage unit.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the response comprises predetermined replication identification information, the predetermined replication identification information indicating that the second storage unit is a primary storage unit.

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

receiving a device identification information acquisition request from the host system; and

sending the host system a response containing device identification information for the second storage unit.

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

sending a unit failure indication to the host system in response to detecting that another data access request cannot be processed;

sending a role change indication to the first primary storage unit in the first storage system.

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

monitoring a data access request forwarded by the first storage system;

responding to the forwarded data access request meeting a predetermined role switchover threshold;

changing the second storage unit from a primary storage unit to a secondary storage unit; and

sending a role switchover indication to the first storage unit in the first storage system.

16. A method for managing a storage unit access, comprising:

transmitting a data access request to a first storage unit in a first storage system, wherein the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit, and wherein the data access request is forwarded to a second storage unit in a second storage system associated with the first storage unit via a redirection link from the first storage system to the second storage system, the second storage unit being a primary storage unit; and

receiving an acknowledgment for the data access request from the first storage system.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

responsive to detecting at least one storage unit in the first storage unit and the second storage unit;

sending a replication identification information acquisition request to the at least one storage unit;

receiving a corresponding response to the replication information acquisition request from the at least one storage unit; and

identifying whether a corresponding storage unit of the at least one storage unit is a primary storage unit or a secondary storage unit based on the corresponding response.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the identifying whether the at least one storage unit is a primary storage unit or a secondary storage unit based on the corresponding response comprises:

determining whether the corresponding response includes predetermined replication identification information, wherein the predetermined replication identification information indicates that the corresponding storage unit is a primary storage unit.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

in response to identifying that the corresponding storage unit is a secondary storage unit, associating device identification information included in the response with the corresponding storage unit.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

responding to identifying that the corresponding storage unit is a primary storage unit, transmitting a device identification information acquisition request to the corresponding storage unit;

receiving a response containing device identification information from the corresponding storage unit.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

determining whether the device identification information indicates a known storage unit;

in response to determining that the device identification information indicates a known storage unit, associating the corresponding storage unit with the known storage unit information corresponding to the device identification information;

in response to determining that the device identification information does not indicate a known storage unit, establishing new storage unit information.

22. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

in response to receiving a unit failure indication from the second storage unit, setting the first storage unit associated with the second storage unit as a new primary storage unit.

23. An apparatus for processing a storage unit access in a first storage system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein, the instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the apparatus to;

receive a data access request which is from a host system and for a first storage unit in the first storage system, wherein the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit, and

the data access request being forwarded to a second storage unit in a second storage system associated with the first storage unit via a redirection link from the first storage system to the second storage system, wherein the second storage unit is a primary storage unit.

24. An apparatus for processing a storage unit access in a second storage system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein, the instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the apparatus to;

receive a data access request forwarded by a first storage system via a redirection link from the first storage system to the second storage system, wherein the data access request is for a first storage unit in the first storage system, and wherein the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit, and

the data access request being processed by a second storage unit in the second storage system associated with the first storage unit, the second storage unit being a primary storage unit.

25. An apparatus for managing a storage unit access, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein, the instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the apparatus to;

transmit a data access request to a first storage unit in a first storage system, wherein the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit, and wherein the data access request is forwarded to a second storage unit in a second storage system associated with the first storage unit via a redirection link from the first storage system to the second storage system, the second storage unit being a primary storage unit, and

receive an acknowledgment for the data access request from the first storage system.

26. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions to process a storage unit access in a first storage system;

the set of instructions, when carried out by computerized circuitry, causing the computerized circuitry to perform a method of;

receiving a data access request which is from a host system and for a first storage unit in the first storage system, wherein the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit; and

the data access request being forwarded to a second storage unit in a second storage system associated with the first storage unit via a redirection link from the first storage system to the second storage system, wherein the second storage unit is a primary storage unit.

27. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions to process a data access request in a second storage system;

the set of instructions, when carried out by computerized circuitry, causing the computerized circuitry to perform a method of;

receiving a data access request forwarded by a first storage system via a redirection link from the first storage system to the second storage system, wherein the data access request is for a first storage unit in the first storage system, and wherein the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit; and

the data access request being processed by a second storage unit in the second storage system associated with the first storage unit, the second storage unit being a primary storage unit.

28. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions to manage a storage unit access;

the set of instructions, when carried out by computerized circuitry, causing the computerized circuitry to perform a method of;

transmitting a data access request to a first storage unit in a first storage system, wherein the first storage unit is a secondary storage unit, and wherein the data access request is forwarded to a second storage unit in a second storage system associated with the first storage unit via a redirection link from the first storage system to the second storage system, the second storage unit being a primary storage unit; and

receiving an acknowledgment for the data access request from the first storage system.