System for migrating data by selecting a first or second transfer means based on the status of a data element map initialized to a predetermined state

• US 5,680,640 A
• Filed: 09/01/1995
• Issued: 10/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ofek, Yuval, Yanai, Moshe
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Anderson I.
• Application Number:
  US08/522,903
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 395/182.04, 395/600, 364/232.2, 364/238.4, 364/248.1
• US Class Current: 710/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0638 Combination of memories, e.g. ROM and RAM such as to permit replacement or supplementing of words in one module by words in another module address formation of the next microinstruction G06F9/26; masking faults in memories by using spares or by reconfiguring G11C29/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration 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 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/86 Re-recording, i.e. transcribing information from one magnetisable record carrier on to one or more similar or dissimilar record carriers by varying the order of the information G11B27/029, G11B27/036

Abstract

A system and method for providing on-line, real-time, transparent data migration from a first data storage system to a second data storage system. The first data storage system which had previously been coupled to a host, network or other data processing system is disconnected from the host and connected to a second data storage system. The second data storage system is coupled to the host or data processing system. The second data processing system includes a data map or table which indicates which data elements are stored on the second data storage system and which corresponding data elements on the first data processing device have been copied to the second data storage system. When the host, network or data processing system requests data from a data storage system, the second data storage system determines whether or not the data is stored on the second or first data storage system. If the data is stored on the second data storage system, the data is made available to the requesting device. If the data is not stored on a second data storage system, the second data storage system issues a request to the first data storage system, retrieves the data, makes the data available to the requesting device, writes the data to the second data storage system and updates the data element map or table. When not busy servicing other requests, the second data storage system scans the data map or table to determine which data elements from the first data storage device have not been copied to the second data storage device, and performs copying of the data and updating of the data map or table in the background, independent of any coupled host, network or other similar data processing device.

Claims

1. A replacement storage device for supplanting a first data storage device in a data processing system including a host computer for processing data, interface means on each of the host computer means and the first data storage device, and a link connecting the interface means, the host computer means issuing requests to transfer data to and from the first data storage device over the link, said replacement data storage device comprising:

A) a data store;

B) first connection means for connection to the interface means on the host computer means in lieu of link,

C) second connection means for connection to the interface means of the first data storage in lieu of the link,

D) first transfer means connected to said first connection means and said data store for receiving transfer requests from the host computer,

E) second transfer means connected to said connection means for effecting a migration of data from addressed locations in the first data storage device to corresponding locations in said data store,

F) data maps means initialized to a predetermined state prior to the data migration for maintaining the status of the data migration, and

G) control means responsive to said data map means for normally selecting said second transfer means for migrating data from the first data storage device to said data store in said replacement data storage device, said control means responding to a data transfer request to said first transfer means by enabling said second transfer means to effect a transfer of the data identified by the data transfer request between said data store and the host computer, said second transfer means updating said data map means for each transfer produced thereby.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said control means in said replacement data storage device includes said data element map.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said control means in said replacement data storage device is responsive to an indication from said data element map indicating whether said at least one predetermined data element is stored on said replacement data storage device for selectively obtaining said at least one predetermined data element from the first data storage device through said second transfer means.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said replacement data storage device responds to one of a read or a write command from the host computer accessing said at least one predetermined data element issued by selectively obtaining a block of data including at least said at least one predetermined data element from the first data storage device and for storing the obtained data block on said replacement data storage device in said data store.

5. In a computer system comprising a first data storage device holding a plurality of data elements and a data processing device for reading data from and writing data to the first data storage device, a second data storage device coupled to the first data storage device, said second data storage device being adapted for providing an on-line transparent data migration of data elements thereto from the first data storage device, said second data storage device comprising:

A ) a data store,

B) first connection means for connection to the data processing device,

C) second connection means for connection to the first data storage device,

D) transfer means connected to said first and second connection means and said data store for receiving transfer requests from the data processing device,

E) control means for enabling said transfer means to migrate data from the first storage device to said data store, said control means including a data element map for indicating whether a data element is stored on said second data storage device, and means responsive to at least said indication of whether said at least one predetermined data element is stored in said second data storage device for obtaining data from the first data storage device and for storing said obtained data on said second data storage device.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said second data storage device includes means responsive to a read command for a predetermined data element received from the data processing device and to an indication that said predetermined data element is not stored on said second data storage device for issuing a data read command to the first data storage device for at least the predetermined data element.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein said second data storage device issues a data read command for retrieving a plurality of predetermined data elements from the first data storage device in response to a read command from the data processing device when the requested data elements are not located in said second data storage device.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of data elements includes a plurality of sequential data elements.

9. The system of claim 5 wherein said a data element is part of a data block and second data storage device responds to a data write command received from the data processing device and to an indication that said predetermined data element is not stored on said second data storage device by transferring a corresponding block from the first data storage device prior to writing the predetermined data element to said second data storage device.

10. The system of claim 5 wherein a data element is part of a data block and said second data storage device responds to a data write command received from the data processing device for writing a predetermined data element when said data element map indicates that the block corresponding to the predetermined data element is not stored in said second data storage device by writing data element to said second data storage device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the first data storage device includes at least one disk with a plurality of disk drive tracks and the data block includes a disk drive track and wherein the writing of the data element transfers the corresponding disk drive track.

12. The system of claim 5 further including a data storage device configuration device coupled to said second data storage device for providing initial data storage device configuration data to said second data storage device including initial values for said data element map.

13. The system of claim 5 wherein said data processing device includes at least one host computer.

14. The system of claim 5 wherein said data processing device includes a network.

15. In a system including a data processing device connected to a first storage device for normally transferring data therebetween and a second storage device for supplanting the first storage device for at least a portion of the data stored thereon, a method for migrating the data from the first storage device to the second storage device comprising the steps of:

A. interposing the second storage device between the data processing system and the first storage device,

B. incorporating a transfer process for reading data from the first data storage device to the second data storage device,

C. establishing a data element map that is initialized to a predetermined state for identifying data that has migrated to the second storage device, and

D. controlling the transfer process in response to the contents of the data element map by selecting a first transfer process mode transferring requested data in response to a transfer request from the data processing system and by selecting a second transfer process mode causing a transfer of data from sequential locations in the first data storage device when the first transfer process mode is inactive, each of the transfer process modes migrating data to the second data storage device and updating the data element map.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said transfer process selectively transfers at least one predetermined data element from the first to the second data storage device independently of the data processor device when the second mode is selected.

17. The method of claim 15 additionally comprising the step of configuring the second storage device to be compatible with the first storage device wherein said configuration includes producing a data element map providing an indication of whether a data element having a predetermined data element storage location address is stored on said second data storage device and wherein the method responds to the receipt of the second data storage device from the data processing device of at least one of a data element read and a data element write request designating at least one data element stored at a predetermined data element storage location address on said first data storage device, the method comprising the additional steps of searching the data element map to determine if the designated data element is stored on said second data storage device, said control of said transfer process mode being determined in response to the results of said search.

18. A method for migrating data from a first data storage device previously coupled to a data processing device to a second data storage device presently coupled to the data processing device and to the first data storage device, the first data storage device including a plurality of data elements previously accessed by the data processing device, at least some of the plurality of data elements to be migrated to the second data storage device, the second data storage device including a data element map including at least an indication of whether a data element having a predetermined data element storage location address is stored on the second data storage device, said method comprising the steps of:

configuring said second data storage device to include a plurality of data element storage location addresses corresponding to data element storage location addresses on the first data storage device;

receiving at the second data storage device from the data processing device, at least one of a data element read and a data element write request for initiating the transfer of at least one data element;

searching the data element map to determine if said at least one data element is stored on the second data storage device; and

selectively copying the at least one data element from the first to the second data storage device in response to said searching.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the data processing device produces a data read request and said method performs the steps of:

determining whether the requested at least one data element is stored on the second data storage device;

if the requested at least one data element is stored on the second data storage device, providing the requested at least one data element to the data processing device;

if the requested at least one data element is not stored on the second data storage device, performing the steps of;

generating a data element request to the first data storage device for the at least one data element requested by the data processing device;

transferring the at least one data element from the first data storage device to the second data storage device,

the second data storage device receiving the retrieved at least one data element from the first data storage device and providing the requested at least one data element to the data processing device.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the data processing device produces a data write request and said method performs the steps of:

determining whether the at least one data element to be written is currently stored on the second data storage device;

if the requested at least one data element is stored on the second data storage device, writing said at least one data element to the second data storage data storage device;

if the at least one data element to be written is not stored on the second data storage device, performing the steps of;

generating a data element read request to the first data storage device for the at least one data element requested to be written by the data processing device;

transferring the at least one data element from the first data storage device to the second data storage device, the second data storage device receiving the retrieved at least one data element from said first data storage device; and

writing the at least one data element from the data processing device to the second data storage device.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein prior to coupling said second data storage device to said data processing device, the first data storage device is uncoupled to the data processing device.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the second storage device includes a cache memory and wherein said step of transferring the requested at least one data element stored in the first data storage device includes storing the received requested at least one data element in the cache memory.

23. The method of claim 18 further including the step of updating the data element map after each said step of transferring the requested at least one data element from the first data storage device.

24. The method of claim 18 further including the step of providing the requested at least one data element to the data processing device in response to a data element read request and the step of writing the requested at least one data element to the second data storage device.

25. The method of claim 18 further including the steps of:

determining when the second data storage device is responding to one of the data element read and write requests from the data processing device;

reading said data element map to determine data elements stored on the first data storage device that have not been copied to the second data storage device;

transferring sequentially data elements which have not been copied to said second data storage device from said first data storage device when said determination is that no data element read or write request is being processed;

storing the sequentially accessed data elements in said second data storage device; and

updating said data element map to indicate the completion of each transfer of a data element to the second data storage device.

26. A method for migrating data from a first data storage device previously coupled to a data processing device to a second data storage device, the first data storage device including a plurality of data processing elements presently being accessed by said data processing device by means of data element transfer requests and from which at least some of said plurality of data elements are to be migrated to the second data storage device, said method comprising the steps of:

providing the second data storage device a data element map including at least an indication of whether individual data elements are stored on the second data storage device;

disconnecting the first data storage device from the data processing device;

connecting the second data storage device to the data processing device;

connecting the second data storage device to the first data storage device;

configuring the second data storage device to include a plurality of data element storage location addresses corresponding to data element storage location addresses on the first data storage device;

determining that the second data storage device is not busy responding to data element transfer requests from the data processing device;

determining from the data element map which data elements stored on the first data storage device are not stored on the second data storage device;

transferring data elements which have not been copied to the second data storage device from the first data storage device;

storing the transferred data elements in the second data storage device; and

updating the data element map to indicate that the transferred data elements are stored in the second data storage device.