Remote data mirroring system having a remote link adapter

• US 7,073,090 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2002
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Vishlitzky, Natan, Alterescu, Bruno, Yanai, Moshe, Shklarsky, Gadi G., Castel, Daniel D C
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DIEU MINH T
• Application Number:
  US10/224,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20030167419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 714/7, 714/6, 714 11- 13, 714/718, 711/162, 710/1, 710/11, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 714/6.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2066 Optimisation of the communication load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2079 Bidirectional techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1217 on discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A primary data storage system is linked to a geographically remote secondary data storage system for automatically maintaining a remote copy of the data in the primary storage. The primary data storage system has a primary cache memory, and the secondary data storage system has a secondary cache memory. The primary data storage system controller has a first remote link adapter coupled between the primary cache memory and the communications link for transferring the data to the communications link. The secondary data storage system controller has a second remote link adapter coupled between the communications link and the secondary cache memory for transferring the data from the communications link to the secondary cache memory. In this fashion, the first remote link adapter and the second remote link adapter automatically transfer the data to the secondary cache memory for writing of the data into the secondary data storage.

Claims

1. A remote copy system for automatically providing a remote copy of data from a host computer, said system comprising:

a first data storage system including a first data storage system controller and at least one first data storage device, the first data storage system controller having a first cache memory, the first data storage system controller receiving the data from the host computer and initially storing the data in the first cache memory and subsequently writing the data into said at least one first data storage device;

a second data storage system located remote from the first data storage system, the second data storage system including a second data storage system controller and at least one second data storage device, the second data storage system controller having a second cache memory; and

a communication link coupling the first data storage system controller to the second data storage system controller for transferring the data from the first data storage system controller to the second data storage system controller, the second data storage system controller storing the data in the second cache memory, and writing the data into said at least one second data storage device;

wherein the first data storage system controller includes a first remote link adapter coupled between the first cache memory and the communications link for transferring the data to the communications link, and the second data storage system controller includes a second remote link adapter coupled between the communications link and the second cache memory for transferring the data from the communications link to the second cache memory, whereby the first remote link adapter and the second remote link adapter automatically transfer the data to the second cache memory for writing of the data into said at least one second data storage device.

2. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the first data storage system includes a channel adapter for transferring the data from the host computer to the first cache memory, and at least one first disk adapter for transferring the data from the first cache memory to said at least one first data storage device; and

the second data storage system includes at least one second disk adapter for transferring the data from the second cache memory to said at least one second data storage device.

3. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first remote link adapter and the second remote link adapter are disk adapters being used as remote link adapters.

4. The remote system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first remote link adapter, the second remote link adapter, the channel adapter, the said at least one first disk adapter, and the said at least one second disk adapter, are dynamically reconfigurable as channel adapters or disk adapters.

5. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first data storage system controller has an internal bus, and the first link adapter is coupled to the internal bus.

6. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one first data storage device includes a plurality of disk drives.

7. A remote copy system for automatically providing a geographically remote copy of data from a host computer, said system comprising:

a first data storage system including a first data storage system controller and at least one first data storage device, the first data storage system controller having a first cache memory, a first channel adapter coupled to the first cache memory for receiving the data from the host computer and initially storing the data in the first cache memory, and at least a first disk adapter coupled between the first cache memory and said at least one first data storage device for subsequently writing the data from the first cache memory into said at least one first data storage device;

a second data storage system geographically removed from the first data storage system, the second data storage system including a second data storage system controller and at least one second data storage device, the second data storage system controller having a second cache memory and at least one second disk adapter coupled between the second cache memory and said at least one second data storage device for writing data from the second cache memory into said at least one second data storage device; and

a communication link coupling the first data storage system controller to the second data storage system controller for transferring the data from the first data storage system controller to the second data storage system controller, the second data storage system controller initially storing the data in the second cache memory, and said at least one second disk adapter subsequently writing the data from the second cache memory into said at least one second data storage device;

wherein the first data storage system controller includes a first remote link adapter coupled between the first cache memory and the communications link for transferring the data to the communications link, and the second data storage system controller includes a second remote link adapter coupled between the communications link and said second cache memory for transferring the data from the communications link to the second cache memory, whereby the first remote link adapter and the second remote link adapter automatically transfer the data to the second cache memory for writing of the data into said at least one second data storage device.

8. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first remote link adapter and the second remote link adapter are disk adapters being used as remote link adapters.

9. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first remote link adapter, the second remote link adapter, the channel adapter, said at least one first disk adapter, and said at least one second disk adapter, are dynamically reconfigurable as channel adapters or disk adapters.

10. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first data storage system controller has an internal bus, and the first link adapter is coupled to the internal bus.

11. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said at least one first data storage device includes a plurality of disk drives.

12. A remote copy system for automatically providing a remote copy of data from a host computer, said system comprising:

a first data storage system including a first data storage system controller and at least one first data storage device, the first data storage system controller having a first cache memory, a first channel adapter coupled to the first cache memory for receiving the data from the host computer and initially storing the data in the first cache memory, and at least a first disk adapter coupled between the first cache memory and said at least one first data storage device for subsequently writing the data from the first cache memory into said at least one first data storage device;

a second data storage system remote from the first data storage system, the second data storage system including a second data storage system controller and at least one second data storage device, the second data storage system controller having a second cache memory and at least one second disk adapter coupled between the second cache memory and said at least one second data storage device for writing data from the second cache memory into said at least one second data storage device; and

a communication link coupling the first data storage system controller to the second data storage system controller for transferring the data from the first data storage system controller to the second data storage system controller, the second data storage system controller initially storing the data in the second cache memory, and said at least one second disk adapter subsequently writing the data from the second cache memory into said at least one second data storage device;

wherein the first data storage system controller includes a first remote link adapter coupled between the first cache memory and the communications link for transferring the data to the communications link, and the second data storage system controller includes a second remote link adapter coupled between the communications link and said second cache memory for transferring the data from the communications link to the second cache memory, whereby the first remote link adapter and the second remote link adapter automatically transfer the data from the first cache memory to the second cache memory for writing of the data into said at least one second data storage to create a remote copy of the data in the second data storage system without intervention of the host computer.

13. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first remote link adapter and the second remote link adapter are disk adapters being used as remote link adapters.

14. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first remote link adapter, the second remote link adapter, the channel adapter, said at least one first disk adapter, and said at least one second disk adapter, are dynamically reconfigurable as channel adapters or disk adapters.

15. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first data storage system controller has an internal bus, and the first link adapter is coupled to the internal bus.

16. The remote copy system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said at least one first data storage device includes a plurality of disk drives.