System, method and computer program product to automatically select target volumes for a fast copy to optimize performance and availability

• US 7,146,474 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jafri, Syed Mohammad Amir Ali, Seaman, Mark James, Nguyen, Lu
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Tuan V.
• Application Number:
  US10/387,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20040181641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 711/100, 711/154, 711/162, 711/163, 711/114
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0671 In-line storage system

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes, in response to detecting that a fast copy function has been invoked, automatically selecting at least one target volume for writing fast copy-related data, where the at least one target volume is selected for optimizing fast copy performance, and writing the fast copy data to the selected at least one target volume. Also disclosed is a data processing system having circuitry that operates in accordance with the method, as well as a computer program product, embodied on a computer readable media, that implements the method.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied on or in a computer readable medium for causing a computer to execute program instructions that result in the computer executing a method of performing a backup of data, the method comprising:

in response to detecting that a fast copy function has been invoked, automatically selecting at least one target volume for writing fast copy-related data, the at least one target volume being selected for optimizing copy performance; and

writing the copy-related data to the selected at least one target volume,

where the fast copy related data is written from a source volume and automatically selecting comprises considering a selection policy that comprises at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion, where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical data storage device than the source target volume.

2. A computer program product as in claim 1, where the selected at least one target volume is selected from a list of available volumes.

3. A computer program product as in claim 2, where if no target volume is available, further comprising creating an available target volume in a data storage subsystem.

4. A computer program product as in claim 1, where automatically selecting comprises obtaining a list of available volumes in a data storage subsystem, and where the selected at least one target volume is selected from the list of available volumes.

5. A computer program product as in claim 1, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises at least one of an identity of the target volume, a response time of the target volume and the busyness of the target volume.

6. A computer program product as in claim 1, where the at least one reliability-related criterion comprises at least one of an identity of the target volume, and a potential for failure of the target volume.

7. A computer program product as in claim 1, where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical data storage media than the source target volume.

8. A computer program product as in claim 1, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises the target volume being a same type and having a same size as the source volume.

9. A computer program product as in claim 1, where said computer that executes the program instructions comprises a part of a host system that is coupled to a data storage system, where said data storage system comprises said source and target volumes.

10. A computer program product as in claim 1, where said computer that executes the program instructions comprises a part of a data storage system that is coupled to a host system, where said data storage system comprises said source and target volumes.

11. A data processing system comprising a data storage subsystem, comprising:

selection logic, responsive to a detection that a fast copy function has been invoked, for automatically selecting at least one target volume for writing fast copy-related data, the at least one target volume being selected by the selection logic for optimizing copy performance;

circuitry for writing the fast copy-related data to the selected at least one target volume;

a data storage subsystem comprising at least two data storage devices;

a controller for controlling operations of the data storage subsystem, for interacting with at least one host computer, and for writing copy-related data to the selected at least one target volume, the controller comprising the circuitry for writing the copy-related data to the selected at least one target volume; and

a selection policy unit coupled to said selection logic, said selection policy unit storing selection criteria, the selection logic considering during operation said at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion, wherein a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a first physical data storage device that is different from a second physical data storage device that the source target volume resides on, the controller comprising a log-structured array subsystem that provides access logic for the first and second physical data storage devices.

12. A data processing system as in claim 11, where said at least one selection criterion is provided by a user.

13. A data processing system as in claim 11, where said selection logic selects at least one target volume from a list of available volumes.

14. A data processing system as in claim 13, further comprising means, responsive to a condition that no target volume is available, for creating an available target volume in said data storage subsystem, the target volume being created to match at least one characteristic of the source volume.

15. A data processing system as in claim 11, where said selection logic obtains a list of available volumes in said data storage subsystem, and where the selected at least one target volume is selected from the list of available volumes.

16. A data processing system as in claim 11, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises at least one of an identity of the target volume, a response time of the target volume and the busyness of the target volume.

17. A data processing system as in claim 11, where the at least one reliability-related criterion comprises at least one of an identity of the target volume and a potential for failure of the target volume.

18. A data processing system as in claim 11, where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical data storage media than the source target volume.

19. A data processing system as in claim 11, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises the target volume being a same type and having a same size as the source volume.

20. A data processing system as in claim 11, where said system comprises at least one host data processor coupled to said data storage subsystem through a bus, and where said host data processor comprises said selection logic.

21. A data processing system as in claim 11, where said system comprises a host data processor coupled to said data storage subsystem through a bus, and where said data storage subsystem comprises said selection logic.

22. A data processing system comprising at least one host coupled through a bus to a data storage system, said at least one host comprising selection means, responsive to a detection that a fast copy function has been invoked, for automatically selecting at least one target volume from a list of available target volumes, the list being received through said bus, for writing fast copy-related data, the at least one target volume being selected by the selection means in accordance with at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion;

said data storage subsystem comprising means for writing the fast copy-related data to the selected at least one target volume, the at least one target volume being selected by the selection logic for optimizing copy performance,

where the fast copy-related data is written from a source volume and the at least one performance-related criterion comprises at least one of a response time of the target volume and the busyness of the target volume, where the at least one reliability-related criterion comprises at least a potential for failure of the target volume, and where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical data storage media than the source target volume, the data storage subsystem comprising a first data storage device and a second data storage device, the source volume residing on the first data storage device and the at least one target volume residing on the second data storage device.

23. A data storage system comprising an interface to a bus for being coupled to at least one host, said data storage system comprising selection means, responsive to a fast copy function being invoked, for automatically selecting at least one target volume from a list of available target volumes for writing fast copy-related data, the at least one target volume being selected by the selection means in accordance with at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion, further comprising means for writing the fast copy-related data to the selected at least one target volume, the at least one target volume being selected by the selection logic for optimizing copy performance, where means for writing the fast copy-related data to the target volume writes the fast copy-related data from a source volume, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises at least one of a response time of the target volume and the busyness of the target volume, where the at least one reliability-related criterion comprises at least a potential for failure of the target volume, and where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical data storage media than the source target volume, the data storage subsystem comprising a first data storage device and a second data storage device, the source volume residing on the first data storage device and the at least one target volume residing on the second data storage device.

24. A method to perform a data copy function in a data processing system that comprises at least one host data processor coupled through a bus to a data storage system comprising a plurality of physical disks, comprising in response to a data fast copy function being invoked:

automatically selecting at least one target volume from a list of available target volumes for writing fast copy-related data, the at least one target volume being selected in accordance with at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion, the at least one target volume being selected by the selection logic for optimizing copy performance; and

writing the fast copy-related data to the selected at least one target volume residing on at least one of said physical disks,

where the fast copy-related data is written from a source volume and where automatically selecting considering a selection policy that comprises at least one performance-related criterion and at least one reliability-related criterion, where a common performance-related and reliability-related criterion is that the target volume reside on a different physical data storage device than the source target volume.

25. A method as in claim 24, where the at least one performance-related criterion comprises at least one of a response time of the target volume and the busyness of the target volume, where the at least one reliability-related criterion comprises at least a potential for failure of the target volume.