Data consistency for mirroring updatable source data storage

• US 7,277,997 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2004
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Vincent, Pradeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dare; Ryan A.
• Application Number:
  US10/803,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20050210320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers

Abstract

An information handling system for mirroring data, in a fashion that is similar to asynchronous mirroring, but less complex in function. Source data storage for storing and updating data is provided, with first intermediate data storage, target data storage, second intermediate data storage, and mirroring control. The mirroring control conducts first cyclic incremental flashcopy of the source data storage, the beginning of each first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point. The first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprises copying data to be mirrored to the first intermediate storage and synchronously mirroring the data to the second intermediate data storage. A second cyclic incremental flashcopy of the second intermediate data storage is conducted to the target data storage, the second cyclic incremental flashcopy beginning in response to completion of the first cyclic incremental flashcopy; the beginning of the second cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising commit of the consistency point.

Claims

1. An information handling system for mirroring data, comprising:

source data storage configured to store and update data;

first intermediate data storage configured to store data, said first intermediate data storage associated with said source data storage;

target data storage configured to store data;

second intermediate data storage configured to store data, said second intermediate data storage associated with said target data storage; and

mirroring control configured to conduct first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage, the beginning of each said first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point, said first cyclic incremental flashcopy copied to said first intermediate data storage and synchronously mirrored to said second intermediate data storage; and

to conduct a second cyclic incremental flashcopy of said second intermediate data storage to said target data storage, said second cyclic incremental flashcopy beginning in response to completion of said first cyclic incremental flashcopy;

the beginning of said second cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising commit of said consistency point;

wherein said mirroring control additionally comprises a loop representing said commit of said consistency point, initiating another first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage in response to said commit of said consistency point;

wherein said mirroring control additionally is configured to respond to an update write for said source data storage, to determine whether data of said source data storage to be overwritten by said update write is present at said first intermediate data storage and said second intermediate data storage;

if so, to allow said update write to be written to said source data storage, and to indicate said update write in a future flashcopy map.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein said mirroring control is configured to employ said future flashcopy map for conducting the next first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage.

3. The information handling system of claim 2, wherein said mirroring control is configured to conduct said first cyclic incremental flashcopy employing a first flashcopy map indicating required, and not completed, mirroring of grains of said source data storage, and, said mirroring control is configured to, in response to completion of mirroring of said grains indicated by said commit of said consistency point, update said first flashcopy map with said future flashcopy map.

4. The information handling system of claim 2, wherein said mirroring control is configured to conduct said first cyclic incremental flashcopy employing a first flashcopy map indicating required, and not completed, mirroring of grains of said source data storage, and, said mirroring control is configured to merge said first flashcopy map with said future flashcopy map to generate a new first flashcopy map, and resets said future flashcopy map;

the beginning of a new first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point.

5. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein said target data storage and said second intermediate data storage are remotely located with respect to locally located said source data storage and said first intermediate data storage;

and additionally comprising at least one interface at said target data storage and said second intermediate data storage; and

at least one interface at said source data storage and said first intermediate data storage;

said interfaces configured to interface with communication systems for communicating between said remote and local locations.

6. An information handling system for providing data for mirroring a source data storage to a target data storage, comprising:

said source data storage configured to store and update data;

first intermediate data storage configured to store data, said first intermediate data storage associated with said source data storage; and

mirroring control configured to conduct first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage, the beginning of each said first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point, said first cyclic incremental flashcopy copied to said first intermediate data storage and synchronously mirrored to said second intermediate data storage for storing data, said second intermediate data storage associated with said target data storage; and

a loop configured to initiate another first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage in response to a commit of said consistency point;

wherein said commit of said consistency point comprises the beginning of a second cyclic incremental flashcopy of said second intermediate data storage to said target data storage, said second cyclic incremental flashcopy beginning in response to completion of said first cyclic incremental flashcopy;

wherein said mirroring control additionally is configured to respond to an update write for said source data storage, to determine whether data of said source data storage to be overwritten by said update write is present at said first intermediate data storage and said second intermediate data storage;

if so, to allow said update write to be written to said source data storage, and to indicate said update write in a future flashcopy map.

7. The information handling system of claim 6, wherein said mirroring control is configured to employ said future flashcopy map for conducting the next first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage.

8. The information handling system of claim 7, wherein said first cyclic incremental flashcopy conducted by said mirroring control employs a first flashcopy map indicating required, and not completed, mirroring of grains of said source data storage, and said mirroring control is configured to, in response to completion of mirroring of said grains indicated by said commit of said consistency point, update said first flashcopy map with said future flashcopy map.

9. The information handling system of claim 7, wherein said mirroring control is configured to conduct said first cyclic incremental flashcopy employing a first flashcopy map indicating required, and not completed, mirroring of grains of said source data storage, and, said mirroring control is configured to merge said first flashcopy map with said future flashcopy map to generate a new first flashcopy map, and reset said future flashcopy map;

the beginning of a new first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point.

10. The information handling system of claim 6, wherein said target data storage and said second intermediate data storage are remotely located with respect to locally located said source data storage and said first intermediate data storage;

and additionally comprising at least one interface at said target data storage and said second intermediate data storage configured to interface said mirroring control and said source data storage with at least one communication system for communicating between said remote and local locations.

11. A method for mirroring data of updatable source data storage to target data storage, said source data storage for storing and updating data, comprising the steps of:

conducting first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage, the beginning of each said first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point;

said first cyclic incremental flashcopy copied to a first intermediate data storage and synchronously mirrored to a second intermediate data storage;

a loop initiating another first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage in response to a commit of said consistency point;

wherein said commit of said consistency point comprises the beginning of a second cyclic incremental flashcopy of said second intermediate data storage to said target data storage, said second cyclic incremental flashcopy beginning in response to completion of said first cyclic incremental flashcopy; and

in response to an update write for said source data storage, determining whether data of said source storage to be overwritten by said update write is present at said synchronously mirrored first intermediate data storage and said second intermediate data storage;

if so, allowing said update write to be written to said source data storage, and indicating said update write in a future flashcopy map.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said future flashcopy map is employed in said step of conducting a first cyclic incremental flashcopy for the next first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said first cyclic incremental flashcopy step employs a first flashcopy map indicating required, and not completed, mirroring of grains of said source data storage, and additionally comprises the step of, in response to completion of mirroring of said grains indicated by said commit of said consistency point, updating said first flashcopy map with said future flashcopy map;

to thereby employ said updated first flashcopy map in said step of conducting a first cyclic incremental flashcopy for the next first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said first cyclic incremental flashcopy step employs a first flashcopy map indicating required, and not completed, mirroring of grains of said source data storage, and additionally comprises the step of merging said first flashcopy map with said future flashcopy map to generate a new first flashcopy map, and resetting said future flashcopy map;

the beginning of a new first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point.

15. A computer program product usable with at least one programmable computer processor having computer readable code embodied therein, said at least one programmable computer processor for controlling mirroring data of updatable source data storage to target data storage, said computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code causing said at least one programmable computer processor to conduct first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage, the beginning of each said first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point;

said first cyclic incremental flashcopy copied to a first intermediate data storage and synchronously mirrored to a second intermediate data storage; and

computer readable program code causing said at least one programmable computer processor to conduct a loop initiating another first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage in response to a commit of said consistency point;

wherein said commit of said consistency point comprises the beginning of a second cyclic incremental flashcopy of said second intermediate data storage to said target data storage, said second cyclic incremental flashcopy beginning in response to completion of said first cyclic incremental flashcopy; and

computer readable program code causing said at least one programmable computer processor to, in response to an update write for said source data storage, determine whether data of said source data storage to be overwritten by said update write is present at said synchronously mirrored first intermediate data storage and said second intermediate data storage;

if so, allow said update write to be written to said source data storage, and indicate said update write in a future flashcopy map.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code causing said at least one programmable computer processor to conduct said first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said data storage, employs said future flashcopy map for conducting said first cyclic incremental flashcopy for the next first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said computer readable program code causing said at least one programmable computer processor to conduct said first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said data storage, employs a first flashcopy map indicating required, and not completed, mirroring of grains of said source data storage;

and

said computer program product additionally comprising computer readable program code causing said at least one programmable computer processor to, in response to completion of mirroring of said grains indicated by said commit of said consistency point, update said first flashcopy map with said future flashcopy map;

to thereby employ said updated first flashcopy map in said step of conducting a first cyclic incremental flashcopy for the next first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said computer readable program code causing said at least one programmable computer processor to conduct said first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said data storage, employs a first flashcopy map indicating required, and not completed, mirroring of grains of said source data storage;

and

said computer program product additionally comprising computer readable program code causing said at least one programmable computer processor to merge said first flashcopy map with said future flashcopy map to generate a new first flashcopy map, and reset said future flashcopy map;

the beginning of a new first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point.

19. A mirroring controller configured to control mirroring data of updatable source data storage to target data storage, said source data storage for storing and updating data;

said mirroring controller comprising;

mirroring control configured to conduct first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage, the beginning of each said first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point, said first cyclic incremental flashcopy copied to a first intermediate data storage for storing data; and

synchronously mirrored to a second intermediate data storage for storing data; and

, to conduct a loop initiating another first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage in response to a commit of said consistency point;

wherein said commit of said consistency point comprises the beginning of a second cyclic incremental flashcopy of said second intermediate data storage to said target data storage, said second cyclic incremental flashcopy beginning in response to completion of said first cyclic incremental flashcopy;

wherein said mirroring control additionally is configured to respond to an update write for said source data storage, determining whether data of said source data storage to be overwritten by said update write is present at said first intermediate data storage and said second intermediate data storage;

if so, allowing said update write to be written to said source data storage, and indicating said update write in a future flashcopy map.

20. The mirroring controller of claim 19, wherein said mirroring control is configured to employ said future flashcopy map for conducting the next first cyclic incremental flashcopy of said source data storage.

21. The mirroring controller of claim 20, wherein said mirroring control is configured to conduct said first cyclic incremental flashcopy employing a first flashcopy map indicating required, and not completed, mirroring of grains of said source date storage, and, said mirroring control is configured to, in response to completion of mirroring of said grains indicated by said commit of said consistency point, update said first flashcopy map with said future flashcopy map.

22. The mirroring controller of claim 20, wherein said mirroring control is configured to conduct said first cyclic incremental flashcopy employing a first flashcopy map indicating required, and not completed, mirroring of grains of said source data storage, and, said mirroring control is configured to merge said first flashcopy map with said future flashcopy map to generate a new first flashcopy map, and reset said future flashcopy map;

the beginning of a new first cyclic incremental flashcopy comprising a consistency point.