Method and apparatus for migrating data in a computer system

• US 7,376,764 B1
• Filed: 12/10/2002
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Todd, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kindred; Alford
• Assistant Examiner(s): SORRELL, ERON J
• Application Number:
  US10/315,791
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 710/38, 711/100
• US Class Current: 710/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• 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 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for migrating a data set. In one embodiment, a migration is paused. In another embodiment, for a migration of data between multiple source/target groups, the migration is initiated by beginning transfer for some groups and queuing others for later processing. In a further embodiment, different transfer vehicles are used for different source/target groups. In a still further embodiment, a transfer vehicle is automatically selected for at least one source/target group.

Claims

1. A method of initiating a migration of a data set from at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage resource in a computer system, the computer system comprising at least two different transfer vehicles each capable of transferring data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource, the method comprising an act of:

(A) submitting a request to at least one agent to initiate the migration of the data set and to select a transfer vehicle from the at least two transfer vehicles to perform the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource;

wherein the at least two transfer vehicles are selected from a group consisting of at least one host-based transfer vehicle, at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle, and at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle, the at least one host-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one host computer and write the data set from the at least one host computer to the at least one target storage resource, the at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle being operable to transfer the data set from at least one source storage system including the at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage system including the at least one target storage resource without the data being read and/or written by an intermediate component between the at least one source storage system and the at least one target storage system, and the at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one networking component and write the data set from the at least one networking component to the at least one target storage resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups;

and

wherein the act (A) comprises an act of submitting a request that specifies a transfer vehicle for the first group and that requests that the agent select a transfer vehicle for the second group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data set comprises a set of logically related data.

4. A method for use in connection with a migration of a data set from at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage resource in a computer system, the computer system comprising at least two different transfer vehicles each capable of transferring data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource, the method comprising a computer-implemented act of:

(A) in response to a request to perform the migration of the data set, automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from the at least two transfer vehicles to perform the transfer of at least a portion of the data set from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource;

wherein the at least two transfer vehicles are selected from a group consisting of at least one host-based transfer vehicle, at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle, and at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle, the at least one host-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one host computer and write the data set from the at least one host computer to the at least one target storage resource, the at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle being operable to transfer the data set from at least one source storage system including the at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage system including the at least one target storage resource without the data being read and/or written by an intermediate component between the at least one source storage system and the at least one target storage system, and the at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one networking component and write the data set from the at least one networking component to the at least one target storage resource.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising an act of:

(B) initiating the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource using the selected at least one transfer vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the request specifies a transfer vehicle for the first group and requests that a transfer vehicle be selected for the second group;

wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle to perform the transfer of data for the second group; and

wherein the act (B) comprises an act of initiating the transfer of data for the first and second groups.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the acts (A) and (B) are performed by at least one agent.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the request specifies a transfer vehicle for the first group and requests that a transfer vehicle be selected for the second group;

and

wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle to perform the transfer of data for the second group.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the computer system comprises at least one host computer that writes data to the source storage resources, and a plurality of storage systems that store data for the source storage resources and the target storage resources, and wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least a first type of transfer vehicle implemented by the at least one host computer and a second type of transfer vehicle implemented by a hardware mirror established directly between two of the plurality of storage systems.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, and wherein the act (A) comprises an act of selecting the first type of transfer vehicle for the first group and the second type of transfer vehicle for the second group.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising an act of:

(B) initiating the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource for the first group using the first type of transfer vehicle and for the second group using the second type of transfer vehicle.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein the computer system comprises at least one host computer that writes data to the source storage resources, at least one storage system that stores data for the source storage resources and the target storage resources, and at least one network component that interconnects the at least one host computer and the at least one storage system;

and

wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least a first type of transfer vehicle implemented by the at least one host computer and a second type of transfer vehicle implemented by the at least one network component.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, and wherein the act (A) comprises an act of selecting the first type of transfer vehicle for the first group and the second type of transfer vehicle for the second group.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising an act of:

(B) initiating the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource for the first group using the first type of transfer vehicle and for the second group using the second type of transfer vehicle.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein the computer system comprises at least one host computer that writes data to the source storage resources and at one storage system that stores data for the source storage resources and the target storage resources;

and

wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least two different types of transfer vehicles both implemented by the at least one host computer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one host computer comprises at least one logical volume manager (LVM), and wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least transfer vehicle implemented by the LVM.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one host computer comprises at least one input/output (I/O) stack, and wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least one transfer vehicle implemented by the I/O stack.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least two different types of transfer vehicles comprises first and second types of transfer vehicles, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, and wherein the act (A) comprises an act of selecting the first type of transfer vehicle for the first group and the second type of transfer vehicle for the second group.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising an act of:

(B)initiating the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource for the first group using the first type of transfer vehicle and for the second group using the second type of transfer vehicle.

20. The method of claim 4, wherein the data set comprises a set of logically related data.

21. A computer-readable medium having instructions recorded thereon that, when executed, perform a method of initiating a migration of a data set from at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage resource in a computer system, the computer system comprising at least two transfer vehicles each capable of transferring data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource, the method comprising an act of:

(A) submitting a request to at least one agent to initiate the migration of the data set and to select a transfer vehicle from the at least two transfer vehicles to perform the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource;

wherein the at least two transfer vehicles are selected from a group consisting of at least one host-based transfer vehicle, at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle, and at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle, the at least one host-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one host computer and write the data set from the at least one host computer to the at least one target storage resource, the at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle being operable to transfer the data set from at least one source storage system including the at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage system including the at least one target storage resource without the data being read and/or written by an intermediate component between the at least one source storage system and the at least one target storage system, and the at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one networking component and write the data set from the at least one networking component to the at least one target storage resource.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the act (A) comprises an act of submitting a request that specifies a transfer vehicle for the first group and that requests that the agent select a transfer vehicle for the second group.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the data set comprises a set of logically related data.

24. A computer-readable medium having instructions recorded thereon that, when executed, perform a method of migrating a data set from at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage resource in a computer system, the computer system comprising at least two different transfer vehicles each capable of transferring data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource, the method comprising an act of:

(A) in response to a request to perform the migration of the data set, automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from the at least two transfer vehicles to perform the transfer of at least a portion of the data set from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource;

wherein the at least two transfer vehicles are selected from a group consisting of at least one host-based transfer vehicle, at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle, and at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle, the at least one host-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one host computer and write the data set from the at least one host computer to the at least one target storage resource, the at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle being operable to transfer the data set from at least one source storage system including the at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage system including the at least one target storage resource without the data being read and/or written by an intermediate component between the at least one source storage system and the at least one target storage system and the at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one networking component and write the data set from the at least one networking component to the at least one target storage resource.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the method further

comprises initiating the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource using the selected at least one transfer vehicle.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the request specifies a transfer vehicle for the first group and requests that a transfer vehicle be selected for the second group, wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle to perform the transfer of data for the second group and initiating the transfer of data for the first and second groups.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the request specifies a transfer vehicle for the first group and requests that a transfer vehicle be selected for the second group, wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle to perform the transfer of data for the second group, and wherein the act (B) comprises an act of initiating the transfer of data for the first and second groups.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the request specifies a transfer vehicle for the first group and requests that a transfer vehicle be selected for the second group, and wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle to perform the transfer of data for the second group.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the computer system comprises at least one host computer that writes data to the source storage resources, and a plurality of storage systems that store data for the source storage resources and the target storage resources, wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least a first type of transfer vehicle implemented by the at least one host computer and a second type of transfer vehicle implemented by a hardware mirror established directly between two of the plurality of storage systems.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the act (A) comprises an act of selecting the first type of transfer vehicle for the first group and the second type of transfer vehicle for the second group.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the method further comprises an act of (B) initiating the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource for the first group using the first type of transfer vehicle and for the second group using the second type of transfer vehicle.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the computer system comprises at least one host computer that writes data to the source storage resources, at least one storage system that stores data for the source storage resources and the target storage resources, and at least one network component that interconnects the at least one host computer and the at least one storage system, wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least a first type of transfer vehicle implemented by the at least one host computer and a second type of transfer vehicle implemented by the at least one network component.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the act (A) comprises an act of selecting the first type of transfer vehicle for the first group and the second type of transfer vehicle for the second group.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the method further

comprises an act of initiating the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource for the first group using the first type of transfer vehicle and for the second group using the second type of transfer vehicle.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the computer system comprises at least one host computer that writes data to the source storage resources and at one storage system that stores data for the source storage resources and the target storage resources, wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least two different types of transfer vehicles both implemented by the at least one host computer.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the at least one host computer comprises at least one logical volume manager (LVM), and wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least transfer vehicle implemented by the LVM.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the at least one host computer comprises at least one input/output (I/O) stack, and wherein the act (A) comprises an act of automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least one transfer vehicle implemented by the I/O stack.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the at least two different types of transfer vehicles comprises first and second types of transfer vehicles, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the act (A) comprises an act of selecting the first type of transfer vehicle for the first group and the second type of transfer vehicle for the second group.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the method further comprises an act of initiating the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource for the first group using the first type of transfer vehicle and for the second group using the second type of transfer vehicle.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the data set comprises a set of logically related data.

41. An apparatus for initiating a migration of a data set from at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage resource in a computer system, the computer system comprising at least two different transfer vehicles capable of transferring data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor that is programmed to submit a request to at least one agent to initiate the migration of the data set and to select a transfer vehicle from the at least two transfer vehicles to perform the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource;

wherein the at least two transfer vehicles are selected from a group consisting of at least one host-based transfer vehicle, at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle, and at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle, the at least one host-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one host computer and write the data set from the at least one host computer to the at least one target storage resource, the at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle being operable to transfer the data set from at least one source storage system including the at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage system including the at least one target storage resource without the data being read and/or written by an intermediate component between the at least one source storage system and the at least one target storage system, and the at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one networking component and write the data set from the at least one networking component to the at least one target storage resource.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, and wherein the at least one processor is programmed to submit a request that specifies a transfer vehicle for the first group and that requests that the agent select a transfer vehicle for the second group.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the data set comprises a set of logically related data.

44. An apparatus for migrating a data set from at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage resource in a computer system, the computer system comprising at least two different transfer vehicles capable of transferring data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor that is programmed to, in response to a request to perform the migration of the data set, automatically select at least one transfer vehicle from the at least two transfer vehicles to perform the transfer of at least a portion of the data set from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource;

wherein the at least two transfer vehicles are selected from a group consisting of at least one host-based transfer vehicle, at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle, and at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle, the at least one host-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one host computer and write the data set from the at least one host computer to the at least one target storage resource, the at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle being operable to transfer the data set from at least one source storage system including the at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage system including the at least one target storage resource without the data being read and/or written by an intermediate component between the at least one source storage system and the at least one target storage system and the at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one networking component and write the data set from the at least one networking component to the at least one target storage resource.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to initiate the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource using the selected at least one transfer vehicle.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the request specifies a transfer vehicle for the first group and requests that a transfer vehicle be selected for the second group, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to automatically select at least one transfer vehicle to perform the transfer of data for the second group and initiate the transfer of data for the first and second groups.

47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein at least one processor is programmed to implement at least one agent to initiate the transfer of data.

48. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, wherein the request specifies a transfer vehicle for the first group and requests that a transfer vehicle be selected for the second group, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to automatically select at least one transfer vehicle to perform the transfer of data for the second group.

49. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the computer system comprises at least one host computer that writes data to the source storage resources, and a plurality of storage systems that store data for the source storage resources and the target storage resources, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to automatically select at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least a first type of transfer vehicle implemented by the at least one host computer and a second type of transfer vehicle implemented by a hardware mirror established directly between two of the plurality of storage systems.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to select the first type of transfer vehicle for the first group and the second type of transfer vehicle for the second group.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to initiate the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource for the first group using the first type of transfer vehicle and for the second group using the second type of transfer vehicle.

52. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the computer system comprises at least one host computer that writes data to the source storage resources, at least one storage system that stores data for the source storage resources and the target storage resources, and at least one network component that interconnects the at least one host computer and the at least one storage system, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to automatically select at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least a first type of transfer vehicle implemented by the at least one host computer and a second type of transfer vehicle implemented by the at least one network component.

53. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to select the first type of transfer vehicle for the first group and the second type of transfer vehicle for the second group.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to initiate the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource for the first group using the first type of transfer vehicle and for the second group using the second type of transfer vehicle.

55. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the computer system comprises at least one host computer that writes data to the source storage resources and at one storage system that stores data for the source storage resources and the target storage resources, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to automatically select at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least two different types of transfer vehicles both implemented by the at least one host computer.

56. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the at least one host computer comprises at least one logical volume manager (LVM), and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to automatically select at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least transfer vehicle implemented by the LVM.

57. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the at least one host computer comprises at least one input/output (I/O) stack, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to automatically select at least one transfer vehicle from among a selection of transfer vehicles including at least one transfer vehicle implemented by the I/O stack.

58. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the at least two different types of transfer vehicles comprises first and second types of transfer vehicles, wherein the at least one source storage resource comprises a plurality of source storage resources and the at least one target storage resource comprises a plurality of target storage resources, each one of the source storage resources forming a group with a corresponding at least one target storage resource to which data on the one of the source storage resources will be migrated, the migration involving a plurality of groups of source and target storage resources including at least first and second groups, and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to select the first type of transfer vehicle for the first group and the second type of transfer vehicle for the second group.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to initiate the transfer of data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource for the first group using the first type of transfer vehicle and for the second group using the second type of transfer vehicle.

60. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the data set comprises a set of logically related data.

61. A method of initiating a migration of a data set from at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage resource in a computer system, the computer system comprising at least two different transfer vehicles each capable of transferring data from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource, the method comprising an act of:

(A) submitting a request to at least one agent to initiate the migration of the data set and to select a transfer vehicle to perform the transfer of a data set from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource; and

(B) in response to the request to perform the migration of the data set, automatically selecting at least one transfer vehicle to perform the transfer of at least a portion of the data set from the at least one source storage resource to the at least one target storage resource;

wherein the at least two transfer vehicles are selected from a group consisting of at least one host-based transfer vehicle, at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle, and at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle, the at least one host-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one host computer and write the data set from the at least one host computer to the at least one target storage resource, the at least one storage system-based transfer vehicle being operable to transfer the data set from at least one source storage system including the at least one source storage resource to at least one target storage system including the at least one target storage resource without the data being read and/or written by an intermediate component between the at least one source storage system and the at least one target storage system and the at least one networking component-based transfer vehicle being operable to read the data set from the at least one source storage resource to at least one networking component and write the data set from the at least one networking component to the at least one target storage resource.