storage system

• US 7,395,284 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nozawa, Masafumi, Sato, Eiichi, Achiwa, Kyosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, BINH VAN
• Application Number:
  US11/038,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20060129608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 707/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

There is provided a technique in which such a configuration as to include storage apparatuses on a plurality of sites can reduce a burden of operation/management of backup of data stored in the storage apparatuses. The configuration includes a information processing system on each site to be a backup target, and an information processing system for executing a backup process. Through control of a management server and a process for a backup server at a backup execution point, backup data of the data stored in the storage apparatus of the information processing system is converged into the storage apparatuses of the information processing systems by a process using a remote copying function and stored in the backup device. Then, instructions are given from the management server to the respective sites with synchronized timing, and convergence and storage of said backup data are executed by obtaining a temporal synchronization.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising a backup processing system located at a first site and including a first storage apparatus having a memory unit and a controller and a first information processing system being connected to the first information processing system via a local area network and executing a backup process relating to a plurality of other sites;

and a plurality of backup target systems each located at one of said other sites and each including a second information processing system having and a second storage apparatus that stores data to be a backup target, said second storage apparatus being connected to a respective second information processing system via a respective local area network, wherein said first information processing system and said second information processing system are connected through a communication network, and said first information processing system simultaneously backups, at a temporal point for executing said backup process, backup data of said backup target from said second storage apparatus located at said other sites into a memory area in said first information processing system through said communication network and then into said first storage apparatus, by obtaining a temporal synchronization;

wherein at a point for executing said backup process, said first information processing system executes a first process for converging said backup data from said second storage apparatus, into said first information processing system by obtaining said temporal synchronization, and for obtaining the converged backup data, and a second process for transferring each piece of backup data obtained in said first information processing system to the memory area in said first information processing system, and for storing the transferred backup data.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said first information processing system converges backup data of said backup target from said second storage apparatus into said first storage apparatus.

3. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein, at a point for executing said backup process, said first information processing system transmits to a unit in said second information processing system and a unit in said first information processing system, instructions to execute backup at synchronized timing, converges said backup data from said second storage apparatus into said first information processing system in accordance with said instructions by obtaining a synchronization, and obtains the converged backup data.

4. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein said first and second information processing systems have functions of remotely copying data by copy pair control between said first and second storage apparatuses,

said second storage apparatus executes remote copying of data between said first and second storage apparatuses by using, as a copy pair, a copy-source storage volume of said second storage apparatus and a copy-destination storage volume of said first storage apparatus when obtaining said backup data into said first storage apparatus by executing said backup process during processing of an access for a data input/output from a host device.

5. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein one of said first and second information processing systems, in copy pair control executed at a time of making a remote copy, executes a pair resynchronization process from a pair split state about each copy pair between said first and second storage apparatuses, executes a temporarily data freeze process from a pair synchronized state, and executes a pair split process after said temporarily data freeze process.

6. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said first information processing system carries out backup operation/management for executing said backup process by setting backup execution points to be equal with respect to the second information processing systems located at said other sites.

7. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said first information processing system has a backup device for storing said backup data in a memory area of a recoding medium, and executes, in said backup process, a first process for converging said backup data into said first storage apparatus and obtaining the converged backup data and a second process for transferring each piece of backup data obtained in said first storage apparatus to said backup device and storing the transferred backup data in the memory area of said recoding medium.

8. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said first information processing system includes a backup device for storing said backup data in a memory area of a recoding medium, and a backup server for controlling processes executed by said first storage apparatus and said backup device, and executes, in said backup process in accordance with control of said backup server, a first process for converging said backup data into said first storage apparatus and obtaining the converged backup data, and a second process for transferring each piece of backup data obtained in said first storage apparatus to said backup device and storing the transferred backup data in the memory area of said recording medium.

9. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein said first information processing system has a management server for implementing integrated control of the entirety of said backup process,

said management server executes a process for transmitting, to a unit in said second information processing system and a unit in said first information processing unit, instructions associated with said backup process, and a process for making accesses to said first and second storage apparatuses to grasp a condition associated with said backup process.

10. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein a host device communicably connected to said second storage apparatus, and

said host device has the functions of:

executing a routine data input/output operation to said second storage apparatus and controlling a process related to said backup process and executed by said second storage apparatus; and

controlling a process for obtaining said backup data from said second storage apparatus into said first information processing system through said communications network in accordance with an instruction from said first information processing system at a time of said backup process.

11. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said first information processing system converges thereinto backup data of said backup target by obtaining a temporal synchronization at a time of said backup process, obtains the converged backup data, and stores it in a memory area.

12. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said first storage apparatus implements integrated control of the entirety of said backup process, and transmits, at a point for executing said backup process, instructions to execute backup to a unit in said second information processing system and a unit in said first information processing system with synchronized timing, and obtains said backup data, and stores it in said memory area.

13. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein said first information processing system has a backup server for implementing integrated control of the entirety of said backup process, and

said backup server transmits, at a point for executing said backup process, instructions to execute backup to a unit in said second information processing system and a unit in said first information processing system with synchronized timing, and controls obtaining of said backup data and storing of the obtained backup data into said memory area.

14. A storage system comprising a backup processing system located at a first site and including a first storage apparatus having a memory unit and a controller and a first information processing system being connected to the first information processing system via a local area network and executing a backup process relating to a plurality of other sites;

and a plurality of backup target systems each located at one of said other sites and each including a second information processing system and a second storage apparatus that stores data to be a backup target, said second storage apparatus being connected to a respective second information processing system via a respective local area network said first and second storage apparatuses have remote copying programs for executing a remote copying process of data by copy pair control between said first and second storage apparatuses, said first information processing system includes a management server for implementing integrated control of the entirety of said backup process, a backup device for storing backup data in a memory area of a recoding medium, and a backup server for controlling processes executed by said first storage apparatus and said backup device, said second information processing system has a host device for controlling a process executed by said second storage apparatus, said management server transmits, at a temporal point for executing said backup process, instructions to execute backup to a unit in said first information processing system and a unit in said second information processing system, and said first information processing system simultaneously backups and converges, in accordance with said instructions, backup data of the backup target into the first storage apparatus from said second storage apparatus located at said other sites through said remote copying process by obtaining a temporal synchronization and obtains the converged backup data, and transfers each piece of obtained backup data to the memory area of said recording medium of said backup device and stores the transferred backup data in the memory area;

wherein at a point for executing said backup process, said first information processing system executes a first process for converging said backup data from said second storage apparatus, into said first information processing system by obtaining said temporal synchronization, and for obtaining the converged backup data, and a second process for transferring each piece of backup data obtained in said first information processing system to the memory area in said first information processing system, and for storing the transferred backup data.

15. A method for backing up data between a backup processing system and a plurality of backup target systems, said backup processing system located at a first site and including a first storage apparatus having a memory unit and a controller, and a first information processing system being connected to the first information processing system via a local area network and executing a backup process relating to a plurality of other sites, said plurality of backup target systems each located at one of said other sites and each including a second information processing system and a second storage apparatus that stores data to be a backup target, said second storage apparatus being connected to a respective second information processing system via a respective local area network, said method comprising connecting said first information processing system and said second information processing system through a communication network;

and said first information processing system simultaneously backing up, by said first information processing system and at a temporal point for executing said backup process, backup data of said backup target from said second storage apparatus located at said other sites into a memory area in said first information processing system through said communication network and then into said first storage apparatus, by obtaining a temporal synchronization;

wherein at a point for executing said backup process, said first information processing system executes a first process for converging said backup data from said second storage apparatus, into said first information processing system by obtaining said temporal synchronization, and for obtaining the converged backup data, and a second process for transferring each piece of backup data obtained in said first information processing system to the memory area in said first information processing system, and for storing the transferred backup data.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein at a point for executing said backup process, said first information processing system executes:

a first process for converging said backup data from said second storage apparatus, into said first information processing system by obtaining said temporal synchronization, and for obtaining the converged backup data, and

a second process for transferring each piece of backup data obtained in said first information processing system to the memory area in said first information processing system, and for storing the transferred backup data.