Apparatus and method to write information to two virtual tape servers

• US 7,640,316 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Peake, Jonathan W., Kishi, Gregory T., Bello, Keith A., Hanson, Dean L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin; Kenny S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whipple; Brian P
• Application Number:
  US10/656,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20050066116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 709213-216
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays

Abstract

A method to write information to two virtual tape servers. The method writes a file to a virtual host device disposed in a first virtual tape server, where the virtual host device comprises an adjustable bandwidth. The method queues a job to copy the file to a second virtual tape server, determines the age of the copy job, and copies that file to the second virtual tape server. The method sets an age threshold, and determines if the copy job age is greater than that age threshold. If the copy job age is greater than the age threshold, then the method decreases the adjustable bandwidth, if not, the method restores the adjustable bandwidth.

Claims

1. A method to write information to two virtual tape servers, comprising the steps of:

supplying a data storage and retrieval system comprising a host computer, a first virtual tape controller (“

VTC”

) comprising a VTC Copy Queue, a second virtual tape controller, a first virtual tape server (“

VTS”

), and a second virtual tape server, wherein said first virtual tape controller comprises a first virtual host device and a first virtual copy device, and wherein said second virtual tape controller comprises a second virtual host device and a second virtual copy device, and wherein said first virtual tape server comprises a third virtual host device and a third virtual copy device, and wherein said second virtual tape server comprises a fourth virtual host device and a fourth virtual copy device, wherein said host computer communicates with said first virtual tape server using a host/VTS bandwidth, wherein said host computer communicates with said second virtual tape server via said second virtual host device and said fourth virtual host device, and wherein said first virtual tape server communicates with said second virtual tape server using a VTS/VTS bandwidth;

writing a host computer file to said second virtual host device disposed in said first virtual tape server;

queuing a copy job in said VTC Copy Queue, wherein said copy job comprises copying said host computer file to said second virtual tape server;

determining an age of said queued copy job;

setting an age threshold;

determining if the age of said queued copy job is greater than said age threshold;

operative if the age of said queued copy job is greater than said age threshold, decreasing said host/VTS bandwidth and increasing said VTS/VTS bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of operative if the age of said queued copy job is not greater than said age threshold, restoring said host/VTS bandwidth to a pre-determined nominal value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said second virtual tape server comprises one or more virtual host devices having a second adjustable aggregate bandwidth further comprising the step of operative if the age of said queued copy job is greater than said age threshold, decreasing said second adjustable aggregate bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of operative if the age of said queued copy job is not greater than said age threshold, restoring said second adjustable aggregate bandwidth to a pre-determined nominal value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

retrieving by said virtual copy controller said copy job from said copy queue;

writing said host computer file to a virtual copy device disposed in said second virtual tape server.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

setting a status signal time interval;

providing a status signal from said virtual tape controller to said first virtual tape server and to said second virtual tape server at said status signal time interval.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

queuing a plurality of copy jobs in said copy queue;

determining the age for each of said queued copy jobs;

providing a status signal comprising the age of the oldest queued copy job;

determining if the age of the oldest queued copy job exceeds said age threshold;

operative if the age of the oldest queued copy job is greater than said age threshold, decreasing said host/VTS bandwidth and said second adjustable aggregate bandwidth;

operative if the age of the oldest queued copy job is not greater than said age threshold, restoring said host/VTS bandwidth and said second adjustable aggregate bandwidth to a pre-determined nominal value.

8. A first virtual tape server (“

VTS”

) comprising one or more virtual devices having an adjustable aggregate bandwidth, and a computer readable medium having computer readable program code disposed therein to write information to two virtual tape servers, wherein said article of manufacture is disposed in a data storage and retrieval system comprising a host computer, a first virtual tape controller (“

VTC”

) comprising a VTC Copy Queue, a second virtual tape controller, said first virtual tape server, and a second virtual tape server, wherein said first virtual tape controller comprises a first virtual host device and a first virtual copy device, and wherein said second virtual tape controller comprises a second virtual host device and a second virtual copy device, and wherein said first virtual tape server comprises a third virtual host device and a third virtual copy device, and wherein said second virtual tape server comprises a fourth virtual host device and a fourth virtual copy device, wherein said host computer communicates with said first virtual tape server via said first virtual host device and said third virtual host device using a host / VTS bandwidth, wherein said host computer communicates with said second virtual tape server via said second virtual host device and said fourth virtual host device, and wherein said first virtual tape server communicates with said second virtual tape server via said first virtual copy device, said second virtual copy device, and said fourth virtual copy device, using a VTS/VTS bandwidth, the computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect;

receiving a host computer file via said second virtual host device;

receiving a signal from said first virtual tape controller, wherein said signal comprises the age of a copy job queued in said virtual tape controller, wherein said copy job comprises copying said host computer file to said second virtual tape server;

retrieving a pre-determined age threshold;

determining if said age of said queued copy job is greater than said age threshold;

operative if said age of said queued copy job is greater than said age threshold, decreasing said host/VTS bandwidth and increasing said VTS/VTS bandwidth.

9. The first virtual tape server of claim 8, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect restoring said host/VTS bandwidth to a pre-determined nominal value if said age of said queued copy job is not greater than said age threshold.

10. The first virtual tape server of claim 8, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect providing said host computer file to said second virtual tape server.

11. The first virtual tape server of claim 10, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect receiving a signal from said virtual tape controller that said host computer file was written to said second virtual tape server.

12. The first virtual tape server of claim 8, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

receiving a status signal from said first virtual tape controller, wherein said status signal comprises a timestamp and the age of the oldest queued copy job at said timestamp.

13. A data storage and retrieval system, comprising a host computer, a first virtual tape controller (“

VTC”

) comprising a VTC Copy Queue, a second virtual tape controller, a first virtual tape server (“

VTS”

) comprising a first adjustable aggregate bandwidth, and a second virtual tape server, wherein said first virtual tape controller comprises a first virtual host device and a first virtual copy device, and wherein said second virtual tape controller comprises a second virtual host device and a second virtual copy device, and wherein said first virtual tape server comprises a third virtual host device and a third virtual copy device, and wherein said second virtual tape server comprises a fourth virtual host device and a fourth virtual copy device, wherein said host computer communicates with said first virtual tape server via said first virtual host device and said third virtual host device using a host/VTS bandwidth, wherein said host computer communicates with said second virtual tape server via said second virtual host device and said fourth virtual host device, and wherein said first virtual tape server communicates with said second virtual tape server via said first virtual copy device, said second virtual copy device, and said fourth virtual copy device, and wherein said first virtual tape server provides information to, and receives infonnation from said second virtual tape server using a VTS/VTS bandwidth, using the following steps;

receiving a host computer file via said second virtual host device;

receiving a signal from said first virtual tape controller, wherein said signal comprises the age of a copy job queued in said virtual tape controller, wherein said copy job comprises copying said host computer file to said second virtual tape server;

retrieving a pre-determined age threshold;

determining if the age of said queued copy job is greater than said age threshold;

operative if the age of said queued copy job is greater than said age threshold, decreasing said host/VTS bandwidth and increasing said VTS/VTS bandwidth.

14. The data storage and retrieval system of claim 13, wherein said virtual copy controller provides information to said second virtual tape server using the steps of:

providing said host computer file to said second virtual tape server.

15. The data storage and retrieval system of claim 14, wherein said second virtual tape server comprises one or more second virtual host devices having a second adjustable aggregate bandwidth, wherein said second virtual tape server communicates with said one or more host computers using said one or more second virtual host devices, wherein said second virtual tape server receives information from said first virtual tape server using the steps of:

operative if the age of said queued copy job is greater than said age threshold, decreasing said second adjustable aggregate bandwidth; and

operative if the age of said queued copy job is not greater than said age threshold, restoring said second adjustable aggregate bandwidth to a pre-determined nominal value.