Virtual array non-disruptive management data migration

• US 7,757,059 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ofer, Adi, Madnani, Kiran, Brown, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BATAILLE, PIERRE MICHE
• Application Number:
  US11/427,724
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/227, 709/228, 709/232, 709/219, 709/217, 370/401, 370/395.52, 370/396, 370/254, 711/202, 711/203, 711/165, 714/4, 714/6
• US Class Current: 711/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0626 Reducing size or complexity of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Described are systems and methods of migrating data from a source virtual array to a destination virtual array transparently with respect to a management application program executing on a host and using management information to send management messages to the virtual arrays. Data from the source virtual array are copied to the destination virtual array during a data migration event. First and second virtual array management interfaces are associated with the source and destination virtual arrays, respectively. The first and second virtual array management interfaces are exchanged during the data migration event so that the virtual array management interface associated with the destination virtual array becomes associated with the source virtual array and the virtual array management interface associated with the source virtual array becomes associated with the destination virtual array.

Claims

1. A method of migrating data from a source virtual array to a destination virtual array transparently with respect to a management application program executing on a host and using management information to send management messages to the virtual arrays, the method comprising:

copying data from the source virtual array to the destination virtual array during a data migration event;

associating a first virtual array management interface with the source virtual array and a second virtual array management interface with the destination virtual array, the virtual array management interface of each virtual array including management information that the management application executing on the host can use to communicate with that virtual array; and

exchanging the first and second array management interfaces during the data migration event so that the virtual array management interface associated with the destination virtual array becomes accessible to the host at the source virtual array and the virtual array management interface associated with the source virtual array becomes accessible to the host at the destination virtual array.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating includes assigning an IP address to the source virtual array and to the destination virtual array, and wherein the first virtual array management interface is associated with the IP address assigned to the source virtual array and the virtual array management interface is associated with the IP address assigned to the destination virtual array.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of exchanging includes exchanging the IP addresses associated with the source and destination virtual arrays at a Domain Name System (DNS) server such that the IP address associated with the destination virtual array becomes associated with the source virtual array and the IP address associated with the source virtual array becomes associated with the destination virtual array.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating includes assigning an array name to the source virtual array and to the destination virtual array, and wherein the first virtual array management interface is associated with the array name assigned to the source virtual array and the second virtual array management interface is associated with the array name assigned to the destination virtual array.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of exchanging includes exchanging the array names associated with the source and destination virtual arrays in an array name table such that the array name associated with the destination virtual array becomes associated with the source virtual array and the array name associated with the source virtual array becomes associated with the destination virtual array.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating includes providing a gatekeeper for the source virtual array and for the destination virtual array, and wherein the first virtual array management interface includes the gatekeeper provided for the source virtual array and the second virtual array management interface includes the gatekeeper provided for the destination virtual array.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating includes assigning a unique logical serial number to the source virtual array and to the destination virtual array, and wherein the first virtual array management interface includes the logical serial number assigned to the source virtual array and the second virtual array management interface includes the logical serial number assigned to the destination virtual array.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of initially deriving the logical serial number assigned to each virtual array from a physical serial number of a storage array supporting that virtual array.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating includes providing an IP address, an array name, a gatekeeper, and a unique logical serial number for the source virtual array and for the destination virtual array;

and wherein the first virtual array management interface includes the IP address, array name, gatekeeper, and unique logical serial number provided for the source virtual array and the second virtual array management interface includes the IP address, array name, gatekeeper, and unique logical serial number provided for the destination virtual array.

10. A storage array comprising:

a plurality of logical units (LUNs) of storage;

memory storing management information for use by a host to communicate over a network with the LUNs of a virtual array; and

a controller for exchanging the management information with a second virtual array during a data migration event so that management information of the second virtual array replaces the management information stored in the memory, the management information of the second virtual array now being for use by the host.

11. The storage array of claim 10, wherein the management information includes an IP address.

12. The storage array of claim 10, wherein the management information includes an array name.

13. The storage array of claim 10, wherein the management information includes a gatekeeper.

14. The storage array of claim 10, wherein the management information includes a unique logical serial number.

15. The storage array of claim 10, wherein the management information includes an IP address, an array name, a gatekeeper, and a unique logical serial number.

16. A storage network comprising:

a host system executing a management application; and

first and second virtual arrays, each virtual array being associated with a virtual array management interface having management information for use by the management application to communicate with that virtual array, each virtual array having logic for exchanging the virtual array management interface with the other virtual array during a data migration event so that after the exchange the virtual array management interface of the first virtual array becomes accessible to the host at the second virtual array and the virtual array management interface of the second virtual array becomes accessible to the host at the first virtual array.

17. The storage network of claim 16, wherein the virtual array management interface associated with each virtual array is associated with an IP address.

18. The storage network of claim 17, wherein the IP addresses associated with the source and destination virtual arrays are exchanged at a Domain Name System (DNS) server during the data migration event such that the IP address associated with the destination virtual array becomes associated with the source virtual array and the IP address associated with the source virtual array becomes associated with the destination virtual array.

19. The storage network of claim 16, wherein the virtual array management interface associated with each virtual array includes is associated with an array name.

20. The storage network of claim 19, wherein the array names associated with the source and destination virtual arrays are exchanged in an array name table during the data migration event such that the array name associated with the destination virtual array becomes associated with the source virtual array and the array name associated with the source virtual array becomes associated with the destination virtual array.

21. The storage network of claim 16, wherein the virtual array management interface associated with each virtual array includes a gatekeeper.

22. The storage network of claim 16, wherein the virtual array management interface associated with each virtual array includes a unique logical serial number.

23. The storage network of claim 22, wherein the logical serial number included in the virtual array management interface associated with each virtual array is derived from a physical serial number of a storage array supporting that virtual array.

24. The storage network of claim 16, wherein the virtual array management interface associated with each virtual array includes an IP address, an array name, a gatekeeper, and a unique logical serial number.