Method and apparatus for migrating data in a clustered computer system environment

• US 7,805,583 B1
• Filed: 04/23/2003
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Bell, John Philip II, Cakeljic, Zoran, Fox, Conor, Buckley, Donagh, Todd, Stephen J., Blumenau, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chery; Mardochee
• Application Number:
  US10/421,500
• Time in Patent Office: 2,715 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• 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 performing a data migration in a clustered computer system. In one aspect, the availability of the data being migrated is maintained during the migration. In another aspect, a data set is migrated by a transfer utility in one of the hosts in the cluster, and in response to a failure of the host, the migration is resumed without restarting from the beginning point of the data set. In a further embodiment, the hosts in the cluster have agents associated therewith to manage the data migration, and prior to taking at least one action associated with the data migration, the agents coordinate to ensure that the hosts in the cluster are prepared to have the at least one action taken.

Claims

1. A method of managing a data migration of a data set in a clustered computer system including at least first and second host computers and at least one storage system that stores the data set, the data set being shared by the first and second host computers, the at least one storage system providing a plurality of storage volumes to the first and second host computers to store the data set shared by the first and second host computers, the plurality of storage volumes including at least one first storage volume and at least one second storage volume, wherein the first and second host computers respectively have first and second agents associated therewith to manage the data migration, the method comprising an act of:

(A) prior to taking at least one action associated with beginning the data migration, coordinating between the first and second agents to ensure that the first and second host computers both are prepared to have the at least one action taken; and

(B) not beginning the migration when it is determined in the act (A) that either of the first and second host computers is not prepared to have the migration begin;

wherein at least one transfer utility is used to migrate the data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least one second storage volume by reading the data set from the at least one storage system that comprises the at least one first storage volume to at least one intermediate component and writing the data set from the at least one intermediate component to the at least one storage system that comprises the at least one second storage volume.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act (A) comprises acts of:

(A1) communicating to each of the first and second agents information identifying parameters for the migration, and

(A2) verifying that the parameters are acceptable for each of the first and second host computers before beginning the migration.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the act (A2) comprises an act of verifying that each of the first and second host computers has access to the at least one first storage volume and the at least one second storage volume.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the act (A2) comprises an act of verifying that the at least one transfer utility is valid for transferring the data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least one second storage volume in the clustered computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, is to perform a switch for at least one application program on the first and second host computers to switch the at least one application program from accessing one of the at least one first and second storage volumes to accessing the other of the at least one first and second storage volumes;

and

wherein the act (A) comprises an act of coordinating between the first and second agents to ensure that the first and second host computers both are prepared to perform the switch.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising an act of initiating the switch.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act to be taken is to initialize a mirroring relationship between the at least one first and second storage volumes;

and

wherein the act (A) comprises an act of coordinating between the first and second agents to ensure that the first and second host computers both are prepared to initialize the mirroring relationship.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising an act of initiating the mirroring relationship.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the act (A) is performed prior to beginning the data migration, and wherein the at least one action to be taken is to lock the at least one first storage volume and the at least one second storage volume so that the at least one first and second storage volumes cannot be part of another migration while they are locked.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the act (A) is performed prior to beginning the data migration, and wherein the at least one action to be taken is to block input/output operations from the second host computer to the at least one second storage volume.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of initiating the data migration.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate component comprises at least one of the at least first and second host computers so that the at least one transfer utility reads the data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least one of the at least first and second host computers and writes the data set from the at least one of the at least first and second host computers to the at least one second storage volume.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage system is coupled to the at least first and second host computers via at least one interconnection device, and wherein the at least one intermediate component comprises the at least one interconnection device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one interconnection device comprises a plurality of interconnection devices, and wherein the at least one intermediate component comprises a subset of the plurality of interconnection devices.

15. At least one computer readable medium encoded with instructions for execution on a clustered computer system including at least first and second host computers and at least one storage system that stores the data set, the data set being shared by the first and second host computers, the at least one storage system providing a plurality of storage volumes to the first and second host computers to store the data set shared by the first and second host computers, the plurality of storage volumes including at least one first storage volume and at least one second storage volume, wherein the first and second host computers respectively have first and second agents associated therewith, the instructions, when executed, perform a method of managing a data migration of a data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least on second storage volume, the method comprising an act of:

(A) prior to taking at least one action associated with beginning the data migration, coordinating between the first and second agents to ensure that the first and second host computers both are prepared to have the at least one action taken; and

(B) not beginning the migration when it is determined in the act (A) that either of the first and second host computers is not prepared to have the migration begin;

wherein at least one transfer utility is used to migrate the data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least one second storage volume by reading the data set from the at least one storage system that comprises the at least one first storage volume to at least one intermediate component and writing the data set from the at least one intermediate component to the at least one storage system that comprises the at least one second storage volume.

16. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the act (A) comprises acts of:

(A1) communicating to each of the first and second agents information identifying parameters for the migration, and

(A2) verifying that the parameters are acceptable for each of the first and second host computers before beginning the migration.

17. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the act (A2) comprises an act of verifying that each of the first and second host computers has access to the at least one first storage volume and the at least one second storage volume.

18. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the act (A2) comprises an act of verifying that the at least one transfer utility is valid for transferring the data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least one second storage volume in the clustered computer system.

19. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the action to be taken is to perform a switch for at least one application program on the first and second host computers to switch the at least one application program from accessing one of the at least one first and second storage volumes to accessing the other of the at least one first and second storage volumes;

and

wherein the act (A) comprises an act of coordinating between the first and second agents to ensure that the first and second host computers both are prepared to perform the switch.

20. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises an act of initiating the switch.

21. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the act to be taken is to initialize a mirroring relationship between the at least one first and second storage volumes;

and

wherein the act (A) comprises an act of coordinating between the first and second agents to ensure that the first and second host computers both are prepared to initialize the mirroring relationship.

22. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises an act of initiating the mirroring relationship.

23. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the act (A) is performed prior to beginning the data migration, and wherein the at least one action to be taken is to lock the at least one first storage volume and the at least one second storage volume so that the at least one first and second storage volumes cannot be part of another migration while they are locked.

24. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the act (A) is performed prior to beginning the data migration, and wherein the at least one action to be taken is to block input/output operations from the second host computer to the at least one second storage volume.

25. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises an act of initiating the data migration.

26. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the at least one intermediate component comprises at least one of the at least first and second host computers so that the at least one transfer utility reads the data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least one of the at least first and second host computers and writes the data set from the at least one of the at least first and second host computers to the at least one second storage volume.

27. A first agent for use in a clustered computer system including at least first and second host computers and at least one storage system that stores the data set, the data set being shared by the first and second host computers, the at least one storage system providing a plurality of storage volumes to the first and second host computers to store the data set shared by the first and second host computers, the plurality of storage volumes including at least one first storage volume and at least one second storage volume, wherein the first agent is associated with the first host computer and the second host computer has a second agent associated therewith, the first agent for managing a data migration of a data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least one second storage volume, the first agent comprising:

at least one processor that is programmed to, prior to taking at least one action associated with beginning the data migration, coordinate with the second agent to ensure that the second host computer is prepared to have the at least one action taken;

wherein the at least one processor is programmed to not begin the migration when it is determined as a result of the coordinating with the second agent that the second host computer is not prepared to have the migration begin; and

wherein at least one transfer utility is used to migrate the data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least one second storage volume by reading the data set from the at least one storage system that comprises the at least one first storage volume to at least one intermediate component and writing the data set from the at least one intermediate component to the at least one storage system that comprises the at least one second storage volume.

28. The first agent of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to:

receive information identifying parameters for the migration, and

verify that the parameters are acceptable for each of the first and second host computers before beginning the migration.

29. The first agent of claim 28, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to verify that each of the first and second host computers has access to the at least one first storage volume and the at least one second storage volume.

30. The first agent of claim 28, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to verify that the at least one transfer utility is valid for transferring the data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least one second storage volume in the clustered computer system.

31. The first agent of claim 27, wherein the action to be taken is to perform a switch for at least one application program on the first and second host computers to switch the at least one application program from accessing one of the at least one first and second storage volumes to accessing the other of the at least one first and second storage volumes;

and

wherein the at least one processor is programmed to coordinate with the second agent to ensure that the second host computer is prepared to perform the switch.

32. The first agent of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to initiate the switch.

33. The first agent of claim 27, wherein the act to be taken is to initialize a mirroring relationship between the at least one first and second storage volumes;

and

wherein the at least one processor is programmed to coordinate with the second agent to ensure that the second host computer is prepared to initialize the mirroring relationship.

34. The first agent of claim 33, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to initiate the mirroring relationship.

35. The first agent of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to verify that the at least one first storage volume and the at least one second storage volume are locked before beginning the migration so that the at least one first and second storage volumes cannot be part of another migration while they are locked.

36. The first agent of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to block input/output operations from the second host computer to the at least one second storage volume before beginning the migration.

37. The first agent of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to initiate the data migration.

38. The first agent of claim 27, wherein the at least one intermediate component comprises at least one of the at least first and second host computers so that the at least one transfer utility reads the data set from the at least one first storage volume to the at least one of the at least first and second host computers and writes the data set from the at least one of the at least first and second host computers to the at least one second storage volume.