Storage system comprising backup function

• US 7,913,045 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2007
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kodama, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROSSITER, SEAN D
• Application Number:
  US11/765,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 711/113, 711/115, 711/118, 711/162
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup

Abstract

A storage resource including one or more first storage devices; a first logical volume formed according to storage space of the storage resource; a member for accommodating a removable second storage device selected by a user; and a backup unit, the backup unit executing a backup of data stored in the first logical volume to a second logical volume formed according to storage space of the removable second storage device mounted in the member and paired with the first logical volume; and storing, in said storage resource, of backup generation information elements pertaining to what generation of the backup the current backup of the first logical volume is.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a storage resource comprising one or more first storage devices;

a first logical volume formed according to storage space of said storage resource;

a member for accommodating a removable second storage device selected by a user, said removable second storage device storing disk management information;

a detector for detecting mounting of said selected removable second storage device in said member, and

a backup unit for, when said detector detects mounting of said selected removable second storage device in said member;

determining whether the management information stored in said selected removable second storage device includes a disk identifier by reading said disk management information from said selected removable second storage device, a presence of said disk identifier in said management information indicating said selected removable second storage device has been previously mounted in said member,

in case that said management information includes said disk identifier executing processing (a) and (b);

(a) backup of data stored in said first logical volume to a second logical volume which is formed according to storage space of a removable second storage device mounted in said member, and which is paired with said first logical volume, and

(b) storing, in said storage resource of, a backup generation information element related to what generation of backup a current backup of said first logical volume is,

in case that said management information does not include said disk identifier executing processing (d);

(d) initializing said management information stored in said selected removable second storage device,

an I/O processor for receiving, from an external computer provided external of said storage system, an I/O request that designates said first logical volume and writing write target data designated by the I/O request in the first logical volume designated by the I/O request received from the external computer;

wherein said storage resource stores differential management information elements that correspond with each of a plurality of pairs in which said first logical volume serves as a constituent element,

wherein the differential management information elements being information elements that express positions, in said first logical volume, of differential data blocks that are data blocks equivalent to the differential between a second logical volume and said first logical volume which are the constituent elements of pairs corresponding to the differential management information elements,

wherein said backup unit, in said (a) processing, specifies the positions of the differential data blocks in said first logical volume on the basis of differential management information elements, of said plurality of differential management information elements, that correspond with a target pair which constitutes a pair in which the second logical volume of the removable second storage device mounted in said member serves as a constituent element, and backs up the differential data blocks in the specified positions to positions of the second logical volume that correspond to the specified positions,

wherein said storage resource further stores a pair state that corresponds to each plurality of pairs in which said first logical volume serves as a constituent element,

wherein said I/O processor, when the pair state of the pairs in which said first logical volume serves as a constituent element is a first-type status and, whenever a data block of said write target data is written in said first logical volume, updates the differential management information elements that correspond to the pair to a state of existence of differential data blocks in the write destination position,

wherein said backup unit initializes backup after updating the pair state that corresponds to said target pair to a second-type status and, when backup is completed, updates the differential management information elements that correspond with said target pair to a state of absence of differential data blocks, and updates the pair state that corresponds to said target pair to a first-type status, and

wherein said backup unit, in said (b) processing, after updating the pair state that corresponds to said target pair to said first-type status, further stores in said removable second storage device pair management information elements that constitute information pertaining to said target pair, following which, when said removable second storage device is demounted from said member and the demounted removable second storage device or another storage device selected by said user has been newly mounted in said member, in said (a) processing, specifies differential management information elements that correspond to the pair management information elements of the removable second storage device mounted in said member.

2. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a guard unit for guarding each of said one or more first storage devices against being demounted by said user.

3. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said member is provided in plurality,

said plurality of members comprise a first member and a second member, and

said backup unit executes said (a) processing when said selected removable second storage device is mounted in said first member and executes the following (c) processing when said selected removable second storage device is mounted in said second member:

(c) restoring data of said second logical volume of a removable second storage device mounted in said second member to said first logical volume or to another first logical volume formed according to storage space of said storage resource.

4. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an external command receiver for receiving, from an external computer provided external of said storage system, a command for executing either backup or restore, wherein

said backup unit executes said (a) processing when said external command receiver receives a backup command, and executes the following (c) processing when said external command receiver receives a restore command:

(c) restoring data of said second logical volume of a removable second storage device mounted in said member to said first logical volume or to another first logical volume formed according to storage space of said storage resource.

5. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a backup/restore command receiver for receiving from said user a command for execution of either backup or restore, wherein

said backup unit executes said (a) processing when said backup/restore command receiver receives a backup command, and executes the following (c) processing when said backup/restore command receiver receives a restore command:

(c) restoring data of said second logical volume of a removable second storage device mounted in said member to said first logical volume or to another first logical volume formed according to storage space of said storage resource.

6. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said backup unit, whenever a differential data block is backed up in said second logical volume, reads the differential data block from the second logical volume and compares the read differential data block with the backed up differential data block and, when these differential data blocks match, updates to a state of absence of differential data blocks in said specified positions the differential management information elements that correspond to said target pair.

7. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a detector for detecting demounting of said removable second storage device from said member, wherein said backup unit alters the pair state that corresponds with said target pair to a first-type status in response to detection, by said detector, of demounting of said removable second storage device from said member.

8. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said backup unit, in said (b) processing, further stores in said removable second storage device pair management information elements that constitute information pertaining to said target pair, following which, when said second storage device is demounted from said member and the demounted removable second storage device or another storage device selected by said user is newly mounted in said member, in said (a) processing, specifies differential management information elements that correspond to the pair management information elements of the removable second storage device mounted in said member.

9. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of said mounting removable members is less than the number of first storage devices.

10. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said backup unit updates the pair state of said pair to be stored in said storage resource and stores the updated pair state in said removable second storage device.

11. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

a plurality of second logical volumes are formed in a single removable second storage device, and

said backup unit, in said (a) processing, backs up the respective data of said plurality of first logical volumes to said plurality of second logical volumes from which a plurality of respective pairs with said first logical volumes are configured.

12. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

a plurality of second logical volumes are formed in a single removable second storage device, and

said backup unit, in said (a) processing, backs up the data of said first logical volume to a second logical volume selected from said plurality of second logical volumes from which a plurality of respective pairs with said first logical volumes are configured.

13. The storage system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an I/O processor for receiving an I/O request that designates said first logical volume from an external computer provided external of said storage system and writing write target data designated by the I/O request in the first logical volume designated by the I/O request received from the external computer, wherein

said storage resource stores differential management information elements and the pair state that corresponds with each of a plurality of pairs in which said first logical volume serves as a constituent element,

the differential management information elements being information elements that express positions, in said first logical volume, of differential data blocks that are data blocks equivalent to the differential between the second logical volume and said first logical volume which serve as the constituent elements of a pair corresponding to the differential management information elements, and

said I/O processor, when the pair state of a pair in which said first logical volume serves as a constituent element is the first-type status and, whenever a data block of said write target data is written in the first logical volume, updates the differential management information elements that correspond to the pair to a state of existence of differential data blocks in the write destination position, and

said backup unit, in said (a) processing, initiates backup after updating the pair state that corresponds to the target pair that constitutes the pair in which said second logical volume of the removable second storage device mounted in said member serves as a constituent element to a second type status, specifies the positions of the differential data blocks in said first logical volume on the basis of the differential management information elements, of said plurality of differential management information elements, that correspond with said target pair, backs up the differential data blocks of the specified positions to positions that correspond with the specified positions in the second logical volumes, updates the differential management information elements that correspond with said target pair to a state of absence of differential data blocks in the specified positions whenever backup of a single specified position is completed and, when the back up of all differential data blocks is completed, updates the pair state that corresponds to said target pair to the first-type status.

14. The storage system as claimed in claim 13, wherein

said backup unit, in said (b) processing, after the pair state that corresponds to said target pair has been updated to said first-type status, further stores pair management information elements that constitute information pertaining to said target pair in said removable second storage device, following which, when said removable second storage device is demounted from said member and the demounted removable second storage device or another storage device selected by said user is mounted in said member, in said (a) processing, specifies differential management information elements that correspond to pair management information elements of the removable second storage device mounted in said member, the specified differential management information elements being differential management information that corresponds with pairs in which the second logical volumes of the second storage device serve as the constituent element.

15. The storage system as claimed in claim 13, comprising:

a first detector for detecting mounting of said removable second storage device in said member, and

a second detector for detecting demounting of said removable second storage device from said member, wherein

said backup unit executes said (a) and (b) processings in response to detection, by said first detector, of mounting of said removable second storage device in said member and, in response to detection, by said second detector, of demounting of said removable second storage device from said member, alters the pair state that corresponds with said target pair to a first-type status.

16. The storage system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a guard unit for guarding against demounting of each of said one or more first storage devices by said user, the number of said members being less than the number of first storage devices.