Processing a read request to a logical volume while relocating a logical volume from a first storage location to a second storage location using a copy relationship

• US 7,930,496 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kalos, Matthew J., Kubo, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutz; Jared I
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIDSON, CHAD
• Application Number:
  US11/427,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20080052478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for relocating a logical volume from a first storage location to a second storage location using a copy relationship. An operation is initiated to move a logical volume from a first storage location to a second storage location. A relationship is established between the first and second storage locations to copy data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location. A read request is received to data in the logical volume while copying the data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location. A determination is made, in response to the read request, whether the requested data is at a first copy of the logical volume in the first storage location or a second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location. The requested data is returned from the determined first or second copy of the logical volume while the logical volume is being copied from the first storage location to the second storage location.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

initiating an operation to move a logical volume from a first storage location to a second storage location;

establishing a relationship between the first and second storage locations to copy data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location to implement the move of the logical volume from the first to the second storage locations;

receiving a read request to data in the logical volume while moving the data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location;

determining, in response to the read request, whether the requested data is at a first copy of the logical volume in the first storage location or a second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location;

returning the requested data from the determined first or second copy of the logical volume while the logical volume is being copied from the first storage location to the second storage location;

receiving a request to write data to the logical volume while copying the data in the logical volume from the first copy to the second copy, wherein once the relationship indicates that the requested data has been copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy, all reads to the requested data are directed to the second copy;

writing the write data to the second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location;

removing indication of the relationship between the first and second storage locations in response to copying all the data indicated in the relationship from the first storage location to the second storage location resulting in the relocation of the logical volume to the second copy; and

freeing space in the first storage location for data copied from the first storage location to the second storage location pursuant to the relationship established between the first and second storage locations to relocate the logical volume.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical volume comprises data units, wherein the relationship indicates for data units in the logical volume whether the data unit in the first copy of the logical volume was copied to the second copy of the logical volume, further comprising:

indicating in the relationship that one data unit including the data subject to the write request has been copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume in response to writing the data received in the write request to the second copy of the logical volume.

3. A method, comprising:

initiating an operation to move a logical volume from a first storage location to a second storage location to relocate the logical volume to the second storage location;

establishing a relationship between the first and second storage locations to copy data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location to implement the move of the logical volume from the first to the second storage locations, wherein the relationship indicates whether data in the first storage location was copied to the second storage location as part of the move operation;

receiving a read request to data in the logical volume while moving the data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location;

determining, in response to the read request, whether the relationship indicates that the requested data has been copied from a first copy of the logical volume in the first storage location to a second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location;

returning the requested data from the first copy in response to determining that the requested data has not been copied to the second copy;

returning the requested data from the second copy of the logical volume in response to determining that the requested data has been copied to the second copy, wherein the requested data is returned from the first or second copy while the logical volume is being copied from the first storage location to the second storage location, wherein once the relationship indicates that the requested data has been copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy, all reads to the requested data are directed to the second copy;

removing indication of the relationship between the first and second storage locations in response to copying all the data indicated in the relationship from the first storage location to the second storage location resulting in the relocation of the logical volume to the second copy; and

freeing space in the first storage location for data copied from the first storage location to the second storage location pursuant to the relationship established between the first and second storage locations to relocate the logical volume.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the logical volume comprises data units, wherein the relationship indicates for each data unit in the logical volume whether the data unit in the first copy of the logical volume was copied to the second copy of the logical volume, and wherein determining whether the requested data is maintained at the first or second copy of the logical volume comprises:

determining whether the relationship indicates that the data unit including the requested data was copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume, wherein the requested data is determined to be at the first copy in response to determining that the relationship indicates that the data unit including the requested data was not copied from the first copy to the second copy and wherein the requested data is determined to be at the second copy in response to determining that the relationship indicates that the data unit including the requested data was copied from the first copy to the second copy.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein freeing the space in the first storage location comprises freeing the space used by the data unit copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume in response to completing the copying of the data unit to the second copy of the logical volume and before all the data units for the logical volume are copied to the second copy of the logical volume.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein freeing the space in the first storage location comprises freeing the space used by data units in the first copy of the logical volume in response to completing the copying of all the data units from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

mapping read requests to addresses of the logical volume to the determined first or second copy of the logical volume while the relationship indicates that data in the logical volume is being copied from the first storage location to the second storage location; and

mapping read requests to addresses of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location in response to completing the copying of the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the relationship to relocate the data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location comprises a point-in-time copy relationship.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

initiating an operation to copy data units of the first copy of the logical volume to corresponding data units of the second copy of the logical volume in response to establishing the copy relationship; and

indicating that one data unit has been copied in response to copying the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume, wherein one data unit is determined to be at the first copy of the logical volume if the data unit is indicated as not copied to the second copy of the logical volume, and wherein one data unit is determined to be at the second copy of the logical volume if the data unit is indicated as having been copied to the second copy of the logical volume.

10. A system in communication with a first and second storage locations, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium having a program executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

initiating an operation to move a logical volume from a first storage location to a second storage location;

establishing a relationship between the first and second storage locations to copy data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location to implement the move of the logical volume from the first to the second storage locations, wherein the logical volume comprises data units, wherein the relationship indicates for data units in the logical volume whether the data unit in the first storage location of the logical volume was copied to the second storage location of the logical volume;

receiving a read request to data in the logical volume while moving the data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location;

determining, in response to the read request, whether the requested data is at a first copy of the logical volume in the first storage location or a second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location;

returning the requested data from the determined first or second copy of the logical volume while the logical volume is being copied from the first storage location to the second storage location;

receiving a request to write data to the logical volume while copying the data in the logical volume from the first copy to the second copy, wherein once the relationship indicates that the requested data has been copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy, all reads to the requested data are directed to the second copy;

writing the write data to the second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location;

removing indication of the relationship between the first and second storage locations in response to copying all the data indicated in the relationship from the first storage location to the second storage location resulting in the relocation of the logical volume to the second copy; and

freeing space in the first storage location for data copied from the first storage location to the second storage location pursuant to the relationship established between the first and second storage locations to relocate the logical volume.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the logical volume comprises data units, wherein the relationship indicates for data units in the logical volume whether the data unit in the first copy of the logical volume was copied to the second copy of the logical volume, wherein the operations further comprise:

indicating in the relationship that one data unit including the data subject to the write request has been copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume in response to writing the data received in the write request to the second copy of the logical volume.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the logical volume comprises data units, wherein the relationship indicates for each data unit in the logical volume whether the data unit in the first copy of the logical volume was copied to the second copy of the logical volume, and wherein determining whether the requested data is maintained at the first or second copy of the logical volume comprises:

determining whether the relationship indicates that the data unit including the requested data was copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume, wherein the requested data is determined to be at the first copy in response to determining that the relationship indicates that the data unit including the requested data was not copied from the first copy to the second copy and wherein the requested data is determined to be at the second copy in response to determining that the relationship indicates that the data unit including the requested data was copied from the first copy to the second copy.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein freeing the space in the first storage location comprises freeing the space used by the data unit copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume in response to completing the copying of the data unit to the second copy of the logical volume and before all the data units for the logical volume are copied to the second copy of the logical volume.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

mapping read requests to addresses of the logical volume to the determined first or second copy of the logical volume while the relationship indicates that data in the logical volume is being copied from the first storage location to the second storage location; and

mapping read requests to addresses of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location in response to completing the copying of the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

initiating an operation to copy data units of the first copy of the logical volume to corresponding data units of the second copy of the logical volume in response to establishing the copy relationship; and

indicating that one data unit has been copied in response to copying the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume, wherein one data unit is determined to be at the first copy of the logical volume if the data unit is indicated as not copied to the second copy of the logical volume, and wherein one data unit is determined to be at the second copy of the logical volume if the data unit is indicated as having been copied to the second copy of the logical volume.

16. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium having code executed to perform operations with respect to a first and second storage locations and to perform further operations comprising:

initiating an operation to move a logical volume from a first storage location to a second storage location;

establishing a relationship between the first and second storage locations to copy data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location to implement the move of the logical volume from the first to the second storage locations;

receiving a read request to data in the logical volume while moving the data in the logical volume from the first storage location to the second storage location;

determining, in response to the read request, whether the requested data is at a first copy of the logical volume in the first storage location or a second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location;

returning the requested data from the determined first or second copy of the logical volume while the logical volume is being copied from the first storage location to the second storage location;

receiving a request to write data to the logical volume while copying the data in the logical volume from the first copy to the second copy, wherein once the relationship indicates that the requested data has been copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy, all reads to the requested data are directed to the second copy;

writing the write data to the second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location;

removing indication of the relationship between the first and second storage locations in response to copying all the data indicated in the relationship from the first storage location to the second storage location resulting in the relocation of the logical volume to the second copy; and

freeing space in the first storage location for data copied from the first storage location to the second storage location pursuant to the relationship established between the first and second storage locations to relocate the logical volume.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the logical volume comprises data units, wherein the relationship indicates for data units in the logical volume whether the data unit in the first copy of the logical volume was copied to the second copy of the logical volume, wherein the operations further comprise:

indicating in the relationship that one data unit including the data subject to the write request has been copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume in response to writing the data received in the write request to the second copy of the logical volume.

18. The article of manufacuture of claim 16, wherein the logical volume comprises data units, wherein the relationship indicates for each data unit in the logical volume whether the data unit in the first copy of the logical volume was copied to the second copy of the logical volume, and wherein determining whether the requested data is maintained at the first or second copy of the logical volume comprises:

determining whether the relationship indicates that the data unit including the requested data was copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume, wherein the requested data is determined to be at the first copy in response to determining that the relationship indicates that the data unit including the requested data was not copied from the first copy to the second copy and wherein the requested data is determined to be at the second copy in response to determining that the relationship indicates that the data unit including the requested data was copied from the first copy to the second copy.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein freeing the space in the first storage location comprises freeing the space used by the data unit copied from the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume in response to completing the copying of the data unit to the second copy of the logical volume and before all the data units for the logical volume are copied to the second copy of the logical volume.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

mapping read requests to addresses of the logical volume to the determined first or second copy of the logical volume while the relationship indicates that data in the logical volume is being copied from the first storage location to the second storage location; and

mapping read requests to addresses of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume at the second storage location in response to completing the copying of the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

initiating an operation to copy data units of the first copy of the logical volume to corresponding data units of the second copy of the logical volume in response to establishing the copy relationship; and

indicating that one data unit has been copied in response to copying the first copy of the logical volume to the second copy of the logical volume, wherein one data unit is determined to be at the first copy of the logical volume if the data unit is indicated as not copied to the second copy of the logical volume, and wherein one data unit is determined to be at the second copy of the logical volume if the data unit is indicated as having been copied to the second copy of the logical volume.