Method and system for improving the efficiency and ensuring the integrity of a data transfer

• US 8,291,132 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2010
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATTO Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ATTO Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Cuddihy, David J, Martin, Shawn C, Snell, David A
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROCHE, JOHN B
• Application Number:
  US12/904,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 710/33
• US Class Current: 710/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved method and system of improving the efficiency, and ensuring the integrity, of a data transfer in a serverless backup, or third party copy, system having one or more physical storage devices. The present invention provides improvements to the processing of serverless copy, or EXTENDED COPY, commands, and transfers of data associated with such commands. These improvements increase the speed at which such commands are executed and completed, and increase the capabilities of copy managers in serverless backup systems. The improvements also make better use of the storage devices involved in the data backup process. Certain aspects of the invention allow for execution of data segments of any size, and providing a compiler for generating input/output actions.

Claims

1. A serverless backup system, comprising:

a host configured to issue an extended copy command, said extended copy command containing one or more associated data segments;

a data mover for receiving and processing said extended copy command;

one or more physical storage devices;

a data segment compiler configured to generate a list of input/output actions representing read and write actions to be processed by said data mover, wherein when a data segment greater than an available memory in said data mover is detected, said data segment compiler generates a plurality of input/output actions such that each of said plurality of input/output actions specifies a portion of said detected data segment which is less than or equal to said available memory in said data mover; and

a run-time engine configured to determine the manner of execution of said input/output actions as a function of characteristics of said input/output actions and said physical storage devices.

2. The serverless backup system of claim 1 wherein said characteristics of said input/output actions are operation code, storage device identifier, byte transfer length, logical block address, data availability counter, related low and high input/output action, related segment number, input data hazard, and output data hazard.

3. The serverless backup system of claim 1 wherein said characteristics of said physical storage devices are device support for overlapped commands, maximum number of allowed overlapped commands, device support for block (random) access, device support for stream access, and number of storage commands outstanding on said physical storage device.

4. The serverless backup system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for generating output actions which do not reference said physical storage devices;

wherein said data mover processes a DISCARD action.

5. The serverless backup system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for generating input actions which do not reference said physical storage devices; and

means for generating a byte of zeroed data within said run-time engine;

wherein said data mover processes a PAD action.

6. A method of processing a data segment of any size in a serverless backup system having at least one physical storage device and being associated with a host and a data mover, comprising:

providing a host configured to issue an extended copy command, said extended copy command containing one or more associated data segments;

providing a data mover for receiving and processing said extended copy command;

providing one or more physical storage devices;

detecting a data segment greater than the available memory in said data mover;

providing a data segment compiler to generate a plurality of input/output actions representing read and write actions to be processed by said data mover, each of said input/output actions specifying a portion of said detected data segment less than or equal to said available memory; and

delaying the execution of said input/output actions until sufficient memory is available.

7. A method of claim 6, further comprising:

executing said input/output actions when sufficient memory is available.