Remote copy system

• US 8,375,000 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2012
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Arakawa, Hiroshi, Ninose, Kenta, Asaka, Yoshihiro, Hirakawa, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Ehichioya, Fred I
• Assistant Examiner(s): MACKES, KRIS E
• Application Number:
  US13/438,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20120191652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 707/634, 707/687
• US Class Current: 707/634
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2058 using more than 2 mirrored copies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2064 while ensuring consistency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/835 Timestamp
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

In a system in which data employed by a computer is stored in a storage system, the storage system transfers this data to another storage system and a copy of the data is maintained in the other storage system. The consistency of the copy is maintained even when data is written, to the storage system by a computer, without having a write time applied. A source storage system, when a write time is applied to a write request, records the write time and applies this write time to the received write data and, when no write time is applied, applies the recorded write time to the received write data and transfers the write data with this write time applied thereto, to a target storage system. The target storage system stores the write data in a logical volume in the target storage system in accordance with the write time.

Claims

1. A remote copy system comprising:

at least one host computer, a plurality of first storage systems, a plurality of second storage systems each of which is coupled to one of the plurality of first storage systems, respectively, and a plurality of third storage systems each of which is coupled to one of the plurality of second storage systems, respectively,

wherein each of the first storage systems comprises a first control section and a storage area providing a first logical volume,

wherein each of the second storage systems comprises a second control section and a storage area providing a second logical volume,

wherein each of the third storage systems comprises a third control section, a storage area providing a third logical volume and a third storage area,

wherein each of the first control sections stores data of a write request from the host computer to the first logical volume, and sends a completion notification to the host computer after receiving a notice from the second control section that the data is stored in the second logical volume, respectively,

wherein the host computer;

A) sends instructions for deferment of a write request processing to all of the first control sections of the plurality of the first storage systems,

B) sends a marker instruction to all of the second control sections after receiving completion reports of the deferment from all of the first control sections,

C) sends instructions for release of the deferment of the write request processing to all of the first control sections after receiving completion reports of the marker instruction from all of the first control sections, and

D) repeats the steps A, B, and C, while incrementing the marker number included in the marker instruction each time the marker instruction is sent,

wherein each of the second control sections transfers a plurality of write data associated with a marker, which is included in the latest marker instruction at the time when it is received, to one of the third storage systems,

wherein one of the host computers determines which marker is made at the earliest time among the markers received by all of the second storage systems and

instructs all of the third control sections to store the transferred plurality of write data that is associated with the marker previous to the determined marker, and

wherein the each of the third control sections stores the data, transferred from the second control section, to the third storage area and restores the data to the third logical volume.

2. The remote copy system according to the claim 1,

wherein the host computer sends the marker instruction to the first storage systems,

wherein the first control sections transfer the marker instruction to all of the second control sections, and send the completion reports of the marker instruction to the host computer after receiving completion reports of the marker instruction from all of the second control sections.

3. The remote copy system according to the claim 1,

wherein the host computer sends the marker instruction to the first control sections,

wherein the first control sections create markers, transfer the created markers to the second storage system and send the completion reports of the marker instruction to the host computer after receiving reports of receiving from the second control sections.

4. The remote copy system according to the claim 1,

wherein the host computer which executes the steps A, B and C is different from the host computer which instructs all of the third control sections to store the transferred plurality of write data.

5. The remote copy system according to the claim 1, wherein the third storage area is a cache.

6. The remote copy system according to the claim 1,

wherein the third storage area is one or more logical volumes.

7. The remote copy system according to the claim 1,

wherein second control sections associate the write data with a sequential number which is given sequentially to data stored in a corresponding second volume before being transferred to corresponding one of the third storage systems.

8. The remote copy system according to the claim 7,

wherein when the data received by each of the third storage systems is not in sequential order, one of the host computers uses the data immediately preceding missing data as received by the third storage systems to determine the marker.

9. The remote copy system according to the claim 8,

wherein the third control section restores the data instructed according to the order of the sequential number the third logical volume.

10. In a remote copy system comprising at least one host computer, a plurality of first storage systems, a plurality of second storage systems each of which is coupled to one of the plurality of first storage systems, respectively, and a plurality of third storage systems each of which is coupled to one of the plurality of second storage systems, respectively, wherein each of the first storage systems comprises a first control section and a storage area providing a first logical volume, wherein each of the second storage systems comprises a second control section and a storage area providing a second logical volume, wherein each of the third storage systems comprises a third control section, a storage area providing a third logical volume and a third storage area, a method comprising the steps of:

storing, by each of the first control sections, data of a write request from the host computer to the first logical volume, and sending a completion notification to the host computer after receiving a notice from the second control section that the data is stored in the second logical volume, respectively,

performing, by the host computer, the steps of;

A) sending instructions for deferment of a write request processing to all of the first control sections of the plurality of the first storage systems,

B) sending a marker instruction to all of the second control sections after receiving completion reports of the deferment from all of the first control sections,

C) sending instructions for release of the deferment of the write request processing to all of the first control sections after receiving completion reports of the marker instruction from all of the first control sections, and

D) repeating the steps A, B, and C, while incrementing the marker number included in the marker instruction each time the marker instruction is sent,

the method further comprising the steps of;

transferring, by each of the second control sections, a plurality of write data associated with a marker, which is included in the latest marker instruction at the time when it is received, to one of the third storage systems,

determining, by one of the host computers, which marker is made at the earliest time among the markers received by all of the second storage systems and

instructing all of the third control sections to store the transferred plurality of write data that is associated with the marker previous to the determined marker, and

storing, by each of the third control sections, the data, transferred from the second control section, to the third storage area and restoring the data to the third logical volume.

11. The method remote copy system according to the claim 10,

wherein the host computer sends the marker instruction to the first storage systems,

wherein the first control sections transfer the marker instruction to all of the second control sections, and send the completion reports of the marker instruction to the host computer after receiving completion reports of the marker instruction from all of the second control sections.

12. The method according to the claim 10,

wherein the host computer sends the marker instruction to the first control sections,

wherein the first control sections create markers, transfer the created markers to the second storage system and send the completion reports of the marker instruction to the host computer after receiving reports of receiving from the second control sections.

13. The method according to the claim 10,

wherein the host computer which executes the steps A, B and C is different from the host computer which instructs all of the third control sections to store the transferred plurality of write data.

14. The method according to the claim 10, wherein the third storage area is a cache.

15. The method according to the claim 10,

wherein the third storage area is one or more logical volumes.

16. The method according to the claim 10,

wherein second control sections associate the write data with a sequential number which is given sequentially to data stored in a corresponding second volume before being transferred to corresponding one of the third storage systems.

17. The remote copy system according to the claim 16,

wherein when the data received by each of the third storage systems is not in sequential order, one of the host computers uses the data immediately preceding missing data as received by the third storage systems to determine the marker.

18. The method according to the claim 17,

wherein the third control section restores the data instructed according to the order of the sequential number the third logical volume.