Virtual array non-disruptive migration of extended storage functionality

• US 8,452,928 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ofer, Adi, Madnani, Kiran, Brown, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PEUGH, BRIAN R
• Application Number:
  US11/427,749
• Time in Patent Office: 2,525 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Described are a storage network and method of migrating data from a source virtual array to a destination virtual array transparently with respect to a storage application executing on a host. The storage application provides particular storage functionality at a source storage array while using metadata during its execution. The metadata used by the storage application are associated with the source virtual array and forwarded, during a data migration event in which data resident in logical units of storage (LUNs) of the source virtual array are copied to LUNs of the destination virtual array, to a destination storage array where the metadata is associated with the destination virtual array.

Claims

1. A method of migrating data, comprising:

executing, on a host, a storage application for providing extended storage functionality at a source storage array;

executing, on the source storage array, program code that is an array-side component of the storage application executing on the host, the program code cooperating with the storage application executing on the host to provide the extended storage functionality at the source storage array;

generating, by the program code, metadata representing information critical to a proper operation of the storage application executing on the host;

associating the metadata with a source virtual array implemented at the source storage array; and

initiating, while the host executes the storage application, a data migration event in which data resident in logical units of storage (LUNs) of the source virtual array are copied to LUNs of a destination virtual array implemented at a destination storage array;

forwarding, as part of the data migration event, the metadata associated with the source virtual array to the destination storage array, where the metadata is associated with the destination virtual array, to enable the proper operation of the storage application executing on the host to continue after completion of the data migration event.

2. A method of claim 1, further comprising the step of replicating the metadata before forwarding the metadata to the destination storage array.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

copying to the destination storage array, during the data migration event, metadata that are being updated at the source storage array by the storage application, if the metadata that are being updated are associated with the source virtual array; and

associating the copied metadata with the destination virtual array.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

before the data migration event, communicating with the source virtual array by the host while executing the storage application; and

after completion of the data migration event, communicating with the destination virtual array by the host while executing the storage application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of organizing the metadata into logical units of storage (LUNs).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each metadata LUN is not exposed to the host.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of associating the metadata with an attribute whose value indicates whether the metadata is to be replicated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarded metadata includes information related to a network connection that the source storage array has established with a second storage array.

9. A storage network comprising:

a first storage array with memory storing metadata representing information critical to a proper operation of a storage application executing on a host, the first storage array including a first virtual array, the metadata being associated with the first virtual array, the first storage array executing program code that is an array-side component of the storage application and that cooperates with the storage application executing on the host in order to provide extended storage functionality at the first storage array, the program code generating the metadata stored in the memory

a second storage array in communication with the first storage array by a communication link, the second storage array having a second virtual array; and

a replication engine copying, during a data migration event in which data resident in logical units of storage (LUNs) of the first virtual array are copied to the second virtual array, the metadata stored in the memory to the second storage array where the metadata are associated with the second virtual array, to enable the proper operation of the storage application executing on the host to continue after the data migration event completes.

10. The storage network of claim 9, wherein the program code, during its execution, updates the metadata, and wherein the replication engine replicates each update to the metadata and forwards each replicated update to the second storage array where the replicated update is associated with the second virtual array.

11. The storage network of claim 9, wherein the metadata are organized into logical units of storage.

12. The storage network of claim 11, wherein each metadata LUN is not exposed to the host.

13. The storage network of claim 9, wherein the copied metadata includes information related to a network connection that the first storage array has to third storage array.

14. The storage network of claim 9, wherein each metadata have an attribute associated therewith, and the replication engine reads the attribute to determine whether to copy that metadata.

15. The storage network of claim 9, further comprising the host executing the storage application, the storage application accomplishing the extended storage functionality by communicating with the first virtual array before the data migration event and with the second virtual array after completion of the data migration event.

16. A storage array comprising:

logical units of storage (LUNs) organized into a virtual array;

memory storing metadata representing information critical to a proper operation of a storage application executing on a host, the metadata being associated with the virtual array;

program code that is an array-side component of the storage application executing on the host and that cooperates with the storage application in order to provide extended storage functionality at the storage array, the program code generating the metadata stored in the memory;

a replication engine copying, during a data migration event in which data resident in the LUNs of the virtual array are copied to a destination virtual array, the metadata stored in the memory to a destination storage array having the destination virtual array, to enable the proper operation of the storage application executing on the host to continue after the data migration event completes.

17. The storage array of claim 16, wherein the program code, during its execution, updates the metadata, and wherein the replication engine replicates each update to the metadata and forwards each replicated update to the destination storage array.

18. The storage array of claim 16, wherein the metadata are organized as logical units of storage (LUNs).

19. The storage array of claim 18, wherein each metadata LUN is not exposed to the host.

20. The storage array of claim 16, wherein the copied metadata includes information related to a network connection that the storage array of claim 16 has to another storage array.

21. The storage array of claim 16, wherein the metadata have an attribute associated therewith, and the replication engine reads the attribute to determine whether to copy the metadata.