Systems and methods for simultaneously providing multiple data protection functions

• US 8,452,931 B1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Singh, Abhay, Rokade, Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHNEE, HAL W
• Application Number:
  US12/688,102
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162, 711/163, 711/E12.103, 711/112
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2056 by mirroring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for simultaneously providing multiple data protection functions may include identifying a storage appliance that provides a plurality of data protection functions to a production system. The computer-implemented method may also include identifying a splitter channel from the production system to the storage appliance. The computer-implemented method may further include creating a synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance. The computer-implemented method may additionally include transmitting changes made to data on the production system to the storage appliance via the splitter channel. The computer-implemented method may also include synchronizing data on the production system to the storage appliance via the synchronization channel. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for simultaneously providing multiple data protection functions, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

identifying a storage appliance that provides a plurality of data protection functions to a production system, wherein at least a portion of data on the production system is stored on a direct-attached storage device, the direct-attached storage device is directly attached to the production system, and the storage appliance cannot directly access data on the direct-attached storage device;

identifying a splitter channel for transmitting data changes from the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance;

creating a synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance by exposing at least one virtual LUN from the storage appliance to the production system;

performing a replication data protection function for the production system by transmitting changes made to data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance via the splitter channel;

performing a synchronization data protection function for the production system simultaneously with the replication data protection function by synchronizing data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance via the synchronization channel, wherein;

performing the synchronization data protection function comprises performing an initial synchronization of application data on the direct-attached storage device;

the synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance is configured via the at least one virtual LUN such that performing the initial synchronization of the application data while the replication data protection function is being performed does not interfere with the replication data protection function and the initial synchronization is not severely degraded by being throttled to allow the replication data protection function to remain active.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance is configured such that the synchronization data protection function can be performed without causing the replication data protection function to fail.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the splitter channel comprises exposing the at least one virtual LUN from the storage appliance to the production system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein creating the synchronization channel comprises exposing the at least one virtual LUN from the storage appliance to the production system.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein creating the synchronization channel comprises creating a channel for each data protection function provided by the storage appliance that requires synchronization.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein performing the synchronization data protection function for the production system simultaneously with the replication data protection function by synchronizing the data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance comprises dividing the data into blocks.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein performing the synchronization data protection function for the production system simultaneously with the replication data protection function by synchronizing the data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance further comprises, for each block that is not synchronized:

locking the unsynchronized block;

reading data from the unsynchronized block;

writing the data from the unsynchronized block to the storage appliance via the synchronization channel;

unlocking the unsynchronized block.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein, for each block that is not synchronized, locking the unsynchronized block comprises:

intercepting an attempt to write to the unsynchronized block;

locking the unsynchronized block before allowing the write attempt.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein

the initial synchronization is performed by a continuous-data-protection system.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein performing the replication data protection function for the production system by transmitting changes made to the data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance via the splitter channel comprises:

intercepting attempts to write to the production system;

for each intercepted write attempt;

copying the intercepted write attempt;

transmitting the intercepted write attempt to the storage appliance via the splitter channel.

11. A system for simultaneously providing multiple data protection functions, the system comprising:

an identification module programmed to;

identify a storage appliance that provides a plurality of data protection functions to a production system, wherein at least a portion of data on the production system is stored on a direct-attached storage device, the direct-attached storage device is directly attached to the production system, and the storage appliance cannot directly access data on the direct-attached storage device;

identify a splitter channel for transmitting data changes from the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance;

a creation module programmed to create a synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance by exposing at least one virtual LUN from the storage appliance to the production system;

a transmission module programmed to perform a replication data protection function for the production system by transmitting changes made to data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance via the splitter channel;

a synchronization module programmed to perform a synchronization data protection function for the production system simultaneously with the replication data protection function by synchronizing data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance via the synchronization channel, wherein;

the synchronization module performs the synchronization data protection function by performing an initial synchronization of application data on the direct-attached storage device;

the synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance is configured via the at least one virtual LUN such that performing the initial synchronization of the application data while the replication data protection function is being performed does not interfere with the replication data protection function and the initial synchronization is not severely degraded by being throttled to allow the replication data protection function to remain active;

at least one processor configured to execute the identification module, the creation module, the transmission module, and the synchronization module.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance is configured such that the synchronization data protection function does not waste network bandwidth.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the identification module is programmed to identify the splitter channel by exposing the at least one virtual LUN from the storage appliance to the production system.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the creation module is programmed to create the synchronization channel by exposing the at least one virtual LUN from the storage appliance to the production system.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the creation module is programmed to create the synchronization channel by creating a channel for each data protection function provided by the storage appliance that requires synchronization.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the synchronization module is programmed to perform the synchronization data protection function for the production system simultaneously with the replication data protection function by synchronizing the data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance by dividing the data into blocks.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the synchronization module is further programmed to perform the synchronization data protection function for the production system simultaneously with the replication data protection function by synchronizing the data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance by, for each block that is not synchronized:

locking the unsynchronized block;

reading data from the unsynchronized block;

writing the data from the unsynchronized block to the storage appliance via the synchronization channel;

unlocking the unsynchronized block.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein, for each block that is not synchronized, the synchronization module is programmed to lock the unsynchronized block by:

intercepting an attempt to write to the unsynchronized block;

locking the unsynchronized block before allowing the write attempt.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein

the synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance is configured such that the replication data protection function is unaffected by the synchronization data protection function.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

identify a storage appliance that provides a plurality of data protection functions to a production system, wherein at least a portion of data on the production system is stored on a direct-attached storage device, the direct-attached storage device is directly attached to the production system, and the storage appliance cannot directly access data on the direct-attached storage device;

identify a splitter channel for transmitting data changes from the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance;

create a synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance by exposing at least one virtual LUN from the storage appliance to the production system;

perform a replication data protection function for the production system by transmitting changes made to data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance via the splitter channel;

perform a synchronization data protection function for the production system simultaneously with the replication data protection function by synchronizing data on the direct-attached storage device of the production system to the storage appliance via the synchronization channel, wherein;

performing the synchronization data protection function comprises performing an initial synchronization of application data on the direct-attached storage device;

the synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance is configured via the at least one virtual LUN such that performing the initial synchronization of the application data while the replication data protection function is being performed does not interfere with the replication data protection function and the initial synchronization is not severely degraded by being throttled to allow the replication data protection function to remain active.