Consolidating N-storage arrays into one storage array using virtual array non-disruptive data migration

• US 8,533,408 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• 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: Madnani, Kiran, Brown, Jeffrey A., Ofer, Adi
• Primary Examiner(s): PEUGH, BRIAN R
• Application Number:
  US11/427,744
• Time in Patent Office: 2,630 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• 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 system and method of migrating data stored in logical units of storage (LUNs) at a plurality of source storage arrays into one destination storage array transparently with respect to a host in communication with the source storage arrays through a switch. First and second source storage arrays and a destination storage array are each partitioned into a plurality of source virtual arrays. The destination virtual arrays include a first destination virtual array and a second destination virtual array. Data stored in a LUN of a first source virtual array of the first source storage array are copied to a corresponding LUN of the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array, and data stored in a LUN of a second source virtual array of the second source storage array are copied to a corresponding LUN of the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array.

Claims

1. A method of migrating data stored in logical units of storage (LUNs) at a plurality of source storage arrays into one destination storage array transparently with respect to a host in communication with the source storage arrays through a switch, the method comprising:

dividing a first physical source storage array into a plurality of source virtual arrays;

dividing a second different physical source storage array into a plurality of source virtual arrays;

dividing a destination physical storage array into a plurality of destination virtual arrays including a first destination virtual array and a second destination virtual array, wherein a virtual array comprises a plurality of LUNs;

copying, during a data migration event, data stored in a LUN of a first source virtual array of the first physical source storage array to a corresponding LUN of the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array;

copying, during the same data migration event, data stored in a LUN of a second source virtual array of the second physical source storage array to a corresponding LUN of the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array;

associating metadata with the first source virtual array of the first physical source storage array and metadata with the second source virtual array of the second physical storage array; and

copying, during the data migration event, the metadata associated with the first source virtual array to the first destination virtual array of the destination physical storage array and the metadata associated with the second source virtual array to the second destination virtual array of the destination physical storage array.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of copying a plurality of LUNs of the first source virtual array to corresponding LUNs of the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array and a plurality of LUNs of the second source virtual array to corresponding LUNs of the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array.

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

transferring, during the data migration event, connection information associated with the first source virtual array from the first source storage array to the destination storage array where said connection information becomes associated with the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array; and

transferring connection information associated with the second source virtual array of the second source storage array to the destination storage array where said connection information becomes associated with the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array,

wherein the connection information transferred to the destination storage array is used to route communications from the host to the first and second destination virtual arrays of the destination storage array to access the data copied thereto.

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

associating metadata with the first source virtual array of the first source storage array, the metadata being used by a storage application executing on the host to provide particular storage functionality at the first source storage array; and

copying, during the data migration event, the metadata associated with the first source virtual array to the first destination virtual array.

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

transferring management information associated with the first source virtual array from the first source storage array to the destination storage array where said management information becomes associated with the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array; and

transferring management information associated with the second source virtual array from the second source storage array to the destination storage array where said management information becomes associated with the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of assigning a unique logical serial number to the first source virtual array of the first source storage array and to the second source virtual array of the second source storage array, and

wherein the steps of transferring management information include transferring the logical serial number assigned to each source storage array to the destination storage array during the data migration event so that the logical serial number of the first source virtual array becomes associated with the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array and the logical serial number of the second source virtual array becomes associated with the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of assigning an array name to each source virtual array, and

wherein the steps of transferring management information include transferring the array name assigned to the first source virtual array to the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array and transferring the array name assigned to the second source virtual array to the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the steps of transferring the array names from the source virtual arrays to the destination virtual arrays include:

exchanging the array name of the first source virtual array with an array name of the first destination virtual array in an array name table; and

exchanging the array name of the second source virtual array with the array name of the second destination virtual array in the array name table.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of generating a gatekeeper for each source virtual array, and

wherein the steps of transferring management information include transferring the gatekeeper generated for the first source virtual array to the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array and transferring the gatekeeper generated for the second source virtual array to the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of assigning a unique network address to each source virtual array by which messages may be directed to that source virtual array over a network, and wherein the steps of transferring management information include transferring the network address assigned to first source virtual array to the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array and transferring the network address assigned to second source virtual array to the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the steps of transferring the network addresses from the source virtual arrays to the destination virtual arrays include:

exchanging the network address of the first source virtual array with a network address of the first destination virtual array at a Domain Name System (DNS) server; and

exchanging the network address of the second source virtual array with a network address of the second destination virtual array at the DNS server.

12. A storage network comprising:

a switch;

a destination physical storage array coupled to the switch, the destination storage array being partitioned into a plurality of destination virtual arrays including a first destination virtual array and a second destination virtual array, wherein a virtual array comprises a plurality of logical units of storage (LUNs);

a first physical source storage array coupled to the switch, the first physical source storage array being divided into at least one source virtual array including a first source virtual array, the first source virtual array having a LUN for storing data, the first physical source storage array having a replication engine that copies the data stored on the LUN of the first source virtual array to a corresponding LUN of the first destination virtual array during a data migration event;

a second, different physical source storage array coupled to the switch, the second physical source storage array being divided into at least one source virtual array including a second source virtual array, the second source virtual array having a LUN for storing data, the second source storage array having a replication engine that copies the data stored on the LUN of the second source virtual array to a corresponding LUN of the second destination virtual array during the same data migration event,

wherein each physical source storage array includes memory storing metadata, the metadata stored at the first physical source storage array being associated with the first source virtual array and the metadata stored in memory at the second physical storage array being associated with the second source virtual array, and

wherein, during the data migration event, the replication engine of the first physical source storage array copies the metadata associated with the first source virtual array to the destination physical storage array where said metadata becomes associated with the first destination virtual array and the replication engine of the second physical source storage array copies the metadata associated with the second source virtual array to the destination physical storage array where the metadata becomes associated with the second destination virtual array.

13. The storage network of claim 12, wherein the first source storage array has a controller that transfers, during the data migration event, connection information associated with the first source virtual array to the first destination virtual array, and the second source storage array has a controller that transfers, during the data migration event, connection information associated with the second source virtual array to the second destination virtual array, the connection information transferred to each destination virtual array being used by a host coupled to the switch to access the data copied to that destination virtual array.

14. The storage network of claim 12, wherein the first source storage array has a controller that, during the data migration event, transfers management information associated with the first source virtual array to the destination storage array where said management information becomes associated with the first destination virtual array, and the second source storage array has a controller that transfers management information associated with the second source virtual array to the destination storage array where said management information becomes associated with the second destination virtual array.

15. The storage network of claim 14, wherein the management information transferred to the first destination virtual array includes a unique logical serial number assigned to the first source virtual array and the management information transferred to the second destination virtual array includes a unique logical serial number assigned to the second source virtual array.

16. The storage network of claim 14, wherein the management information transferred to the first destination virtual array includes a unique network address assigned to the first source virtual array and the management information transferred to the second destination virtual array includes a unique network address assigned to the second source virtual array.

17. The storage network of claim 14, wherein the management information transferred to the first destination virtual array includes a gatekeeper generated for the first source virtual array, and the management information transferred to the second destination virtual array includes a gatekeeper generated for the second source virtual array.

18. The storage network of claim 14, wherein the management information transferred to the first destination virtual array includes an array name assigned to the first source virtual array, and the management information transferred to the second destination virtual array includes an array name assigned to the second source virtual array.

19. A method of migrating data stored in logical units of storage (LUNs) at a plurality of source storage arrays into one destination storage array transparently with respect to a host in communication with the source storage arrays through a switch, the method comprising:

dividing a first physical source storage array into a plurality of source virtual arrays;

dividing a second, different physical source storage array into a plurality of source virtual arrays;

dividing a physical destination storage array into a plurality of destination virtual arrays including a first destination virtual array and a second destination virtual array, wherein a virtual array comprises a plurality of LUNs;

copying, during a data migration event, data stored in a LUN of a first source virtual array of the first physical source storage array to a corresponding LUN of the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array and data stored in a LUN of a second source virtual array of the second physical source storage array to a corresponding LUN of the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array;

transferring, during the data migration event, connection information, management information, and metadata associated with the first source virtual array from the first physical source storage array to the destination storage array where said connection information, management information, and metadata become associated with the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array; and

transferring, during the data migration event, connection information, management information, and metadata associated with the second source virtual array of the second physical source storage array to the destination storage array where said connection information, management information, and metadata become associated with the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array.