Point-in-time copies in a cascade using maps and fdisks

• US 8,688,936 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2009
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Agombar, John P., Beeken, Christopher B., Fuente, Carlos F., Scales, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRADLEY, MATTHEW A
• Application Number:
  US13/125,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20110208932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 711/161, 711/162, 711/E12.103, 707640-660
• 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 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data

Abstract

A technique for handling a FlashCopy® process includes receiving a FlashCopy® instruction for a source disk, performing a FlashCopy® point in time copy of the source disk on to a target disk, creating a map specifying the FlashCopy® point in time copy from the source disk to the target disk, creating a primary fdisk for the source disk, if one does not already exist, and creating a primary fdisk for the target disk, if one does not already exist, or, if one does already exist, converting the existing primary fdisk for the target disk into a secondary fdisk, and creating a new primary fdisk for the target disk.

Claims

1. A system for handling a copy process comprising:

a processor arranged to;

for a point in time copy from a source disk to a target disk that are part of a cascade of disks, wherein the cascade represents a series of point in time copies between the disks, create a map specifying the point in time copy from the source disk to the target disk;

in response to determining that a primary fdisk does not exist for the source disk, create the primary fdisk for the source disk, wherein the primary fdisk for the source disk comprises an object that links the source disk to maps upstream and downstream within a cascade;

in response to determining that a primary fdisk does not exist for the target disk, create the primary fdisk for the target disk, wherein the primary fdisk for the target disk comprises an object that links the target disk to maps upstream and downstream within the cascade; and

in response to determining that the primary fdisk for the target disk does exist,

convert the existing primary fdisk for the target disk into a secondary fdisk; and

create a new primary fdisk for the target disk.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further arranged to:

link the created map to the primary fdisk for the source disk and the primary fdisk for the target disk in the cascade.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is further arranged to:

receive an IO command for a specific disk; and

process the IO command according to a predefined set of rules relating to the existence of primary and secondary fdisks for the specific disk.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the predefined set of rules define cleaning of a secondary fdisk prior to processing the IO command, and wherein the processor is further arranged to:

copy data from the specific disk to a target disk defined in a map linked to a secondary disk.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one target disk among the disks from an earlier point in time copy becomes a source disk for a new point in time copy.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein a source disk is represented in multiple cascades with different fdisks.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein a source disk is represented at different positions within a cascade with different fdisks.

8. A computer program product on a non-transitory computer readable medium for handling a copy process, the product comprising instructions for:

for a point in time copy from a source disk to a target disk that are part of a cascade of disks, wherein the cascade represents a series of point in time copies between the disks, creating a map specifying the point in time copy from the source disk to the target disk;

in response to determining that a primary fdisk does not exist for the source disk, creating the primary fdisk for the source disk, wherein the primary fdisk for the source disk comprises an object that links the source disk to maps upstream and downstream within a cascade;

in response to determining that a primary fdisk does not exist for the target disk, creating the primary fdisk for the target disk, wherein the primary fdisk for the target disk comprises an object that links the target disk to maps upstream and downstream within the cascade; and

in response to determining that the primary fdisk for the target disk does exist,

converting the existing primary fdisk for the target disk into a secondary fdisk; and

creating a new primary fdisk for the target disk.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the instructions further comprise:

linking the created map to the primary fdisk for the source disk and the primary fdisk for the target disk in the cascade.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the instructions further comprise:

receiving an IO command for a specific disk; and

processing the IO command according to a predefined set of rules relating to the existence of primary and secondary fdisks for the specific disk.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the predefined set of rules define cleaning of a secondary fdisk prior to processing the IO command, and wherein the instructions further comprise:

copying data from the specific disk to a target disk defined in a map linked to a secondary disk.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein at least one target disk among the disks from an earlier point in time copy becomes a source disk for a new point in time copy.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a source disk is represented in multiple cascades with different fdisks.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a source disk is represented at different positions within a cascade with different fdisks.