Storage replication systems and methods

• US 8,762,337 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Madan, Nitin, Josyula, Subrahmanyam
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, Yuk Ting
• Application Number:
  US12/610,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/639
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems

Abstract

Systems and methods for information storage replication are presented. In one embodiment a replication method includes performing an intelligent synchronization process of selected portions of a primary image and intelligent verification of the accuracy of the replication. The intelligent synchronization process can include forwarding information if the information is in use (e.g., has been altered, written to, etc.) and the intelligent verification can be performed on the information in use.

Claims

1. A replication method comprising:

performing an intelligent synchronization process of relevant portions of an image, wherein said intelligent synchronization process comprises at least determining if information within a storage range is in use by receiving and examining a mapping of the information within the storage range, wherein the storage range is a dynamically configurable; and

performing an intelligent storage verification process, wherein said intelligent storage verification process comprises;

quiescing a primary system;

determining portions of primary system storage resources of the primary system that are in use;

taking a primary snapshot of primary system storage information associated with said primary system storage resources that is in use;

injecting a marker in a data stream from said primary system;

taking a secondary snapshot of secondary system storage information associated with secondary system storage resources of a secondary system that is in use; and

comparing said primary snapshot to said secondary snapshot;

wherein the intelligent synchronization process further comprises forwarding information within the storage range to the secondary system storage resources in the event said information is determined to be in use.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said intelligent synchronization process further comprises:

incrementing a storage location indication in accordance with said storage range.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said determining if information within the storage range of the primary system storage sources is in use includes querying a file system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the primary system storage resources comprise thick provisioned storage resources and the secondary system storage resources comprise thinly provisioned storage resources.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said storage range is similar to a storage block.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said storage range is dynamically configurable to natural boundaries of storage resources.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said primary snapshot is included in a primary storage resource and said secondary snapshot is included in a secondary storage resource.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said intelligent synchronization process includes determining if information in a primary source is different from a secondary source.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising performing a correction process for portions of said secondary system storage information that does not match corresponding portions of said primary system storage information.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

performing an intelligent synchronization process of relevant portions of an image, wherein said intelligent synchronization process comprises at least determining if information within a storage range is in use by receiving and examining a mapping of the information within the storage range, wherein the storage range is dynamically configurable; and

performing an intelligent storage verification process, wherein said intelligent storage verification process comprises;

quiescing a primary system;

determining portions of primary system storage resources of the primary system that are in use;

taking a primary snapshot of primary system storage information associated with said primary system storage resources that is in use;

injecting a marker in a data stream from said primary system;

taking a secondary snapshot of secondary system storage information associated with secondary system storage resources of a secondary system that is in use; and

comparing said primary snapshot to said secondary snapshot;

wherein the intelligent synchronization process further comprises forwarding information within the storage range to the secondary system storage resources in the event said information is determined to be in use.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein said intelligent synchronization process further comprises:

incrementing a storage location indication in accordance with said storage range, wherein the primary system storage resources comprise thick provisioned storage resources and the secondary system storage resources comprise thinly provisioned storage resources.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein said storage range is a storage block.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein said storage range is dynamically configurable to natural boundaries of storage resources.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein said primary image is included in a primary storage resource and said secondary image is included in a secondary storage resource.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein intelligent synchronization process includes determining if information in a primary source is different from a secondary source.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 further comprising performing a correction process for portions of said secondary system storage information that does not match corresponding portions of primary system storage information.

17. A multivolume file system, comprising:

a computer system having a processor coupled to a computer readable storage media and executing computer readable code which causes the computer system to;

perform an intelligent synchronization process of relevant portions of an image, wherein said intelligent synchronization process comprises at least determining if information within a storage range is in use by receiving and examining a mapping of the information within the storage range, wherein the storage range is dynamically configurable; and

perform an intelligent storage verification process, wherein said intelligent storage verification process comprises;

quiesce a primary system;

determine portions of primary system storage resources of the primary system that are in use;

take a primary snapshot of primary system storage information associated with said primary system storage resources that is in use;

inject a marker in a data stream from said primary system;

take a secondary snapshot of secondary system storage information associated with secondary system storage resources of a secondary system that is in use; and

compare said primary snapshot to said secondary snapshot;

wherein the intelligent synchronization process further comprises forwarding information within said storage range to the secondary system storage resources in the event said information is determined to be in use.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said intelligent synchronization process further comprises:

incrementing a storage location indication in accordance with said storage range, wherein the primary system storage resources comprise thick provisioned storage resources and the secondary system storage resources comprise a thinly provisioned storage resource.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein said intelligent synchronization process includes determining if information is in use includes querying a file system.