Unified synchronous replication for block and file objects

• US 9,378,261 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Bono, Jean-Pierre, Tummala, Himabindu, Natanzon, Assaf
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US14/041,176
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication

Abstract

A technique for performing synchronous replication on both block and file-based objects provides a data storage system that internally stores data objects (e.g., LUNs, file systems, block-based vVOLs (virtual volumes), file-based vVOLs, VMDKs, etc.) in the form of respective files, such that each file provides a realization of a data object. The data storage system maps each such file to a respective logical volume, and each logical volume provides a block-based interface. As the data storage system receives IO requests specifying data to be written to a data object, the data storage system renders the IO requests as block-based requests, regardless of whether the IO requests are themselves block-based or file-based. A block-based replication splitter intercepts the block-based requests directed to the logical volumes and performs block-based, synchronous replication on the requests, thereby achieving synchronous replication of both block-based objects and file-based objects in a single, unified architecture.

Claims

1. A method of performing synchronous replication in a data storage system, comprising:

storing, in the data storage system, a file that provides a realization of a host file system;

receiving, in a file-based format, an IO request specifying data to be written to the host file system;

mapping the IO request to a block-based request that specifies data to be written in a block-based format;

sending the block-based request to a replication appliance configured to replicate block-based requests at a replication site;

receiving an acknowledgement from the replication appliance that the data specified in the block-based request sent to the replication appliance have been persisted;

in response to receiving the acknowledgement, processing the block-based request to effect a write operation on the file that provides the realization of the host file system; and

configuring, via a GUI (graphical user interface) application, a replication session manager for establishing a set of replication settings for the host file system, wherein the GUI application accepts user input for managing a range of operations of the data storage system, including configuring pool, configuring block-based objects and configuring file-based objects.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, in the data storage system, a second file that provides a realization of a LUN (logical storage unit);

receiving, in a block-based format, a second IO request specifying data to be written to the LUN;

sending the second IO request to the replication appliance;

receiving a second acknowledgement from the replication appliance that the data specified in the second IO request sent to the replication appliance have been persisted; and

in response to receiving the second acknowledgement, processing the second IO request to effect a write operation on the second file that provides the realization of the LUN.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, in the data storage system, a third file that provides a realization of a vVOL (virtual volume);

receiving a third IO request specifying data to be written to the vVOL;

sending the third IO request to the replication appliance;

receiving a third acknowledgement from the replication appliance that the data specified in the third IO request sent to the replication appliance have been persisted; and

in response to receiving the third acknowledgement, processing the third IO request to effect a write operation on the third file that provides the realization of the vVOL.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

configuring, via the GUI application, the replication session manager for establishing a second set of replication settings for the LUN.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the acts of sending the block-based request to the replication appliance and sending the second IO request to the replication appliance are performed by a replication splitter, and wherein the method further comprises the replication session manager (i) configuring the replication splitter to respond to IO requests directed to the host file system according the first set of replication settings established for the host file system and (ii) configuring the replication splitter to respond to IO requests directed to the LUN according the second set of replication settings established for the LUN.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein storing the second file includes providing the second file as part of an internal file system of the data storage system, the internal file system having associated therewith a set of restrictions to actions that may be performed on files of the internal file system, and wherein configuring the replication splitter to respond to IO requests directed to the LUN according the second set of replication settings includes directing the replication splitter to perform synchronous replication in compliance with the set of restrictions that apply to the internal file system in which the second file is provided.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

configuring, via the GUI application, the replication session manager for establishing a first set of failover settings for the host file system; and

configuring, via the GUI application, the replication session manager for establishing a second set of failover settings for the LUN,

wherein the GUI application accepts user input for managing a range of operations of the data storage system, including configuring pools, configuring block-based objects and configuring file-based objects.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

running a replication session manager in the data storage system; and

creating, by the replication session manager, synchronous replication sessions with destination objects for storing replicas of the host file system and the LUN automatically and without user specification of particular destination objects.

9. A data storage apparatus, comprising a set of processing units and memory, the memory coupled to the set of processing units, the set of processing units and the memory together forming a controller constructed and arranged to:

store, in the data storage system, a file that provides a realization of a host file system;

receive, in a file-based format, an IO request specifying data to be written to the host file system;

map the IO request to a block-based request that specifies data to be written in a block-based format;

send the block-based request to a replication appliance configured to replicate block-based requests at a replication site;

receive an acknowledgement from the replication appliance that the data specified in the block-based request sent to the replication appliance have been persisted;

in response to receiving the acknowledgement, process the block-based request to effect a write operation on the file that provides the realization of the host file system; and

configure, via a GUI (graphical user interface) application, a replication session manager for establishing a set of replication settings for the host file system,

wherein the GUI application accepts user input for managing a range of operations of the data storage system, including configuring pools, configuring block-based objects and configuring file-based objects.

10. The data storage apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is further constructed and arranged to:

store, in the data storage system, a second file that provides a realization of a LUN (logical storage unit);

receive, in a block-based format, a second IO request specifying data to be written to the LUN;

send the second IO request to the replication appliance;

receive a second acknowledgement from the replication appliance that the data specified in the second IO request sent to the replication appliance have been persisted; and

in response to receiving the second acknowledgement, process the second IO request to effect a write operation on the second file that provides the realization of the LUN.

11. The data storage apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further constructed and arranged to:

store, in the data storage system, a third file that provides a realization of a vVOL (virtual volume);

receive a third IO request specifying data to be written to the vVOL;

send the third IO request to the replication appliance;

receive a third acknowledgement from the replication appliance that the data specified in the third IO request sent to the replication appliance have been persisted; and

in response to receiving the third acknowledgement, process the third IO request to effect a write operation on the third file that provides the realization of the vVOL.

12. The data storage apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further constructed and arranged to:

configure, via the GUI application, the replication session manager for establishing a second set of replication settings for the LUN.

13. The data storage apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is constructed and arranged to send the block-based request to the replication appliance and to send the second IO request to the replication appliance via a replication splitter, and wherein the controller is further constructed and arranged to operate the replication session manager to (i) configure the replication splitter to respond to IO requests directed to the host file system according the first set of replication settings, established for the host file system and (ii) configure the replication splitter to respond to IO requests directed to the LUN according the second set of replication settings, established for the LUN.

14. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions which, when executed by a controller of a data storage apparatus, cause the controller to perform a method of performing synchronous replication in a data storage system, comprising:

storing, in the data storage system, a file that provides a realization of a host file system;

receiving, in a file-based format, an IO request specifying data to be written to the host file system;

mapping the IO request to a block-based request that specifies data to be written in a block-based format;

sending the block-based request to a replication appliance configured to replicate block-based requests at a replication site;

receiving an acknowledgement from the replication appliance that the data specified in the block-based request sent to the replication appliance have been persisted;

in response to receiving the acknowledgement, processing the block-based request to effect a write operation on the file that provides the realization of the host file system; and

configuring, via a GUI (graphical user interface) application, a replication session manager for establishing a set of replication settings for the host file system,

wherein the GUI application accepts user input for managing a range of operations of the data storage system, including configuring block-based objects and configuring file-based objects.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

storing, in the data storage system, a second file that provides a realization of a LUN (logical storage unit);

receiving, in a block-based format, a second IO request specifying data to be written to the LUN;

sending the second IO request to the replication appliance;

receiving a second acknowledgement from the replication appliance that the data specified in the second IO request sent to the replication appliance have been persisted; and

in response to receiving the second acknowledgement, processing the second IO request to effect a write operation on the second file that provides the realization of the LUN.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

configuring, via the GUI application, the replication session manager for establishing a second set of replication settings for the LUN.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the acts of sending the block-based request to the replication appliance and sending the second IO request to the replication appliance are performed by a replication splitter, and wherein the method further comprises the replication session manager (i) configuring the replication splitter to respond to IO requests directed to the host file system according the first set of replication settings, established for the host file system and (ii) configuring the replication splitter to respond to IO requests directed to the LUN according the second set of replication settings, established for the LUN.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein storing the second file includes providing the second file as part of an internal file system of the data storage system, the internal file system having associated therewith a set of restrictions to actions that may be performed on files of the internal file system, and wherein configuring the replication splitter to respond to IO requests directed to the LUN according the second set of replication settings includes directing the replication splitter to perform synchronous replication in compliance with the set of restrictions that apply to the internal file system in which the second file is provided.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

configuring, via the GUI application, the replication session manager for establishing a first set of failover settings for the host file system; and

configuring, via the GUI application, the replication session manager for establishing a second set of failover settings for the LUN,

wherein the GUI application accepts user input for managing a range of operations of the data storage system, including configuring pools, configuring block-based objects and configuring file-based objects.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

running a replication session manager in the data storage system; and

creating, by the replication session manager, synchronous replication sessions with destination objects for storing replicas of the host file system and the LUN automatically and without user specification of particular destination objects.