Efficient flashcopy backup target volume allocation from a shared resource pool while ingesting a flashcopy backup in a repository

• US 9,454,315 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dain, Joseph W., Kishi, Gregory T., Shasha, Osnat, Zaremba, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Sadler, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US14/243,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20150286433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency ensuring consistency in mirrored systems G06F11/2064
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

Avoiding a collision between a new FlashCopy backup and an existing FlashCopy target volume containing an older FlashCopy backup being ingested into a repository by dynamically allocating a new FlashCopy target volume for the new FlashCopy backup.

Claims

1. A method for efficient point-in-time copy backup target volume allocation while ingesting a point-in-time copy backup by a processor device in a computing environment, the method comprising:

avoiding a collision between a new point-in-time copy backup and an existing point-in-time copy target volume containing an older point-in-time copy backup being ingested into a repository by dynamically allocating a new point-in-time copy target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup.

2. The method of claim 1, further including continuously ingesting the point-in-time copy backup on an existing point-in-time copy target volume into the repository while dynamically allocating the new point-in-time copy target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup, wherein the avoiding a collision includes avoiding a collision between a new point-in-time copy backup and one of a mount task, clone task, a pending ingest task, and a restore task.

3. The method of claim 2, further including dynamically allocating the new point-in-time copy target volume and a point-in-time copy map.

4. The method of claim 3, further including creating a consistency group and the point-in-time copy map.

5. The method of claim 4, further including monitoring and updating usability states of existing point-in-time copy target volumes.

6. The method of claim 5, further including deleting the consistency group, the point-in-time copy map, and the existing point-in-time copy target volume containing the older point-in-time copy backup after the older point-in-time copy backups are ingested into the repository.

7. The method of claim 6, further including dynamically cleaning at least one of the new target volume and the existing point-in-time copy target volumes.

8. A system for efficient point-in-time copy backup target volume allocation while ingesting a point-in-time copy backup in a computing environment, the system comprising:

at least one processor device operable in the computing storage environment, wherein processor device;

avoiding a collision between a new point-in-time copy backup and an existing point-in-time copy target volume containing an older point-in-time copy backup being ingested into a repository by dynamically allocating a new point-in-time copy target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor device continuously ingests the point-in-time copy backup on an existing point-in-time copy target volume into the repository while dynamically allocating the new point-in-time copy target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup, wherein the avoiding a collision includes avoiding a collision between a new point-in-time copy backup and one of a mount task, clone task, a pending ingest task, and a restore task.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor device dynamically allocates the new point-in-time copy target volume and a point-in-time copy map.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor device creates a consistency group and the point-in-time copy map.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor device monitors and updates usability states of existing point-in-time copy target volumes.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor device deletes the consistency group, the point-in-time copy map, and the existing point-in-time copy target volume containing the older point-in-time copy backup after the older point-in-time copy backups are ingested into the repository.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor device dynamically cleans at least one of the new target volume and the existing point-in-time copy target volumes.

15. A computer program product for efficient point-in-time copy backup target volume allocation while ingesting a point-in-time copy backup in a computing environment by a processor device, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion that avoids a collision between a new point-in-time copy backup and an existing point-in-time copy target volume containing an older point-in-time copy backup being ingested into a repository by dynamically allocating a new point-in-time copy target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further including a second executable portion that continuously ingests the point-in-time copy backup on an existing point-in-time copy target volume into the repository while dynamically allocating the new point-in-time copy target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup, wherein the avoiding a collision includes avoiding a collision between a new point-in-time copy backup and one of a mount task, clone task, a pending ingest task, and a restore task.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further including a third executable portion that dynamically allocates the new point-in-time copy target volume and a point-in-time copy map.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further including a fourth executable portion that creates a consistency group and the point-in-time copy map.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further including a fifth executable portion that performs at least one of:

monitoring and updating usability states of existing point-in-time copy target volumes, and

deleting the consistency group, the point-in-time copy map, and the existing point-in-time copy target volume containing the older point-in-time copy backup after the older point-in-time copy backups are ingested into the repository.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further including a sixth executable portion that dynamically cleans at least one of the new target volume and the existing point-in-time copy target volumes.