Reducing data loss in a computing storage environment

• US 9,471,450 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Serlin, Ziv, Best, Steven F., Girouard, Janice M., Shiran, Yehuda
• Primary Examiner(s): Yi, David X
• Assistant Examiner(s): Otto, Alan
• Application Number:
  US13/789,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20140258658A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 711/161, 711/162, 714/47.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• 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 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

For reducing data loss by a processor device in a computing storage environment, data blocks are prioritized for creating an N number of additional secondary copies of data using a vulnerability factor for identifying those of the data blocks having a probability of failure. The data blocks include at least a primary copy and a secondary copy of the data.

Claims

1. A method for reducing data loss by a processor device in a computing storage environment, the method comprising:

prioritizing a plurality of data blocks for creating an N number of additional secondary copies of data using a plurality of factors representing a vulnerability factor for each one of the plurality of data blocks for identifying those of the plurality of data blocks having a probability of failure, wherein the plurality of data blocks includes at least a primary copy and a secondary copy of the data;

comparing the vulnerability factor for one of the plurality of data blocks with the vulnerability factor of at least one alternative one of the plurality of data blocks and allocating resources to either the one of the plurality of data blocks or the at least one alternative one of the plurality of data blocks that has a greater vulnerability factor based on the comparison;

computing the vulnerability factor for each one of the plurality of data blocks;

using the vulnerability factor for determining whether the N number of the additional secondary copies are to be created;

creating a list of the plurality of data blocks;

adding to the list of the plurality of data blocks an N number of additional data blocks having free space for creating the N number of the additional secondary copies for those of the plurality of data blocks having the probability of failure; and

removing one of the primary copy, the secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies from one of the plurality of data blocks in the list if the one of the primary copy, the secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies has failed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data blocks includes at least a primary copy, a secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies of the data, wherein the primary copy, the secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies of the data are active, and the first one of the N number of the additional secondary copies is an active tertiary copy, and further including using the vulnerability factor for determining whether an additional number of the N number of the additional secondary copies are to be created.

3. The method of claim 1, further including, for computing the vulnerability factor, including the plurality of factors in the vulnerability factor for identifying a risk of failure for the plurality of data blocks, wherein the vulnerability factor includes a vulnerability score.

4. The method of claim 3, further including computing one of an overall system factor, a data category factor, an exact command that is being executed factor, a response from a command factor, a time of failure factor, a success factor, an immediate vulnerability of a specified storage device factor, and a backup copy factor to be included in the plurality of factors.

5. The method of claim 3, further including computing the plurality of factors for each executed command.

6. The method of claim 3, further including:

using the vulnerability score for the determining the probability of failure, and

using a final vulnerability score for determining whether the N number of the additional secondary copies are to be created and for determining a priority of creation for the N number of the additional secondary copies.

7. The method of claim 3, further including computing the vulnerability factor for each one of the plurality of data blocks by determining a multiplicative product of at least an immediate vulnerability of a specified storage device factor and a backup copy factor.

8. The method of claim 6, further including creating the N number of the additional secondary copies for those of the plurality of data blocks having the probability of failure.

9. The method of claim 1, further including using a plurality of thresholds values for determining the N number of the additional secondary copies that are required to be created.

10. The method of claim 9, further including creating the N number of the additional secondary copies for those of the plurality of data blocks having the vulnerability factor equal to one of the plurality of threshold values.

11. The method of claim 9, further including prioritizing the creation of the N number of the additional secondary copies according to the vulnerability factor, wherein those of the N number of the additional secondary copies having a higher value of the vulnerability factor are placed higher in priority in a command execution queue for creation.

12. A system for reducing data loss in a computing storage environment, the system comprising:

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

prioritizes a plurality of data blocks for creating an N number of additional secondary copies of data using a plurality of factors representing a vulnerability factor for each one of the plurality of data blocks for identifying those of the plurality of data blocks having a probability of failure, wherein the plurality of data blocks includes at least a primary copy and a secondary copy of the data,

compares the vulnerability factor for one of the plurality of data blocks with the vulnerability factor of at least one alternative one of the plurality of data blocks and allocating resources to either the one of the plurality of data blocks or the at least one alternative one of the plurality of data blocks that has a greater vulnerability factor based on the comparison,

computes the vulnerability factor for each one of the plurality of data blocks;

uses the vulnerability factor for determining whether the N number of the additional secondary copies are to be created,

creates a list of the plurality of data blocks,

adds to the list of the plurality of data blocks an N number of additional data blocks having free space for creating the N number of the additional secondary copies for those of the plurality of data blocks having the probability of failure, and

removes one of the primary copy, the secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies from one of the plurality of data blocks in the list if the one of the primary copy, the secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies has failed.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of data blocks further includes at least a primary copy, a secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies of the data, wherein the primary copy, the secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies of the data are active, and the first one of the N number of the additional secondary copies is an active tertiary copy, wherein the at least one processor device uses the vulnerability factor for determining whether an additional number of the N number of the additional secondary copies are to be created.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor device, for computing the vulnerability factor, includes the plurality of factors in the vulnerability factor for identifying a risk of failure for the plurality of data blocks, wherein the vulnerability factor includes a vulnerability score.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor device computes one of an overall system factor, a data category factor, an exact command that is being executed factor, a response from a command factor, a time of failure factor, a success factor, an immediate vulnerability of a specified storage device factor, and a backup copy factor to be included in the plurality of factors.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor device computes the plurality of factors for each executed command.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor device performs one of:

using the vulnerability score for the determining the probability of failure, and

using a final vulnerability score for determining whether the N number of the additional secondary copies are to be created and for determining a priority of creation for the N number of the additional secondary copies.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor device computes the vulnerability factor for each one of the plurality of data blocks by determining a multiplicative product of at least an immediate vulnerability of a specified storage device factor and a backup copy factor.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor device creates the N number of the additional secondary copies for those of the plurality of data blocks having the probability of failure.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor device uses a plurality of thresholds values for determining the N number of the additional secondary copies that are required to be created.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one processor device creates the N number of the additional secondary copies for those of the plurality of data blocks having the vulnerability factor equal to one of the plurality of threshold values.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one processor device prioritizes the creation of the N number of the additional secondary copies according to the vulnerability factor, wherein those of the N number of the additional secondary copies having a higher value of the vulnerability factor are placed higher in priority in a command execution queue for creation.

23. A computer program product for reducing data loss in a computing storage 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 prioritizes a plurality of data blocks for creating an N number of additional secondary copies of data using a plurality of factors representing a vulnerability factor for each one of the plurality of data blocks for identifying those of the plurality of data blocks having a probability of failure, wherein the plurality of data blocks includes at least a primary copy and a secondary copy of the data;

compares the vulnerability factor for one of the plurality of data blocks with the vulnerability factor of at least one alternative one of the plurality of data blocks and allocating resources to either the one of the plurality of data blocks or the at least one alternative one of the plurality of data blocks that has a greater vulnerability factor based on the comparison;

computes the vulnerability factor for each one of the plurality of data blocks;

uses the vulnerability factor for determining whether the N number of the additional secondary copies are to be created;

creates a list of the plurality of data blocks;

adds to the list of the plurality of data blocks an N number of additional data blocks having free space for creating the N number of the additional secondary copies for those of the plurality of data blocks having the probability of failure; and

removes one of the primary copy, the secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies from one of the plurality of data blocks in the list if the one of the primary copy, the secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies has failed.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the plurality of data blocks includes at least a primary copy, a secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies of the data, wherein the primary copy, the secondary copy, and the N number of the additional secondary copies of the data are active, and the first one of the N number of the additional secondary copies is an active tertiary copy, and further includes a second executable portion that uses the vulnerability factor for determining whether an additional number of the N number of the additional secondary copies are to be created.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, further including a second executable portion that, for computing the vulnerability factor, includes the plurality of factors in the vulnerability factor for identifying a risk of failure for the plurality of data blocks, wherein the vulnerability factor includes a vulnerability score.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further including a third executable portion that computes one of an overall system factor, a data category factor, an exact command that is being executed factor, a response from a command factor, a time of failure factor, a success factor, an immediate vulnerability of a specified storage device factor, and a backup copy factor to be included in the plurality of factors.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, further including a third executable portion that computes the plurality of factors for each executed command.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, further including a third executable portion that performs one of:

using the vulnerability score for the determining the probability of failure, and

using a final vulnerability score for determining whether the N number of the additional secondary copies are to be created and for determining a priority of creation for the N number of the additional secondary copies.

29. The computer program product of claim 25, further including a third executable portion that computes the vulnerability factor for each one of the plurality of data blocks by determining a multiplicative product of at least an immediate vulnerability of a specified storage device factor and a backup copy factor.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, further including a fourth executable portion that creates the N number of the additional secondary copies for those of the plurality of data blocks having the probability of failure.

31. The computer program product of claim 23, further including a second executable portion that using a plurality of thresholds values for determining the N number of the additional secondary copies that are required to be created.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, further including a third executable portion that creates the N number of the additional secondary copies for those of the plurality of data blocks having the vulnerability factor equal to one of the plurality of threshold values.

33. The computer program product of claim 31, further including a third executable portion that prioritizes the creation of the N number of the additional secondary copies according to the vulnerability factor, wherein those of the N number of the additional secondary copies having a higher value of the vulnerability factor are placed higher in priority in a command execution queue for creation.