Continuous protection of data and storage management configuration

• US 9,679,039 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2015
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Nickurak, Jeremy J., Bromling, Steven, Cutts, Peter D., Salamon, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertram, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US14/822,060
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1827 Management specifically adapted to NAS management of storage area networks [SAN] G06F3/067
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms

Abstract

A system is provided for continuous protection of data and storage configuration metadata. Content protected by snapshots, for example, in connection with continuous snapshotting and/or continuous data protection, may be extended to include not only user data but further include configuration metadata of the storage management system. In particular, a user may want to rollback a storage management system to a past point due to performance or stability issues attributed to configuration changes. The system described herein enables rollback to prior states based on storage configuration metadata in addition to rollback of user data and provides for synchronization of the data and configuration metadata in connection with a rollback. The system also enables roll forward processing.

Claims

1. A method for performing rollback processing of a storage system, comprising:

determining a prior state of the storage system for rollback;

identifying a data point-in-time image of the storage system corresponding to the prior state;

rolling back data of the storage system corresponding to the data point-in-time image;

identifying a configuration metadata point-in-time image of the storage system corresponding to the prior state;

attaching a first tag to the data point-in-time image and a second tag to the configuration metadata point-in-time image; and

rolling back a configuration of the storage system corresponding to the configuration metadata point-in-time image, wherein the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image are created independently of each other and wherein the first tag and the second tag are generated independently of each other.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image are automatically synchronized, and wherein synchronization of the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image is indicated using the first tag of the data point-in-time image and the second tag of the configuration metadata point-in-time image.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rolling back of the data using the data point-in-time image is independent of the rolling back of the configuration using the configuration metadata point-in-time image.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

rolling the storage system forward to restore an original state of the storage system to a state prior to the rollback processing, wherein the rolling forward corresponds to at least one of;

data of the storage system at the original state or configuration of the storage system at the original state.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image correspond to at least one of:

(i) a storage volume of the storage system;

(ii) a consistency group of multiple storage volumes of the storage system;

or (iii) multiple consistency groups of one or more storage systems.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing software for performing rollback processing of a storage system, the software comprising:

executable code that enables determination of a prior state of the storage system for rollback;

executable code that identifies a data point-in-time image of the storage system corresponding to the prior state;

executable code that rolls back data of the storage system corresponding to the data point-in-time image;

executable code that identifies a configuration metadata point-in-time image of the storage system corresponding to the prior state;

executable code that attaches a first tag to the data point-in-time image and a second tag to the configuration metadata point-in-time image; and

executable code that rolls back a configuration of the storage system corresponding to the configuration metadata point-in-time image, wherein the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image are created independently of each other and wherein the first tag and the second tag are generated independently of each other.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 6,

wherein the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image are automatically synchronized, and wherein synchronization of the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image is indicated using the first tag of the data point-in-time image and the second tag of the configuration metadata point-in-time image.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 6, wherein the rolling back of the data using the data point-in-time image is independent of the rolling back of the configuration using the configuration metadata point-in-time image.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 6, further comprising:

executable code that rolls the storage system forward to restore an original state of the storage system to a state prior to the rollback processing, wherein the rolling forward corresponds to at least one of;

data of the storage system at the original state or configuration of the storage system at the original state.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 6, wherein the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image correspond to at least one of:

(i) a storage volume of the storage system;

(ii) a consistency group of multiple storage volumes of the storage system;

or (iii) multiple consistency groups of one or more storage systems.

11. A data storage device, comprising:

a plurality of disks that store data;

a plurality of disk adaptors coupled to the disks;

a memory coupled to the disk adaptors; and

a plurality of host adaptors coupled to the memory, wherein a non-transitory computer readable medium stores software for performing rollback processing of a storage system, the software having executable code that enables determination of a prior state of the storage system for rollback, executable code that identifies a data point-in-time image of the storage system corresponding to the prior state, executable code that rolls back data of the storage system corresponding to the data point-in-time image, executable code that identifies a configuration metadata point-in-time image of the storage system corresponding to the prior state, executable code that attaches a first tag to the data point-in-time image and a second tag to the configuration metadata point-in-time image, and executable code that rolls back a configuration of the storage system corresponding to the configuration metadata point-in-time image, wherein the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image are created independently of each other and wherein the first tag and the second tag are generated independently of each other.

12. The storage system according to claim 11, wherein the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image are automatically synchronized, and wherein synchronization of the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image is indicated using a first tag of the data point-in-time image and a second tag of the configuration metadata point-in-time image.

13. The storage system according to claim 11, wherein the rolling back of the data using the data point-in-time image is independent of the rolling back of the configuration using the configuration metadata point-in-time image.

14. The storage system according to claim 11, wherein the software also includes executable code that rolls the storage system forward to restore an original state of the storage system to a state prior to the rollback processing, wherein the rolling forward corresponds to at least one of:

data of the storage system at the original state or configuration of the storage system at the original state.

15. The storage system according to claim 11, wherein the data point-in-time image and the configuration metadata point-in-time image correspond to at least one of:

(i) a storage volume of the storage system;

(ii) a consistency group of multiple storage volumes of the storage system;

or (iii) multiple consistency groups of one or more storage systems.