Managing data relocation in storage systems

• US 9,710,187 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Ye, Mao, Qi, Si, Yining, Chen, Xiangping
• Primary Examiner(s): Rossiter, Sean D
• Application Number:
  US13/929,580
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 711114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0614 Improving the reliability of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A method is used in managing data relocation in storage systems. A request is received to write to a slice of storage tier in a data storage system where the slice is being relocated. The relocation of the slice includes copying data of the slice to another slice in the data storage system. Location within the slice at which the request to write to the slice has been received is determined. Based on the determination, relocation of the slice of the storage tier is effected.

Claims

1. A method for use in managing data relocation in storage systems, the method comprising:

receiving a request to write to a slice of storage tier in a data storage system, wherein the slice is being relocated, wherein relocation of the slice includes copying data of the slice to a target slice in the data storage system;

determining location within the slice at which the request to write to the slice has been received, wherein the location is indicated by an offset within the slice;

determining a current relocation position within the slice, wherein the current relocation position within the slice indicates a portion of slice that has been relocated to the target slice;

based on the determination of the current relocation position and the location, writing data associated with the request to write to the slice to both the slice and the target slice upon determining that the location is before the current relocation position indicating that data of the slice up to the location has been relocated to the target slice; and

based on the determination of the current relocation position and the location, writing data associated with the request to write to the slice to only the slice upon determining that the location is after the current relocation position indicating that the data of the slice from the current relocation position to the location has not been relocated to the target slice.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the location within the slice at which the request to write to the slice has been received is prior to a current copy point location, wherein the current copy location indicates a current position for a relocation process indicating how much data of the slice has been relocated.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein effecting the relocation further comprising:

based upon the determination, writing host data associated with the request to write to the slice to the slice at the location and writing the host data to the target slice at the location.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein effecting the relocation further comprising:

based upon the determination, writing host data associated with the request to write to the slice to the slice at the location.

5. The method claim 1, wherein the request to write to the slice is received from a host.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a mapped LUN driver receives the request to write to the slice and sends the request to a file system mapping driver, wherein the file system mapping driver sends the request to a sparse volume management logic.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the sparse volume management logic provides primary and secondary write extents based on the determination of the location within the slice.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the sparse volume management logic provides a primary write extent based on the determination of the location within the slice.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the slice is a logical representation of a subset of physical disk storage.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the slice resides on the data storage system, wherein the data storage system includes a disk drive system comprising a plurality of Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) systems, each RAID system of the plurality of RAID systems having a first disk drive and a second disk drive.

11. A system for use in managing data relocation in storage systems, the system comprising a processor configured to:

receive a request to write to a slice of storage tier in a data storage system, wherein the slice is being relocated, wherein relocation of the slice includes copying data of the slice to a target slice in the data storage system;

determine location within the slice at which the request to write to the slice has been received, wherein the location is indicated by an offset within the slice;

determine a current relocation position within the slice, wherein the current relocation position within the slice indicates a portion of slice that has been relocated to the target slice;

based on the determination of the current relocation position and the location, write data associated with the request to write to the slice to both the slice and the target slice upon determining that the location is before the current relocation position indicating that data of the slice up to the location has been relocated to the target slice; and

based on the determination of the current relocation position and the location, write data associated with the request to write to the slice to only the slice upon determining that the location is after the current relocation position indicating that the data of the slice from the current relocation position to the location has not been relocated to the target slice.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

determine whether the location within the slice at which the request to write to the slice has been received is prior to a current copy point location, wherein the current copy location indicates a current position for a relocation process indicating how much data of the slice has been relocated.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein effect the relocation further comprising:

based upon the determination, write host data associated with the request to write to the slice to the slice at the location and writing the host data to the target slice at the location.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein effect the relocation further comprising:

based upon the determination, write host data associated with the request to write to the slice to the slice at the location.

15. The system claim 11, wherein the request to write to the slice is received from a host.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein a mapped LUN driver receives the request to write to the slice and sends the request to a file system mapping driver, wherein the file system mapping driver sends the request to a sparse volume management logic.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the sparse volume management logic provides primary and secondary write extents based on the determination of the location within the slice.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the sparse volume management logic provides a primary write extent based on the determination of the location within the slice.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the slice is a logical representation of a subset of physical disk storage.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the slice resides on the data storage system, wherein the data storage system includes a disk drive system comprising a plurality of Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) systems, each RAID system of the plurality of RAID systems having a first disk drive and a second disk drive.