Efficient FlashCopy backup target volume allocation with reuse and a shared resource pool

• US 9,817,724 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2014
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• 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:
  US14/243,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20150286542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• 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

Abstract

A new target volume for a new FlashCopy backup is dynamically allocated by performing at least one attempt to reuse an existing FlashCopy target volume containing older FlashCopy backups that have been previously ingested into a repository and are not currently being used as a source for at least one of a mount task, a clone task, and a restore task. If the at least one attempt to reuse the existing FlashCopy target volume fails, the new target volume is dynamically allocated from a global pool of FlashCopy backup target volumes.

Claims

1. A method for efficient point-in-time copy backup target volume allocation with reuse and a shared resource pool by a processor device in a computing environment, the method comprising:

dynamically allocating a new target volume for a new point-in-time copy backup by performing at least one attempt to reuse, when executing the new point-in-time copy backup, an existing point-in-time copy target volume containing older point-in-time copy backups that have been previously ingested into a repository and are not currently being used as a source for at least one of a mount task, a clone task, and a restore task;

wherein, if the at least one attempt to reuse the existing point-in-time copy target volume fails;

dynamically allocating the new target volume from a global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes;

wherein the new target volume is allocated to avoid a collision between the new point-in-time copy backup and the existing point-in-time copy target volume, the existing point-in-time copy target volume containing at least one of the older point-in-time copy backups currently being ingested into the repository.

2. The method of claim 1, further including determining whether the older point-in-time copy backups are currently being ingested into the repository and are currently being used as the source for at least one of the mount task, the clone task, and the restore task.

3. The method of claim 2, further including dynamically maintaining the global pool of at least one of flash copy maps, point-in-time copy backup target volumes and a consistency group in the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes for use by the new point-in-time copy backup.

4. The method of claim 3, further including performing the at least one attempt during a predefined threshold prior to dynamically allocating the new target volume from the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes.

5. The method of claim 4, further including retrieving at least one of the point-in-time copy maps, target volumes, and the consistency group from the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes for dynamically allocating the target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup.

6. The method of claim 5, further including creating the consistency group in the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes.

7. A system for efficient point-in-time copy backup target volume allocation with reuse and a shared resource pool in a computing environment, the system comprising:

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

dynamically allocates a new target volume for a new point-in-time copy backup by performing at least one attempt to reuse, when executing the new point-in-time copy backup, an existing point-in-time copy target volume containing older point-in-time copy backups that have been previously ingested into a repository and are not currently being used as a source for at least one of a mount task, a clone task, and a restore task;

wherein, if the at least one attempt to reuse the existing point-in-time copy target volume fails;

dynamically allocating the new target volume from a global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes;

wherein the new target volume is allocated to avoid a collision between the new point-in-time copy backup and the existing point-in-time copy target volume, the existing point-in-time copy target volume containing at least one of the older point-in-time copy backups currently being ingested into the repository.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor device determines whether the older point-in-time copy backups are currently being ingested into the repository and are currently being used as the source for at least one of the mount task, the clone task, and the restore task.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor device dynamically maintains the global pool of at least one of flash copy maps, point-in-time copy backup target volumes and a consistency group in the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes for use by the new point-in-time copy backup.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor device performs the at least one attempt during a predefined threshold prior to dynamically allocating the new target volume from the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor device retrieves at least one of the point-in-time copy maps, target volumes, and the consistency group from the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes for dynamically allocating the target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor device creates the consistency group in the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes.

13. A computer program product for efficient point-in-time copy backup target volume allocation with reuse and a shared resource pool 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 dynamically allocates a new target volume for a new point-in-time copy backup by performing at least one attempt to reuse, when executing the new point-in-time copy backup, an existing point-in-time copy target volume containing older point-in-time copy backups that have been previously ingested into a repository and are not currently being used as a source for at least one of a mount task, a clone task, and a restore task;

wherein, if the at least one attempt to reuse the existing point-in-time copy target volume fails;

dynamically allocating the new target volume from a global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes;

wherein the new target volume is allocated to avoid a collision between the new point-in-time copy backup and the existing point-in-time copy target volume, the existing point-in-time copy target volume containing at least one of the older point-in-time copy backups currently being ingested into the repository.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further including a second executable portion that determines whether the older point-in-time copy backups are currently being ingested into the repository and are currently being used as the source for at least one of the mount task, the clone task, and the restore task.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further including a third executable portion that dynamically maintains the global pool of at least one of flash copy maps, point-in-time copy backup target volumes and a consistency group in the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes for use by the new point-in-time copy backup.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further including a fourth executable portion that performs the at least one attempt during a predefined threshold prior to dynamically allocating the new target volume from the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further including a fifth executable portion that retrieves at least one of the point-in-time copy maps, target volumes, and the consistency group from the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes for dynamically allocating the target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further including a sixth executable portion that creates the consistency group in the global pool of point-in-time copy backup target volumes.