Remote copy system

• US 7,590,809 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ninose, Kenta, Arakawa, Hiroshi, Hirakawa, Yusuke, Asaka, Yoshihiro, Iwamura, Takashige
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough; Hyung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ruiz; Aracelis
• Application Number:
  US11/015,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2058 using more than 2 mirrored copies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2066 Optimisation of the communication load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation

Abstract

To provide a computer system constituting a multitarget array and utilizing a remote copy technique for backing up data, in which when a failure occurs in a primary site, a new pair is formed between remaining two secondary sites without copying all data. A first secondary site is associated with the primary site by synchronous remote copy. A second secondary site is associated with the primary site by asynchronous remote copy. A storage system of the first secondary site includes a difference bitmap indicating an area to which data has been written from a host computer. When a failure occurs in a host computer of the primary site, only data of an area indicated by the difference bitmap is transferred to a storage system of the second secondary site.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a first storage system that is coupled to a first host computer;

a second storage system that is coupled to a second host computer and the first storage system; and

a third storage system that is coupled to the first storage system and the second storage system, wherein;

the first storage systems;

stores data sent from the first host computer,

transfers the data sent from the first host computer to the second storage system by synchronous remote copy, and

transfers the data sent from the first host computer to the third storage system by asynchronous remote copy; and

the second storage system;

comprises a first difference bitmap,

updates a bit of the first difference bitmap corresponding to an area to which the data has been written from the second host computer after data is written from the second host computer to the second storage system,

transfers the data stored in the area corresponding to the updated bit of the first difference bitmap to the third storage system,

instructs the third storage system to delete a pair relationship between the third storage system and the first storage system in response to detecting a failure of the first storage system,

monitors a journal transfer between the first storage system and the third storage system to determine that the pair relationship between the first storage system and the third storage system is deleted,

creates a third difference bitmap used in connection with asynchronous transfers from the second storage system to the third storage system when it is determined that the pair relationship between the first storage system and the third storage system is deleted,

copies bit values of the first difference bitmap to the third difference bitmap, and

transfers data from the second storage system to the third storage system based upon the bit values of the third difference bitmap.

2. The computer system according to claim 1,

wherein before the second storage system transfers the data stored in the area corresponding to the updated bit of the first difference bitmap to the third storage system,

the first storage system stops writing data sent from the first host computer,

the second storage system stops transferring data between the first storage system and the second storage system by the synchronous remote copy, and

the first storage system and the third storage system completes transferring data therebetween by the asynchronous remote copy.

3. The computer system according to claim 2,

wherein before stopping transferring the data between the first storage system and the second storage system by the synchronous remote copy, the first storage system stops writing the data sent from the first host computer.

4. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first storage system comprises a second difference bitmap;

the second storage system stops transferring data between the first storage system and the second storage system by the synchronous remote copy;

the first storage system updates a bit of the second difference bitmap corresponding to an area to which the data has been written from the first host computer after the second storage system stops transferring data between the first storage system and the second storage system by the synchronous remote copy;

the first storage system and the third storage system complete transferring data therebetween by the asynchronous remote copy; and

the second storage system transfers to the third storage system the data stored in the area corresponding to the updated bit of the second difference bitmap.

5. A control method for a computer system,

the computer system comprising:

a first storage system that is coupled to a first host computer;

a second storage system that is coupled to a second host computer and the first storage system, and comprises a first difference bitmap; and

a third storage system that is coupled to the first storage system and the second storage system, the control method comprising the steps of;

transferring data written from the first host computer to the second storage system by synchronous remote copy;

further transferring the data written from the first host computer to the third storage system by asynchronous remote copy;

writing data sent from the second host computer to the second storage system;

updating a bit of the first difference bitmap corresponding to an area to which the data has been written from the second host computer;

transferring the data stored in the area corresponding to the updated bit of the first difference bitmap from the second storage system to the third storage system;

detecting a failure of the first storage system;

instructing the third storage system to delete a pair relationship between the third storage system and the first storage system when the failure of the first storage system is detected,

monitoring a journal transfer between the first storage system and the third storage system to determine that the pair relationship between the first storage system and the third storage system is deleted,

creating a third difference bitmap used in connection with asynchronous transfers from the second storage system to the third storage system when it is determined that the pair relationship between the first storage system and the third storage system is deleted,

copying bit values of the first difference bitmap to the third difference bitmap, and

transferring data from the second storage system to the third storage system based upon the bit values of the third difference bitmap.

6. The control method for a computer system according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

stopping writing data sent from the first host computer to the first storage system;

stopping transferring data between the first storage system and the second storage system by the synchronous remote copy; and

completing transferring data between the first storage system and the third storage system by the asynchronous remote copy,

wherein the steps stated above are executed before the step of transferring the data stored in the area corresponding to the updated bit of the first difference bitmap from the second storage system to the third storage system.

7. The control method for a computer system according to claim 6,

wherein the step of stopping writing of the data sent from the first host computer to the first storage system is executed before the step of stopping transferring the data between the first storage system and the second storage system by the synchronous remote copy.

8. The control method for a computer system according to claim 5,

wherein the first storage system comprises a second difference bitmap,

the control method further comprising the steps of:

stopping transferring data between the first storage system and the second storage system by the synchronous remote copy;

updating the bit of the second difference bitmap corresponding to an area to which the data has been written from the first host computer after stopping transferring data between the first storage system and the second storage system by the synchronous remote copy;

completing transferring data between the first storage system and the third storage system by the asynchronous remote copy; and

transferring the data stored in the area corresponding to the updated bit of the second difference bitmap from the second storage system to the third storage system.