Storage apparatus for asynchronous remote copying

• US 7,600,089 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Muto, Yoshiaki, Takeuchi, Hisaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): BATAILLE, PIERRE MICHE
• Application Number:
  US11/640,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20070101078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162, 711/161, 711/165, 711/114, 711/111, 711/112, 711/113, 710/8
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2064 while ensuring consistency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques

Abstract

A storage apparatus is provided in which the data amount of transfer data to a secondary disk controller from a primary disk controller at the event of remote copying can be reduced, and data integrity also can be assured. According to the storage apparatus, in the primary disk controller, overwriting update data in same records during a specified time between a preset first base point and a preset second base point on the update data that are stored in the second area of the cache memory and that are to be transferred to the secondary disk controller; and in the secondary disk controller, handling the update data between the first base point and the second base point as real data having consistency.

Claims

1. A primary disk controller being configured to be coupled to at least one host computer and a plurality of first disk devices and being configured to receive a first plurality of data sent from the a host computer, the primary disk controller comprising:

one or more data control sections; and

a first cache memory,

wherein

the one or more data control sections manage a plurality of sequence information, each of which is provided to one of the first plurality of data in a received order by the primary disk controller, and manage overwrite information, which is increased, if two or more of the first plurality of data are to be written to a common record during a time period,

the one or more data control sections, if the two or more of the first plurality of data are to be written to the common record during the time period, manage a latest update data, which is a latest data overwritten to the common record during the time period, and write a second plurality of data, which include the latest update data and one or more data other than data to be updated by the latest update data, to at least one of an area of the first cache memory and an area of the first plurality of disk devices, and transfer the second plurality of data to a secondary disk controller by the remote copy process, so that the secondary disk controller receives one or more of the second plurality of data from the primary disk controller, and verifies whether a set of the second plurality of data is received based on the plurality of sequence information, the overwrite information and a sequence information of data to be received during a subsequent time period of the time period, and writes the second plurality of data to an area of a second cache memory of the secondary disk controller based on the plurality of sequence information, if the set of the second plurality of data is received.

2. A primary disk controller according to claim 1, wherein

the one or more data control sections manage a plurality of timestamps, each of the timestamps is associated to one of the first plurality of data and is provided by the host computer or the one or more data control sections.

3. A primary disk controller according to claim 1, wherein

the time period is between a first base point and a second base point and the time periods are synchronized with each other between the primary disk controller and the secondary disk controller.

4. A primary disk controller according to claim 3, wherein

in the primary disk controller, the second base point is stored as a synchronization point into the first cache memory of the primary disk controller.

5. A primary disk controller according to claim 4, wherein

the synchronization point is stored into the first cache memory of the primary disk controller in response to a synchronization request from the host computer.

6. A primary disk controller according to claim 1, wherein the one or more data control sections store the plurality of sequence information, the overwrite information and the sequence information of data to be received during the subsequent time period into a control memory of the primary disk controller.

7. A primary disk controller according to claim 1, wherein

the one or more data control sections transfer in batch the set of the second plurality of data to the secondary disk controller.

8. A secondary disk controller being configured to be coupled to a primary disk controller, the primary disk controller including a first cache memory and being configured to be coupled to at least one host computer and a plurality of first disk devices and being configured to receive a first plurality of data sent from the a host computer, the secondary disk controller comprising:

one or more data control sections being configured to receive data sent from the primary disk controller by a remote copy process and being configured to be coupled to a plurality of second disk drives; and

a second cache memory,

wherein

the one or more data control sections are configured to receive one or more of a second plurality of data sent from the primary disk controller by a remote copy process, the second plurality of data include a latest update data and one or more data other than data to be updated by the latest update data,

the latest data is a latest data overwritten to a common record of at least one of an area of the first cache memory and an area of the first disk devices during a time period, if two or more of the first plurality of data are to be written to the common record during the time period,

the one or more data control sections verify whether a set of the second plurality of data is received based on a plurality of first sequence information, a overwrite information and a second sequence information,

each of the plurality of first sequence information being provided to one of the first plurality of data in a received order by the primary disk controller,

the overwrite information, which is increased, if the two or more of the first plurality of data are to be written to the common record during the time period,

the second sequence information is information of sequence of data to be received during a subsequent time period of the time period, and

the one or more data control sections write the second plurality of data to a at least one of an area of the second cache memory and an area of the plurality of second disk devices based on the plurality of first sequence information, if the set of the second plurality of data is received.

9. A storage system according to claim 8, wherein

the time period is between a first base point and a second base point, and

the time periods are synchronized with each other between the primary disk controller and the secondary disk controller.

10. A storage system according to claim 8, wherein

in the secondary disk controller, the set of the second plurality of data is handled as data with consistency.

11. A storage system comprising:

a primary disk controller including a first cache memory, and being configured to be coupled to at least one host computer and a plurality of first disk devices, and being configured to receive a first plurality of data sent from the a host computer; and

a secondary disk controller including a second cache memory, and being configured to be coupled to the primary disk controller and a plurality of second disk devices, and being configured to receive data sent from the primary disk controller by a remote copy process,

wherein

the primary disk controller manages a plurality of sequence information, each of which is provided to one of the first plurality of data in a received order by the primary disk controller, and manages overwrite information, which is increased, if two or more of the first plurality of data are to be written to a common record during a time period, the primary disk controller, if the two or more of the first plurality of data are to be written to the common record during the time period, manages a latest update data, which is a latest data overwritten to the common record during the time period, and writes a second plurality of data, which include the latest update data and one or more data other than data to be updated by the latest update data, to at least one of an area of the first cache memory and an area of the first plurality of disk devices, and transfers the second plurality of data to the secondary disk controller by the remote copy process,

the secondary disk controller receives one or more of the second plurality of data from the primary disk controller, and verifies whether a set of the second plurality of data is received based on the plurality of sequence information, the overwrite information and a sequence information of data to be received during a subsequent time period of the time period, and writes the second plurality of data to at least one of an area of the second cache memory and an area of the plurality of second disk devices based on the plurality of sequence information, if the set of the second plurality of data is received.

12. A storage system according to claim 11, wherein

the primary disk controller manages a plurality of timestamps, each of the timestamps is associated to one of the first plurality of data and is provided by the host computer or the primary disk controller.

13. A storage system according to claim 11, wherein

the time period is between a first base point and a second base point, and the time periods are synchronized with each other between the primary disk controller and the secondary disk controller.

14. A storage system according to claim 13, wherein

in the primary disk controller, the second base point is stored as an synchronization point into the first cache memory of the primary disk controller;

and

in the secondary disk controller, the set of the second plurality of data is handled as real data with consistency.

15. A storage system according to claim 14, wherein

the synchronization point is stored into the first cache memory of the primary disk controller in response to a synchronization request from the host computer.

16. A storage system according to claim 11, wherein;

the primary disk controller stores the plurality of sequence information, the overwrite information and the sequence information of data to be received during the subsequent time period into a control memory of the primary disk controller.

17. A storage system according to claim 11, wherein

the primary disk controller transfers in batch the set of the second plurality of data to the secondary disk controller.

18. A storage system according to claim 11, wherein

a mode for overwriting and a mode for not overwriting the two or more of the first plurality of data in the common record in the first cache memory of the primary disk controller are provided,

upon acceptance of a mode switching instruction from the host computer, mode switching information is stored into the first cache memory of the primary disk controller, and

the mode switching information is transferred from the primary disk controller to the secondary disk controller, and

in the secondary disk controller, an operation mode is changed in accordance with the mode switching information transferred from the primary disk controller.

19. A storage system according to claim 18, wherein

the mode switching information is stored into the first cache memory of the primary disk controller in accordance with a processing state of the first plurality of data in the primary disk controller.