Selective migration of physical data

• US 9,557,933 B1
• Filed: 11/19/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Burke, Barry A., Naamad, Amnon
• Primary Examiner(s): Bragdon, Reginald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Thanh
• Application Number:
  US14/547,386
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0646 Horizontal data movement in storage systems, i.e. moving data in between storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices

Abstract

The system described herein allows for picking data to be moved from one physical location to another using certain criteria, such as expected activity level, to achieve load balancing or load optimization. Migrating data for a logical device includes subdividing the logical device into subsections, where each of the subsections corresponds to a particular address range of the logical device that is mapped to a physical device containing corresponding data and copying data for a first subsection from a first physical device to a second, different, physical device, where data for a second subsection is maintained indefinitely on the first physical device after copying the data for the first subsection to the second physical device. The first physical device may be provided in a different geographic location than the second physical device.

Claims

1. A method of migrating data for a logical device, comprising:

subdividing the logical device into subsections for use with migrating the data, wherein each of the subsections corresponds to a particular address range of the logical device that is mapped to a physical device containing corresponding data;

copying data for a particular subsection from a first physical device to a second, different, physical device, wherein the data of the particular subsection that is copied to the second physical device is scheduled for temporary storage on the second physical device as a working set copy of the data of the particular subsection for input/output (I/O) processing for a time period corresponding to expected higher activity level based on historical access information;

during the time period, servicing received I/O requests for the data of the particular subsection using the working set copy of the data of the particular subsection present on the second physical device;

after the time period, updating the data for the particular subsection present on the first physical device using the working set copy of the data for the particular subsection present on the second physical device as modified by any received I/O requests; and

releasing memory used to store the working set copy of the data of the particular subsection on the second physical device after updating the data for the particular subsection present on the first physical device.

2. A method, according to claim 1, wherein the first physical device is provided in a different geographic location than the second physical device.

3. A method, according to claim 1, wherein the subsections are extents and wherein each of the extents includes information that maps logical address space into physical address space.

4. A method, according to claim 1, wherein automated algorithms are used to determine data in the particular subsection.

5. A method, according to claim 4, wherein the automated algorithms use expected activity level to determine data in the particular subsection.

6. A method, according to claim 1, wherein data in the particular subsection is copied back to the first physical device.

7. A method, according to claim 1, wherein a data management device presents data to an external device in a way that is independent of the physical location of the data and wherein the external device is a host coupled to the data management device.

8. Computer software, provided in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, that migrates data for a logical device, the computer software comprising:

executable code that accesses subsections of the logical device for use with migrating the data, wherein each of the subsections corresponds to a particular address range of the logical device that is mapped to a physical device containing corresponding data;

executable code that copies data for a particular subsection from a first physical device to a second, different, physical device, wherein the data of the particular subsection that is copied to the second physical device is scheduled for temporary storage on the second physical device as a working set copy of the data of the particular subsection for input/output (I/O) processing for a time period corresponding to expected higher activity level based on historical access information;

executable code that, during the time period, services received I/O requests for the data of the particular subsection using the working set copy of the data of the particular subsection present on the second physical device;

executable code that, after the time period, updates the data for the particular subsection present on the first physical device using the working set copy of the data for the particular subsection present on the second physical device as modified by any received I/O requests; and

executable code that releases memory used to store the working set copy of the data of the particular subsection on the second physical device after updating the data for the particular subsection present on the first physical device.

9. Computer software, according to claim 8, wherein the first physical device is provided in a different geographic location than the second physical device.

10. Computer software, according to claim 8, wherein the subsections are extents and wherein each of the extents includes information that maps logical address space into physical address space.

11. Computer software, according to claim 8, wherein automated algorithms are used to determine data in the particular subsection.

12. Computer software, according to claim 11, wherein the automated algorithms use expected activity level to determine data in the particular subsection.

13. Computer software, according to claim 8, further comprising:

executable code that copies data in the particular subsection back to the first physical device.

14. Computer software, according to claim 8, wherein a data management device presents data to an external device in a way that is independent of the physical location of the data and wherein the external device is a host coupled to the data management device.

15. A system, comprising:

a first storage device;

a second storage device coupled to the first storage device;

at least one data management device, coupled to at least the first storage device, wherein the data management device includes computer software that migrates data for a logical device, the computer software including executable code that accesses subsections of the logical device for use with migrating the data, wherein each of the subsections corresponds to a particular address range of the logical device that is mapped to physical storage containing corresponding data and including executable code that copies data for a particular subsection from the physical storage of the first storage device to physical storage of the second storage device, wherein the data of the particular subsection that is copied to the second physical device is scheduled for temporary storage on the second physical device as a working set copy of the data of the particular subsection for input/output (I/O) processing for a time period corresponding to expected higher activity level based on historical access information and including executable code that, during the time period, services received I/O requests for the data of the particular subsection using the working set copy of the data of the particular subsection present on the second physical device, executable code that, after the time period, updates the data for the particular subsection present on the first physical device using the working set copy of the data for the particular subsection present on the second physical device as modified by any received I/O requests, and executable code that releases memory used to store the working set copy of the data of the particular subsection on the second physical device after updating the data for the particular subsection present on the first physical device.

16. The system, according to claim 15, wherein the first storage device is provided in a different geographic location than the second storage device.

17. A system, according to claim 15, wherein the subsections are extents and wherein each of the extents includes information that maps logical address space into physical address space.

18. A system, according to claim 15, wherein automated algorithms are used to determine data in the particular subsection.

19. A system, according to claim 18, wherein the automated algorithms use expected activity level to determine data in the particular subsection.

20. A system, according to claim 15, wherein the data management device presents data to an external device in a way that is independent of the physical location of the data and wherein the external device is a host coupled to the data management device.