Efficient FlashCopy backup and mount, clone, or restore collision avoidance using dynamic volume allocation with reuse

• US 9,817,723 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:
  US14/243,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20150286429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup

Abstract

For efficient Flashcopy backup and mount, clone, or restore collision avoidance with reuse using dynamic volume allocation, performing at least one attempt to reuse an existing FlashCopy target volume that is not currently being used for at least one of a mount task, a clone task, and a restore task at the same time for a FlashCopy backup. If the at least one attempt to reuse the existing FlashCopy target volume fails, dynamically allocate a new Flashcopy target volume for the Flashcopy backup.

Claims

1. A method for efficient point-in-time copy backup and mount, clone, or restore collision avoidance using dynamic volume allocation with reuse by a processor device in a computing environment, the method comprising:

when executing a new point-in-time copy backup, performing at least one attempt to reuse an existing point-in-time copy target volume that is not currently being used for at least one of a mount task, a clone task, and a restore task at the same time for the new point-in-time copy backup;

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

dynamically allocating a new point-in-time copy target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup;

wherein the new point-in-time copy 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 an older point-in-time copy backup being ingested into a repository.

2. The method of claim 1, further including determining whether the existing point-in-time copy target volume are currently being used as a source for at least one of the mount task, the clone task, and the restore task.

3. The method of claim 1, further including performing the at least one attempt to reuse the existing point-in-time copy target volume in a point-in-time copy chain of target volumes after the target volumes in the point-in-time copy chain have been ingested into flail the repository.

4. The method of claim 3, further including creating a point-in-time copy map.

5. The method of claim 4, further including creating a consistency group of point-in-time copy backup target volumes.

6. The method of claim 1, further including performing the at least one attempt during a predefined threshold prior to dynamically allocating the new target volume.

7. A system for efficient point-in-time copy backup and mount, clone, or restore collision avoidance using dynamic volume allocation with reuse in a computing environment, the system comprising:

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

when executing a new point-in-time copy backup, performs at least one attempt to reuse an existing point-in-time copy target volume that is not currently being used for at least one of a mount task, a clone task, and a restore task at the same time for the new point-in-time copy backup;

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

dynamically allocates a new target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup;

wherein the new point-in-time copy 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 an older point-in-time copy backup being ingested into a repository.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor device determines whether the existing point-in-time copy target volume are currently being used as a source for at least one of the mount task, the clone task, and the restore task.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor device performs the at least one attempt to reuse the existing point-in-time copy target volume in a point-in-time copy chain of target volumes after the target volumes in the point-in-time copy chain have been ingested into the repository.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor device creates a point-in-time copy map.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor device creates a consistency group of point-in-time copy backup target volumes.

12. The system of claim 7, 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.

13. A computer program product for efficient point-in-time copy backup and mount, clone, or restore collision avoidance using dynamic volume allocation with reuse 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, when executing a new point-in-time copy backup, performs at least one attempt to reuse an existing point-in-time copy target volume that is not currently being used for at least one of a mount task, a clone task, and a restore task at the same time for the new point-in-time copy backup;

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

dynamically allocates a new point-in-time copy target volume for the new point-in-time copy backup;

wherein the new point-in-time copy 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 an older point-in-time copy backup being ingested into a repository.

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

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further including a fourth executable portion that performs the at least one attempt to reuse the existing point-in-time copy target volume in a point-in-time copy chain of target volumes after the target volumes in the point-in-time copy chain have been ingested into the repository.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further including a fifth executable portion that performs one of:

creating a point-in-time copy map, and

creating a consistency group of backup target volumes.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further including a third executable portion that performs the at least one attempt during a predefined threshold prior to dynamically allocating the new target volume.