Redirecting host IO's at destination during replication

• US 9,916,202 B1
• Filed: 03/11/2015
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Seela, Nagapraveen V., Brundage, Michael C., Xu, Yan
• Primary Examiner(s): Saeed, Usmaan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weinrich, Brian E.
• Application Number:
  US14/644,482
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 707649
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2064 while ensuring consistency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/855 Details of asynchronous mirroring using a journal to transfer not-yet-mirrored changes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• 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: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A technique for providing access to a data object serving as a target of snapshot-shipping replication includes taking a system snap of the data object after completion of each of multiple snapshot-shipping updates. In response to a data storage system receiving an IO (input/output) request to read and/or write to the data object, a data storage system redirects the IO request to a previously generated system snap, so that the data storage system performs the operation specified in the IO request on the system snap rather than of the data object itself.

Claims

1. A method for processing IO (input/output) requests, the method comprising:

performing, at a destination data storage system, multiple snapshot-shipping updates to a data object, each snapshot-shipping update applying a set of changes to the data object to bring the data object into a state that is content-consistent with that of a source object operated from a source data storage system, the snapshot-shipping updates performed at respective times to keep the data object substantially current with the source object as the source object changes over time;

after performing each snapshot-shipping update to the data object and before performing another one, generating a system snap of the data object, each system snap providing a point-in-time version of the data object that reflects a state of the data object after completion of the respective snapshot-shipping update; and

upon receiving an IO request directed to the data object for performing a read operation on the data object, redirecting the IO request to a previously generated system snap, so that the destination data storage system performs the read operation on the previously generated system snap,

wherein the method further comprises receiving a second IO request directed to the data object for performing a second read operation on the data object; and

, in response to the destination data storage system not being in a process of performing any of the snapshot-shipping updates when the second IO request is received, directing the second IO request to the data object for performing the second read operation on the data object,

wherein redirecting the IO request to the previously generated system snap is performed in response to the destination data storage system being in the process of performing one of the snapshot-shipping updates when the IO request is received,

wherein the data object is realized in a base file stored in a file system of the destination data storage system, wherein each system snap is a snap of the base file and is itself a file in the file system,

wherein the method further comprises storing, by the destination data storage system, a data element that identifies a file to which to direct IO requests directed to the data object,

wherein redirecting the IO request to the previously generated system snap includes interrogating the data element and identifying, from the data element, a system snap file as the file to which to direct the IO request,

wherein directing the second IO request to the data object includes interrogating the data element and identifying, from the data element, the base file as the file to which to direct the second IO request to perform the second read operation,

wherein each snapshot-shipping update has a beginning and an end, and wherein the method further comprises;

detecting the beginning of a snapshot-shipping update on the base file;

in response to detecting the beginning of the snapshot-shipping update on the base file, setting the data element to identify a system snap file as the file to which to direct IO requests

detecting the end of a snapshot-shipping update on the base file; and

in response to detecting the end of the snapshot-shipping update on the base file, setting the data element to identify the base file as the file to which to direct IO requests.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after taking each system snap of the data object, destroying any previously-taken system snap of the data object from the file system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the base file provides a file-based realization of one of (i) a LUN, (ii) a file system, or (iii) a VVol.

4. A data storage system, comprising control circuitry that includes a set of processing units coupled to memory, the control circuitry constructed and arranged to:

perform, at a destination data storage system, multiple snapshot-shipping updates to a data object, each snapshot-shipping update applying a set of changes to the data object to bring the data object into a state that is content-consistent with that of a source object operated from a source data storage system, the snapshot-shipping updates performed at respective times to keep the data object substantially current with the source object as the source object changes over time;

after performing each snapshot-shipping update to the data object and before performing another one, generate a system snap of the data object, each system snap providing a point-in-time version of the data object that reflects a state of the data object after completion of the respective snapshot-shipping update; and

upon receiving an IO (input/output) request directed to the data object for performing a read operation on the data object, redirect the IO request to a previously generated system snap, so that the destination data storage system performs the read operation on the previously generated system snap,

wherein the memory is constructed and arranged to (i) store a file system including multiple files, (ii) realize the data object as a base file of a file system and snaps thereof in respective other files of the file system, and (iii) store a data element that identifies a file in the file system to which to direct IO requests in response to the data storage system receiving IO requests directed to the data object,

wherein each snapshot-shipping update has a beginning and an end and wherein the control circuitry is further constructed and arranged to;

detect the beginning of each snapshot-shipping update on the base file;

in response to detecting the beginning of each snapshot-shipping update on the base file, set the data element to identify a system snap file as the file to which to direct IO requests directed to the data object;

detect the end of each snapshot-shipping update on the base file;

in response to detecting the end of each snapshot-shipping update on the base file, set the data element to identify the base file as the file to which to direct IO requests directed to the data object; and

in response to the data storage system receiving each of multiple IO requests directed to the data object, (a) interrogate the data element, (b) identify, from the data element, the file to which to direct the respective IO request, and (c) perform the operation specified by the respective IO request on the file identified in the data element.

5. The data storage system of claim 4, wherein the base file provides a file-based realization of one of (i) a LUN, (ii) a file system, or (iii) a VVol.

6. A computer-program product including a set of non-transitory, computer-readable media including instructions which, when executed by a set of processing units of a destination data storage system, cause the set of processing units to perform a method for generating snaps, the method comprising:

performing, at a destination data storage system, multiple snapshot-shipping updates to a data object, each snapshot-shipping update applying a set of changes to the data object to bring the data object into a state that is content-consistent with that of a source object operated from a source data storage system, the snapshot-shipping updates performed at respective times to keep the data object substantially current with the source object as the source object changes over time;

after performing each snapshot-shipping update to the data object and before performing another one, generating a system snap of the data object, each system snap providing a point-in-time version of the data object that reflects a state of the data object after completion of the respective snapshot-shipping update; and

upon receiving an IO (input/output) request directed to the data object for performing a read operation on the data object, redirecting the IO request to a previously generated system snap, so that the destination data storage system performs the read operation on the previously generated system snap,

wherein the method further comprises (i) storing a file system including multiple files, (ii) realizing the data object as a base file of a file system and snaps thereof in respective other files of the file system, and (iii) storing a data element that identifies a file in the file system to which to direct IO requests in response to the data storage system receiving IO requests directed to the data object,

wherein each snapshot-shipping update has a beginning and an end and wherein the method further comprises;

detecting the beginning of each snapshot-shipping update on the base file;

in response to detecting the beginning of each snapshot-shipping update on the base file, setting the data element to identify a system snap file as the file to which to direct IO requests directed to the data object;

detecting the end of each snapshot-shipping update on the base file;

in response to detecting the end of each snapshot-shipping update on the base file, setting the data element to identify the base file as the file to which to direct IO requests directed to the data object; and

in response to the data storage system receiving each of multiple IO requests directed to the data object, (a) interrogating the data element, (b) identifying, from the data element, the file to which to direct the respective IO request, and (c) performing the operation specified by the respective IO request on the file identified in the data element.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second IO request directed to the data object for performing a second read operation on the data object; and

in response to the destination data storage system not being in a process of performing any of the snapshot-shipping updates when the second IO request is received, directing the second IO request to the data object for performing the second read operation on the data object.

8. The computer program produce of claim 6, wherein the base file provides a file-based realization of one of (i) a LUN, (ii) a file system, or (iii) a VVol.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein redirecting the IO request to the previously generated system snap is performed in response to the destination data storage system being in the process of performing one of the snapshot-shipping updates when the IO request is received.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the data object is realized in a base file stored in a file system of the destination data storage system, wherein each system snap is a snap of the base file and is itself a file in the file system.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises, after taking each system snap of the data object, destroying any previously-taken system snap of the data object from the file system.

12. The computer program product of claim 10,

wherein redirecting the IO request to the previously generated system snap includes interrogating the data element and identifying, from the data element, a system snap file as the file to which to direct the IO request, and

wherein directing the second IO request to the data object includes interrogating the data element and identifying, from the data element, the base file as the file to which to direct the second IO request to perform the second read operation.