International Business Machines Corporation

David Fei

Theresa Mary Brown

Nedlaya Yazzie Francisco

Nicolas Marc Clayton

Gregory E McBride

Kevin C Lin

Gail Andrea Spear

Carol Santich Mellgren

Matthew John Ward

Todd Charles Sorenson

Joshua J Crawford

Larry Juarez

Mark L Lipets

Matthew D Carson

Sean Patrick Riley

Jay T Kirch

Terry O'Connor

Maoyun Tang

A computer-implemented method according to one aspect includes monitoring a current usage of a backup storage space for a storage volume; comparing the current usage to a capacity threshold; and conditionally increasing a size of the backup storage space, based on the comparing and a predetermined size limitation.

Expanding storage capacity for implementing logical corruption protection

In one aspect of metadata track entry sorting in accordance with the present description, recovery logic sorts a list of metadata entries as a function of a source data track identification of each metadata entry to provide a second, sorted list of metadata entries, and generates a recovery volume which includes data tracks which are a function of one or more data target tracks identified by the sorted list of metadata entries. Because the metadata entry contents of the sorted list have been sorted as a function of source track identification number, the particular time version of a particular source track may be identified more quickly and more efficiently. As a result, recovery from data loss may be achieved more quickly and more efficiently thereby providing a significant improvement in computer technology. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

Metadata track entry sorting in a data storage system

A computer-implemented method according to one aspect includes receiving a request to increase a size of a backup storage space for a storage volume; adding additional extents to the backup storage space in response to the request; identifying a current extent location within the backup storage space; determining whether any filled extent locations exist between the current extent location and the additional extents added to the backup storage space; and conditionally utilizing the additional extents added to the backup storage space, based on the determining.

Metadata logic switches selection of a metadata track from multiple available metadata tracks in a volatile cache to fill the selected metadata track in a metadata track selection interval with metadata entries as source tracks of a source volume are copied to a backup volume of a copy relationship. Destage logic destages to storage a deselected metadata track containing metadata entries generated in a prior metadata track selection interval, while the metadata logic continues to generate and fill additional metadata entries in the selected metadata track in a concurrent metadata track selection interval. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

Metadata track selection switching in a data storage system

Provided are techniques for performing a recovery copy command to restore a safeguarded copy backup to a production volume. In response to receiving a recovery copy command, a production target data structure is created. A read operation is received for data for a storage location. In response to determining that the data for the storage location is in a cache of a host and a generation number is greater than a recovery generation number, the data is read from the cache. In response to determining at least one of that the data for the storage location is not in the cache and that the generation number is not greater than the recovery generation number, the data is read from one of the production volume and a backup volume based on a value of an indicator for the storage location in the production target data structure.

Performing a recovery copy command to restore a safeguarded copy backup to a production volume

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for copying point-in-time data in a storage to a point-in-time copy data location in advance of destaging data to the storage. A point-in-time copy is created to maintain tracks in a source storage unit as of a point-in-time. A source copy data structure indicates tracks in the source storage unit to copy from the storage to a point-in-time data location. An update to write to a source track is received and a determination is made as to whether the source copy data structure indicates to copy the source track from the storage to the point-in-time data location. The update is written to a cache. A copy operation is initiated to copy the source track from the storage to the point-in-time data location asynchronous before the source track is destaged from the cache to the storage unit.

Copying point-in-time data in a storage to a point-in-time copy data location in advance of destaging data to the storage

Event detection logic detects events which may be associated with a change in risk of potential data loss in a data replication system. Mode selection logic is responsive to detection of such an event to select a data replication mode such as a synchronous data replication mode, for example, as a function of a detected event for initiation of a switch to the selected mode. In one embodiment, upon detecting that the event which lead to initiation of a switch to the synchronous mode has been completed or otherwise resolved, the mode selection logic can initiation of a switch of the data replication mode of multi-mode data replication logic back to an asynchronous mode so that data is replicated in the asynchronous data replication mode. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

David Fei