International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

International Business Corporation

Machines Corporation

Gail Andrea Spear

William Frank Micka

Robert Francis Bartfai

Shachar Fienblit

Michael Edward Factor

Sam Clark Werner

Thomas Charles Jarvis

David B Petersen

Lokesh M Gupta

Warren Keith Stanley

Michael T Benhase

Theresa Mary Brown

Olympia Gluck

Matthew J Kalos

Robert Frederic Kern

Sheli Rahav

Ifat Nuriel

Aviad Zlotnick

Nicolas Marc Clayton

Carol Santich Mellgren

Rivka Mayraz Matosevich

Theodore Timothy Harris, Jr

Gregory E McBride

Matthew John Ward

Sivan Tal

Sandeep R Patil

Riyazahamad Moulasab Shiraguppi

John Glenn Thompson

Kenneth Wayne Boyd

John Thomas Olson

Dalit Tzafrir

Kevin J Ash

Matthew Sanchez

Brent Cameron Beardsley

Joseph S Hyde, Ii

Dung Ngoc Dang

Joshua J Crawford

Kenneth Fairclough Day, Iii

Steven Edward Klein

John Richard Paveza

Brian D Hatfield

James Chien-Chiung Chen

Amiram Hayardeny

Martin Tross

Svetlana Shukevich

Harry M Yudenfriend

Kyler A Anderson

Binny Sher Gill

Robert Bruce Nicholson

Nedlaya Yazzie Francisco

Sonny Earl Williams

Chung Man Fung

Minh-Ngoc Le Huynh

Alan George McClure

Patricia Ching Lu

David W Messina

James Alan Springer, Sr

Bradley S Powers

Max D Smith

Beth Ann Peterson

Yang Liu

Karl Allen Nielsen

Clint Alan Hardy

Richard Anthony Ripberger

David Michael Shackelford

Susan Kay Candelaria

Lawrence Yiumchee Chiu

Paul Henri Muench

Lisa Joan Gundy

James C Chen

Christopher Michael Sansone

Eli Malul

David Brent Schreiber

Richard Kenneth Martinez

Edward Hsiu-Wei Lin

Ronald E Bretschneider

William Dennis Williams

Daniel W Fok

Vern J Legvold

Lance Warren Russell

Jeffrey Mark Nick

Kenneth Wayne Todd

Duane Mark Baldwin

Eyal Gordon

Edward Lin

James P Allen

Yoram Novick

Lawrence Carter Blount

Thomas Stanley Mathews

Gilad Sharaby

Angqin Bai

Akram Bitar

Alex Chen

Douglas A Martin

Kevin C Lin

Larry Richard Perry

David Fei

Aaron S Mahar

Angelique R Budaya

A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes identifying data to be transferred as part of a point-in-time snapshot copy operation; setting a data consistency application in an idle state; marking the data while the data consistency application is in the idle state; restarting the data consistency application; identifying, by the data consistency application, the marked data; creating, by the data consistency application, a consistency group including the marked data; and performing replication of the consistency group.

Performing a point-in-time snapshot copy operation within a data consistency application

A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes receiving a request to withdraw a point-in-time snapshot copy operation being implemented by a data consistency application; in response to determining that the data consistency application is creating a current consistency group, maintaining the withdrawal request while allowing the creation of the current consistency group by the data consistency application; and in response to determining that the data consistency application is idle, preventing a formation of a new consistency group by the data consistency application during the withdrawal of the point-in-time snapshot copy operation.

Withdrawing a point-in-time snapshot copy operation within a data consistency application

Provided are I/O request type specific cache directories in accordance with the present description. In one embodiment, by limiting track entries of a cache directory to a specific I/O request type, the size of the cache directory may be reduced as compared to general cache directories for I/O requests of all types, for example. As a result, look-up operations directed to such smaller size I/O request type specific cache directories may be completed in each directory more quickly. In addition, look-ups may frequently be successfully completed after a look-up of a single I/O request type specific cache directory, improving the speed of cache look-ups and providing a significant improvement in system performance. Other aspects and advantages are provided, depending upon the particular application.

I/O request type specific cache directories

A method for improving asynchronous data replication between a primary storage system and a secondary storage system is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes monitoring, in a cache of the primary storage system, unmirrored data elements needing to be mirrored, but that have not yet been mirrored, from the primary storage system to the secondary storage system. The method maintains a regular LRU list designating an order in which data elements are demoted from the cache. The method determines whether a data element at an LRU end of the regular LRU list is an unmirrored data element. In the event the data element at the LRU end of the regular LRU list is an unmirrored data element, the method moves the data element to a transfer-pending LRU list dedicated to unmirrored data elements in the cache. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Auxilary LRU list to improve asynchronous data replication performance

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

A determination is made that a point-in-time copy of a consistency group of a production volume has to be stored in a backup storage that is configured to store a plurality of point-in-time copies generated at a plurality of time instants. An extent of a thin provisioned volume of a highest storage tier of a tiered storage is allocated to store the point-in-time copy of the consistency group. A process is initiated for storing the point-in-time copy of the consistency group to the extent of the highest storage tier of the tiered storage.

Management of backup volume extents via a tiered storage mechanism

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for indicating tracks as erased without deleting data for the tracks. In response to receiving erase commands to erase tracks in the storage, indicating the tracks as erased without performing an erase operation on the tracks subject to the erase command. Data in the storage for the tracks indicated as erased remains in the storage while requests are directed to the tracks indicated as erased. A command is received indicating an operation with respect to a target track. The operation to proceed is permitted with respect to the target track in response to determining that the target track is not indicated as erased. An alternate operation is performed providing a result different from the operation indicated in the command in response to determining that the target track is indicated as erased.

Indicating tracks as erased without deleting data for the tracks

A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes determining that a consistency group has not been created within a predetermined period of time; sending a request to create the consistency group, where the request includes an indication that a creation of the consistency group is mandatory; identifying one or more logical storage volumes associated with the request to create the consistency group; marking each of the identified one or more logical storage volumes to indicate that a point-in-time snapshot copy operation is not allowed for the one or more logical storage volumes; creating the consistency group; sending the consistency group from a source site to a destination site; and removing the marking from each of the identified one or more logical storage volumes to indicate that a point-in-time snapshot copy operation is allowed for the one or more logical storage volumes.

Throttling a point-in-time snapshot copy operation within a data consistency application

A method for improving asynchronous data replication between a primary storage system and a secondary storage system is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes monitoring, in a cache of the primary storage system, unmirrored data elements needing to be mirrored, but that have not yet been mirrored, from the primary storage system to the secondary storage system. The method maintains an LRU list designating an order in which data elements are demoted from the cache. The method determines whether a data element at an LRU end of the LRU list is an unmirrored data element. In the event the data element at the LRU end of the LRU list is an unmirrored data element, the method moves the data element to an MRU end of the LRU list. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Data re-MRU to improve asynchronous data replication performance

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for performing a failover between a first storage system and a second storage system. Data is synchronized between the first storage system and the second storage system. A failover is performed from the first storage system to the second storage system in response to a failover event at the first storage system while synchronizing the data. A determination is made that a first storage unit of the first storage system is inoperable and that that a second storage unit of the first storage system is operable in response to the failover event. In response to determining that the second storage unit is operable, a resynchronization is initiated to copy updates to a second storage unit of the second storage system mirroring the second storage unit of the first storage system to the second storage unit of the first storage system.

Resynchronizing to a first storage system after a failover to a second storage system mirroring the first storage system

A plurality of tracks that are to be copied to a backup volume are aggregated in a container data structure. The plurality of tracks are stored physically contiguously in a single Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) stride. Mapping metadata is updated in the backup volume to indicate how logical tracks of the backup volume correspond to physical tracks stored in the RAID stride.

Aggregation of updated tracks to be copied to a backup volume for physically contiguous storage on a RAID stride

A storage controller configures a plurality of storage tiers. A sub-unit of a storage unit is maintained in a selected storage tier of the plurality of storage tiers, for at least a predetermined duration of time subsequent to an input/output (I/O) request for the sub-unit.

Placement and movement of sub-units of a storage unit in a tiered storage environment

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for replicating tracks from a first storage to a second and third storages. A determination is made of a track in the first storage to transfer to the second storage as part of a point-in-time copy relationship and of a stride of tracks including the target track. The stride of tracks including the target track is staged from the first storage to a cache according to the point-in-time copy relationship. The staged stride is destaged from the cache to the second storage. The stride in the cache is transferred to the third storage as part of a mirror copy relationship. The stride of tracks in the cache is demoted in response to destaging the stride of the tracks in the cache to the second storage and transferring the stride of tracks in the cache to the third storage.

Replicating tracks from a first storage site to a second and third storage sites

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for processing a write of records to maintain atomicity for writing a defined group of records to multiple tracks. A write is received comprising defined groups of records to write to a plurality of tracks in the primary storage system. Sub-writes are generated to write the records in the defined groups in the write. At least one of the sub-writes includes records to write for at least one of the defined groups that spans multiple tracks in response to determining that at least one of the defined groups includes records that will be written to multiple tracks. The sub-writes are transmitted to the primary storage system to mirror to the secondary storage system to cause the secondary storage system to return complete in response to completing writing to all the tracks written to by the sub-write.

Processing a write of records to maintain atomicity for writing a defined group of records to multiple tracks

Growing community of inventors

Tuscon, AZ, United States of America

Gail Andrea Spear