International Business Machines Corporation

Jeou-Rong Lay

David Darden Chambliss

Howard Newton Martin

Glen Hattrup

A system, a storage manager server and a computer program product for utilizing virtual targets and abstract copy orders in preparing and servicing requests for server-free data transfer operations in a data storage network. The abstract copy orders represent data transfers between virtual targets and real devices. They allow source target copy orders to be prepared separately from destination target copy orders. The abstract copy orders may then be converted into concrete copy orders involving only real device targets for execution by a data mover that implements the server-free data transfer operations.

Use of virtual targets for preparing and servicing requests for server-free data transfer operations

A method for utilizing virtual targets and abstract copy orders in preparing and servicing requests for server-free data transfer operations in a data storage network. The abstract copy orders represent data transfers between virtual targets and real devices. They allow source target copy orders to be prepared separately from destination target copy orders. The abstract copy orders may then be converted into concrete copy orders involving only real device targets for execution by a data mover that implements the server-free data transfer operations.

An apparatus, system, and method for managing and formatting data in an autonomous data transfer operation are provided. An initialization module is configured to prepare metadata corresponding to a data source. A loader loads autonomous operation instructions corresponding to the data source into a first location and loads autonomous operation instructions corresponding to the metadata into a second location. An assembler selectively assembles, according to a set of formatting rules, autonomous operation instructions from the first location and the second location into a set of autonomous operation instructions. By assembling an ordered set of autonomous operation instructions, a third party autonomous operation may effectively insert metadata into and remove metadata from a contiguous data stream of a data source without altering the data.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Jeou-Rong Lay