Pure Storage, Inc.

Malcolm Sharpe

Steve Hodgson

Christopher Golden

Ethan L Miller

John Colgrove

David A Grunwald

Jianting Cao

Andrew R Bernat

Ganesh Ramanarayanan

Alan Stuart Driscoll

Benjamin P Borowiec

A system, apparatus, and product for allowing access to a partially replicated dataset, including: detecting, by a target storage system, that a dataset will be replicated from a source storage system to the target storage system; exposing, by the target storage system, the dataset for user operations prior to receiving the entire dataset; receiving, by the target storage system, a request to read a portion of the dataset that has not been received by the target storage system; and retrieving, by the target storage system, the portion of the dataset.

Allowing access to a partially replicated dataset

A system and method for performing replication using mediums. A snapshot 'S' is selected for replication, and the anchor medium ‘M’ of S is identified. The replica storage array ‘R’ to which M is being replicated determines a list of medium extents which are available. R sends this list to an original storage array ‘O’ and O generates a list of medium extents which need to be sent to R. Only those medium extents corresponding to M which R does not already have will be sent from O to R. Also, R can obtain medium extents from other source storage arrays during the replication process.

Efficient replication using metadata

Systems, methods, and computer readable storage mediums for replicating data to the cloud. A first dataset is replicated from a first storage subsystem to the cloud, with only the changes made to the first dataset since a previous replication event being replicated to the cloud. Additionally, the data may be deduplicated and compressed before being replicated from the first storage subsystem to the cloud. In some cases, the first dataset may be replicated to the cloud in a stream format which is not directly usable and then, at a later point in time, loaded onto a second storage subsystem from the cloud.

Restoration of a dataset from a cloud

A system and method for exposing volumes with underlying read-write mediums to user operations. When a medium is in the process of being migrated to a storage array, a volume which relies on the medium can be exposed to user operations (e.g., snapshots, read and write operations) once the portions of the medium which underlie the volume have been migrated. The volume can be exposed to user operations while one or more other portions of the medium are unfilled and while the medium is in an intermediate read-write state.

Enabling access to a partially migrated dataset

A system and method for utilizing unmapped and unknown states in a storage system. When a first portion of a first medium is determined to be unreachable from any other mediums, the first portion of the first medium may be put into an unmapped state, and its data may be discarded and the corresponding storage locations may be freed. During replication of the first medium to a replica storage array, the state of the first portion of the first medium may be translated from the unmapped state into an unknown state on the replica storage array. If another storage array has the data of the first portion of the first medium, this data may be used to overwrite the first portion of the first medium on the replica storage array, converting the first portion of the first medium from the unknown state into the mapped state.

Utilizing unmapped and unknown states in a replicated storage system

A system and method for exposing volumes with underlying read-write mediums to user operations. When a medium is in the process of being replicated to a storage array, a volume which relies on the medium can be exposed to user operations (e.g., snapshots, read and write operations) once the portions of the medium which underlie the volume have been replicated. The volume can be exposed to user operations while one or more other portions of the medium are unfilled and while the medium is in an intermediate read-write state.

Minimizing data transfer during snapshot-based replication

Multi-source data replication

A system and method for performing replication using mediums. A snapshot 'S' is selected for replication, and the anchor medium 'M' of S is identified. The replica storage array &#x2018;R&#x2019; to which M is being replicated determines a list of medium extents which are available. R sends this list to an original storage array &#x2018;O&#x2019; and O generates a list of medium extents which need to be sent to R. Only those medium extents corresponding to M which R does not already have will be sent from O to R. Also, R can obtain medium extents from other source storage arrays during the replication process.

Data replication within a flash storage array

Replication to the cloud

Systems, methods, and computer readable storage mediums for maintaining the history of remapped data in a storage system. A first portion of a first medium may be remapped to a second medium as part of read optimization operations, wherein the second medium is younger than the first medium. A tag associated with the first portion of the first medium may be retained when the first portion is remapped to the second medium. When the second medium is replicated to another storage array, the first portion of the first medium may be prevented from being replicated based on the tag identifying the first portion as being part of a previous replication operation.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Malcolm Sharpe