Netapp, Inc.

Network Appliance, Inc.

Michael Robin Eisler

Yuedong Mu

Michael Kazar

Akhil Kaushik

Santosh Ananth Rao

Sisir Shekhar

Peter Frank Corbett

Arthur F Lent

Shravan Gaonkar

Deepak Raghu Kenchammana-Hosekote

Daniel S Nydick

Rahul Narayan Iyer

James Namboorikandathil Joseph

J Christopher Wagner

Vijay Srinath

Ajith Balachandran

Rahul Pradeep

Somesh Kumar

Richard Parvin Jernigan, Iv

Tijin George

Atul Ramesh Pandit

Vijay Mohan Deshmukh

Balaji Ramani

Srishylam Simharajan

Richard N Sanzi, Jr

Sai Rama Krishna Susarla

Vani Vully

Kartheek Muthyala

Andrew Narver

Ranjit Kumar

Rommel D Dongre

Emily Eng

E Rudolph Nedved

Benjamin T H Cox

Namboorikandathil Joseph James

One or more techniques and/or computing devices are provided for synchronous replication. For example, synchronous replication relationships are established between a first storage object (e.g., a file, a logical unit number (LUN), a consistency group, etc.), hosted by a first storage controller, and a plurality of replication storage objects hosted by other storage controllers. In this way, a write operation to the first storage object is implemented in parallel upon the first storage object and the replication storage objects in a synchronous manner, such as using a zero-copy operation to reduce overhead otherwise introduced by performing copy operations. Reconciliation is performed in response to a failure so that the first storage object and the replication storage objects comprise consistent data. Failed write operations and replication write operations are retried, while enforcing a single write semantic. Dependent write order consistency is enforced for dependent write operations, such as overlapping write operations.

Synchronous replication

A method and system for replicating file system entities in a manner that preserves block-level access and file system efficiency mechanisms such as deduplication are disclosed. In an embodiment, a replication engine receives a stream of file system entities that include a file system inodes and file system data blocks. The replication engine generates object-based storage (OBS) objects based on data and reference information specified by the file system entities. As part of generating the OBS objects, the replication engine generates at least one inode file object that associates file block numbers of a file system inode file and the inode numbers. The replication engine uses inode information to generate reference objects that logically associate file block numbers with data block numbers in per inode manner. The replication engine further generates data objects that contains the file system data blocks and that associates the data blocks with corresponding data block numbers.

Object-based storage replication and recovery

An enterprise may use file level and block level storage for operational access to reap the performance benefits, and use object storage for back-up storage and scale out. Data of objects and objects themselves can be organized to allow for efficient storage management operations, including storage snapshot operations and deduplication operations. A root file container can be represented in object storage with a metadata object ('file container object') and child file container can be represented in object storage with a metadata object ('file group object'). Each file can be represented in object storage with a metadata object that indicates the data units of the file depending upon the storage technology hosting the file (e.g., a file data block in file level storage). The data units of the file can be represented in object storage as elements of a data object.

Cloud object data layout (CODL)

I/O bandwidth reduction using storage-level common page information is implemented by a storage server, in response to receiving a request from a client for a page stored at a first virtual address, determining that the first virtual address maps to a page that is a duplicate of a page stored at a second virtual address or that the first and second virtual addresses map to a deduplicated page within a storage system, and transmitting metadata to the client mapping the first virtual address to a second virtual address that also maps to the deduplicated page. For one embodiment, the metadata is transmitted in anticipation of a request for the redundant/deduplicated page via the second virtual address. For an alternate embodiment, the metadata is sent in response to a determination that a page that maps to the second virtual address was previously sent to the client.

I/O bandwidth reduction using storage-level common page information

Disclosed is a system that will update the metadata index at the consistency point. Accordingly, the metadata index will be updated at the same time that the data blocks and metadata updates are written to disk. Furthermore, the metadata index will be written in the same location as the file system data, and accordingly, when a snapshot is taken of the file system, the metadata index will also be copied and saved with the snapshot. Accordingly, the metadata index will travel with the snapshots of the filesystem, and will be up to date with the latest changes to the file data blocks.

Consistent method of indexing file system information

Techniques and components for backing up data are disclosed. A first subset of data units is selected from a plurality of data units of a storage system to create a first partial baseline for backup of the first storage system. The number of data units in the first subset of data units is determined based on a window size parameter n. Data within the storage system that has changed since a previous backup operation are identified. A first backup including the first partial baseline and the first changed data is written to a second storage system. For a data loss event, the techniques include selecting, based on a time of the determined data loss event in combination with n, the first backup and n&#x2212;1 additional backups, wherein each of the n&#x2212;1 additional backups include a partial baseline and changed data. The first backup and the n&#x2212;1 additional backups are written to a third storage system.

Data backup with rolling baselines

First partial baseline data of a first storage system is identified. First changed data of the first storage system is identified. The first changed data comprises data that has changed since a previous point in time. First backup data is written to a second storage system. The first backup data comprises the first partial baseline data and the first changed data. After writing the first backup data to the second storage system, second partial baseline data of the first storage system is identified. The second partial baseline data does not include the first partial baseline data. Second changed data of the first storage system is identified. The second changed data comprises data that has changed since writing the first backup data. Second backup data is written to the second storage system. The second backup data comprises the second partial baseline data and the second changed data.

Examples described herein include a data migration system for migrating data between different data storage environments. The data migration system creates a first volume on a first storage system, and creates a logical unit within the first volume. The data migration system then creates a virtual volume on a virtual storage system associated with a second storage system, wherein data stored in the virtual volume is backed by the logical unit on the first storage system. The data migration system then replicates, on the virtual volume, a set of data stored on the second storage system. Upon replicating the set of data onto the virtual volume the virtual storage system may automatically create a copy of the corresponding data in the logical unit of the first volume.

Zero copy volume reconstruction

Described herein is a novel technique for implementing a policy-based caching engine in a storage system cluster (cluster) to automatically implement volume caching at select nodes of the cluster in optimizing cluster performance. The novel caching engine may be implemented in a management console of the cluster storing policy information related to volume caching operations requested by the caching engine. Policy information may include node or cluster attributes, operational events, and a pre-defined cached volume configuration of import to the user. Based on the stored policy information, the caching engine may determine a set of nodes on which to initiate a volume caching operation and generate a request for such operation to be performed on a particular node. Only select nodes in the cluster may thus implement volume caching to thereby conserve processing resources for more critical operations at other select nodes in the cluster.

Policy-based volume caching in a clustered storage system

I/O bandwidth reduction using storage-level common page information is implemented by a storage server. In response to receiving a request from a client for a page stored at a first virtual address, the storage server determines that the first virtual address maps to a page that is a duplicate of a page stored at a second virtual address. Or the storage server determines that the first and second virtual addresses map to a deduplicated page within a storage system. The storage server then transmits metadata to the client. The metadata maps the first virtual address to a second virtual address that also maps to the deduplicated page.

A system and method addresses data containers in a clustered storage system. Each instantiation of a volume, or other container set, is associated with a data set identifier (DSID). All instantiations of data that represent a single point in time are associated with a master data set identifier (MSID). A volume location database (VLDB), utilizing a replicated database among the nodes of the cluster, stores a data set data structure containing appropriate mapping information between the MSIDs and DSIDs. Clients of the clustered storage system utilize MSIDs to reference data that is desired to be accessed. When a storage system receives a data access request containing a MSID, the storage system accesses the VLDB to identify an appropriate DSID to which to forward the request. The data access request is then forwarded to the appropriate storage system for processing.

System and method for addressing data containers using data set identifiers

Growing community of inventors

Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Michael Robin Eisler