Storage Technology Corporation

International Business Machines Corporation

Oracle America, Inc.

Michael Steven Milillo

Christopher James West

David Glenn Hostetter

David Grant Beal

John Timothy O'Brien

Robert P Eskenberry

Carl Thomas Madison, Jr

Gregory William Peterson

Henk Vandenbergh

Jennifer Johnson

Patrick A De Martine

Jay S Belsan

Theresa Lynn Segura

Kent D Prosch

George Franklin DeTar, Jr

Amar Nath Sinha

Scott Adam States

Peter H Tallman

Michael S Kelly

Chrisopher J West

Brad David Privratsky

A data storage system includes a plurality of servers, a plurality of external interface providers each deployed on one of the servers, and a plurality of data storage controllers each deployed on one of the servers. Each of the providers is configured to receive a data access request, to identify one of the controllers that can satisfy the request, and to forward the request to the identified controller. The system further includes a plurality of data storage modules independent of the servers. The providers, controllers and modules are in communication with each other. Each of the controllers exclusively manages a portion of data content in at least one of the modules, and satisfies data access requests received from the providers by accessing the portion of data content in the at least one module.

Data storage system and method of processing a data access request

A data storage system manager includes one or more servers, at least one data collector deployed on at least one of the servers, at least one policy engine deployed on at least one of the servers, and at least one configuration manager deployed on at least one the servers. The at least one data collector is configured to collect resource utilization information including data storage wear rate of data storage system data storage modules. The at least one policy engine is configured to evaluate the collected information and to initiate changes to a configuration of the data storage system based on data storage wear rate and work load distribution policies. The at least one configuration manager is configured to implement the changes initiated by the at least one policy engine to control the data storage wear rate and a skew of the work load distribution within the data storage system.

Data storage system manager and method for managing a data storage system

A method and apparatus are disclosed for dynamically altering accessing of storage drives based on the technological limits of the drives. Operating parameters are set for each drive based on the technological limits for accessing that drive's type of technology. The operating parameters are then monitored during accessing of each one of the storage drives. The ones of the storage drives that have exceeded the operating parameters are identified. The accessing of the identified storage drives is altered so that none of the storage drives exceeds the operating parameters.

Method and apparatus for dynamically altering accessing of storage drives based on the technology limits of the drives

A cache storage system and method are provided for saving storage space in a cache, the system and method for use in a data storage system having multiple storage devices and multiple virtual addresses, each virtual address having a data object associated therewith. Each data object is stored at a storage device location having a unique identifier. The cache storage system and method include a cache for storing a data object associated with at least one virtual address. For a first virtual address, the first virtual address data object is staged into the cache. For a second virtual address, a pointer is generated for use in pointing to the first virtual address data object staged in the cache when the storage device location identifier of the second virtual address data object matches the storage device location identifier of the first virtual address data object.

Cache storage system and method

A client-directed pre-stage operation of a cache memory used to access data blocks from a mass data storage device attached to a host computer through a channel control processor is provided by a method and apparatus comprising a channel control processor for retrieving data blocks from the mass storage device to be pre-staged within the cache memory, a channel interface coupled between the channel control processor and the host computer, a mass storage device interface coupled between the channel control processor and the mass storage device, and a cache memory coupled between the channel interface and the mass storage interface; the cache memory is further coupled to the cache control processor to provide the cache control processor access to data stored within the cache memory. The cache control processor receives a cache bitmap from the host computer to specify the data blocks from the mass storage device to be pre-staged into the cache memory. Each bit within the cache bitmap corresponds to a data block within the mass storage device which may be pre-staged into the cache memory.

System and method for providing client-directed staging to improve non-sequential access performance in a caching disk storage system

Systems and methods are provided to backup, restore and relocate compressed data images, e.g., DASD compressed tracks, associated with virtual storage volumes. A compressed track image of the data is first stored in a storage volume. The data derives from a connected host connected with a control unit that manages the storage volume. When the host data is uncompressed, the control unit compresses the data. In backup, the host reads the compressed data with a read protocol and the control unit assigns metadata to the compressed track. The compressed track is then stored in a backup device, e.g., a tape drive. In restore, the host writes the compressed track to the control unit with a write protocol. If desired, the track is relocated to a different location or to a different storage volume through the associated metadata. In decompression, a seed value is assigned to the data to ensure identification across relocation.

Systems and methods for relocation of compressed data tracks

A system and method for synchronizing a data copy that include a source volume having a data file stored thereon, the source volume for receiving write commands from a host, executing the write commands to generate an updated data file, and generating a record of the write commands. The system and method further include a secondary volume having a copy of the data file stored thereon, the secondary volume for receiving and storing data indicated by the write command record, wherein the copy of the data file and the data indicated by the write command record are available for use in generating a copy of the updated data file.

System and method for synchronizing a data copy using an accumulation remote copy trio

An apparatus and method for storing track layout information for performing update write operations is provided. In particular, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for storing track layout information based on cylinders which is then used to verify a quick write operation. A quick write operation is an update write operation in which track data need not be read from the physical storage device before performing an update of one or more records in the track. With the present invention, as tracks are written to or read from a storage device, such as a DASD or Non-Volatile Store (NVS), a cylinder table is populated with information identifying the tracks that meet criteria set for identifying tracks that are candidates for future quick write operations. The track layout information is stored on a cylinder basis. Thus, the amount of information that must be maintained in the cylinder table to identify tracks that are candidates for a quick write operation is reduced and the search time is improved.

Apparatus and method for storing track layout information for performing quick write operations

Each time a track is referenced, a value representing the last referenced age is entered for a track entry in a last referenced age table (LRAT). The last referenced age table is indexed by track. A second table, an age frequency table (AFT), counts all segments in use in each reference age. The AFT is indexed by the reference age of the tracks. When a track is referenced, the number of segments used for the track is added to a segment count associated with the last referenced age of the track. The segment count tallies the total number of segments in use for the reference age for all tracks referenced to that age. The number of segments used for the previous last referenced age of the track is subtracted from the segment count associated with the previous last referenced age in the AFT. When free_space is needed, tracks are discarded from the LRAT by reference age, the oldest first. The range of ages to be discarded in the LRAT is calculated in the AFT by counting the total amount of segments used by each reference age until the total number of segments needed is realized. Counting is started at the AFT entry with the oldest reference age. The reference age of the last counted entry in the AFT is the discard age. The LRAT is scanned for reference ages between the old age, and those reference ages are discarded.

Method and system for implementing memory efficient track aging

A system and method for synchronizing a data copy include in one embodiment first and second remote copy trios, each with source, target, and secondary volumes. Source volumes store initial data files, execute write commands to generate updated data files, and generate records of the write commands. Target volumes receive copies of the initial data files and the write command records, and transmit the copies of the initial data files and data indicated by the write command records to secondary volumes. Secondary volumes store the copies of the initial data files and the data indicated by the write command records, which are available for use in generating copies of the updated data files. The target volumes transmit to the secondary volumes in series relative to each other so that consistency is maintained at all times across the source volumes.

System and method for synchronizing a data copy using an accumulation remote copy trio consistency group

A method and apparatus for transferring data from a first storage system to a second storage system in which the first storage system includes a first plurality of storage devices and the second storage system includes a second plurality of storage devices. Data is transferred using a pair of devices selected for transferring data for all of the storage devices. Data to be transferred from source storage devices within the first plurality of storage devices is placed or queued on a selected primary storage device within the first plurality of storage devices. The data is sent to a selected secondary storage device within the plurality of storage devices. The data is relocated from the selected secondary storage device to target storage devices within the second plurality of storage devices.

Method and apparatus for transferring data between a primary storage system and a secondary storage system using a bridge volume

A method for use in a peer to peer remote copy (PPRC) system having primary and secondary storage systems to make data available from established PPRC storage volume pairs includes isolating the secondary storage system to be in a stand alone state such that access from any storage systems and hosts is prevented. It is then determined if each storage volume of the secondary storage system is part of an established PPRC storage volume pair. Each established PPRC storage volume pair is then terminated such that the storage volumes of the secondary storage system that are part of the established PPRC storage volume pairs are accessible to hosts. The secondary storage system is then made available to hosts to effect data recovery of the established PPRC storage volumes.

Automatic stand alone recovery for peer to peer remote copy (PPRC) operations

A method and apparatus in a data processing system for copying data. A request is received to copy data from a first storage system to second storage system, wherein the request identifies a source volume on the first storage system and a target volume on the second storage system and wherein data is located on a first source volume in the first storage system. Data is transferred to a second source volume in the first storage system. A pair is automatically established between the second source volume and the target volume. The data for the request is copied from the second source volume to the target volume after the pair has been automatically established. The pair is terminated after the data has been copied to the target volume. The requester originating the request is notified of the result of the copy operation.

Method and apparatus for copying data from one storage system to another storage system

A method and apparatus in a data processing system for managing data access to a plurality of storage devices. The present invention may be applied to copy operations involving virtual tracking. The plurality of storage devices is grouped into a set of groups. Responsive to a request for a copy operation to copy data from a first storage device to a second storage device, a determination is then made as to whether the first storage device and the second storage device are in the same group within the plurality of groups. Responsive to the first storage device and the second storage device being in the same group, a data file pointer to the original data is stored in a data structure for the second storage device. Responsive to an absence of the first storage device and the second storage device being in the same group, occurrence of the copy operation is prevented.

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Louisville, CO, United States of America

Michael Steven Milillo