Dell Products Inc.

Emc Corporation

Emc IP Holding Company LLC

Nagapraveen Veeravenkata Seela

Alan Lee Taylor

Paul Thomas McGrath

Michael C Brundage

Dayanand Suldhal

Miles Aram De Forest

David Haase

Girish Sheelvant

Nagasimha G Haravu

Michael D Haynes

Vasudevan Subramanian

Robert F Goudreau

Yan Xu

William C Davenport

Dennis Thomas Duprey

Socheavy D Heng

Scott David Von Rhee

Anitta Jose

Xiangping Chen

David W Harvey

Matthew H Long

Charles Christopher Bailey

Prakash Venkatanarayanan

Timothy C Ng

Xunce Zhou

Miles Aram DeForest

David Bernard

William Paul Hotle

Peter E Tolvanen

John H Lee

Samuel Lee Mullis, Ii

Kosta Economou

Robert F Goudreau, Jr

Tarek Haidar

Hemalatha Subramanian

Techniques for optimizing a remote data copy using multiple storage nodes. The techniques include receiving a copy command for a volume at a first node, a first subset of VOL slices being owned by the first node, and a second subset of VOL slices being owned by a second node. The techniques include obtaining, by the first node, respective diff bitmaps for the first subset of slices and the second subset of slices. The techniques include sending the diff bitmap for the second subset of slices to the second node. The techniques include performing, by the first node, a first copy operation based on the diff bitmap for the first subset of slices, and performing, by the second node, a second copy operation based on the diff bitmap for the second subset of slices, the second copy operation being performed at least partially in parallel with the first copy operation.

Method for optimizing a remote data copy using multiple nodes

Selective replication of data in a data storage system includes tracking write transactions using tracking entries in a tracking structure. The tracking structure is periodically processed to create a reporting structure containing reporting entries each identifying a respective extent modified by one or more of the write transactions. The processing for each tracking entry includes (1) examining the reporting structure to determine whether the tracking entry expands an extent of a reporting entry, (2) based on the tracking entry not expanding an extent a reporting entry, creating a new reporting entry based on the tracking entry, and (3) based on the tracking entry expanding an extent of a reporting entry, modifying the reporting entry to identify the extent as so expanded. The reporting structure is used to perform a replication copy operation of the extents identified therein.

Data storage system with efficient data change reporting for replication

In at least one embodiment, processing can include: receiving a request to create identical snapshots of volumes V1 and V2 configured as a stretched volume; and in response to receiving the request, performing first processing including: holding write acknowledgements for the stretched volume; tracking writes to the stretched volume; creating a first snapshot of V1 on a first system and a second snapshot of V2 on a second system; stopping tracking of writes to the stretched volume; resuming write acknowledgements for the stretched volume; determining tracked writes for the stretched volume; determining a set of locations corresponding to the tracked writes; selecting the first snapshot of V1 as a master copy; determining data changes corresponding the set of locations from the master copy; replicating the data changes from the first system to the second system including the second system; and applying the data changes to the second snapshot of V2.

Techniques for creating identical snapshots of replicated volumes

A method, computer program product, and computing system for determining a recovery point object (RPO) value for a storage object. An amount of data to transfer from the storage object to a disaster recovery site is determined. A data replication transfer schedule for the storage object is generated based upon, at least in part, the RPO value and the amount of data to transfer. Data is asynchronously transferred from the storage object to the disaster recovery site using the data replication transfer schedule.

System and method for asynchronously transferring replication data

Techniques are disclosed for storage resource resynchronization using pending IO requests. For example, a method includes, upon detecting a failed network: quiescing IO activity in progress; identifying storage resources and associated pending IO requests; for each storage resource: creating a first snapshot of the storage resource; for each pending IO request, marking blocks specified by the pending IO request as modified; unquiescing the quiesced IO activity; upon detecting the network has been restored: creating a second snapshot of each storage resource; remote mirroring, to the destination, a copy of differences of each source storage resource to the destination storage resource, wherein the differences are identified by comparing the first and the second snapshot; transmitting a request for the destination to create a third snapshot comprising a snapshot of each destination storage resource; and triggering the destination to process the third snapshot to identify storage resources based on the differences.

Storage resource resynchronization using pending IO requests

Techniques can include: performing asynchronous replication for a source storage object and a target storage object; tracking writes tagged with a tracking identifier associated with a replication related snapshot of the source storage object; receiving a request at a source system to create identical user snapshots of the source storage object and the target storage object; creating a user snapshot of the source storage object; and storing a record in metadata of tracked writes denoting a time order of the request relative to tracked writes tagged with the tracking identifier; determining, in accordance with said tracking, first tracked writes tagged with the tracking identifier that are received before the request; replicating, to the target system, data changes from the replication related snapshot corresponding to the first tracked writes; and creating a user snapshot of the target storage object after data changes are applied to the target storage object.

Techniques for user snapshot orchestration during asynchronous replication

Techniques can include: configuring source sites in a replication configuration with a target site; receiving, at a first of the source sites from a host, a write I/O to a target location of a source storage object of the source site; sending a replicated write corresponding to the write I/O from the first source site to the target site, wherein the replicated write writes to the target location of a target storage object of the target site; prioritizing the replicated write, based at least in part, on a site-level priority associated with the first source site; placing the first replicated write in a first queue of a first plurality of queues based, at least in part, on the site level priority associated with the first source site; selecting the first replicated write from said first queue; and servicing the first replicated write.

Techniques for prioritizing replicated writes from multiple sources on a disaster recovery site

Techniques can include: receiving from a component a bufferless read request to read data of a storage object; opening a first transaction; acquiring locks of data pages including the read data; locking cache pages; storing the read data in the cache pages; sending to the component a notification identifying references, pointers or addresses of the cache pages storing the read data; responsive to receiving the notification, the first component performing one or more operations including directly accessing the first data from the cache pages using the references, pointers or addresses; and responsive to successfully completing the one or more operations, performing second processing including: releasing or unlocking the set of one or more cache pages storing the first data; releasing the one or more locks of the one or more data pages including the first data; and closing the first transaction.

Replication techniques with data copy avoidance

Techniques for resynchronizing storage resources of two sites configured for synchronous replication can include tracking in-progress write requests in a map. Responsive to a site failure or a replication link failure resulting in failure or fracture of the synchronous replication, processing can be performed to resynchronize impacted resources of the two sites configured for synchronous replication. The processing can use the in-progress write requests in combination with resource snapshots and snapshot differences to resynchronize the impacted resource of the two sites. In at least one embodiment, the synchronous replication configuration can include active paths between both sites and a host. In at least one embodiment, the synchronous replication configuration can include an active path between the host and one site, and a passive path between the host and the second site. The synchronous replication can be bi-directional or two-way synchronous replication between the two sites.

Techniques for optimized data resynchronization between replication sites

A method performed by a data storage apparatus of maintaining filesystem object attributes in connection with a plurality of drivers is provided. Each driver of the plurality is configured to operate on a respective set of filesystem objects. The method includes (a) for each driver of the plurality, creating a respective driver-specific storage volume; (b) storing, within each driver-specific storage volume, attributes specific to respective filesystem objects operated on by the driver of that driver-specific storage volume; and (c) while operating a particular driver of the plurality on a particular filesystem object, using values of the stored attributes specific to that particular filesystem object operated on by that particular driver. An apparatus, system, and computer program product for performing a similar method are also provided.

Per-service storage of attributes

Techniques for creating identical snapshots can include: performing synchronous replication between a first storage object of a first system and a second storage object of a second system; enabling change tracking for the first storage object that records in a log which portions of the first storage object are written or modified; responsive to enabling change tracking, creating a snapshot Sof the second storage object of the second system; responsive to creating the snapshot Sof the second storage object; creating a snapshot Sof the first storage object of the first system; responsive to creating the snapshot Sof the first storage object, disabling change tracking for the first storage object; and copying written or modified content of the first storage object as identified in the log to the snapshot Sof the second storage object of the second system.

Techniques for creating identical snapshots on systems during synchronous replication

A data path connection can be established between a target of a remote source system and an initiator of a local destination system. A storage object of the remote source system exposed over such a data path connection can be mapped to a local storage object name of the local destination system. Such a remote storage object of the remote source system can be accessed as a local storage object of the local destination system using the local storage object name. Within the destination system, the local storage object name of the destination system can be used as a proxy to access the remote storage object of the remote source system. Accessing the remote storage object from the destination system can be used in several data mobility use cases, including, but not limited to, offloaded data copy across arrays, snapshot mobility and backup use-cases.

Remote storage object techniques

Techniques for creating and using snapshots may include: receiving a request to create a new snapshot of a source object; determining whether a first generation identifier associated with the source object matches a second generation identifier associated with a base snapshot of the source object; determining whether the source object has been modified since the base snapshot was created; and responsive to determining the first generation identifier matches the second generation identifier and also determining that the source object has not been modified since the base snapshot was created, associating the new snapshot with the base snapshot thereby indicating that the new snapshot and the base snapshot have matching content and denote a same point in time copy of the source object.

Snapshot performance optimizations

A method, computer program product, and computer system for triggering, by a computing device, a synchronization activity on a storage object. A request may be executed for a copy operation resulting from the synchronization activity to copy the storage object from a source to a destination when a current number of concurrent copy operations is below a maximum number of copy operations. The request for the copy operation resulting from the synchronization activity to copy the storage object from the source to the destination may be placed in a queue when the current number of concurrent copy operations is at least at the maximum number of copy operations. One or more attributes of the request in the queue may be identified. The request for the copy operation may be executed according to a replication policy based upon, at least in part, the one or more attributes of the request in the queue.

System and method for prioritizing replication copy activity

A method, computer program product, and computing system for receiving a plurality of discrete write requests on a first computing device until the end of a consolidation window; combining the plurality of discrete write requests received into a consolidated write request; and transmitting the consolidated write request to a second computing device.

Growing community of inventors

Cary, NC, United States of America

Nagapraveen Veeravenkata Seela