International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Sam Clark Werner

Gail Andrea Spear

William Frank Micka

Warren Keith Stanley

Thomas Charles Jarvis

Michael Edward Factor

Robert Francis Bartfai

Olympia Gluck

Ifat Nuriel

Matthew Sanchez

Theresa Mary Brown

Sheli Rahav

Shachar Fienblit

Amiram Hayardeny

Sivan Tal

Dalit Tzafrir

Aviad Zlotnick

Rivka Mayraz Matosevich

Kenneth Wayne Boyd

Gal Ashour

Eli Malul

Paul Richards

Richard Kenneth Martinez

Edward Hsiu-Wei Lin

James Alan Springer, Sr

Svetlana Shukevich

Noa Privman-Horesh

Karl Allen Nielsen

Yoram Novick

Martin Tross

Steven Robert Lowe

Robert L Werner

William Dennis Williams

Helena Cornelia Burton

Timothy Alan Griffin

Thomas John Creath

Irit Dolev

Sivan Tai

Margo Werner

Generating a consistent point in time copy of data in a source volume and a target volume is achieved responsively to a first data modification request by writing a first altered version of the data onto a single source volume, asynchronously transferring the first altered version from the first storage site to a target volume located at a remote second storage site, while avoiding copying the first altered version onto other volumes at the first storage site. While asynchronously transferring the first altered version de-queuing a second modification request, and responsively to the second modification request synchronously transferring the first altered version from the first storage site to the target volume. Then a second altered version of the data is written to the single source volume and a copy transferred to the target volume in like manner.

System, method and computer program product for generating a consistent point in time copy of data

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for copying storage. Data sent from a first storage unit is synchronously copied at a second storage unit. The copied data is sent asynchronously from the second storage unit to a third storage unit.

Method, system, and article of manufacture for remote copying of data

Provided are a system and article of manufacture for copying storage. Copy operations are performed on source storage units to copy to target storage units, wherein the copy operations create a consistent copy of the source storage units in the target storage units. While performing a copy operation to copy from one source storage unit to one target storage unit, a write operation is restricted from being performed on the one source storage unit, until the copy operations have been performed on the source storage units.

System and article of manufacture for consistent copying of storage volumes

Provided are a method, system, and program for forming a consistency group of data. Information is provided on a consistency group relationship indicating a plurality of slave controllers and, for each indicated slave controller, a slave storage unit managed by the slave controller. A command is transmitted to each slave controller in the consistency group relationship to cause each slave controller to transmit data in the slave storage unit to a remote storage in a manner that forms the consistency group. A determination is made as to whether all the slave controllers successfully transmitted the data in the slave storage units that is part of the consistency group to the remote storage.

Method, system and program for forming a consistency group

A method for generating a consistent point in time copy of data, the method includes: selecting at least one selected data block to be copied from a source volume to a target volume in response to a request to generate a consistent point in time copy of multiple data blocks; waiting until the source volume is ready to send the at least one selected data block to a remote volume while queuing at least one data block modify request; de-queuing the at least one queued modify requests while copying the at least one selected data block from the source volume to the target volume; wherein the copying includes utilizing a first copying mechanism to copy a first selected data block if a request to modify the first selected block is de-queued before the first selected data block is copied to the target volume; else, the copying includes using a second copying mechanism that is slower than the first copying mechanism.

Provided is a method for copying storage. Copy operations are performed on source storage units to copy to target storage units, wherein the copy operations create a consistent copy of the source storage units in the target storage units. While performing a copy operation to copy from one source storage unit to one target storage unit, a write operation is restricted from being performed on the one source storage unit, until the copy operations have been performed on the source storage units.

Method for consistent copying of storage volumes

A method for initiating a data storage facility recovery process in a data processing system having a first peer data storage facility and a second peer data storage facility communicating with the first peer data storage facility by a communication link. The method of initiating a recovery process is invoked by one peer data storage facility upon another peer data storage facility operating under a peer to peer remote copy (PPRC) protocol. Data copied from a first peer data storage facility to a second peer data storage facility is monitored for errors. Upon detection of an error by one peer data storage facility, recovery and data collection operations are initiated on the other peer data storage facility. Preferably, the initiation of recovery and data collection operations occurs out of band, over a second communication link between the peer data storage facilities.

Autonomic recovery of PPRC errors detected by PPRC peer

Techniques are provided for performing a copy operation. An instant virtual copy operation is issued from a first portion of data to a primary mirroring portion of data, wherein the primary mirroring portion of data corresponds to a secondary mirroring portion of data, and wherein the primary mirroring portion of data and the secondary mirroring portion of data are in a mirroring relationship. The mirroring relationship is transitioned to a duplex pending state in response to determining that the mirroring relationship is in a full duplex state. When the mirroring relationship is in a duplex pending state, each block of data involved in the instant virtual copy operation is transferred from the primary mirroring portion of data to the secondary mirroring portion of data.

Instant virtual copy to a primary mirroring portion of data

Provided are a method, system, and program for managing resources in which a local processor sends remote operation requests to be executed by a remote processor having multiple resources. In the illustrated embodiment, the local processor and the remote processor each have a resource manager, each of which maintains a control set for each resource of the remote processor. Each control set of the remote processor resource manager includes a queue for queuing remote operation requests awaiting execution in connection with the resource associated with the control set. Each control set of the local processor resource manager includes a credit counter which keeps track of permissible outstanding remote operation requests. Each local processor control set credit counter is decremented for each remote operation request for the associated resource sent to the remote processor and is incremented for each acknowledgment received from the remote processor. For each remote processor control set, the remote processor resource manager sends an acknowledgment for each remote operation request initiated in connection with the associated resource. For each local processor control set, the local processor resource manager queues remote operation requests if the control set credit counter falls below a threshold after being initialized in accordance with the capacity of the associated remote processor control set queue.

Method, system, and program for remote resource management

A method to copy information to two data storage devices. The method provides a first data storage device and a second data storage device, where the first data storage device is capable of communicating with the second data storage device. The method provides first information and a write command to the first data storage device at a first time. The method determines if the write command comprises a synchronous copy attribute. If the write command comprises a synchronous copy attribute, then the method synchronously provides the first information to the second data storage device. Alternatively, if the write command does not comprise a synchronous copy attribute, then the method provides the first information to the second data storage device at a second time, where that second time is later than the first time.

Method and apparatus for determining using least recently used protocol if one or more computer files should be written to one or more information storage media and synchronously providing one or more computer files between first and storage devices

An apparatus, system and method for synchronizing an asynchronous mirror volume using a synchronous mirror volume by tracking change information when data is written to a primary volume and not yet written to an asynchronous mirror, and storing the change information on both the primary storage system and the synchronous mirror system. In the event the primary storage system becomes unavailable, the asynchronous mirror is synchronized by copying data identified by the change information stored in the synchronous mirror system and using the synchronous mirror as the copy data source.

Apparatus, system, and method for synchronizing an asynchronous mirror volume using a synchronous mirror volume

Provided are a method, system, and program for forming a consistency group of data. A command is received to form a consistency group with respect to data received at a first storage site that is mirrored to a second storage site. A first data structure is provided indicating updates to the first storage site not included in the consistency group that are received after the command and a second data structure is provided indicating updates to the first storage site in the consistency group to be formed. A command is transmitted to cause data copied to the second storage site that is part of the consistency group to be copied to a third storage site. Indication is received when the data in the second storage site that is part of the consistency group is copied to the third storage site.

Method, system, and program for mirroring data among storage sites

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for copying data. A request is received at a first storage control unit having a first set of volumes, wherein the first storage unit is coupled via a link to a second storage control unit having a second set of volumes that are peer-to-peer copies of the first set of volumes, and wherein the request is for generating a copy of the first and second set of volumes in a third set of volumes in the second storage control unit. A command is transmitted via the link, from the first storage control unit to the second storage control unit, wherein the transmitted command is capable of causing the second storage control unit to generate the copy of the first and second set of volumes in the third set of volumes in the second storage control unit.

Method, system, and article of manufacture for generating a copy of a first and a second set of volumes in a third set of volumes

A system and method for extending peer-to-peer remote copy system operations that transfer data contents written to a first storage system from a host device to a remote second storage system over a communications link. The method includes setting a timer for a timeout period in which data contents written to the first storage system are to be transferred to the remote second storage system, determining if a successful transfer of the data contents has occurred within said timeout period; and, if no successful transfer has occurred within the timeout period, the step of initiating generation of a busy signal for receipt by the host device to prevent suspension of data content transfer operations for an additional timeout period. In this manner, the host device is available to write new data contents to the first storage system for subsequent transfer to the remote second storage system after the additional time out period.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Sam Clark Werner