International Business Machines Corporation

Satoshi Takai

Hiroshi Araki

Hiroyuki Miyoshi

Sosuke Matsui

Norie Iwasaki

Thomas W Bish

A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for asynchronous replication in a hierarchical storage management integrated storage system. For a given file to be replicated from a primary storage system to a remote storage system, the primary storage system accesses the remote storage system to determine file existence and migration status at the remote storage system for the given file. Responsive to the primary storage system determining that the given file exists and has been migrated from first tier storage to second tier storage at the remote storage system, the primary storage system determines a first performance penalty for file recall and a second performance penalty for sending excess data from the primary storage system to the remote storage system. Responsive to the primary storage system determining that the first performance penalty is greater than the second performance penalty, the primary storage system sends whole file data for the given file to the remote storage system to replicate the given file at the remote storage system.

Improving performance of asynchronous replication in HSM integrated storage systems

In a hierarchical storage memory (HSM), a file recalled by a specific application is migrated as soon as possible after completion of the application process. Specifically, the effective UID of a specific process is preregistered on an HSM client. After a recall operation is performed on a certain file from the user ID, when there is no access from the UID to the file for a given length of time, the file is migrated. This prevents files premigrated by access from any application other than the specific one from being handled in the same way, resolving a disadvantageous problem caused when these (premigrated) files are not desired to be migrated preferentially.

Automated migration of file recalled by specific application

According to one embodiment, a system includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic causes the processor to receive, at a remote site connected to a production site via a network, an incremental file list from the production site, each incremental file indicated by the incremental file list being either updated or new as determined during a time period between a data image at a previous synchronization (sync) point and a data image at a current sync point. The logic also causes the processor to tally a remote access count of each incremental file on the incremental file list received at the remote site by users at the remote site, record the tallied remote access counts in the incremental file list at the remote site, and transfer the incremental file list including the tallied remote access counts to the production site.

Using access count of the remote site to optimize file transfer order for asynchronous replication

Performance of asynchronous replication in HSM integrated storage systems

According to one embodiment, a method for determining a transfer order of files includes acquiring the access count of a replicated file at a production site and at a remote site, these access counts being reflected in the order for asynchronous replication. In addition, the access count of backed up files at the remote site is also acquired and reflected in the order for asynchronous replication according to another embodiment. This allows for improved determination of the transmission order of files (according to priority based on usage) from a production site to a remote site in an asynchronous replication function.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Satoshi Takai