International Business Machines Corporation

Sivan Tal

Gail Andrea Spear

William Frank Micka

Ifat Nuriel

Sheli Rahav

Michael Edward Factor

Rivka Mayraz Matosevich

Warren Keith Stanley

Shachar Fienblit

Thomas Charles Jarvis

Sam Clark Werner

Amiram Hayardeny

Dalit Tzafrir

Svetlana Shukevich

Matthew Sanchez

Theresa Mary Brown

Nicholas Michael O'Rourke

Eran Rom

Christopher Canto

Bernard John Grainger

Danny Harnik

Joseph S Glider

Elliot Karl Kolodner

Robert Francis Bartfai

Edward Lin

Paula Kim Ta-Shma

Dalit Naor

Demyn Lee Plantenberg

Managing a networked storage system having a host operable to connect through a network fabric to storage apparatus comprises: a configuration component for inputting a configuration change into the networked storage system responsive to change instructions; a monitoring component operable in communication with the host and the network fabric to monitor I/O activity associated with elements of the networked storage system; an activity data storage component responsive to the monitoring component for storing a record of a monitored I/O activity; an analysis component, responsive to the configuration component for inputting configuration changes, for analyzing the record of a monitored I/O activity for a recent activity; and an alert component, responsive to the analysis component detecting a recent activity, for alerting the configuration component.

Managing a networked storage configuration

Managing a networked storage system having a host operable to connect through a network fabric to storage apparatus comprises: a configuration component for inputting a configuration change into the networked storage system responsive to change instructions; a monitoring component operable in communication with the host and the network fabric to monitor I/O activity associated with elements of the networked storage system; an activity data storage component responsive to the monitoring component for storing a record of a monitored I/O activity; an analysis component, responsive to the configuration component for inputting configuration changes, for analysing the record of a monitored I/O activity for a recent activity; and an alert component, responsive to the analysis component detecting a recent activity, for alerting the configuration component.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, an inode implemented file system may be utilized to support both offline and inline deduplication. When the first content is stored in the storage medium, one inode is used to associate a filename with the data blocks where the first content is stored. When a second content that is a duplicate of the first content is to be stored, then a parent inode is created to point to the data blocks in which a copy of the first content is stored. Further, two inodes are created, one representing the first content and the other representing the second content. Both inodes point to the same parent inode that points to the data blocks where the first content is stored.

Efficient file system object-based deduplication

A shared key and a private key unique to one or more resource sets are generated. Each of the resource sets identifies the resource. The shared key and the private key are transmitted to a security access point. The security access point controls access to the resource. A resource key is generated. The resource key is a result of a cryptographic function of the private key and a resource identifier. The resource key and the shared key are transmitted to one or more local security managers. Each of the local security managers is assigned to manage one of the resource sets. In accordance with one or more policies, the local security managers generate a credential using the resource key and the shared key. The credential is distributed to one or more authenticated clients. Further, the credential is used to grant the one or more authenticated clients access to the resource sets through the security access point.

Mutually excluded security managers

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

A two-phase process FlashCopy operation is provided that can be used to aid in the formation of consistency groups across multiple storage control units. In the first phase, preparations to create a new consistency group are made 'revertible' by write-inhibiting the source volumes through 'Establish-FlashCopy-revertible' commands. If the preparation of any volume within the consistency group fails, a &#x201c;Withdraw-FlashCopy-revert&#x201d; command may be executed, thereby causing a retention of the prior FlashCopy point-in-time copy. In the second phase, executed if all preparations are successful, a &#x201c;Withdraw-FlashCopy-commit&#x201d; command may be executed to remove all write-inhibit indicators, complete the creation of the new FlashCopy point-in-time copy and secure the new consistency group. Write requests to the FlashCopy source volumes may then be received and processed without risking corruption of the new consistency group on the Flashcopy target volumes.

Autonomic infrastructure enablement for point in time copy consistency

Provided are a method, 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.

Method, system, and article of manufacture for consistent copying of storage volumes

A system for managing variable sized pages of possibly non contiguous blocks in a Non-Volatile-Storage (NVS) for attaining a consistent NVS that survives malfunction events. Each page includes a self describing block or linked list of self describing blocks. the system includes: Volatile Storage storing auxiliary modules, means for performing an atomic 'create a new page' procedure. Means for performing an atomic write 'add block' procedure for adding a possibly non contiguous block to a page. The newly added block has a back pointer to a previous block in the page. Means for performing a &#x201c;delete page&#x201d; procedure for deleting all blocks in a page. Means for performing a recovery procedure for rolling backward the add block procedure and rolling forward the delete page procedure, in case of malfunction event, thereby attaining consistent NVS.

Chaining of blocks for optimal performance with DASD (Direct Access Storage Devices) free nonvolatile updates

Provided are a method, system, and program for managing a relationship between one target volume and one source volume. For each of the source volume and target volume, the memory includes: (i) at least one element, wherein each element represents a range of sequential data units in the volume; (ii) at least one relationship entry, wherein each relationship entry represents one relationship; (iii) at least one element pointer associating one element with one relationship entry, wherein the data units represented by the element are part of the relationship represented by the relationship entry that the pointer associates with the element; and (iv) one relationship pointer for each relationship entry associating the relationship entry with volume metadata, wherein the volume metadata provides information on the relationship represented by the relationship entry.

Method, system, and program for managing a relationship between one target volume and one source volume

Provided are a method, system, and program for managing a relationship between one target volume and one source volume. Information is maintained in memory on an existing relationship between at least one source volume and at least one target volume, comprising: (i) at least one element, wherein each element represents a range of sequential data units in the volume; (ii) at least one relationship entry, wherein each relationship entry represents one relationship; and (iii) at least one element pointer associating one element with one relationship entry, wherein the data units represented by the element are part of the relationship represented by the relationship entry that the pointer associates with the element. A new relationship between at least one target volume and at least one source volume is added. Further, added is a new relationship entry in the memory representing the new relationship and one new element pointer is added in the memory for each element including data units included in the new relationship to associate the element with the new relationship entry, wherein the data units represented by the element are part of the new relationship.

Method, system, and program for managing information on relationships between target volumes and source volumes when performing adding, withdrawing, and disaster recovery operations for the relationships

Disclosed is a technique for applying changes back to an original copy of data to reduce an amount of data transferred. A first indicator is maintained for each block of data in a first storage to indicate whether the block of data has been updated in the first storage since the block of data was last transferred to a second storage. A second indicator is maintained for each block of data in the second storage to indicate whether the block of data has been updated in the second storage since the block of data in the second storage was overwritten by a corresponding block of data in the first storage. Upon receiving a reverse restore operation, each block of data in the second storage for which a second indicator has been set to indicate that the block of data has been updated is transferred to the first storage and each block of data in the second storage that corresponds to a block of data in the first storage for which a first indicator has been set to indicate that the block of data in the first storage has been updated is transferred to the first storage.

Method, system, and program for reverse restore of an incremental virtual copy

Disclosed is a technique for reducing an amount of data transferred. A first indicator is maintained for each source block of data to indicate whether the source block of data has been updated in source storage since the source block of data was last transferred to target storage. A second indicator is maintained for each target block of data in target storage to indicate whether the target block of data has been updated in target storage since the target block of data was overwritten by a corresponding source block of data. When transferring data from the source storage to the target storage, each source block of data for which a first indicator has been set to indicate that the source block of data has been updated is transferred and each source block of data that corresponds to a target block of data for which a second indicator has been set to indicate that the target block of data has been updated is transferred.

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Yokneam Illit, Israel

Sivan Tal