Pure Storage, Inc.

Steve Hodgson

Malcolm Sharpe

Ethan L Miller

Christopher Golden

John Colgrove

Benjamin P Borowiec

David A Grunwald

Jianting Cao

Andrew R Bernat

Ganesh Ramanarayanan

Alan Stuart Driscoll

John Martin Hayes

Feng Wang

Marco Sanvido

Richard A Hankins

Sergey Zhuravlev

Andrew Kleinerman

A system and method for performing replication using mediums. A snapshot 'S' is selected for replication, and the anchor medium ‘M’ of S is identified. The replica storage array ‘R’ to which M is being replicated determines a list of medium extents which are available. R sends this list to an original storage array ‘O’ and O generates a list of medium extents which need to be sent to R. Only those medium extents corresponding to M which R does not already have will be sent from O to R. Also, R can obtain medium extents from other source storage arrays during the replication process.

Efficient replication using metadata

Systems, methods, and computer readable storage mediums for replicating data to the cloud. A first dataset is replicated from a first storage subsystem to the cloud, with only the changes made to the first dataset since a previous replication event being replicated to the cloud. Additionally, the data may be deduplicated and compressed before being replicated from the first storage subsystem to the cloud. In some cases, the first dataset may be replicated to the cloud in a stream format which is not directly usable and then, at a later point in time, loaded onto a second storage subsystem from the cloud.

Restoration of a dataset from a cloud

Systems, methods, and computer readable storage mediums for performing remote replication including receiving, by a target storage system, an indication that a dataset stored on a source storage system will be replicated to the target storage system; identifying, by the target storage system, portions of the dataset that are not already stored on the target storage system; and initiating, by the target storage system, replication of one or more of the portions of the dataset that are not already stored on the target storage system from a source other than the source storage system.

Indirect replication of a dataset

A system and method for exposing volumes with underlying read-write mediums to user operations. When a medium is in the process of being migrated to a storage array, a volume which relies on the medium can be exposed to user operations (e.g., snapshots, read and write operations) once the portions of the medium which underlie the volume have been migrated. The volume can be exposed to user operations while one or more other portions of the medium are unfilled and while the medium is in an intermediate read-write state.

Enabling access to a partially migrated dataset

A system and method for efficiently storing data in a storage system. A data storage subsystem includes multiple data storage locations on multiple storage devices in addition to at least one mapping table. A data storage controller determines whether data to store in the storage subsystem has one or more patterns of data intermingled with non-pattern data within an allocated block. Rather than store the one or more pattern on the storage devices, the controller stores information in a header on the storage devices. The information includes at least an offset for the first instance of a pattern, a pattern length, and an identification of the pattern. The data may be reconstructed for a corresponding read request from the information stored in the header.

Reconstructing deduplicated data

A system and method for utilizing unmapped and unknown states in a storage system. When a first portion of a first medium is determined to be unreachable from any other mediums, the first portion of the first medium may be put into an unmapped state, and its data may be discarded and the corresponding storage locations may be freed. During replication of the first medium to a replica storage array, the state of the first portion of the first medium may be translated from the unmapped state into an unknown state on the replica storage array. If another storage array has the data of the first portion of the first medium, this data may be used to overwrite the first portion of the first medium on the replica storage array, converting the first portion of the first medium from the unknown state into the mapped state.

Utilizing unmapped and unknown states in a replicated storage system

Systems, methods, and computer readable storage mediums for generating an alert on a failure of a storage subsystem to phone home to the cloud in a replication environment. A dataset is replicated from a first storage subsystem to a second storage subsystem. The first and second storage subsystems also phone home log data to the cloud on a periodic basis. In response to detecting a failure of the first storage subsystem to phone home, the cloud generates and sends an alert to the second storage subsystem. In response to receiving this alert, the second storage subsystem starts disaster recovery operations for the dataset.

Cloud-based disaster recovery of a storage system

A system and method for exposing volumes with underlying read-write mediums to user operations. When a medium is in the process of being replicated to a storage array, a volume which relies on the medium can be exposed to user operations (e.g., snapshots, read and write operations) once the portions of the medium which underlie the volume have been replicated. The volume can be exposed to user operations while one or more other portions of the medium are unfilled and while the medium is in an intermediate read-write state.

Minimizing data transfer during snapshot-based replication

Multi-source data replication

Deduplicating patterned data in a storage system

A system and method for performing replication using mediums. A snapshot 'S' is selected for replication, and the anchor medium 'M' of S is identified. The replica storage array &#x2018;R&#x2019; to which M is being replicated determines a list of medium extents which are available. R sends this list to an original storage array &#x2018;O&#x2019; and O generates a list of medium extents which need to be sent to R. Only those medium extents corresponding to M which R does not already have will be sent from O to R. Also, R can obtain medium extents from other source storage arrays during the replication process.

Data replication within a flash storage array

Replication to the cloud

Systems, methods, and computer readable storage mediums for maintaining the history of remapped data in a storage system. A first portion of a first medium may be remapped to a second medium as part of read optimization operations, wherein the second medium is younger than the first medium. A tag associated with the first portion of the first medium may be retained when the first portion is remapped to the second medium. When the second medium is replicated to another storage array, the first portion of the first medium may be prevented from being replicated based on the tag identifying the first portion as being part of a previous replication operation.

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Steve Hodgson