Asynchronous Replication Consistency Group for Backup Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In storage system environments, local backup copies generated during asynchronous replication are not consistently available at remote sites, leading to potential data inconsistencies and challenges in recovery processes, especially when replication issues occur.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a first asynchronous mirroring session to copy primary volumes to secondary volumes, followed by a second asynchronous mirroring session to consistently replicate a local backup copy to secondary volumes, ensuring data consistency across sites through the formation of consistency groups and point-in-time copy operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If asynchronous replication is used to copy data from local site to remote site, then replication speed and host performance are improved, but data consistency between local backup copies and remote secondary volumes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the replication process into two distinct phases: (1) asynchronous replication for bulk data transfer to improve speed, and (2) consistency group formation to ensure data consistency. By dividing the replication task into these separate functional segments, the system achieves both high replication speed and data consistency without compromising either requirement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary actions by creating consistency groups before finalizing the replication process. The system pre-establishes the relationships between primary volumes, backup copies, and secondary volumes in consistency groups, ensuring that data consistency is guaranteed before the asynchronous replication completes. This preliminary structuring prevents consistency issues that would otherwise arise from asynchronous operations.
2Productivity
If point in time copy operations are performed to create local backup copies, then backup speed is improved, but consistency of backup copies across replication sessions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple point-in-time copy operations from different replication sessions into unified consistency groups. By combining the local backup copies and secondary volumes into consistency groups that track their relationships, the system maintains backup consistency across multiple asynchronous replication sessions while preserving the speed benefits of point-in-time copying.
Solution Approach 2:
The consistency group acts as an intermediary mechanism that mediates between multiple point-in-time copy operations. It tracks the relationships between backup copies and secondary volumes, ensuring that even though copies are created at different times through asynchronous operations, their consistency relationships are maintained and can be reliably restored.
3Productivity
If asynchronous mirroring sessions are initiated to replicate volumes, then replication efficiency is improved, but complexity of managing consistency across multiple sessions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The consistency group mechanism serves multiple functions simultaneously: it tracks volume relationships, manages consistency across asynchronous sessions, enables recovery operations, and provides a unified interface for managing backup copies. This multi-functionality reduces the overall system complexity by consolidating what would otherwise require multiple separate management mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms through consistency groups that continuously track the state of replicated volumes and backup copies. The consistency groups provide feedback about replication status and consistency relationships, enabling the system to automatically manage multiple asynchronous mirroring sessions without requiring complex manual coordination, thus reducing management complexity while maintaining high replication efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A first asynchronous mirroring session is initiated to asynchronously copy first primary volumes to first secondary volumes. Point in time copy operations generate a local backup copy from the first primary volumes. Second primary volumes are generated from the local backup copy. A second asynchronous mirroring session is initiated to asynchronously copy the second primary volumes to second secondary volumes.