Cyber Recovery Snapshots to Eliminate Data Resynchronization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing disaster recovery methods in data storage systems require significant data transmission between primary and secondary storage arrays, leading to high latency and inefficiencies in recovering storage objects.

Innovation Solution

The method involves generating consistent snapshots on both primary and secondary storage systems, synchronizing these snapshots to resolve inconsistencies, and migrating input-output traffic to staging volumes, thereby eliminating the need for data transmission during recovery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If data is transmitted between primary and secondary storage arrays for disaster recovery, then data consistency is achieved, but transmission latency increases and network load increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidtransmission latency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-synchroning data between primary and secondary storage arrays during normal operations before disaster recovery is needed. This ensures that when a disaster occurs, the secondary array already contains up-to-date data, eliminating the need for time-consuming data transmission during the recovery process itself.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by creating and maintaining duplicate copies of data on both primary and secondary storage arrays. These copies are kept synchronized through continuous replication, allowing immediate failover without requiring data transmission during disaster recovery, thus resolving the contradiction between data consistency and transmission latency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If full data transmission is performed during disaster recovery, then complete data restoration is achieved, but network bandwidth is consumed and recovery time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata restoration completenessVSAvoidrecovery speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the extraction principle by isolating and transmitting only the specific data blocks that differ between the primary and secondary arrays during disaster recovery, rather than transmitting the entire dataset. This selective data transfer approach maintains complete data restoration while significantly reducing network bandwidth consumption and accelerating the recovery process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses partial action by performing only the necessary data synchronization operations required for recovery rather than complete data transmission. By identifying and transferring only the minimal required data portions, the system achieves full restoration completeness while optimizing recovery speed and reducing network load.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If synchronous replication is used between storage arrays, then data consistency is maintained, but IO latency increases and high-performance components are required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidIO latency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing synchronous replication relationships between storage arrays during normal operations. This allows data consistency to be maintained in advance, so that during disaster recovery, the system can immediately failover without incurring the latency penalties of real-time synchronous replication, thus resolving the contradiction between data consistency and IO latency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12373315B2Eliminating data resynchronization in cyber recovery solutions

Publication Date: 2025.07.29 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

Recovery of a primary image is facilitated by using consistent snapshots on a primary storage array and consistent snapshots on a secondary storage array to avoid the need to transmit entire secondary replicas of storage objects from the secondary storage array to the primary storage array. Consistent snaps of the primary replicas are generated by the primary storage array. Consistent snaps of the secondary replicas are generated by the secondary storage array. The primary image is recovered by linking consistent snaps on the primary storage array to primary staging volumes, linking consistent snaps on the secondary storage array to secondary staging volumes, synchronizing the primary and secondary staging volumes, and migrating host IO traffic to the synchronized staging volumes.