Distributed Data Migration with Recovery Node Synchronization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Data migration in distributed systems poses challenges in ensuring data protection, particularly during the transition from a source to a target location, as existing systems struggle to maintain data integrity and availability, leading to potential data loss or security vulnerabilities.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the generation and replication of snapshots to both a migration node and a recovery node, ensuring synchronization through a sync snapshot, followed by resynchronization, which allows the migration node to become the new source while maintaining the recovery node's data integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If data is migrated from source to target location, then data protection capability is improved, but data integrity and availability during transition deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata protection capabilityVSAvoiddata integrity and availability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a snapshot of the source volume before migration begins and maintains it during the migration process. This preliminary action ensures that a protected copy of the data exists before the migration starts, preventing data loss or corruption during the transition process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a migration volume as an intermediary storage location between the source and target volumes. Data is first copied to the migration volume, then from there to the target volume. This intermediary approach allows for controlled data transfer and maintains data integrity by avoiding direct source-to-target copying that could compromise availability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If data migration is performed using existing systems, then migration capability is achieved, but data security and protection during migration deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemigration capabilityVSAvoiddata security vulnerabilities

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system establishes a recovery volume with protected data before migration begins. This recovery volume acts as a cushion or safety net that can be used if migration fails or data is compromised. The snapshot-based protection created beforehand ensures that even if security vulnerabilities are exploited during migration, the original protected data remains intact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses snapshot copying technology to create point-in-time copies of the source volume. These snapshots are copied to both the migration volume and recovery volume, ensuring that data protection is maintained through replication rather than direct movement, thereby reducing security vulnerabilities during the migration process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Speed

If recovery node is not kept synchronized during migration, then migration speed is improved, but post-migration data protection resumption deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemigration speedVSAvoiddata protection resumption time

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary synchronization of the recovery volume with the source volume before migration begins. During migration, incremental updates are applied to keep the recovery volume synchronized. This preliminary and continuous synchronization approach minimizes the time required to resume data protection operations after migration, as the recovery volume is already near-current rather than requiring full re-synchronization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent maintains continuous data protection operations throughout the migration process by keeping the recovery volume synchronized with ongoing changes. Rather than pausing protection operations or allowing the recovery node to fall behind, the system continuously updates the recovery volume, ensuring uninterrupted data protection capability and minimizing resumption time after migration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS12536075B2Recovery aware data migration in distributed systems

Publication Date: 2026.01.27 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

Data protection aware data migration in distributed systems is disclosed. While actively migrating data from a source to a target, the process of protecting the data is performed with respect to a recovery system. Thus, data is replicated to both the target and the recovery system. During a final phase, synchronization data is sent to both the target and the recovery system. After transmitting the synchronization data, replication or migration then between the source and the target and between the source and the recovery system ceases. The target then synchronized with the recovery system based on the synchronization data and begins operation as a new source. The old source, from which the data was migrated to the new source, may be decommissioned.