Data-Sharing Volume Replication for Source Deletion
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Solution Overview
Problem
In existing storage systems using the Redirect on Write (RoW) method, unnecessary data from the replication source volume cannot be deleted due to its continued reference by the replication destination volume, leading to inefficiencies in I/O performance, operation performance, and usability of the volume replication function.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a storage system with a first and second cache area, where data from the replication source volume is moved to a second cache area of a data sharing volume, and associating the first cache area of the replication destination volume with the second cache area of the data sharing volume, allowing data to be managed and released efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If data is stored in an area managed by the replication source volume to enable instantaneous replication, then replication speed is improved, but the replication source volume cannot be deleted even when data is no longer required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a data sharing volume as an intermediary to manage data that is referenced by both the replication source volume and replication destination volume. When replication occurs, data from the source volume is moved to the data sharing volume, which then serves as the common reference point for both volumes. This mediator enables the source volume to be deleted independently since the data persists in the sharing volume, resolving the contradiction between fast replication and volume deletion capability.
2Quantity of substance
If the same data is stored in the replication source volume and referenced by the replication destination volume, then storage efficiency is improved, but unnecessary data cannot be released from the storage system
Solution Approach 1:
The data sharing volume acts as a mediator that decouples the relationship between replication source and destination volumes. Data is moved to the sharing volume during replication, and both volumes reference this shared data through metadata pointers rather than direct storage ties. This enables independent deletion of the source volume while preserving data accessibility for the destination volume, solving the storage efficiency versus data release capability contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a mechanism where data is discarded from the replication source volume after successful replication to the data sharing volume. The source volume can then be deleted and its storage resources recovered, while the data remains preserved in the sharing volume and accessible to the replication destination volume. This discarding and recovering process resolves the contradiction by enabling data release while maintaining storage efficiency through shared data structures.
3Loss of time
If only meta information is copied during volume replication, then replication time is reduced, but the source volume and destination volume share the same data storage area causing deletion restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by moving data from the replication source volume to the data sharing volume before or during the replication process. This preliminary data relocation ensures that when replication completes with only metadata copying, the data is already positioned in the sharing volume, preventing future deletion conflicts. This preliminary action resolves the contradiction by establishing proper data ownership early in the process.
Solution Approach 2:
The data sharing volume serves as an intermediary that receives data during the replication process, allowing metadata-only copying to complete rapidly while establishing clear data ownership. The intermediary structure separates data storage management from volume management, enabling fast replication through metadata copying while avoiding the deletion restriction problem through proper data placement in the sharing volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system produces a data sharing volume that shares data stored in a replication source volume with a replication destination volume. The storage system copies the data stored in the replication source volume to the data sharing volume, and performs transfers that moves postscript data and meta information that are stored in a data sharing cache area of the replication source volume to a data sharing cache area of the data sharing volume. Then, the storage system copies the data stored in the replication source volume to the replication destination volume.