FlashCopy Target Volume Reuse for Backup Allocation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current FlashCopy backup systems face inefficiencies in managing and reusing target volumes, leading to collisions during backup operations, such as mount, clone, and restore tasks, which can result in resource conflicts and reduced data storage utilization.

Innovation Solution

The system dynamically allocates target volumes by reusing existing FlashCopy target volumes that have been ingested into a repository and are not currently in use for tasks like mount, clone, or restore, and maintains a global pool of resources to minimize processing overhead and avoid collisions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If target volumes are reused for new FlashCopy backups, then storage utilization is improved, but resource conflicts occur during mount, clone, and restore tasks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage utilizationVSAvoidresource conflict

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically determines whether to reuse a target volume based on real-time task status. The volume reuse decision is not static but adapts to current system state, allowing the same volume to be reused in some cases while avoiding reuse in others where conflicts would occur

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system checks the status of mount, clone, and restore tasks before allowing volume reuse. This feedback mechanism ensures that volume allocation decisions are made with full awareness of current task states, preventing resource conflicts while maximizing storage utilization

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If new target volumes are allocated for each FlashCopy backup, then resource conflicts are avoided, but storage efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource conflict avoidanceVSAvoidstorage efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system recovers target volumes after backup tasks complete by checking if they are no longer needed for mount, clone, or restore operations. This allows volumes to be discarded from active use and recovered for reuse, improving storage efficiency while maintaining reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically manages target volume allocation and reuse without manual intervention. The self-service mechanism monitors task states and autonomously decides when volumes can be reused, balancing storage efficiency and conflict avoidance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If target volumes are reused without checking task status, then processing overhead is reduced, but collisions during backup operations increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing overheadVSAvoidbackup operation collision

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary checks of task status before allowing volume reuse. By checking in advance whether mount, clone, or restore tasks are using the target volume, the system prevents collisions before they can occur, maintaining both low overhead and high reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9690500B2Efficient flashcopy backup target volume allocation

Publication Date: 2017.06.27 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

For efficient FlashCopy backup target volume allocation, a target volume is dynamically allocated for a new FlashCopy backup by reusing an existing FlashCopy target volume containing older FlashCopy backups that have been previously ingested into a repository and are not currently being used as a source for at least one of a mount task, a clone task, and a restore task.