Logical Unit Encryption State Conversion Using Journal Partitioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional data protection systems face challenges in minimizing downtime during recovery and keeping pace with high data transaction rates, leading to potential production site shutdowns due to backlog of un-logged transactions at the backup site.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for converting a logical unit from one encryption state to another in a continuous data protection environment by partitioning it into converted, unconverted, and transition areas, writing unconverted data to a journal, and converting the data, allowing for efficient data recovery and transaction handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If journaling is used to enable continuous data protection, then data recovery capability is improved, but the backup site cannot keep pace with high data transaction rates at the production site
Solution Approach 1:
The logical unit is divided into three distinct areas: converted area, unconverted area, and transition area. This segmentation allows the system to handle data transactions differently in each zone, enabling the backup site to process transactions at high rates while maintaining journaling for recovery capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition area acts as an intermediary buffer between the converted and unconverted areas. It temporarily stores data during the conversion process, allowing the backup site to accept transactions at high rates from the production site while gradually converting them, thus preventing backlog without sacrificing recovery capability.
2Productivity
If the backup site processes data transactions at high rates, then productivity is improved, but un-logged transactions may build up causing production site shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary conversion of data in the transition area before it fully integrates into the converted area. This preliminary action ensures that transactions are logged and processed in advance, preventing backlog accumulation and maintaining production site operational continuity even at high processing rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically manages the transition area to adapt to changing data transaction rates. It can adjust the conversion process in real-time based on the workload, allowing the backup site to process transactions at high rates while maintaining reliable logging, thus preventing production site shutdown.
3Reliability
If data conversion is performed on the entire logical unit, then data integrity is improved, but downtime during recovery increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the logical unit into converted, unconverted, and transition areas, the system can perform data conversion incrementally rather than on the entire unit at once. This allows data integrity to be maintained in the converted area while the transition area handles ongoing conversions, significantly reducing recovery downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition area enables continuous data conversion during normal operation, so that when recovery is needed, the converted area already contains ready-to-use data. This continuity of useful action eliminates the need to convert the entire logical unit during recovery, reducing downtime while maintaining data integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a method to convert a logical unit from a first encryption state to a second encryption state includes receiving a request to convert a logical unit from a first encryption state to a second encryption state, partitioning the logical unit into areas comprising a converted area, an unconverted area and a transition area, writing unconverted data in the transition area to a journal, converting the unconverted data from the first encryption state to the second encryption state and writing the converted data to the logical unit.