Read Signature Command for Storage Data Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional data protection systems face challenges in maintaining continuous data protection by keeping pace with high data transaction rates at production sites, leading to potential shutdowns due to backlog of un-logged transactions at backup sites, which limits recovery capabilities and increases downtime.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a read signature command that takes parameters such as LUN, LBA, and block range, returning a signature value for storage media, enabling faster verification and synchronization between production and replication sites, and allowing for periodic consistency checks, thereby reducing data transfer overhead and enhancing system performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If journaling is used to enable continuous data protection and rollback capability, then the ability to recover to any specified point in time is improved, but the overhead of multiple data transactions at the backup site for each production transaction increases, causing the backup site to fall behind during high transaction rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the signature calculation function from the data replication process. Instead of replicating all data blocks, the system calculates and replicates only signature values (hashes) of data blocks. This allows the backup site to verify data integrity without processing the full data volume, thereby improving backup throughput while maintaining recovery capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter being replicated from raw data blocks to signature values (hashes). This parameter transformation reduces the amount of data that needs to be processed and stored at the backup site, enabling the system to handle high transaction rates without falling behind, while still providing complete recovery capability through signature verification.
2Reliability
If all data blocks are replicated and verified at the backup site, then data integrity is ensured, but the time required for verification and synchronization increases during high transaction rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential integrity verification information (signature/hash) from the complete data blocks. By replicating and verifying only these condensed signature values rather than the full data blocks, the system maintains data integrity verification capability while reducing verification time significantly during high transaction rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses signature values (hashes) as simplified copies that represent the integrity of the original data blocks. These signature copies can be rapidly replicated and verified at the backup site without the time cost of processing actual data blocks, yet they provide sufficient information to ensure data integrity and detect corruption.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the backup site processes every data transaction synchronously, then data consistency between sites is maintained, but the production site must slow down, increasing downtime during recovery operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts signature calculation from the synchronous data replication path. The production site can continue processing data transactions at full speed while the backup site processes only the extracted signature values asynchronously. This maintains data consistency through signature verification while eliminating the speed bottleneck that previously forced the production site to slow down.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces signature values as an intermediary between the production site and backup site. The production site generates signatures for data blocks without waiting for backup confirmation, and the backup site verifies these signatures independently. This intermediary mechanism decouples the two sites, allowing the production site to maintain high transaction rates while the backup site ensures data consistency through asynchronous signature verification.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system, and computer program product for providing a first site the ability to execute a read signature command, wherein the read signature command takes a set of arguments, wherein at least one of the arguments corresponds to at least a portion of the first storage medium, and returns a signature value for the at least a portion of the storage medium.