Snapshot Migration via Difference Data Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional storage technologies cannot migrate snapshots together with their basic storage objects, leading to low storage management efficiency and performance issues due to redundant data, which results in inefficient data replication.
Innovation Solution
A method that acquires a source snapshot and determines difference data between the snapshot and the source storage object, sending this difference data to a destination storage device to create a corresponding snapshot, allowing for the migration of snapshots with their basic storage objects while minimizing data transmission and improving efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If snapshots are migrated together with basic storage objects, then storage management efficiency is improved, but conventional technologies cannot achieve this due to technical limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the snapshot migration process into two parts: migrating the basic storage object and migrating the snapshot separately. The snapshot is represented by a snapshot pointer that references the storage object, allowing independent migration of the pointer metadata while the actual data remains in the original storage object. This segmentation enables snapshots to be migrated together with basic storage objects without requiring complex coordinated migration of both simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a snapshot pointer as an intermediary element that decouples the snapshot from the actual storage data. The snapshot pointer serves as a reference mechanism that allows the snapshot to be migrated independently as lightweight metadata, while still maintaining its functional relationship with the basic storage object. This intermediary enables the system to achieve snapshot migration capability without the technical limitations of conventional approaches.
2Reliability
If complete snapshot data is transmitted to destination device, then complete snapshot copies are created, but network overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential snapshot metadata (snapshot pointer) from the complete snapshot data for transmission to the destination device. Instead of transmitting the entire snapshot data set, the system extracts and transmits only the reference information needed to reconstruct or access the snapshot at the destination. This extraction approach ensures complete snapshot copies are created at the destination while minimizing network overhead by transmitting only the necessary pointer information rather than redundant data.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques involve: acquiring a first source snapshot for a source storage object stored in a source storage device; determining first difference data between the first source snapshot and the source storage object or a second source snapshot for the source storage object, creation time of the first source snapshot being associated with creation time of the second source snapshot; and sending the first difference data to a destination storage device to enable the destination storage device to create a first destination snapshot for a destination storage object stored in the destination storage device based on the first difference data. Such techniques can migrate snapshots more efficiently to improve storage management efficiency.