Storage Controller Migration Policy for Volume Pair Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional data migration technologies in storage systems do not consider associations between logical volumes, leading to potential performance issues when migrating data, as the access frequencies of source and destination volumes in copy pairs are not synchronized, resulting in suboptimal I/O performance during faults.
Innovation Solution
A storage system with a controller that migrates data by considering associations between volumes, ensuring that both the source and destination volumes in a copy pair are migrated according to defined policies, maintaining synchronized access frequencies and I/O performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If data migration is performed based on separate access frequencies of source and destination volumes, then migration can be carried out independently for each volume, but I/O performance suddenly deteriorates when a fault occurs and the host computer switches to the destination volume
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the migration control of source and destination volumes by introducing an associated policy that links their access frequencies. When the source volume's migration condition is met, the system automatically applies the same policy to the destination volume, ensuring both volumes migrate together to the same storage tier. This prevents performance deterioration by guaranteeing that the destination volume maintains equivalent storage quality to the source volume.
2Loss of energy
If the destination volume is migrated to a lower quality storage tier independently, then storage cost is reduced, but I/O performance suddenly deteriorates when the source volume fails
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the migration status and access frequency of the source volume are continuously monitored. When the source volume migrates to a lower tier, the associated policy triggers the destination volume to migrate to the same tier, creating a feedback loop that maintains consistency. This ensures cost optimization while preventing performance deterioration by keeping both volumes in the same storage tier.
3Reliability
If copy pair association is established between source and destination volumes, then data redundancy and fault tolerance are improved, but migration management becomes more complex when access frequencies differ
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service migration mechanism where the associated policy automatically manages the synchronization of source and destination volume migrations. When the source volume's migration conditions are met, the system automatically applies the same migration policy to the destination volume without requiring manual intervention. This reduces migration management complexity while maintaining the fault tolerance benefits of copy pair associations.
Data Source
AI summary
In recent years, data life cycle management, in which data is relocated from, for example, a new storage sub-system to an older storage sub-system in accordance with how new the data is or the frequency of use of the data, has become important. One technology for achieving data life cycle management is technology for migrating the contents of a storage area (“volume”) of a storage sub-system to another volume without affecting the host computer that uses the volume. In the present invention, when an associated source volume (for example, the source volume in a copy pair association) of a pair of associated volumes is migrated, migration of an associated destination volume (for example, the target volume in the copy pair association) is also controlled. In this way, it is possible to control the migration of a pair (or a group) of associated volumes in accordance with the user's requirements.