Automated Storage Migration Maintaining Disaster Recovery Consistency

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional data storage systems lack an automated method for migrating data from multiple target volumes to new volumes while maintaining disaster recovery capability, leading to time-consuming and error-prone manual processes that can result in data loss.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of multi-target functionality to automate the migration of data to a new target storage subsystem by creating second copy services relationships and terminating first copy services relationships after the second copy services relationships are full duplex, allowing for automated migration without manual intervention and maintaining disaster recovery consistency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If manual migration process is used to migrate data from original target storage subsystem to new target storage subsystem, then migration can be performed, but the process is time consuming and error prone

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemigration speedVSAvoidmigration time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by establishing second copy services relationships to the new target storage subsystem before terminating the first relationships. This allows the migration process to be initiated in advance with proper sequencing, where the new relationships are created and allowed to reach full duplex status before the original relationships are terminated, thereby automating the migration and reducing both time and errors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If manual migration process is used to migrate data from original target storage subsystem to new target storage subsystem, then migration can be performed, but errors may result in data loss

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemigration automationVSAvoiddata integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by establishing second copy services relationships to the new target storage subsystem before terminating the first relationships. This allows the migration process to be initiated in advance with proper sequencing, where the new relationships are created and allowed to reach full duplex status before the original relationships are terminated, thereby automating the migration and reducing both time and errors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system monitors the status of copy services relationships and uses feedback from the full duplex status to determine when it is safe to terminate the first relationships. This feedback mechanism ensures that data integrity is maintained by only switching targets when the new relationships are fully synchronized.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If copy pairings are removed from consistency group/session to perform manual migration, then migration can be performed, but data consistency across the entire consistency group/session is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemigration processVSAvoiddata consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by establishing second copy services relationships to the new target storage subsystem before terminating the first relationships. This allows the migration process to be initiated in advance with proper sequencing, where the new relationships are created and allowed to reach full duplex status before the original relationships are terminated, thereby automating the migration and reducing both time and errors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9032173B2Automated migration to a new copy services target storage system to manage multiple relationships simultaneously while maintaining disaster recovery consistency

Publication Date: 2015.05.12 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

A method according to one embodiment includes receiving instruction to change from an original target storage subsystem in a disaster recovery configuration-to a new target storage subsystem. Second copy services relationships are created between one or more new target volumes on the new target storage subsystem and one or more source volumes on a source storage subsystem using multi-target functionality. Existing first copy services relationships between the source storage subsystem and the original target storage subsystem are terminated after all of the second copy services relationships are full duplex.