Tiered Storage Replication for Failover Site Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In information handling systems, ensuring service level agreements (SLAs) are met during failover or maintenance conditions is challenging due to the slower data access times in geographically dispersed networks, where data is mirrored and tiered across different storage devices, potentially leading to temporary service disruptions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to replicate the tiered organization of data across primary and failover sites, where storage controllers manage data movement between tiers based on access counts, ensuring that frequently accessed data is stored in faster tiers and less accessed data is stored in slower tiers, and synchronizing tiering operations between sites to maintain SLA compliance during failover or maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is mirrored and tiered across different storage devices in geographically dispersed networks, then data redundancy and storage efficiency are improved, but data access time increases and service disruptions occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-replicating data to a failover site before primary storage devices fail. Storage controllers continuously maintain synchronized copies of data across geographically dispersed locations, so when failures occur, the replicated data is already available for immediate failover without access delays
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses storage controllers as intermediaries that manage data replication and tiering operations between primary and failover sites. These controllers coordinate data movement and maintain consistency across the distributed storage system, enabling fast access to replicated data while managing the complexity of geographically dispersed storage operations
2Reliability
If data is mirrored across geographically dispersed networks, then service availability during failures is improved, but service disruptions occur during failover due to slow data access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary failover preparation by continuously replicating data to standby storage devices at failover sites and pre-configuring failover policies. When primary storage fails, the system can immediately activate the pre-prepared replicated data without interruption, achieving continuous availability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuity of useful action through asynchronous replication that allows primary storage operations to continue uninterrupted while data is continuously replicated to failover sites. During failover, the system seamlessly transitions to using replicated data, ensuring continuous service without interruption
3Productivity
If storage controllers manage data movement between tiers based on access counts, then storage efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling storage devices to automatically monitor their own access patterns and autonomously move data between performance and capacity tiers based on predefined policies. This self-managing capability achieves efficient storage utilization without requiring complex centralized control mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by monitoring data access frequency and automatically adjusting data placement between tiers based on access count thresholds. This dynamic parameter adjustment optimizes storage efficiency by placing frequently accessed data on high-performance devices and less accessed data on capacity-optimized devices
Data Source
AI summary
A method of replicating tiered data includes copying a volume from a first tiered storage array of a primary processing site to a second tiered storage array of a failover processing site, wherein the volume is tiered with a first tiered organization in both the first and second tiered storage arrays, directing from a first storage controller of the primary processing site that a second storage controller of the failover processing site stop tiering the volume on the second tiered storage array, changing the first tiered organization of the volume in the first tiered storage array to a second tiered organization, and changing the first tiered organization of the volume in the second tiered storage array to the second tiered organization.