Virtual Recovery Cache Partition for Concurrent Exported Tape Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data recovery methods for enterprise virtual tape products like IBM TS7700 require a clean, standalone system without host data and cannot be used within a grid setup, necessitating additional hardware and infrastructure costs for periodic testing and recovery.
Innovation Solution
Implement a virtual cache partition (recovery cache partition) on existing TS7700 systems to simulate a clean server, allowing concurrent recovery of exported data by creating a separate recovery database instance and managing data separation within the existing production environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a clean standalone system is used for data recovery, then recovery reliability is improved, but hardware cost and infrastructure complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the recovery environment with the production environment by implementing a virtual cache partition within the existing TS7700 system. Instead of requiring a separate clean standalone system, the recovery functionality is combined with the production system through virtualization, allowing both production and recovery operations to coexist in the same physical infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The TS7700 system is made multi-functional by enabling it to simultaneously serve as both a production system and a recovery system. The virtual cache partition allows the system to handle both production data operations and recovery data operations, eliminating the need for dedicated recovery-only hardware and making the infrastructure universal for multiple purposes.
2Reliability
If a dedicated clean server is used for recovery testing, then data separation is improved, but hardware cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cache into different virtual partitions, creating a dedicated recovery cache partition within the production system. This segmentation provides logical data separation between production and recovery data while utilizing the same physical hardware resources, thus maintaining data isolation without requiring separate physical servers.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring a physical copy of the entire recovery system, the patent creates a virtual copy through the recovery cache partition that replicates the necessary recovery environment. This virtual copying approach provides the needed data separation and recovery capability while consuming minimal additional hardware resources compared to physical duplication.
3Reliability
If periodic recovery testing is performed on standalone systems, then recovery validation is improved, but time consumption and operational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous recovery testing by integrating the recovery environment into the production system's normal operations. Instead of periodic testing on separate systems, the virtual cache partition allows recovery operations to be performed continuously and concurrently with production operations, eliminating downtime and making validation an ongoing process rather than an intermittent event.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a method, system, and computer program product in which operations are performed for generating a logical recovery cache partition to perform testing and to recover exported data, wherein production data is separated from recovered data. Concurrent recovery of exported physical tape data is performed by the method, system, and computer program product.