Virtual Storage Volume Manager for Remote Copy Automation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of managing remote copy systems, which require a deep understanding of remote copy pairs and switching relationships between host computers at different sites, makes it burdensome for administrative users and difficult to automate, especially when compared to clustering systems that connect host computers to the same volume.
Innovation Solution
A storage system is implemented where a first physical storage apparatus provides a real volume and a second physical storage apparatus forms a copy pair, allowing hosts to access virtual storage apparatuses with shared identifiers, thereby concealing the remote copy configuration from host computers and enabling clustering functionality across sites.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If remote copy system is implemented with different host computers connecting to volumes in different storage apparatuses, then data protection and operation continuity are improved, but system complexity and administrative burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a volume manager as an intermediary layer between host computers and physical storage apparatuses. This volume manager presents a unified virtual volume view to hosts, while managing the underlying remote copy relationships between primary and secondary storage apparatuses. The intermediary abstracts the complexity of remote copy configuration from hosts, allowing them to access replicated data without needing to understand the distributed storage architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal volume interface that can be accessed by multiple host computers across different sites through a common volume identifier. This universal access mechanism allows the same volume to be mounted by hosts at both the primary and secondary sites, enabling seamless failover without requiring hosts to be aware of their geographic location or the underlying storage replication architecture.
2Reliability
If remote copy system requires understanding of remote copy pairs and switching relationships, then data protection is achieved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to administrative burden
Solution Approach 1:
The volume manager automatically manages the complexity of remote copy relationships without requiring manual administrative intervention. It self-configures the volume mappings, manages the copy pairs between storage apparatuses, and handles failover operations autonomously. This self-service capability eliminates the need for administrators to manually configure and monitor remote copy relationships, significantly reducing operational burden while maintaining data protection.
3Ease of operation
If host computers are connected to the same volume in the same storage apparatus for clustering, then operation takeover is simplified, but remote copy functionality between different sites cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a virtualization dimension to the storage architecture by introducing virtual volumes that exist independently of physical storage location. Instead of hosts connecting directly to physical volumes in specific storage apparatuses, they connect to virtual volumes that can be dynamically mapped to either primary or secondary storage. This dimensional shift from physical to virtual allows hosts to access the same logical volume regardless of which physical storage apparatus actually provides the data, enabling both clustering simplicity and remote copy capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary storage system according to the invention includes a first physical storage apparatus providing a first real volume and a second physical storage apparatus providing a second real volume to form a copy pair with the first real volume. The first physical storage apparatus provides a first host with a first storage identifier and a first volume identifier for the first host to access the first real volume. The second physical storage apparatus provides a second host with at least a part of a first virtual storage apparatus including a first virtual volume allocated the second real volume. The second physical storage apparatus assigns the first volume identifier to the first virtual volume and the first storage identifier to the first virtual storage apparatus.