Volume Replication Using Sequence Number Ranges

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Solution Overview

Problem

Data replication between storage systems is inefficient due to the need to analyze and transmit all system data, leading to prolonged replication times and increased downtime.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a sequence number-based approach to selectively read and transmit only a portion of the system data, identifying logical groups with more recent sequence numbers to determine which data blocks need to be replicated, thereby reducing the data to be transmitted.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If all system data is analyzed and transmitted for volume replication, then complete data replication is achieved, but replication time increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata replication completenessVSAvoidreplication time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary subset of system data for replication by using sequence numbers to identify which snapshots have changed. Instead of analyzing all system data, the method extracts only the data blocks corresponding to snapshots with sequence numbers greater than the last successfully replicated sequence number, thereby reducing replication time while maintaining completeness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary action by maintaining sequence number information that tracks the state of snapshots before replication begins. This pre-established sequence number tracking allows the replication process to immediately identify which data needs to be transmitted without analyzing all system data during the replication process itself.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of time

If sequence number-based selective reading is implemented, then replication time is reduced, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereplication timeVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces sequence numbers as an intermediary mechanism to bridge the source and target storage systems. These sequence numbers serve as a simple tracking mechanism that enables selective data identification without requiring complex analysis of the actual data content, thus reducing replication time while adding minimal system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10185505B1Reading a portion of data to replicate a volume based on sequence numbers

Publication Date: 2019.01.22 PURE STORAGE INC

AI summary

An indication to replicate, for a second storage resource, a volume that is stored at a first storage resource may be received. A snapshot of the volume that is stored at the second storage resource may be identified. Data with operations to data blocks of the volume may be identified. A sequence number range, containing one or more sequence numbers, associated with the snapshot of the volume that is stored at the second resource may be received. Furthermore, a portion of the data associated with the operations to the data blocks of the volume based on the sequence number range that is associated with the snapshot of the volume that is stored at the second resource may be received to replicate the volume at the second storage resource.