US7007042B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System and method for automatic site failover in a storage area network
Assignee: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
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Filing: 2002-03-28
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Granted: 2006-02-28
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Expires: 2022-03-28
Abstract
Abstract A data storage system adapted to maintain redundant data storage sets at a destination location(s) is disclosed. The data storage system establishes a copy set comprising a source volume and a destination volume. Data written to a source volume is automatically copied to the destination volume. The data storage system maintains a data log that may be activated when the destination volume is inaccessible due to, for example, a malfunction in the destination storage system or in the communication link between the source system and the destination system. I/O commands and the data associated with those commands are written to the data log, and after a destination system becomes available the information in the data log is merged into the destination volume to conform the data in the destination volume to the data in the source volume. The data log competes for disk capacity with other volumes on the system, and log memory is allocated as needed. In operation, the array controllers monitor connection status between array controllers in a DRM group. When a connection failure is detected the controllers determine which of the remaining controllers determine whether the source controller remains online, and if not then which destination controller should assume the role of the source controller.
Inventors
- 👤 Clark Lubbers
- 👤 Susan Elkington
- 👤 Randy Hess
- 👤 Stephen J. Sicola
- 👤 James McCarty
- 👤 Anuja Korgaonkar
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 12:07
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/07; G06F11/16; G06F11/20; G06F11/2053; G06F11/2056; G06F11/2071; G06F11/2079; G06F11/2069; G06F11/2058; G06F11/2064; G06F11/2082; G06F2201/00; G06F2201/855; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99933; Y10S707/99941; Y10S707/99942; Y10S707/99943; Y10S707/99944; Y10S707/99951; Y10S707/99952; Y10S707/99953
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
163 words
A method for detecting a failover condition and executing a failover process in a first destination controller of a plurality of destination controllers in computer-based information storage area network, wherein the destination controllers maintain data as part of a DRM group, the method comprising the steps of: detecting a failure in normal heartbeat operations between controllers in a DRM group; and determining whether the data associated with the destination controller is more current than the data associated other controllers in the DRM group by obtaining GSNs from other destination controllers in the DRM group and comparing the GSNs; and when the data associated with the destination controller is more current than the data associated other destination controllers in the DRM group, then: (a) installing the destination controller as a source controller for the DRM group; and (b) reconciling the data associated with the destination controller to other destination controllers in the DRM group when the data sets in the destination controllers are inconsistent.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
163 words
A method for detecting a failover condition and executing a failover process in a first destination controller of a plurality of destination controllers in computer-based information storage area network, wherein the destination controllers maintain data as part of a DRM group, the method comprising the steps of: detecting a failure in normal heartbeat operations between controllers in a DRM group; and determining whether the data associated with the destination controller is more current than the data associated other controllers in the DRM group by obtaining GSNs from other destination controllers in the DRM group and comparing the GSNs; and when the data associated with the destination controller is more current than the data associated other destination controllers in the DRM group, then: (a) installing the destination controller as a source controller for the DRM group; and (b) reconciling the data associated with the destination controller to other destination controllers in the DRM group when the data sets in the destination controllers are inconsistent.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of detecting a failure in connections between at least one destination controller comprises executing a background process to send heartbeats to and receive heartbeats from one or more destination controllers.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of taking the destination controller offline to the host when the destination controller does not have the most current data.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 3 , further comprising receiving a full copy of the data set while the destination controller is offline to the host.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
181 words
A computer program product, for use in connection with a processor for detecting a failover condition and executing a failover process in a first destination controller of a plurality of destination controllers in computer-based information storage area network, wherein the destination controllers maintain data as part of a DRM group, comprising logic instructions, executable on a processor, for: detecting a failure in connections between controllers in a DRM group; and determining whether the data associated with the destination controller is more current than the data associated with other controllers in the DRM group by obtaining GSNs from other destination controllers in the DRM group and comparing the GSNs to determine which destination has the most current data; when the data associated with the destination controller is more current than the data associated other destination controllers in the DRM group, then: (a) installing the destination controller as a source controller for the DRM group; and (b) reconciling the data associated with the destination controller to other destination controllers in the DRM group when the data sets in the destination controllers are inconsistent.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
181 words
A computer program product, for use in connection with a processor for detecting a failover condition and executing a failover process in a first destination controller of a plurality of destination controllers in computer-based information storage area network, wherein the destination controllers maintain data as part of a DRM group, comprising logic instructions, executable on a processor, for: detecting a failure in connections between controllers in a DRM group; and determining whether the data associated with the destination controller is more current than the data associated with other controllers in the DRM group by obtaining GSNs from other destination controllers in the DRM group and comparing the GSNs to determine which destination has the most current data; when the data associated with the destination controller is more current than the data associated other destination controllers in the DRM group, then: (a) installing the destination controller as a source controller for the DRM group; and (b) reconciling the data associated with the destination controller to other destination controllers in the DRM group when the data sets in the destination controllers are inconsistent.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
The computer program product of claim 5 , wherein the logic instructions for detecting a failure in connections between at least one destination controller execute a background process to send heartbeats to and receive heartbeats from one or more destination controllers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The computer program product of claim 5 , further comprising logic instructions for taking the destination controller offline to the host when the destination controller does not have the most current data.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The computer program product of claim 5 , further comprising logic instructions for receiving a full copy of the data set while the destination controller is offline to the host.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2009-02-27 | 2009-08-29 | 2010-02-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2013-02-27 | 2013-08-29 | 2014-02-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2017-02-27 | 2017-08-29 | 2018-02-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |