Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for processing a space release command when mirroring data at a source storage to a target storage. A space release command is received to free a release space in the source storage while transferring changed data in a consistency group. A determination is made as to whether a transfer time to transfer remaining consistency group data in the consistency group for the release space that has not been transferred exceeds a response time to process a space release command. The remaining consistency group data in the release space is transferred to the target storage in response to determining that the transfer time does not exceed the response time. The release space for the space release command is freed in response to transferring the consistency group data in the release space to the target storage.

Abstract: A method, computer system, and a computer program product for soft fencing is provided. The present invention may include identifying a logical device swap occurred. The present invention may also include, in response to a logical device swap, creating a soft fence command. The present invention may then include issuing the created soft fence command.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using mirror indicators to indicate whether to mirror tracks in a data set in a primary volume mirrored to a secondary volume. A table includes a mirror indicator for each of a plurality of tracks in at least one data set in the primary volume indicating whether a track is to be mirrored to the secondary volume. In response to a write command of write data for one of the tracks in the primary volume, creating a record set in a cache for the primary volume including write data for the track to transfer to the secondary volume in response to the mirror indicator for the track indicating that the track is to be mirrored. The write data in the record set is transferred from the cache to the secondary volume.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for after swapping from a first storage to a second storage, mirroring data from the second storage to the first storage for data in the first storage that experienced data errors. A swap operation redirects host Input/Output (I/O) requests to data from the first server to the second server in response to a health condition at the first server. A determination is made of data errors with respect to data in the first storage that experienced data errors. The second server is instructed to mirror data in the second storage to the first server including data for the data in the first storage that experienced the data errors to store in the first storage in response to determining that the first server is available for the data mirroring operations.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products that can pre-emptively swap operations of a data production site to a disaster recovery (DR) site. A method includes providing, by a processor, one or more weighting factors to a set of metrics for an event occurring at a data production site based on information related to the event, analyzing the set of metrics based on the one or more weighting factors, and generating a recommendation related to swapping operations from the data production site to a DR site based on the analysis. Systems and computer program products for performing the above method are also provided.

Abstract: A computer program product, system, and method for switching over from using a first primary storage to using a second primary storage when the first primary storage is in a mirror relationship. Migration operations are initiated to migrate data in the first primary storage to a second primary storage while the data in the first primary storage indicated in first change recording information is mirrored to a secondary storage and switch from using the first primary storage to the second primary storage. Resynchronization operations are initiated to indicate changes to data in the second primary storage in a second change recording information, copy writes from the second primary storage indicated in the first and the second change recording information to the secondary storage, and mirror writes to the second primary storage to the secondary storage in response to the copying the writes.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using a forward log storage and backward log storage to recover a storage to a forward or backward point-in-time. In response to receiving writes to source data after establishing point-in-time copies, point-in-time data of the source data is copied to a backward log storage storing point-in-time data for multiple of the point-in-time copies. The point-in-time data in the backward log storage is applied to a recovery source data to roll-back the source data to a backward point-in-time of one of the point-in-time copies. Before applying the point-in-time data from the backward log storage, point-in-time data in the recovery source data, is copied to a forward log storage. The point-in-time data in the forward log storage is applied to the recovery source data to roll forward the recovery source data to a forward point-in-time subsequent to the backward point-in-time.

Abstract: An incremental backup system that performs the following (not necessarily in the following order): (i) making a plurality of time-ordered journal entries; (ii) determining that a corruption condition exists; (iii) responsive to a corruption condition, constructing a first incremental mirror data set that reflects a backup data set and all journal entries up to a first corrupted journal entry which is the earliest in time journal entry, of the plurality of journal entries, that is a corrupted journal entry; (iv) responsive to a corruption condition, constructing a second incremental mirror data set that reflects the backup data set and all journal entries up to the first corrupted journal entry; and (v) checking for corruption in the first and second incremental mirror data sets to determine the latest uncorrupted version of the data set.

Abstract: A method for analyzing data corruption is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes identifying a data set containing corrupted data. The method identifies a specific location within the data set containing the corrupted data and analyzes the specific location to determine if the corrupted data is contained therein. The method repeatedly performs the following until the corrupted data is no longer found within the specific location: revert to a previous version of the specific location by removing an incremental update to the specific location, and analyze the previous version of the specific location to determine if it contains the corrupted data. When a previous version of the specific location is found that no longer contains the corrupted data, the method determines a timestamp associated with the previous version and provides the timestamp to a user. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for analyzing data corruption is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes identifying a data set containing corrupted data. The method searches the data set for the corrupted data to verify that the corrupted data is contained within the data set. The method repeatedly performs the following until the corrupted data is no longer found within the data set: revert to a previous version of the data set by removing an incremental update to the data set, and search the previous version for the corrupted data. When a previous version of the data set is found that no longer contains the corrupted data, the method determines a timestamp associated with the previous version and provides the timestamp to a user. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, I/O operations may be swapped from an original storage unit to a replacement storage unit in a manner which can reduce or eliminate delays caused by copying of data from the original storage unit to the replacement storage unit. A point-in-time snap copy relationship between the original storage unit and the replacement storage unit of storage locations is established and I/O operations are swapped from the original storage unit to the replacement storage unit. The I/O operations are resumed, accessing the replacement storage unit instead of the original storage unit in the input/output operations issued by the at least one host. Other aspects are described.

Abstract: In one embodiment, upon initiation of a consistency group, bandwidth reduction scanning logic determines whether a volume portion such as a track containing data which is to be mirrored from a primary volume to a secondary volume to form a consistency group, is allocated to the primary volume. If not, the bandwidth reduction scanning logic causes the data of the associated volume portion to not be mirrored from the primary volume to the secondary volume. As a result, the volume portion determined to not be allocated to the primary volume is bypassed by the mirroring operation, thereby reducing bandwidth usage by the mirroring and accelerating the formation of a consistency group. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for managing health conditions to determine when to restart replication after a swap triggered by a storage health event. A determination is made of a health condition with respect to access to a first storage that triggers a swap operation. The swap operation redirects host Input/Output (I/O) requests to data from a first server to a second server in response to determining the health condition. After the swap operation the I/O requests are directed to the second server and a second storage. The second server is instructed to mirror data in the second storage to the first server to store in the first storage in response to determining that the health condition is resolved.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a local copy target is also a local primary of an incomplete consistency group of an ongoing asynchronous mirror relationship. Completion of the consistency group is facilitated notwithstanding that the local copy operation was initiated after the consistency group was initiated. In one aspect, asynchronous data mirroring logic, prior to the overwriting of existing data of the target, reads the existing data of the target for purposes of mirroring the read data to a remote secondary target of the consistency group. As a result, existing data of the local copy target which is also a local primary source of the consistency group, may be safely overwritten. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

Abstract: A method for analyzing a potential data breach is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes identifying a time frame and data store in which a data breach potentially occurred. The method reconstructs the data store to a point in time near an end of the time frame. The method then repeatedly performs the following until the data store reaches a point in time near a beginning of the time frame: revert to a previous version of the data store by removing an incremental update to the data store; record changes to the data store caused by removing the incremental update; and record timestamps associated with the changes. Once the data store reaches the point in time near the beginning of the time frame, the method creates a report that documents the changes and the timestamps and provides the report to a user. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for performing a recovery copy command to create a recovery volume for a consistency group. In response to receiving a recovery copy command, a recovery copy data structure is created with indicators for storage locations and a recovery target data structure is created with indicators for storage locations. In response to receiving a write operation for a storage location to a cache on a host for a recovery volume, while the recovery copy command is being processed, it is determined that data is to be staged to the cache and, based on a value of an indicator in the recovery copy data structure for the storage location and a value of an indicator in the recovery target data structure for the storage location, the data is staged from one of the production volume, the recovery volume, and a backup volume.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for forming a consistency group comprised of volumes maintained by one or more storage controllers. At least one storage controller is caused to perform reservation operations for point-in-time copies of storage units to allocate storage resources and a data structure for a point-in-time copy. Upon successfully completing the reservation operations for all the point-in-time copies, Input/Output (I/O) operations to the storage units of the point-in-time copies are suspended. If I/O operations were successfully suspended at the storage units for all of the point-in-time copies, then suspension of I/O operations is ended I/O operations are allowed to continue at the storage units of the point-in-time copies. The point-in-time copies at the storage units are formed at which the suspension of I/O operations was ended after being successfully suspended. The point-in-time copies are consistent as of a same point-in-time.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for avoiding out-of-space conditions in an asynchronous data replication environment. In one embodiment, such a method creates a consistency group on a primary storage system of an asynchronous data replication environment. The method determines a number of additional extents that will be needed on a secondary storage system to accommodate the consistency group. The number of additional extents is compared to a number of free extents on the secondary storage system. In the event the number of additional extents does not exceed the number of free extents, the method transfers the data from the primary storage system to the secondary storage system. In the event the number of additional extents exceeds the number of free extents, the method automatically takes actions on the secondary storage system to provide the number of additional extents. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for backing up data is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes identifying a volume of data to back up, and determining a number of backup tasks that can operate in parallel to back up data in the volume. The number of backup tasks may be based on an amount of memory available, a fragmentation level of a target storage area, a number of tape mounts that are available, or the like. The method then divides the volume into a number of sections corresponding to the number of backup tasks. Each section is associated with a particular backup task. The method then initiates the backup tasks to back up their corresponding sections in parallel. In certain embodiments, each backup task generates a data set storing backup data from its corresponding section. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Abstract: In one aspect of the present description, a primary-secondary role swap operation which swaps roles of primary and secondary data storage systems in a distributed data storage system, is synchronized with safe data commit scan operations of individual data storage systems. The safe data commit scan operations of the individual data storage systems are also synchronized to ensure completion of the safe data commit scans and to reduce the occurrence of reductions in input/output (I/O) response times prior to initiation of a primary-secondary role swap operation. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.