Abstract: A technique provides network efficient data failover by explicitly protecting one or more common snapshot references at sites of a multi-site data replication environment to improve granularity of control of recovery point objectives (RPO) for data across the sites. A common snapshot reference or recovery point (RP) ensures that, in the event of failure to a site, data designated for failover may be quickly protected by replicating only small incremental changes to the RP so as to maintain RPO requirements across the sites. Illustratively, the technique enhances and extends a disaster recovery (DR) application programming interface (API) protocol through an extension that defines and applies a tag to the RP, wherein the tag enables protection and/or preservation of the RP by ensuring that the sites honor the tag applied to the RP. The tag essentially functions as an advisory lock for the RP that is shared among the sites to prevent deletion of the RP at the sites throughout the duration of the lock.

Abstract: A technique provides efficient data failover by creation and deployment of a protection policy that ensures maintenance of frequent common snapshots between sites of a multi-site data replication environment. A global constraint optimizer executes on a node of a cluster to create the protection policy for deployment among other nodes of clusters at the sites. Constraints such as protection rules (PRs) specifying, e.g., an amount of tolerable data loss are applied to a category of data designated for failover from a primary site over a network to a plurality of (secondary and tertiary) sites typically located at geographically separated distances. The optimizer processes the PRs to compute parameters such as frequency of snapshot generation and replication among the sites, as well as retention of the latest common snapshot maintained at each site to create a recovery point and configuration of the protection policy that reduces network traffic for efficient use of the network among the sites.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or computing devices are provided for managing an arbitrary set of storage items using a granset. For example, a storage controller may host a plurality of storage items and/or logical unit numbers (LUNs). A subset of the storage items are grouped into a consistency group. A granset is created for tracking, managing, and/or providing access to the storage items within the consistency group. For example, the granset comprises application programming interfaces (APIs) and/or properties used to provide certain levels of access to the storage items (e.g., read access, write access, no access), redirect operations to access either data of an active file system or to a snapshot, fence certain operations (e.g., rename and delete operations), and/or other properties that apply to each storage item within the consistency group. Thus, the granset provides a persistent on-disk layout used to manage an arbitrary set of storage items.

Abstract: A storage area network (SAN)-attached storage system architecture is disclosed. The storage system provides strongly consistent distributed storage communication protocol semantics, such as SCSI target semantics. The system includes a mechanism for presenting a single distributed logical unit, comprising one or more logical sub-units, as a single logical unit of storage to a host system by associating each of the logical sub-units that make up the single distributed logical unit with a single host visible identifier that corresponds to the single distributed logical unit. The system further includes mechanisms to maintain consistent context information for each of the logical sub-units such that the logical sub-units are not visible to a host system as separate entities from the single distributed logical unit.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or computing devices are provided for managing an arbitrary set of storage items using a granset. For example, a storage controller may host a plurality of storage items and/or logical unit numbers (LUNs). A subset of the storage items are grouped into a consistency group. A granset is created for tracking, managing, and/or providing access to the storage items within the consistency group. For example, the granset comprises application programming interfaces (APIs) and/or properties used to provide certain levels of access to the storage items (e.g., read access, write access, no access), redirect operations to access either data of an active file system or to a snapshot, fence certain operations (e.g., rename and delete operations), and/or other properties that apply to each storage item within the consistency group. Thus, the granset provides a persistent on-disk layout used to manage an arbitrary set of storage items.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or computing devices are provided for utilizing snapshots for data integrity validation and/or faster application recovery. For example, a first storage controller, hosting first storage, has a synchronous replication relationship with a second storage controller hosting second storage. A snapshot replication policy rule is defined to specify that a replication label is to be used for snapshot create requests, targeting the first storage, that are to be replicated to the second storage. A snapshot creation policy is created to issue snapshot create requests comprising the replication label. Thus a snapshot of the first storage and a replication snapshot of the second storage are created based upon a snapshot create request comprising the replication label. The snapshot and the replication snapshot may be compared for data integrity validation (e.g., determine whether the snapshots comprise the same data) and/or quickly recovering an application after a disaster.

Abstract: A storage area network (SAN)-attached storage system architecture is disclosed. The storage system provides strongly consistent distributed storage communication protocol semantics, such as SCSI target semantics. The system includes a mechanism for presenting a single distributed logical unit, comprising one or more logical sub-units, as a single logical unit of storage to a host system by associating each of the logical sub-units that make up the single distributed logical unit with a single host visible identifier that corresponds to the single distributed logical unit. The system further includes mechanisms to maintain consistent context information for each of the logical sub-units such that the logical sub-units are not visible to a host system as separate entities from the single distributed logical unit.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or computing devices are provided for moving a consistency group having a replication relation. For example, a first consistency group of storage objects (e.g., files, logical unit numbers (LUNs), etc.) within first storage may have a replication relationship with a second consistency group within second storage (e.g., the second consistency group is maintained as a synchronously replicated copy of the first consistency group). A volume copy operation, a single file move on demand command, a single file restore command, or other functionality is used to move the first consistency group from the first storage to third storage, such as for load balancing, to create a moved first consistency group within the third storage. A new replication relationship is established between the moved first consistency group and the second consistency group, and the moved first consistency group and the second consistency group are resynchronized.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or computing devices are provided for replicating virtual machine disk clones. For example, a first storage controller, hosting first storage, may have a synchronous replication relationship with a second storage controller hosting second storage. A virtual machine, within the first storage, may be specified as having synchronous replication protection. Accordingly, virtual machine disk clones of a virtual machine disk of the virtual machine may be replicated from the first storage to the second storage. For example, virtual machine disk clones may be synchronous replicated, replicated by a resync process invoked by a hypervisor agent, and/or stored and replicated from a clone backup directory.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for moving a container-based application from a source HCI cluster to a target HCI cluster. An HCI storage cluster data replication mechanism operates to copy data and metadata from a plurality of storage devices that constitute a storage pool of the source HCI cluster. A container-based application replication mechanism operates to copy data and metadata from an executable container that is running on a node of the source HCI cluster. Periodically (1) the state of the container-based application is saved using the container-based application replication mechanism, and (2) the state of the storage cluster data of the HCI storage cluster is saved using the HCI storage cluster data replication mechanism. The saved state of the container-based application including its application data and metadata are combined with the saved state of the storage cluster data to bring-up the container-based application at the target HCI cluster.

Abstract: A reference snapshot selection technique is configured to select a reference snapshot resolution algorithm used to determine an appropriate reference snapshot that may be employed to perform incremental snapshot replication of workload data between primary and secondary sites in a data replication environment. A reference resolution procedure is configured to process a set of constraints from the data replication environment to dynamically select the reference snapshot resolution algorithm based on a figure of merit that satisfies administrative constraints to reduce or optimize resource utilization in the data replication environment.

Abstract: A framework is described that improves resource utilization during operations executing within workflows of the distributed data processing system (e.g., having a plurality of interconnected nodes) in a disaster recovery (DR) environment configured to support synchronous and asynchronous (i.e., heterogeneous) DR workflows (e.g., generating snapshots and replicating data) that include synchronous replication, asynchronous replication, nearsync (i.e., short duration snapshots of metadata) replication and migration of data objects associated with the workflows for failover (e.g., replication and/or migration) to a secondary site in the event of failure of the primary site. The framework meters (regulates) execution of the operations directed to the workloads so as to efficiently use the resources in a manner that allows timely progress (completion) of certain (e.g., high-frequency) operations and reduction in blocking (stalling) of other (e.g.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or computing devices are provided for replicating virtual machine disk clones. For example, a first storage controller, hosting first storage, may have a synchronous replication relationship with a second storage controller hosting second storage. A virtual machine, within the first storage, may be specified as having synchronous replication protection. Accordingly, virtual machine disk clones of a virtual machine disk of the virtual machine may be replicated from the first storage to the second storage. For example, virtual machine disk clones may be synchronous replicated, replicated by a resync process invoked by a hypervisor agent, and/or stored and replicated from a clone backup directory.

Abstract: A reference snapshot selection technique is configured to select a reference snapshot resolution algorithm used to determine an appropriate reference snapshot that may be employed to perform incremental snapshot replication of workload data between primary and secondary sites in a data replication environment. A reference resolution procedure is configured to process a set of constraints from the data replication environment to dynamically select the reference snapshot resolution algorithm based on a figure of merit that satisfies administrative constraints to reduce or optimize resource utilization in the data replication environment.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or computing devices are provided for moving a consistency group having a replication relation. For example, a first consistency group of storage objects (e.g., files, logical unit numbers (LUNs), etc.) within first storage may have a replication relationship with a second consistency group within second storage (e.g., the second consistency group is maintained as a synchronously replicated copy of the first consistency group). A volume copy operation, a single file move on demand command, a single file restore command, or other functionality is used to move the first consistency group from the first storage to third storage, such as for load balancing, to create a moved first consistency group within the third storage. A new replication relationship is established between the moved first consistency group and the second consistency group, and the moved first consistency group and the second consistency group are resynchronized.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for moving a container-based application from a source HCl cluster to a target HCl cluster. An HCl storage cluster data replication mechanism operates to copy data and metadata from a plurality of storage devices that constitute a storage pool of the source HCl cluster. A container-based application replication mechanism operates to copy data and metadata from an executable container that is running on a node of the source HCl cluster. Periodically (1) the state of the container-based application is saved using the container-based application replication mechanism, and (2) the state of the storage cluster data of the HCl storage cluster is saved using the HCl storage cluster data replication mechanism. The saved state of the container-based application including its application data and metadata are combined with the saved state of the storage cluster data to bring-up the container-based application at the target HCl cluster.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or computing devices are provided for managing an arbitrary set of storage items using a granset. For example, a storage controller may host a plurality of storage items and/or logical unit numbers (LUNs). A subset of the storage items are grouped into a consistency group. A granset is created for tracking, managing, and/or providing access to the storage items within the consistency group. For example, the granset comprises application programming interfaces (APIs) and/or properties used to provide certain levels of access to the storage items (e.g., read access, write access, no access), redirect operations to access either data of an active file system or to a snapshot, fence certain operations (e.g., rename and delete operations), and/or other properties that apply to each storage item within the consistency group. Thus, the granset provides a persistent on-disk layout used to manage an arbitrary set of storage items.

Abstract: A technique provides efficient data failover by creation and deployment of a protection policy that ensures maintenance of frequent common snapshots between sites of a multi-site data replication environment. A global constraint optimizer executes on a node of a cluster to create the protection policy for deployment among other nodes of clusters at the sites. Constraints such as protection rules (PRs) specifying, e.g., an amount of tolerable data loss are applied to a category of data designated for failover from a primary site over a network to a plurality of (secondary and tertiary) sites typically located at geographically separated distances. The optimizer processes the PRs to compute parameters such as frequency of snapshot generation and replication among the sites, as well as retention of the latest common snapshot maintained at each site to create a recovery point and configuration of the protection policy that reduces network traffic for efficient use of the network among the sites.

Abstract: A technique creates a compact state of snapshot metadata and associated selected snapshots that are frequently used and maintained in memory of a node of a cluster to facilitate processing of workflow operations associated with a logical entity in a disaster recovery (DR) environment. The compact state represents a minimal subset of snapshot metadata that is frequently used to perform operations in accordance with the DR workflow operations. In addition, metadata associated with the progress of the DR workflow operations processed by the node is periodically consolidated within the compact state. Illustratively, the selected frequently used snapshots of the logical entity include (i) a recently created snapshot; (ii) one or more reference snapshots; (iii) a snapshot scheduled for replication; and (iv) any snapshot that is queued for a current or future-scheduled operation.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for moving a container-based application from a source HCI cluster to a target HCI cluster. An HCI storage cluster data replication mechanism operates to copy data and metadata from a plurality of storage devices that constitute a storage pool of the source HCI cluster. A container-based application replication mechanism operates to copy data and metadata from an executable container that is running on a node of the source HCI cluster. Periodically (1) the state of the container-based application is saved using the container-based application replication mechanism, and (2) the state of the storage cluster data of the HCI storage cluster is saved using the HCI storage cluster data replication mechanism. The saved state of the container-based application including its application data and metadata are combined with the saved state of the storage cluster data to bring-up the container-based application at the target HCI cluster.