Abstract: A host computing system includes an applications layer containing one or more user applications that perform I/O operations, an access methods layer that communicates with the applications layer, an I/O drivers layer that communicates with the access methods layer, and an SSCH simulation layer that communicates with the I/O drivers layer and that simulates a Fibre Channel connection that is accessed by applications in the applications layer. The host computing system may also include a TCP/IP stack layer that communicates with the SSCH simulation layer to provide TCP/IP communication for the host computing system. TCP/IP communication provided by the TCP/IP stack layer may be separate from any dedicated TCP/IP communication provided by the host. The host computing system may be coupled to a TCP/IP network. A cloud storage may be coupled to the network to communicate with the host computing system.

Abstract: A host computing system includes an applications layer containing one or more user applications that perform I/O operations, an access methods layer that communicates with the applications layer, an I/O drivers layer that communicates with the access methods layer, and an SSCH simulation layer that communicates with the I/O drivers layer and that simulates a Fibre Channel connection that is accessed by applications in the applications layer. The host computing system may also include a TCP/IP stack layer that communicates with the SSCH simulation layer to provide TCP/IP communication for the host computing system. TCP/IP communication provided by the TCP/IP stack layer may be separate from any dedicated TCP/IP communication provided by the host. The host computing system may be coupled to a TCP/IP network. A cloud storage may be coupled to the network to communicate with the host computing system.

Abstract: Causing an application on a host to access a point-in-time image on a storage system includes the application generating concurrent copy commands that are designed to cause data to be copied from a first location to a second location independent of whether the data is accessed by the host following initiating creation of a concurrent copy, intercepting concurrent copy commands and data generated by the application prior to sending the commands and data from the host to the storage system, transforming the concurrent copy commands and data to revised commands and data that are used to access the point-in-time image. Transforming the concurrent copy commands may include allocating temporary space on the storage system. The revised commands and data are sent from the host to the storage system. All commands generated by the application may be intercepted by the drivers layer. Only concurrent copy commands may be transformed.

Abstract: A host coupled to a storage system accesses secondary storage coupled to the storage system and to the host by determining if direct data access between the storage system and the secondary storage is operational, the host forwarding commands to the storage system to directly access the secondary storage in response to direct data access between the storage system and the secondary storage being operational, and the host generating modified commands to cause the host to directly access the secondary storage in response to direct data access between the storage system and the secondary storage not being operational. The secondary storage may be a cloud storage. The secondary storage may be a tape emulation unit. The host may directly access data of the tape emulation unit by accessing a storage device of the tape emulation unit. Commands on the host may be modified by a drivers layer on the host.

Abstract: A host coupled to a storage system accesses secondary storage coupled to the storage system and to the host by determining if direct data access between the storage system and the secondary storage is operational, the host forwarding commands to the storage system to directly access the secondary storage in response to direct data access between the storage system and the secondary storage being operational, and the host generating modified commands to cause the host to directly access the secondary storage in response to direct data access between the storage system and the secondary storage not being operational. The secondary storage may be a cloud storage. The secondary storage may be a tape emulation unit. The host may directly access data of the tape emulation unit by accessing a storage device of the tape emulation unit. Commands on the host may be modified by a drivers layer on the host.

Abstract: Causing an application on a host to access a point-in-time image on a storage system includes the application generating concurrent copy commands that are designed to cause data to be copied from a first location to a second location independent of whether the data is accessed by the host following initiating creation of a concurrent copy, intercepting concurrent copy commands and data generated by the application prior to sending the commands and data from the host to the storage system, transforming the concurrent copy commands and data to revised commands and data that are used to access the point-in-time image. Transforming the concurrent copy commands may include allocating temporary space on the storage system. The revised commands and data are sent from the host to the storage system. All commands generated by the application may be intercepted by the drivers layer. Only concurrent copy commands may be transformed.

Abstract: Transferring data from a storage device to cloud service includes initiating a snapshot of the data, accessing each block of the data corresponding to the snapshot to transfer each block to the cloud service, and terminating the snapshot after all of the blocks have been transferred to the cloud service. At least some blocks of the storage device that are modified after initiating the snapshot may be copied from the storage device to a storage pool prior to modification. Only a first modification of a particular one of the blocks of the storage device may cause the particular one of the blocks to be copied to the storage pool. Accessing each block of the data may include accessing blocks of the storage pool. Modifying a particular one of the blocks of the storage device may include modifying a corresponding block of a storage pool.

Abstract: Transferring data from a storage device to cloud service includes initiating a snapshot of the data, accessing each block of the data corresponding to the snapshot to transfer each block to the cloud service, and terminating the snapshot after all of the blocks have been transferred to the cloud service. At least some blocks of the storage device that are modified after initiating the snapshot may be copied from the storage device to a storage pool prior to modification. Only a first modification of a particular one of the blocks of the storage device may cause the particular one of the blocks to be copied to the storage pool. Accessing each block of the data may include accessing blocks of the storage pool. Modifying a particular one of the blocks of the storage device may include modifying a corresponding block of a storage pool.

Abstract: A system for injecting I/O faults into a closed system, for example, the injection of link level I/O faults, involves the use of a simulated computing environment. In an embodiment, the system provides for fault injection using an emulated IBM System z environment and including the use of FICON and/or other suitable communication channel protocols. The emulated System z environment may include a simulated z/OS and/or emulated System z hardware and software components.

Abstract: A reclaim system provides for marking each track that is intended to be reclaimed in one or more storage devices and detecting and reclaiming such tracks. The reclaim system may include a feature and/or utility that may be used to mark, detect and return tracks to a free track pool of a virtual provisioning storage system in connection with the use of one or more thin Count Key Data (CKD) devices. Reclaim processing may include identifying tracks to be reclaimed, marking mark the tracks to be reclaimed, detecting tracks that have been marked to be reclaimed, and performing a reclaim task to return the marked and detected tracks to the free track pool, thereby reclaiming the tracks.

Abstract: Handling data includes providing a first storage area of a first type that contains sections of data, providing a second storage area of the first type that contains sections of data, providing a third storage area of a second type where the second type has, for each section thereof, a pointer to one of: a corresponding section of data of the first storage area and a corresponding section of data of the second storage area, causing the third storage area to be not available for accessing, and after causing the third storage area to not be available for accessing, providing data from the second storage area corresponding to pointers of the third storage area that point to sections of the second storage area.

Abstract: A mass storage business continuance time maker function host system that allows one or more MVS mainframe hosts to have the time to: establish business continuation volumes to mirror the standard mass storage volumes; synchronize business continuation volumes with the standard volumes so that their contents are identical; split off a business continuation volume from its standard volume counterpart to make the business continuation volume available for other purposes; and enable a business continuation volume to be used to restore the contents of a standard volume—all without halting or disrupting the business applications using standard volumes. These and related services are provided in a transparent manner to a host mainframe by manipulating MVS format volume labels, volume tables of contents and indexes, catalog entries, data set names and similar mechanisms on mass storage devices connected to host mainframes using the MVS operating system.

Abstract: Restoring data includes providing data in a first storage area that contains sections of data, providing data in a second storage area where the second type has, for each section of data thereof, at least one of: a pointer to a corresponding section of data of the first storage area and a pointer to corresponding section of data of a third storage area of the first type. In one embodiment, a sections of the first storage area are replaced with pointers to the third storage area. In other embodiments, sections of a fourth storage area of the first type are replaced with pointers to the third storage area and optionally with pointers to the first storage area. In another embodiment, data is copied from the second storage area to a third storage area of the second type.

Abstract: Accessing data includes a host establishing a relationship between a first storage area of a first type containing data and a second storage area of a second type containing pointers to data provided in storage areas of the first type, where the storage areas are provided in a storage device coupled to the host. In response to the host writing data to a particular section of the first storage area after establishing the relationship, the particular section is copied from the first storage area to a third storage area of the first type prior to the write operation being executed. A corresponding pointer of the second storage area is adjusted to point to the third storage area.

Abstract: A method for copying data from a source disk storage device to a destination disk storage device. In response to a copy command from a requesting host application identifying the storage locations in source and destination disk storage devices, an environment is established. Thereafter a calling system receives an immediate response that the copy operation is complete even though no data has been copied. Application programs may access storage locations in either the source or the destination disk storage device during the copy phase. A copy program transfers the date on a track-by-track basis to the storage locations in the destination disk storage device. Procedures assure that any data access to a particular track in either the source or destination disk storage devices by any application prior to the transfer of that track are accommodated to maintain data integrity.

Abstract: Data is copied from a source storage device to a destination storage device in a differential mode. An extents track defines all tracks to be transferred during a first copying operation. Complementary track tables for source and destination storage devices establishing the totality of changes in data since a previous copying program to limit subsequent copying to data on changed tracks only.

Abstract: A method for copying a data file from a source device to a destination device. In response to a copy command from a requesting host application identifying the source file and the storage locations in a destination, an extents track is formed to establish an environment in which the file will be copied. The calling system receives an immediate response that the copy operation is complete even though no data has been copied. Application programs may access the file in either the source or the destination. A copy program transfers the file on a track-by-track basis to the destination storage locations. Procedures assure that any data access to a particular track in either the source or destination by any application prior to the transfer of that track are accommodated to maintain data integrity.

Abstract: A method for copying data from a source disk storage device to a destination disk storage device. In response to a copy command from a requesting host application identifying the storage locations in source and destination disk storage devices, an environment is established. Thereafter a calling system receives an immediate response that the copy operation is complete even though no data has been copied. Application programs may access storage locations in either the source or the destination disk storage device during the copy phase. A copy program transfers the date on a track-by-track basis to the storage locations in the destination disk storage device. Procedures assure that any data access to a particular track in either the source or destination disk storage devices by any application prior to the transfer of that track are accommodated to maintain data integrity.

Abstract: Data is copied from a source storage device to a destination storage device in a differential mode. An extents track defines all tracks to be transferred during a first copying operation. Complementary track tables for source and destination storage devices establishing the totality of changes in data since a previous copying program to limit subsequent copying to data on changed tracks only.

Abstract: A host computer to establishes a coupling between a logical storage area of a storage device and a virtual storage area of the storage device by sending a first command to the storage device to register the logical storage area. Following the first command, the host computer sends a second command to the storage device to relate the logical storage area to the virtual storage area. Following the second command, the host computer sends a third command to the storage device to activate the coupling between the logical storage area and the virtual storage area, where following activating the coupling, pointers of the virtual storage area point to sections of the logical storage area and where a write to the logical storage area causes data to be copied from the logical storage area to an other area of the storage device.