Abstract: In one aspect of metadata track entry sorting in accordance with the present description, recovery logic sorts a list of metadata entries as a function of a source data track identification of each metadata entry to provide a second, sorted list of metadata entries, and generates a recovery volume which includes data tracks which are a function of one or more data target tracks identified by the sorted list of metadata entries. Because the metadata entry contents of the sorted list have been sorted as a function of source track identification number, the particular time version of a particular source track may be identified more quickly and more efficiently. As a result, recovery from data loss may be achieved more quickly and more efficiently thereby providing a significant improvement in computer technology. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

Abstract: Withdrawal of a point-in-time snap copy relationship or a portion of such a relationship, is managed in a manner which can obviate disruption of consistency groups due to the withdrawal. If the withdrawal request is directed to a subrange of the original snap copy relationship, the snap copy relationship is split by creating one or more point-in-time snap copy relationships over one or more subranges of tracks of the snap copy source. A determination is made as to whether to delay execution of the withdrawal request to temporarily preserve data of the withdrawal range. Disruptions to completion of consistency groups may be avoided by selectively delaying the withdrawal of a snap copy relationship corresponding to the withdrawal subrange. In so far as the host is involved, a host may treat the withdrawal request as immediately granted without delay. Other aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

Abstract: Metadata logic switches selection of a metadata track from multiple available metadata tracks in a volatile cache to fill the selected metadata track in a metadata track selection interval with metadata entries as source tracks of a source volume are copied to a backup volume of a copy relationship. Destage logic destages to storage a deselected metadata track containing metadata entries generated in a prior metadata track selection interval, while the metadata logic continues to generate and fill additional metadata entries in the selected metadata track in a concurrent metadata track selection interval. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for updating change information for current copy relationships when establishing a new copy relationship having overlapping data with the current copy relationships. A first copy relationship indicates changed first source data to copy to first target data. An establish request is processed to create a second copy relationship to copy second source data in to second target data. A second copy relationship is generated, in response to the establish request, indicating data in the second source data to copy to the second target data. A determination is made of overlapping data units in the first source data also in the second target data. Indication is made in the first copy relationship to copy the overlapping data units. The first source data indicated in the first copy relationship is copied to the first target data, including data for the overlapping data units.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for performing a recovery copy command to restore a safeguarded copy backup to a production volume. In response to receiving a recovery copy command, a production target data structure is created. A read operation is received for data for a storage location. In response to determining that the data for the storage location is in a cache of a host and a generation number is greater than a recovery generation number, the data is read from the cache. In response to determining at least one of that the data for the storage location is not in the cache and that the generation number is not greater than the recovery generation number, the data is read from one of the production volume and a backup volume based on a value of an indicator for the storage location in the production target data structure.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for performing a recovery copy command using a recovery copy data structure for a backup volume lookup. 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. A read operation is received for a storage location in a cache. 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 to the cache.

Abstract: Consistency groups are asynchronously copied to a remote computational device, from a local computational device, wherein point in time copy operations are performed at the local computational device while the consistency groups are being asynchronously copied to the remote computational device. Indicators are stored at the remote computational device to identify those point in time copy operations that are to be restored as part of a recovery operation performed at the remote computational device in response to a failure of the local computational device.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for copying data from multiple point-in-time copies to a log storage to use to roll-back a source storage managing point-in-time copies of a source storage. A plurality of point-in-time copies of a source storage at different point-in-times are established. In response to receiving writes to the source storage after establishing each of the point-in-time copies, point-in-time data in the source storage is copied, before being updated by the received writes, to a log storage, wherein the log storage stores point-in-time data for multiple of the point-in-time copies. The log storage is used to roll-back the source storage to a selected point-in-time of one of the point-in-time copies.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using a space release data structure to indicate tracks to release for a space release command to release space of tracks in a consistency group being formed. A space release command is received to free a release space of tracks in a source storage or target storage while transferring changed data in a consistency group to a target storage. A space release data structure is created indicating for each track of the tracks in the release space whether to release or not release the track. The space release data structure is initialized to indicate that each of the tracks is to be released. The tracks in the space release data structure are indicated to be released after the consistency group has completed.

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: Various embodiments for configuring a medical database by a processor in communication with at least one storage device in a computing environment are provided. Medical data are assigned to a patient. A plurality of data types is organized for the medical data. Portions of each of the plurality of data types are designated as public and private data. A plurality of access levels is organized for the medical data. Each of the plurality of data types includes the plurality of access levels. A first access level of the plurality of access levels corresponds to the patient. The medical data is classified according to the plurality of data types, for each of the plurality of data types, according to the plurality of access levels, and according to one of the public and the private data. The medical data is encrypted in a hierarchical structure corresponding to each of the plurality of access levels.

Abstract: A request is received to perform a point in time copy operation from a source volume to a space efficient target volume. A controller copies data stored in a group of data storage units, from the source volume to a non-volatile storage, to preserve the point in time copy operation. A background process asynchronously copies the data from the non-volatile storage to the space efficient target volume to commit a physical point in time copy of the data from the source volume to the target volume.

Abstract: A request is received to perform a point in time copy operation from a source volume to a space efficient target volume. A controller copies data stored in a group of data storage units, from the source volume to a non-volatile storage, to preserve the point in time copy operation. A background process asynchronously copies the data from the non-volatile storage to the space efficient target volume to commit a physical point in time copy of the data from the source volume to the target volume.

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: 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: 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: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for copying point-in-time data in a storage to a point-in-time copy data location in advance of destaging data to the storage. A point-in-time copy is created to maintain tracks in a source storage unit as of a point-in-time. A source copy data structure indicates tracks in the source storage unit to copy from the storage to a point-in-time data location. An update to write to a source track is received and a determination is made as to whether the source copy data structure indicates to copy the source track from the storage to the point-in-time data location. The update is written to a cache. A copy operation is initiated to copy the source track from the storage to the point-in-time data location asynchronous before the source track is destaged from the cache to the storage unit.

Abstract: A plurality of tracks that are to be copied to a backup volume are aggregated in a container data structure. The plurality of tracks are stored physically contiguously in a single Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) stride. Mapping metadata is updated in the backup volume to indicate how logical tracks of the backup volume correspond to physical tracks stored in the RAID stride.

Abstract: One general aspect of asynchronous local and remote generation of consistent point-in-time snap copies in consistency groups in accordance with the present description, is directed to receiving a local-remote pair point-in-time snap copy establish command to establish a local point-in-time snap copy in a local data storage system, and a remote point-in-time snap copy in a remote data storage system. In one aspect, establishment of the remote point-in-time snap copy relationship may be delayed as a function of the state of a consistency group formation process upon receipt of the local-remote pair point-in-time snap copy establish command. As a result, consistency of the local-remote pair of point-in-time snap copies may be realized, notwithstanding an asynchronous relationship between the local and remote storage systems. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.