IP Library Granted Patent US 11,200,122
Granted Patent B2
US 11,200,122 · App. 16/520,507 · Granted Dec 14, 2021

Barrierless snapshots

Inventors: Vladimir Shveidel (Pardes-Hana, IL); David Bar (Rishon Lezion, IL)
Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
G06F11/1474G06F11/1451G06F2201/84
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,200,122
App. No.
16/520,507
Granted
Dec 14, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method is provided comprising: generating a snapshot of a volume in a storage system; generating a snapshot marker and adding the snapshot marker to a transaction log of the storage system; scanning the transaction log to identify one or more records that have been added to the transaction log before the snapshot marker, and marking each of the identified records as a splitflush record; flushing any record that is stored in the transaction log by: (a) detecting whether the record is marked as a splitflush record, (b) when the record is marked as a splitflush record, copying the record both to a data store and to the snapshot, and (c) when the record is not marked as a splitflush record, copying the record to the data store only.

Claims (43)

1. A method comprising:

generating a snapshot of a volume in a storage system;

generating a snapshot marker and adding the snapshot marker to a transaction log of the storage system;

scanning the transaction log to identify one or more records that have been added to the transaction log before the snapshot marker, and marking each of the identified one or more records as a splitflush record; and

flushing any record that is stored in the transaction log by: (a) detecting whether the record is marked as a splitflush record, (b) when the record is marked as a splitflush record, copying the record both to a data store and to the snapshot, and (c) when the record is not marked as a splitflush record, copying the record to the data store only.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein any record that is stored in the transaction log is assigned a logical sequence number (LSN) and the snapshot marker is also assigned an LSN, and scanning the transaction log includes identifying one or more records in the transaction log that have lower LSNs than the snapshot marker.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the identified one or more records that are marked as splitflush records are flushed in parallel with one another.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating a recovered copy of the transaction log in response to a failure in the storage system;

detecting that the snapshot marker is present in the recovered copy of the transaction log; and

scanning the recovered copy of the transaction log to identify one or more records that have been added to the transaction log before the snapshot marker, and marking each of the one or more records that are identified in the recovered copy of the transaction log as a splitflush record.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising unmarking a respective one of the identified one or more records when a new record is added to the transaction log that is associated with a same logical block address as the respective record.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction log includes a ring buffer having a tail and a head, and adding the snapshot marker to the transaction log includes adding the snapshot marker at the head of the ring buffer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein marking any of the identified records as a splitflush record includes modifying metadata corresponding to the identified record to reference both the snapshot and the volume.

8. A system comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the one or more processors being configured to perform operations of:

generating a snapshot of a volume in a storage system;

generating a snapshot marker and adding the snapshot marker to a transaction log of the storage system;

scanning the transaction log to identify one or more records that have been added to the transaction log before the snapshot marker, and marking each of the identified records as a splitflush record; and

flushing any record that is stored in the transaction log by: (a) detecting whether the record is marked as a splitflush record, (b) when the record is marked as a splitflush record, copying the record both to a data store and to the snapshot, and (c) when the record is not marked as a splitflush record, copying the record to the data store only.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein any record that is stored in the transaction log is assigned a logical sequence number (LSN) and the snapshot marker is also assigned an LSN, and scanning the transaction log includes identifying one or more records in the transaction log that have lower LSNs than the snapshot marker.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein at least some of the identified one or more records that are marked as splitflush records are flushed in parallel with one another.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform the operations of:

generating a recovered copy of the transaction log in response to a failure in the storage system;

detecting that the snapshot marker is present in the recovered copy of the transaction log; and

scanning the recovered copy of the transaction log to identify one or more records that have been added to the transaction log before the snapshot marker, and marking each of the one or more records that are identified in the recovered copy of the transaction log as a splitflush record.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform the operation of unmarking a respective one of the identified one or more records when a new record is added to the transaction log that is associated with a same logical block address as the respective record.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the transaction log includes a ring buffer having a tail and a head, and adding the snapshot marker to the transaction log includes adding the snapshot marker at the head of the ring buffer.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein marking any of the identified records as a splitflush record includes modifying metadata corresponding to the identified record to reference both the snapshot and the volume.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions, which when executed by at least one processor cause the processor to perform operations of:

generating a snapshot of a volume in a storage system;

generating a snapshot marker and adding the snapshot marker to a transaction log of the storage system;

scanning the transaction log to identify one or more records that have been added to the transaction log before the snapshot marker, and marking each of the identified one or more records as a splitflush record; and

flushing any record that is stored in the transaction log by: (a) detecting whether the record is marked as a splitflush record, (b) when the record is marked as a splitflush record, copying the record both to a data store and to the snapshot, and (c) when the record is not marked as a splitflush record, copying the record to the data store only.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein any record that is stored in the transaction log is assigned a logical sequence number (LSN) and the snapshot marker is also assigned an LSN, and scanning the transaction log includes identifying one or more records in the transaction log that have lower LSNs than the snapshot marker.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein at least some of the identified one or more records that are marked as splitflush records are flushed in parallel with one another.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the perform the operations of:

generating a recovered copy of the transaction log in response to a failure in the storage system;

detecting that the snapshot marker is present in the recovered copy of the transaction log; and

scanning the recovered copy of the transaction log to identify one or more records that have been added to the transaction log before the snapshot marker, and marking each of the one or more records that are identified in the recovered copy of the transaction log as a splitflush record.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the processor to perform the operation of unmarking a respective one of the identified one or more records when a new record is added to the transaction log that is associated with a same logical block address as the respective record.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the transaction log includes a ring buffer having a tail and a head, and adding the snapshot marker to the transaction log includes adding the snapshot marker at the head of the ring buffer.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053311/0169) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060438/0742 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (050724/0571) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060436/0088 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 050406 FRAME 421 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058213/0825 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0169 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Oct 15, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 050724/0571 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 17, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 050406/0421 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 25, 2019
From: SHVEIDEL, VLADIMIR; BAR, DAVID
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 049862/0339 →
Continuity (1)
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