Application Aware Snapshots

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for creating an application-aware snapshot of a storage volume. A network association module is configured to determine an owner for a storage volume. A requester module is configured to request a snapshot operation for a storage volume. A snapshot operation may be initiated from a storage appliance. A provider module is configured to create a snapshot of data of a storage volume in a storage appliance in response to a determined owner quiescing activity for the storage volume.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A primary data storage system with snapshot capability, the system comprising:
 an input/output port configured to receive a block command packet that embodies one of a read block command and a write block command and transmitting a block result packet in reply to a block command packet;   a data store system having at least one data store configured to receive and store data in response to a write block command and retrieve and provide data in response to a read block command;   wherein the data store system is adaptable to accommodating at least a first storage element;   a data protection module that is adapted to: (a) identify the first storage element of the data store system, (b) identify a manager of the first storage element and the manager type of the of the identified manager, (c) associate the identified manager and manager type of the identified manager with the first storage element, and (d) initiate an application-consistent snapshot of the first storage element that is in accordance with the manager and manager type, wherein any resulting application-consistent snapshot includes metadata that relates to the relative quality of the snapshot.   
     
     
         2 . A primary data storage system, as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein:
 the data protection module is adaptable to producing a plurality of snapshots of the first storage element and associating a snapshot quality with each of the plurality of snapshots.   
     
     
         3 . A primary data storage system with snapshot capability, the system comprising:
 an input/output port configured to receive a block command packet that embodies one of a read block command and a write block command and transmitting a block result packet in reply to a block command packet;   a data store system having at least one data store configured to receive and store data in response to a write block command and retrieve and provide data in response to a read block command;   wherein the data store system is adaptable to accommodating at least a first storage element and a second storage element;   a data protection module that is adapted to: (a) identify the first and second storage elements of the data store system, (b) identify the manager of each of the first and second storage elements and the manager type of each of the identified managers, (c) associate an identified manager and manager type with each of the first and second storage elements, and (d) initiate an application-consistent snapshot of the first storage element that is in accordance with the manager and manager type of the first storage element and an application-consistent snapshot of the second storage element that is in accordance with the manager and manager type of the second storage element, wherein any resulting application-consistent snapshot includes metadata that relates to the relative quality of the snapshot.   
     
     
         4 . A primary data storage system, as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein:
 the first storage element is a first volume and the second storage element is a second volume;   the data protection module is adaptable to producing a first snapshot of the first storage element with a first snapshot quality and a second snapshot of the second storage element with a second snapshot quality.   
     
     
         5 . A data storage system comprising:
 (a) a primary data storage system comprising:
 an input/output port configured to receive a block command packet that embodies one of a read block command and a write block command and transmitting a block result packet in reply to a block command packet; 
 a data store system having at least one data store configured to receive and store data in response to a write block command and retrieve and provide data in response to a read block-command; 
 wherein the data store system is adaptable to accommodating at least a storage element; 
   (a) a first portion of a data protection module, the first portion of the data protection module resident on the primary data storage system and having an interface to at least one module that is configured to communicate metadata relating to the first storage element, the at least one module not being resident on the primary data storage device, wherein the data protection module facilitates creating an application aware copy of data;   wherein the first portion of the data protection module resident on the primary data storage system includes a copy module for creating a copy of data associated with the first storage element.   
     
     
         6 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a source device;   wherein a second portion of the data protection module resident on the source device is a combination of: (a) a requester module that is adapted to coordinate a data backup operation, and (b) an I/O activity module that is adapted to monitor I/O activity of the first storage element for facilitating application awareness.   
     
     
         7 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a combination, resident on the primary data storage device, of: (a) a discovery module adapted to detect the storage element and to acquire identifying information for the storage element, (b) a network association module adapted to match the storage element identifying information with an application environment, (c) provider module adapted to perform a data backup operation for the storage element based on the application environment and (d) QoS module adapted to identify a QoS level associated with the storage element.   
     
     
         8 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein:
 if the combination resident on the primary data storage device includes the discovery module, the discovery module is adapted to detect the storage element.   
     
     
         9 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein:
 if the combination resident on the primary data storage device includes the network association module, the network association module is adapted to provide metadata relating to an owner for the storage element.   
     
     
         10 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a combination, resident on the source device, of: (a) a discovery module adapted to detect the storage element and to acquire identifying information for the storage element, (b) a network association module adapted to match the storage element identifying information with an application environment, (c) a provider module adapted to perform a data backup operation for the storage element based on the application environment, and (d) a QoS module adapted to identify a QoS level associated with the storage element.   
     
     
         11 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein:
 if the combination resident on the source device includes the discovery module, the discovery module is adapted to identify a manager and related manager metadata for the storage element.   
     
     
         12 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein:
 if the combination resident on the source device includes the discovery module, the discovery module is adapted to identify an input/output activity state for the storage element.   
     
     
         13 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein:
 if the combination resident on the source device includes the discovery module, the discovery module is adapted to detect and communicate with a volume shadow-copy service (VSS) writers associated the storage element.   
     
     
         14 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein:
 the copy module is adaptable to producing at least one of: (a) a remote copy, (b) a backup copy, (c) a local copy, (d) a local snapshot, and (e) a remote snapshot.   
     
     
         15 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein:
 the at least one of a remote copy, backup copy, local copy, local snapshot, and remote snapshot is characterized as one of: (a) full, (b) differential, and (c) incremental.   
     
     
         16 . A data storage system comprising:
 (a) a source device; and   (b) a first portion of a data protection module resident on the source device;
 wherein the first portion includes an I/O activity module for monitoring I/O activity of a first storage element; 
 wherein the first portion of the data protection module has an interface to at least one module that is configured to communicate metadata relating to the first storage element, the at least one module not being resident on the source device, 
 wherein the data protection module facilitates creating an application aware copy of data. 
   
     
     
         17 . A data storage system, as claimed in  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a primary data storage device comprising:   an input/output port configured to receive a block command packet that embodies one of a read block command and a write block command and transmitting a block result packet in reply to a block command packet;   a data store system having at least one data store configured to receive and store data in response to a write block command and retrieve and provide data in response to a read block-command;   wherein the data store system is adaptable to accommodating at least a first storage element;   a second portion of the data protection module is resident on the primary data storage device, the second portion comprising a combination of: (a) a requester module that is configured coordinate a data backup operation and (b) a copy module for creating a copy of data associated with the first storage element.