Patent ID: 9367457
Filing Date: 2016-06-14
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. A computer-implemented method for enabling write-back caching and replication at different abstraction layers, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising: identifying a cache abstraction layer that implements write-back caching to selectively store in a cache at least one write from an application to a backing store, wherein the cache abstraction layer is not a part of the application; identifying a replication abstraction layer that replicates the backing store to a secondary store at a remote secondary storage system by replicating writes committed to the backing store from the backing store to the secondary store at the remote secondary storage system, wherein: receiving a request to create a point-in-time image of the backing store from data stored within the secondary store at the remote secondary storage system at a point at which the data stored within the secondary store represents a copy of the backing store wherein the writes committed to the backing store are point-in-time consistent; committing, in response to the request, the write from the cache to the backing store to ensure that the writes committed to the backing store are point-in-time consistent; marking, upon committing the write from the cache to the backing store, the point at which the writes committed to the backing store are point-in-time consistent so that, after the replication abstraction layer replicates the write to the secondary store at the remote secondary storage system, the point at which the data stored within the secondary store represents the copy of the backing store wherein the writes committed to the backing store are point-in-time consistent can be determined at the remote secondary storage system and the point-in-time image of the backing store can be created from the data stored within the secondary store, wherein the steps of committing the write and marking the point at which the writes committed to the backing store are point-in-time consistent are performed by the cache abstraction layer.