Patent ID: 7383462
Filing Date: 2008-06-03
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising the steps of: encrypting original data stored at a plurality of source volumes of a primary storage system located at one source location per volume with one of a plurality of encryption algorithms stored at the source location as selected at the time of encrypting; storing the encrypted data in a plurality of target volumes of a secondary storage system located at one target location; creating and storing at the source location an encryption information record comprising a plurality of remote copy configuration information records (RCCIs) each including a cryptographic key, an identifier of one of the source volumes of the original data, an identifier of a corresponding one of the target volumes, and an identifier of a corresponding encryption algorithm used to encrypt the original data stored at said one source volume; copying the encryption algorithms and the encryption information record from the primary storage system to a tertiary storage system which is other than the primary and secondary storage systems; detecting a failure in the primary storage system by a management server configured to manage remote copy operations among the primary, secondary and tertiary storage systems; sending a repair message to perform a predetermined repair operation to get the primary storage system back on-line after detecting the failure; determining whether or not the detected failure is timely repairable; if the detected failure is determined as not timely repairable, fully restoring the original data of the primary storage system in the. tertiary storage system by: transferring the encrypted data from the target volumes to the tertiary storage system; decrypting per volume at the tertiary storage system the encrypted data transferred thereto, with said cryptographic key in each RCCI in the encryption information record, and with said corresponding encryption algorithm as identified by the identifier of the encryption algorithm in said each RCCI in the encryption information record; and restoring functionality of the primary storage system at the tertiary storage system using the decrypted data decrypted; and if the detected failure is determined as timely repairable and data requests are received after detecting the failure, partially restoring the original data of the primary storage system by identify partitions and segments in the primary storage system containing data in the data requests received; locating a portion of the management server or a remote server for the partial restoration; and restoring said data in the data requests in said portion of said server, wherein the detected failure is timely repairable if an estimated time to get the primary storage system back on-line is less than an estimated time before the source volumes need to be accessed, and the failure detection is performed using clustering technology.