Patent ID: 7640410

Claim:
A method for creating an instant copy of data in a storage system, comprising the steps of: maintaining, in a memory module, a partition mapping table for one or more storage units; maintaining, in said memory module, a first descriptor associated with a first partition and a second descriptor associated with a second partition; maintaining in said first descriptor a first array of fields representative of physical addresses of data blocks associated with said first partition; maintaining in said second descriptor a second array of fields representative of physical address of data blocks associated with said second partition; receiving a request to write one or more given data blocks to said first partition; interchanging pointers in said partition mapping table to associate a first set of data blocks associated with said first partition with said second partition; and simultaneously writing said one or more given data blocks to said first partition and reading a second set of data blocks associated with said second partition to said first partition such that said second set of data blocks is associated with said first partition except for said one or more given data blocks written to said first partition.