Patent ID: 7886158

Claim:
A system for remote copy of encrypted data comprising: a primary storage system device, the primary storage system including a controller, the controller receiving data, encrypting the data with a first cryptographic method, and storing the encrypted data in a volume at the primary storage system; and a secondary storage system, the secondary storage system operatively connected to the primary storage system and including a second volume for receiving and storing a remote copy of the encrypted data, wherein when a block of the stored encrypted data is converted using a second cryptographic method, the converted block and a pointer containing an address at which the conversion has finished is transferred to the second storage system and stored, the pointer being incremented for each block converted before being transferred, a backup copy of the first cryptographic method and the second cryptographic method being stored at a backup system remote from the primary storage system, and wherein if the primary system fails, the backup system can decrypt the data using one of the first cryptographic method or the second cryptographic method based on the pointer, wherein after the conversion of the block is completed, the controller stores the converted block, an ID of the primary storage system, an ID of the volume, an ID of the secondary storage system, an ID of the second volume, the pointer, and a sequence number of the block.