Patent ID: 8806165

Claim:
A mass storage system, comprising: a main storage subsystem providing a main physical storage space of the mass storage system and comprising a plurality of non-solid-state storage devices (“NSSDs”) allocating a plurality of physical storage locations to the main storage space, the plurality of physical storage locations provided by the NSSDs are mapped to a respective plurality of logical storage addresses; and an auxiliary storage subsystem comprising a plurality of solid-state data retention devices (“SSDRDs”) providing a plurality of physical storage locations collectively giving rise to an auxiliary storage space; a storage system controller coupled to the main storage space and to the auxiliary storage subsystem and is: responsive to a first condition for overriding a mapping of a plurality of logical addresses within the main storage space to a respective plurality of physical storage locations with a mapping of the plurality of logical storage address to a respective plurality of physical storage locations within the auxiliary storage space, giving rise to overriding and overridden physical storage locations, and for loading into the overriding physical storage locations a snapshot of the data currently stored in the overridden physical storage locations, and is further responsive to a second condition, for loading a snapshot of the data currently stored in the overriding physical storage locations into the overridden physical storage locations, and for reinstating the mapping of the logical storage area to the overridden physical storage locations.