Patent ID: 7603529

Claim:
A method for mapped logical unit (MLU) replication, storage, and retrieval in a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) environment, the method comprising: (a) provisioning a first data storage extent pool representing at least a portion of a RAID array and including at least one data storage extent; (b) provisioning a replica vault including a second data storage extent pool including at least one data storage extent and representing at least a portion of a RAID array; (c) creating a first mapped logic unit (MLU) for dynamically allocating contiguous or non-contiguous data storage extents from the first data storage extent pool; (d) in response to a first data write operation, allocating, using the first MLU, a first data storage extent from the first data storage extent pool and storing data associated with the first data write operation in the first data storage extent; (e) replicating the first MLU to create a second MLU by allocating a second data storage extent in the second data storage extent pool in the replica vault and copying the data stored in the first data storage extent to the second data storage extent; and (f) after a change to the first MLU, replicating the second MLU to create a third MLU by allocating a third data storage extent in the second data storage extent pool in the replica vault and storing in the third data storage extent the changed portions and not the unchanged portions of the first MLU, wherein the second MLU and the third MLU both point to a data storage extent in the second data storage extent pool that contains an unchanged portion of the data from the first write operation.