Patent ID: 8533408

Claim:
A method of migrating data stored in logical units of storage (LUNs) at a plurality of source storage arrays into one destination storage array transparently with respect to a host in communication with the source storage arrays through a switch, the method comprising: dividing a first physical source storage array into a plurality of source virtual arrays; dividing a second different physical source storage array into a plurality of source virtual arrays; dividing a destination physical storage array into a plurality of destination virtual arrays including a first destination virtual array and a second destination virtual array, wherein a virtual array comprises a plurality of LUNs; copying, during a data migration event, data stored in a LUN of a first source virtual array of the first physical source storage array to a corresponding LUN of the first destination virtual array of the destination storage array; copying, during the same data migration event, data stored in a LUN of a second source virtual array of the second physical source storage array to a corresponding LUN of the second destination virtual array of the destination storage array; associating metadata with the first source virtual array of the first physical source storage array and metadata with the second source virtual array of the second physical storage array; and copying, during the data migration event, the metadata associated with the first source virtual array to the first destination virtual array of the destination physical storage array and the metadata associated with the second source virtual array to the second destination virtual array of the destination physical storage array.