Patent ID: 7636823

Claim:
A computer implemented method for improving performance of storage device operations, the method comprising the steps of: switching roles of an underlying production storage device and a created snapshot device, such that the production storage device is used as the snapshot device and the snapshot device is used as the production storage device, by performing, by a computer, at least one of the following modifications to input/output requests to the production storage device and to the created snapshot device: responsive to receiving a request to write new content to the production storage device, modifying the received write request by 1) copying affected old content from the production storage device to the snapshot device, and 2) writing the new content to the snapshot device instead of to the production storage device; responsive to receiving a request to read content from the snapshot device, modifying the received read request by reading the content from the production storage device instead of to the snapshot device; and responsive to receiving a request to write new content to the snapshot device, modifying the received write request by 1) copying affected old content from the production storage device to the snapshot device, and 2) writing the new content to the production storage device instead of to the snapshot device.