FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of operations performed by the target copy manager 212₂ to process a message from the source server 200₁ that the consistency group being formed is completed, which may comprise create point-in-time copy command. Upon receiving (at block 600) a message from the source server 200₁ indicating that all tracks from the consistency group indicated in the out-of-synch data structure 308 at the source sever 200₁ have been copied to the target server 200₂, such as may be indicated with a point-in-time copy establish command, the target copy manager 212₂ may spawn (at block 702) a space release task 214 to determine tracks in the target volume 104₂ from the volume table space to release. The space release task 214 may form (at block 704) a space release list 215 indicating tracks for space release and constructs (at block 706) space release commands for the tracks in the space release list 215 to send to the device adaptor 216 to execute to release space in the target volume 406. After releasing the space, the target copy manager 212₂ creates (at block 708) a point-in-time copy 108 of the target volume 104₂ having all the tracks for the consistency group just completed. The target copy manager 212₂ may return (at block 710) complete to the source server 200₁ forming the consistency group in response to completing releasing space indicated in the volume table 210 as available to release and creating the point-in-time copy 108.