Adaptive storage-aware multipath management

• US 10,079,729 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2015
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Beckman, Isaac, Drouker, Vladislav, Marx, Alon, Yamin, Yossi
• Primary Examiner(s): Savla, Arpan P
• Application Number:
  US14/754,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Various embodiments for multipath management in a storage grid, by a processor device, are provided. In one embodiment, a method comprises continuously monitoring and comparing current data path devices against the current storage structure, and changing routing decision configurations when it is detected there is a more efficient data path.

Claims

1. A method for multipath management in a storage grid, by a processor device, comprising:

in a software-defined storage (SDS) array, continuously monitoring and comparing data transacting between current data path devices from multiple levels of the data path against a current storage structure by using a multi-path management system acting as middleware between an application and an operating system of a host, and

changing routing decision configurations between the host and a grid node when it is detected there is a more efficient data path such that as the storage grid is scaled-out by adding additional grid nodes to the SDS array, information regarding modifications in the current storage structure associated with the adding of the additional grid nodes is transmitted to the multi-path management system comprising a multi-path driver to compute the more efficient data path between the host and the grid node;

wherein the multiple levels are at least a block device level comprising block devices of each possible physical path in which to transact the data, a multipath device level having multiple multipath devices each comprising a plurality of aggregated physical paths, and a storage-aware device level comprising an aggregated plurality of the multipath devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further including triggering a device manager when a change in the storage structure is detected.

3. The method of claim 2, further including scanning, by the device manager, available devices, and updating the devices to comply with the current storage structure.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the device manager is responsible to load a lookup table of data path routing decisions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the more efficient data path is the shortest data path.

6. A system for multipath management in a storage grid, comprising:

a processor device, wherein the processor device;

in a software-defined storage (SDS) array, continuously monitors and compares data transacting between current data path devices from multiple levels of the data path against a current storage structure by using a multi-path management system acting as middleware between an application and an operating system of a host, and

changes routing decision configurations between the host and a grid node when it is detected there is a more efficient data path such that as the storage grid is scaled-out by adding additional grid nodes to the SDS array, information regarding modifications in the current storage structure associated with the adding of the additional grid nodes is transmitted to the multi-path management system comprising a multi-path driver to compute the more efficient data path between the host and the grid node;

wherein the multiple levels are at least a block device level comprising block devices of each possible physical path in which to transact the data, a multipath device level having multiple multipath devices each comprising a plurality of aggregated physical paths, and a storage-aware device level comprising an aggregated plurality of the multipath devices.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor device triggers a device manager when a change in the storage structure is detected.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor device scans, by the device manager, available devices, and updates the devices to comply with the current storage structure.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the device manager is responsible to load a lookup table of data path routing decisions.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the more efficient data path is the shortest data path.

11. A computer program product for multipath management in a storage grid, by a processor device, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion that, in a software-defined storage (SDS) array, continuously monitors and compares data transacting between current data path devices from multiple levels of the data path against a current storage structure by using a multi-path management system acting as middleware between an application and an operating system of a host, and

changes routing decision configurations between the host and a grid node when it is detected there is a more efficient data path such that as the storage grid is scaled-out by adding additional grid nodes to the SDS array, information regarding modifications in the current storage structure associated with the adding of the additional grid nodes is transmitted to the multi-path management system comprising a multi-path driver to compute the more efficient data path between the host and the grid node;

wherein the multiple levels are at least a block device level comprising block devices of each possible physical path in which to transact the data, a multipath device level having multiple multipath devices each comprising a plurality of aggregated physical paths, and a storage-aware device level comprising an aggregated plurality of the multipath devices.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further including a second executable portion that triggers a device manager when a change in the storage structure is detected.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further including a third executable portion that scans, by the device manager, available devices, and updates the devices to comply with the current storage structure.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the device manager is responsible to load a lookup table of data path routing decisions.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the more efficient data path is the shortest data path.