Shared network-available storage that permits concurrent data access

• US 10,268,402 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2017
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Ankireddypalle, Ramachandra Reddy, Vijayan, Manoj Kumar, Kottomtharayil, Rajiv
• Primary Examiner(s): Madamba, Glenford J
• Application Number:
  US15/471,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20170199688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 709213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• 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 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

Techniques for providing shared access to, e.g., a small computer system interface (SCSI) storage device in a computer network include providing an operational mode on SCSI interfaces with a first media agent and a second media agent such that, in response to inquiry messages on the SCSI interfaces, the SCSI storage device appears as a SCSI target device to the first media agent and the second media agent and mapping data operations between the first media agent and the SCSI storage device and the second media agent and the SCSI storage device to logically unique channel numbers for the first media agent and the second media agent to perform data storage operations over their respective SCSI interfaces by concurrently sharing the SCSI storage device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

multiple media agents, each media agent associated with a client device and configured to perform data storage operations for the client device,

wherein the multiple media agents are configured to perform data storage operations with a storage device using dedicated data interfaces; and

at least one hardware processor having an access media agent that is configured to control access to the storage device by the multiple media agents,

wherein the access media agent is coupled to the multiple media agents over the dedicated data interfaces, and

wherein the media access agent is further configured to map channel numbers, used by the multiple media agents for data operations over respective dedicated data interfaces, to corresponding channel numbers of a local interface between a storage server, that includes the access media agent, and the storage device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple media agents each employ logically unique channel numbers to perform data storage operations

over the respective dedicated data interfaces.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the dedicated data interfaces are SCSI interfaces.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the access media agent is part of a storage area network (SAN) server, and controls the SAN server to appear as a SCSI target to the multiple media agents.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a first media agent of the multiple media agents is implemented using a first operating system, and a second media agent of the multiple media agents is implemented using a second operating system different from the first operating system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage operations are performed using Universal Datagram protocol (UDP).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one media agent of the multiple media agents is connected to a deduplication database,

wherein the deduplication database is configured to communicate with the at least one media agent over a deduplication interface that is different from the dedicated data interfaces.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage device is a network-attached data storage device (NAS).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the access media agent provides an abstraction layer within a storage area network (SAN) server that accesses the storage device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the dedicated data interfaces are Fibre Channels.

11. A method for providing multiple media agents with shared access over a Fibre Channel small computer system interface (SCSI) interface to a storage device in a computer network, the method comprising:

providing an access media agent in communication with a first media agent and a second media agent over one or more SCSI interfaces,

wherein the first media agent and the second media agent are configured to perform data storage operations associated with the storage device for one or more client devices,

wherein the access media agent is located at a storage area network (SAN) server configured to arbitrate access to the storage device by the first media agent or the second media agent, and

wherein the access media agent is configured to control the SAN sever to appear as a SCSI target to both the first media agent and the second media agent; and

mapping, via the access media agent, data storage operations between the first media agent and the storage device and data storage operations between the second media agent and the storage device; and

perform data storage operations over respective SCSI interfaces by concurrently sharing the storage device with the first media agent and the second media agent;

wherein mapping data storage operations between the first media agent and the storage device, and data storage operations between the second media agent and the storage device, includes mapping channel numbers, used by the first media agent and the second media agent for data storage operations over the one or more SCSI interfaces, to corresponding channel numbers over a local interface between the SAN server and the storage device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a deduplication database in the computer network, wherein the deduplication database is configured to communicate with the first media agent and the second media agent over a deduplication interface that is different from the one or more SCSI interfaces.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

adding storage capacity to the storage device; and

providing the added storage capacity to the first media agent and the second media agent without having to provision the added storage capacity on the first media agent and the second media agent.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first media agent and the second media agent are implemented using different operating systems.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the data storage operations are performed using Universal Datagram protocol (UDP).

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents, when by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method of providing multiple media agents with shared access over a small computer system interface (SCSI) interface to a storage device in a computer network, the method comprising:

coupling a first media agent and a second media agent to an intermediate media agent over respective SCSI interfaces to cause the storage device to appear as a SCSI target device to the first media agent and the second media agent,

wherein the intermediate media agent is located at a storage area network (SAN) server associated with the storage device, and

wherein the first media agent and the second media agent are configured to access the storage device during data storage operations performed for one or more client devices associated with the first media agent or the second media agent; and

controlling access, via the SAN server, to the storage device for the first media agent and the second media agents;

wherein the first media agent is associated with a first logically unique channel number;

wherein the second media agent is associated with a second logically unique channel number; and

wherein the first media agent and the second media agent perform the data storage operations over respective first and second SCSI interfaces, in part, based on the first and second logically unique channel numbers.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first media agent and the second media agent are implemented using different operating systems.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the storage device is a network-attached data storage device (NAS).