Methods for managing storage virtual machine configuration changes in a distributed storage system and devices thereof

• US 10,397,053 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2014
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Sridhara, Harsha, Ramani, Balaji
• Primary Examiner(s): Dollinger, Tonia L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sayoc, Kristoffer L S
• Application Number:
  US14/459,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20160050113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• 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

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and storage controller computing device that receives a configuration change request for a storage virtual machine, the configuration change request including a configuration change operation. A determination is made when configuration settings for the storage virtual machine are locked. The configuration change operation is applied to the configuration settings for the storage virtual machine when the determining indicates the configuration settings for the storage virtual machine are not locked. A failure message is sent in response to the configuration change request when the configuration settings for the storage virtual machine are determined to be locked.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

setting a flag associated with a configuration setting of a storage virtual machine (SVM) to a locked value based upon a request to lock the configuration setting, wherein the flag is replicated from a device hosting the SVM to a remote device to store within persistent storage, wherein a snapshot operation to create a snapshot of the configuration setting generates the request to lock the configuration setting;

queuing a configuration change requested to modify the configuration setting into a queue based upon the flag having the locked value;

setting the flag to an unlocked value so that the first configuration setting can be modified based upon an unlock request to unlock the configuration setting;

dequeuing and implementing the configuration change upon the first configuration setting based upon the first flag being set to the unlocked value and the snapshot operation successfully completing; and

failing the configuration change based upon the snapshot operation failing to complete within a period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flag is comprised within a lock table, of flags associated with configuration settings, stored by a first cluster comprising the device, and the method comprising:

replicating the lock table as a replicated lock table stored by a second cluster, wherein the values of flags within the replicated lock table are maintained across reboot of the first cluster.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the flag is comprised within a data structure, of flags associated with configuration settings, stored by a first cluster comprising the device, and the method comprising

providing devices within the first cluster with access to the data structure within the persistent storage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the flag is comprised within a data structure, of flags associated with configuration settings, stored by a first cluster comprising the device, and the method comprising:

triggering replication of the data structure based upon a modification to the flag within the data structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the flag is comprised within a data structure, of flags associated with configuration settings, stored by a first cluster comprising the device, wherein the configuration settings comprise a second configuration setting associated a second flag set to an unlocked value within the data structure.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

implementing a second configuration change upon the second configuration setting based upon the second flag having the unlocked value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting the first flag comprises:

maintaining operation of the storage virtual machine while the first flag is set to the locked value.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

displaying a configuration change interface with configuration settings of the storage virtual machine for which a user accessing the configuration change interface has privileged access to lock and unlock.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration setting corresponds to an administrator assignment for the storage virtual machine.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration setting corresponds to a volume operation capable of being performed by the storage virtual machine.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration setting corresponds to a network operation capable of being performed by the storage virtual machine.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the flag is comprised within a data structure, of flags associated with configuration settings, stored by a first cluster comprising the device, and the method comprising:

triggering replication of the data structure based upon a periodic schedule.

13. The method of claim 8, comprising:

receiving the request through the configuration change interface.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the request corresponds to the snapshot operation that is to create the snapshot of the storage virtual machine, and the method comprising:

failing the request based upon a time period for the snapshot operation lapsing.

15. A computing device, comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory and configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory to perform steps comprising;

setting a flag associated with a configuration setting of a storage virtual machine (SVM) to a locked value based upon a request to lock the configuration setting, wherein the flag is replicated from a device hosting the SVM to a remote device to store within persistent storage, wherein a snapshot operation to create a snapshot of the configuration setting generates the request to lock the configuration setting;

queuing a configuration change requested to modify the configuration setting into a queue based upon the flag having the locked value;

setting the flag to an unlocked value so that the configuration setting can be modified based upon an unlock request to unlock the configuration setting;

dequeuing and implementing the configuration change upon the configuration setting based upon the flag being set to the unlocked value and the snapshot operation successfully completing; and

failing the configuration change based upon the snapshot operation failing to complete within a period of time.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the steps comprise:

maintaining operation of the storage virtual machine while the first flag is set to the locked value.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the steps comprise:

sending a message, indicating that the configuration change was failed, to an administrator device of an administrator that submitted the configuration change.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions comprising machine executable code which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

setting a flag associated with a configuration setting of a storage virtual machine (SVM) to a locked value based upon a request to lock the configuration setting, wherein the flag is replicated from a device hosting the SVM to a remote device to store within persistent storage, wherein a snapshot operation to create a snapshot of the configuration setting generates the request to lock the configuration setting;

queuing a configuration change requested to modify the configuration setting into a queue based upon the flag having the locked value;

setting the flag to an unlocked value so that the configuration setting can be modified based upon an unlock request to unlock the configuration setting;

dequeuing and implementing the configuration change upon the configuration setting based upon the flag being set to the unlocked value and the snapshot operation successfully completing; and

failing the configuration change based upon the snapshot operation failing to complete within a period of time.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the configuration setting corresponds to a volume operation capable of being performed by the storage virtual machine.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the flag is comprised within a data structure, of flags associated with configuration settings, stored by a first cluster comprising the device, and the steps comprise:

replicating the data structure as a replicated data structure stored by a second cluster, wherein values of flags within the replicated data structure are maintained across reboot of the first cluster.