Method and apparatus for handling errors in a storage system utilizing a hardware-environment-based platform or a virtual-environment-based platform

• US 10,402,260 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2017
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Bing, Lv, Man, Zhao, Alice Cuicui, Mei, Martin Chaojun
• Primary Examiner(s): Chu, Gabriel
• Application Number:
  US15/463,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20170269990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; 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], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for handling errors in a storage system. The method includes: determining configuration of a failed platform of a storage system; based on the determined configuration of the platform, determining policy for handling errors; and in response to detecting the errors, handling errors with the policy.

Claims

1. A method of handling an error in a storage system, comprising:

determining a platform utilized by the storage system;

determining a configuration of the platform for detecting an error in the storage system;

determining a policy for handling the error based on the determined configuration of the platform; and

in response to detecting the error, handling the error with the policy, the handling the error with the policy comprising;

in response to determining that the platform is a hardware-environment-based platform, obtaining error information of at least one of a host bus adapter and a storage device in the storage system; and

in response to determining that the platform is a virtual-environment-based platform, obtaining error information of a permanent device loss of a storage device in the storage system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining a policy for handling the error comprises:

determining, based on the determined configuration of the platform, a time limit for handling the error.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on the determined configuration of the platform, a time window for detecting the error; and

in response to a response of the storage system to a command exceeding the time window, determining that the error is detected.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the handling the error with the policy comprises:

determining, with the platform, a component where the error is located; and

handling, with the policy, the error of the component based on the component.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining error information of at least one of a host bus adapter and a storage device in the storage system includes obtaining error information of the host bus adapter, and wherein the method further comprises, in response to determining that the platform is the hardware-environment-based platform;

in response to obtaining the error information of the host bus adapter;

stopping attempting a task abort operation that aborts a storage task in the storage system; and

restarting the host bus adapter.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining error information of at least one of a host bus adapter and a storage device in the storage system includes obtaining error information of the storage device, and wherein the method further comprises in response to determining that the platform is the hardware-environment-based platform:

in response to obtaining the error information of the storage device;

stopping attempting a bus reset operation that resets a bus of the storage system; and

removing the storage device from the storage system.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the platform is the virtual-environment-based platform:

in response to obtaining the error information of the permanent device loss of the storage device, removing the storage device from the storage system.

8. A device for handling errors in a storage system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a platform utilized by the storage system;

determine a configuration of the platform for detecting an error in the storage system;

determine a policy for handling the error based on the determined configuration of the platform; and

in response to detecting the error, handle the error with the policy,

wherein, in handling the error with the policy, the processor is further configured to;

in response to the platform being determined to be a hardware-environment-based platform, obtain error information of at least one of a host bus adapter and a storage device in the storage system; and

in response the platform being determined to be a virtual-environment-based platform, obtain error information of a permanent device loss of a storage device in the storage system.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine, based on the determined configuration of the platform, a time limit for handling the error.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine, based on the determined configuration of the platform, a time window for detecting the error, and

in response to a response of the storage system to a command exceeding the time window, determine that the error is detected.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine, with the platform, a component where the error is located; and

handle, with the policy, the error of the component based on the component.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein error information is obtained of the host bus adapter in the storage system, and wherein the processor is further configured in response to determining that the platform is the hardware-environment-based platform, to:

in response to the error information being obtained of the host bus adapter;

stop attempting a task abort operation that aborts the storage task on the storage system; and

restart the host bus adapter.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein error information is obtained of the storage device in the storage system, and wherein the processor is further configured, in response to determining that the platform is the hardware-environment-based platform, to:

in response to the error information being obtained of the storage device;

stop attempting a bus reset operation that resets a bus of the storage system; and

remove the storage device from the storage system.

14. The device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured, in response to determining that the platform is the virtual-environment-based platform, to:

in response to the error information being obtained of the permanent device loss of the storage device, remove the storage device from the storage system.

15. A computer program product for handling an error in a storage system, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with computer-executable code, the code configured to enable the execution of;

determining a platform utilized by the storage system;

determining a configuration of the platform for detecting an error in the storage system;

determining a policy for handling the error based on the determined configuration of the platform; and

in response to detecting the error, handling the error with the policy, the handling the error with the policy comprising;

in response to determining that the platform is a hardware-environment-based platform, obtaining error information of at least one of a host bus adapter and a storage device in the storage system; and

in response to determining that the platform is a virtual-environment-based platform, obtaining error information of a permanent device loss of a storage device in the storage system.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the determining a policy for handling the error comprises:

determining, based on the determined configuration of the platform, a time limit for handling the error.

17. A method of handling errors in a storage system, comprising:

determining whether a platform utilized by the storage system is a hardware-environment-based platform or a virtual-environment-based platform;

in response to determining that the platform is the hardware-environment-based platform;

determining a configuration of the hardware-environment-based platform for detecting a first error in the storage system;

determining a first policy for handling the first error based on the configuration of the hardware-environment-based platform; and

in response to detecting the first error, handling the first error with the first policy; and

in response to determining that the platform is the virtual-environment-based platform;

determining a configuration of the virtual-environment-based platform for detecting a second error in the storage system;

determining a second policy for handling the second error based on the configuration of the virtual-environment-based platform; and

in response to detecting the second error, handling the second error with the second policy.