Fibre channel diagnostics in a storage enclosure

• US 20020046276A1
• Filed: 07/06/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanmina-SCI Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sanmina Sci-Usa, Inc.
• Inventors: Harnett, Derek Christopher, Coffey, Aedan Diarmuid Cailean
• Granted Patent: US 6,961,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/32 Specific management aspects for broadband networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A fiber channel analyzer for analyzing the operation of a fiber channel arbitrated loop (FC-AL) to which a plurality of devices are connectable is disclosed. The analyzer is adapted to be housed in an enclosure which, in use, houses at least one of the fiber channel devices. The analyzer extracts data from the fiber channel, processes the extracted data; and communicates processed data to a SES Processor through a secondary communication bus.

Claims

1. A fibre channel analyser for analysing the operation of a fibre channel arbitrated loop (FC-AL) to which a plurality of devices are connectable, said analyser being adapted to be housed in an enclosure which, in use, houses at least one of said devices and comprising:

means for extracting data from the fibre channel,

means for processing extracted data; and

means for communicating processed data to an environmental control and monitoring unit through a secondary communication bus.

2. An analyser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the analyser is arranged to be included directly within a FC-AL enclosure thereby enabling continuous on-line monitoring of the FC-AL bus and the provision of an early warning system of FC-AL bus performance degradation.

3. An analyser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the analyser is adapted to provide information comprising a limited analysis of the FC-AL bus.

4. An analyser as claimed in claim 3 wherein said information comprises data indicative of the transmission of both ARB (Arbitrate) and LIP (Loop Initialisation) ordered sets.

5. An analyser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the analyser is arranged to be located on one of a number of branches from the FC-AL and not in the loop itself.

6. An analyser as claimed in claim 5 wherein the analyser is adapted to analyse activity occurring on the loop but does not itself contribute to loop delay.

7. An analyser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the analyser comprises not more than two integrated circuit chips.

8. An analyser as claimed in claim 1 wherein said environmental control and monitoring unit comprises an Enclosure Services processor arranged to communicate with a bus controller through one of a SCSI Enclosure Services (SES) or a SCSI Access Fault Tolerant Enclosure (SAF-TE) protocol.

9. An analyser as claimed in claim 8 wherein said analyser is arranged to receive from said Enclosure Services processor a control page to enable a user to specify the levels of analysis of bus performance required;

and to send to the Enclosure Services processor a status page containing processed data results from the analysis performed by the bus analyser.