System and method for management of a storage area network

• US 20030065760A1
• Filed: 09/20/2002
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: PolyServe, Inc. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Casper, Corene, Dove, Kenneth F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• 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 9/526 Mutual exclusion algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method for managing a storage area network is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises providing a plurality of nodes; providing a plurality of storage, wherein the plurality of storage is shared by the plurality of nodes; determining if a change in the storage area network has occurred; and dynamically adjusting to the change if the change has occurred. In another embodiment, the system comprises a processor configured to communicate with a second node and at least one storage, wherein the storage is shared by the processor and the second node; the processor also being configured to determine if a change in the storage area network has occurred; and dynamically adjusting to the change if the change has occurred; and a memory coupled with the processor, the memory configured to provide instructions to the processor.

Claims

1. A method of managing a storage area network comprising:

providing a plurality of nodes;

providing a plurality of storage, wherein the plurality of storage is shared by the plurality of nodes;

determining if a change in the storage area network has occurred; and

dynamically adjusting to the change if the change has occurred.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the change is adding a node to the plurality of nodes.

3. The method of claim 2, further determining if there is an administrator associated with the plurality of nodes.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining if it is permissible for the node to be imported into the plurality of nodes.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending device names to the node being added to the plurality of nodes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the change is deleting a node from the plurality of nodes.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising isolating the node from the plurality of nodes.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising updating a generation number.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting a second node for a new administrator if the first node was the administrator.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising acquiring locks by the second node.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising incrementing a generation number by the second node.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the change is adding a storage to the plurality of storage.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising adding the storage to a database.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising incrementing a generation number.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the change is deleting a storage to the plurality of storage.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a node of the plurality of nodes is dynamically selected as an administrator.

17. A method of managing a storage area network in a first node, comprising:

communicating with a second node;

communicating with at least one storage, wherein the storage is shared by the first node and the second node;

determining if a change in the storage area network has occurred; and

dynamically adjusting to the change if the change has occurred.

18. A system of managing a storage area network comprising:

a processor configured to communicate with a second node and at least one storage, wherein the storage is shared by the processor and the second node;

the processor also being configured to determine if a change in the storage area network has occurred; and

dynamically adjusting to the change if the change has occurred; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory configured to provide instructions to the processor.

19. A system of managing a storage area network comprising:

a plurality of nodes, wherein the plurality of nodes are configured to determine if a change in the storage area network has occurred, and also configured to dynamically adjust to the change if the change has occurred; and

a plurality of storage, wherein the plurality of storage is shared by the plurality of nodes.

20. A computer program product for managing a storage area network in a first node, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

communicating with a second node;

communicating with at least one storage, wherein the storage is shared by the first node and the second node;

determining if a change in the storage area network has occurred; and

dynamically adjusting to the change if the change has occurred.