Storage area network methods and apparatus for validating data from multiple sources

• US 20030177168A1
• Filed: 10/05/2001
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Merbach, David Lynn, Heitman, Allen Robert, Knight, Gregory John
• Granted Patent: US 7,080,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• 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 storage area network has a plurality of components, such as host digital data processors and storage devices. A store, e.g., resident on a manager digital data processor, contains one or more objects (or other data constructs) that represent information gathered from the hosts, i.e., scans. Further such objects represent components in the SAN and/or relationships between and among those components. A discover engine or other functionality executing on the manager digital data processor validates information gathered from a selected host concerning a selected component or relationship based on a scan object, if any, that is associated with a component object or relationship object, respectively, corresponding to the selected component or relationship.

Claims

1. In a storage area network (SAN) of the type having a plurality of components including one or more digital data processors in communication with one or more storage devices, the improvement comprising:

a store comprising a plurality of objects, including

(i) one or more objects (“

scan”

objects) each representing information gathered from a respective digital data processor,

(ii) one or more objects (“

component”

objects) each representing a component of the SAN,

(iii) one or more objects (“

relationship”

objects) each representing a relationship between two of the SAN components,

where each scan object is associated with one of the component objects or one of the relationship objects,

a discover module, coupled to the store, that validates information gathered from a selected digital data processor regarding any of a selected component or relationship based on a scan object, if any, associated with a component or relationship object, respectively, corresponding to the selected component or relationship.

2. In the SAN of claim 1, the further improvement comprising a plurality of scanners executing on the digital data processors, each scanner gathers information regarding the SAN components and relationships from its respective digital data processor by running one or more scans, each scan is represented by one of the scan objects.

3. In the SAN of claim 2, the further improvement wherein the discover module responds to a selected change in a SAN component or relationship identified in information contained in a scan by traversing the component or the relationship objects, respectively, to identify one or more scan objects, if any, associated with the component or relationship objects implicated by that change.

4. In the SAN of claim 3, the further improvement wherein the discover module effects each scanner corresponding to one of the identified scan objects to run a new scan to gather updated information relating to the identified change.

5. In the SAN of claim 4, the further improvement wherein the discover module validates the identified change if the updated information obtained via each of the new scans confirms the identified change.

6. In the SAN of claim 5, the further improvement wherein the discover module fails to validate the identified change if the information gathered by at least one of the new scans is inconsistent with the identified change.

7. In the SAN of claim 6, the further improvement comprising a manager process in communication with the discover module, the manager process maintaining a representation of the SAN.

8. In the SAN of claim 7, the further improvement wherein the discover module notifies the manager process of a validated change in the SAN.

9. In the SAN of claim 8, the further improvement wherein the manager process updates the SAN representation to reflect the change in the SAN.

10. In the SAN of claim 1, the further improvement wherein at least one of the relationship objects identifies an attribute of one of the components.

11. In the SAN of claim 1, wherein at least one of the objects represents a data field in a table.

12. In the SAN of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the objects includes a first identifier referencing the table and a second identifier referencing the data field within that table.

13. In the SAN of claim 9, wherein the change in the SAN represents a decoupling of a previously coupled storage device from the SAN.

14. In the SAN of claim 4, the further improvement wherein the discover module effects scanners corresponding the identified scan objects, other than the scanner initially providing information indicative of the change, to run new scans to determine whether the new scans confirm same change.

15. In the SAN of claim 14, the further improvement wherein the discover module validates the identified change if each of the new scans confirms the change.

16. In a storage area network (SAN) of the type having a plurality of components including one or more digital data processor hosts in communication with one or more storage devices, a method of updating a representation of the SAN, comprising:

collating data regarding the SAN received from at least a scan associated with a scanner executing on one of the digital data processors to identify a selected change, if any, in a component or a relationship in the SAN,

identifying scans that previously provided information regarding a SAN component or relationship implicated in the selected change,

effecting scanners corresponding to the identified scans to obtain new data regarding the component and relationship implicated in the change,

updating the SAN topology representation to reflect the selected change if the new data obtained by each of the identified scanners confirms the change.

17. In the SAN of claim 16, the further improvement wherein the step of effecting scanners further comprises effecting scanners other than the scanner initially reporting the change to obtain new data corresponding to the change.

18. In the SAN of claim 16, wherein the SAN representation provides a topology model of the SAN.

19. In the SAN of claim 17, wherein the identified change represents a decoupling of a previously coupled storage device from the SAN.

20. In the SAN of claim 18, wherein the identified change represents a change in an attribute of any of one of the storage devices and one of the hosts.