System and method for assigning data collection agents to storage area network nodes in a storage area network resource management system

• US 20040215904A1
• Filed: 04/22/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sarkar, Prasenjit, Merbach, David Lynn, Gopisetty, Sandeep Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 7,526,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1012 Load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Data collection agents are assigned to storage area network nodes in a storage area network resource management system, such that the bandwidth and cost of data collection are equitably distributed among data collection agents. Data collection overlaps and load imbalances are eliminated across the data collection agents, creating approximately equal partitions of bandwidth and data collection for each data collection agent. Graph partitioning is used to accomplish load balancing. The assignment of data collection agents to storage area network nodes equitably distributes the bandwidth and processing costs among the data collection agents and ensures a load balance. In addition, the present system provides mutually exclusive sets of data collection agents to storage area network nodes that can be used in the event of failure of a data collection agent or storage area network node. This fail-over protection ensures that if one host or data collection agent fails, one or more of the remaining hosts or data collection agents can assume the load of the failed host or data collection agent.

Claims

1. A method of assigning data collection agents to storage area network nodes in a storage area network resource management system, comprising:

generating a graph with nodes and edges, that represents the data collection agents;

assigning a load to the nodes in the graph; and

iteratively partitioning and assigning the load into approximately balanced distributed loads among the nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the graph comprises dividing the graph into at least a first partition and a second partition.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising randomly selecting a vertex in the first partition.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising selecting an unvisited vertex in the second partition.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising performing a breadth first search from the unvisited vertex selected in the second partition.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising adding a plurality of vertices to the first partition until a load value and a data collection agent count between the first partition and the second partition are approximately balanced.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a plurality of vertices in the graph to the second partition.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a data collection agent has failed.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising partitioning the graph into a plurality of sub-graphs.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising using a largest sub-graph of the plurality of sub-graphs, to reassign the load among the nodes.

11. A computer program product having instruction codes for assigning data collection agents to storage area network nodes in a storage area network resource management system, comprising:

a first set of instruction codes for generating a graph with nodes and edges, that represents the data collection agents;

a second set of instruction codes for assigning a load to the nodes in the graph; and

a third set of instruction codes for iteratively partitioning and assigning the load into approximately balanced distributed loads among the nodes.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the first set of instruction codes divides the graph into at least a first partition and a second partition.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising a fourth set of instruction codes for randomly selecting a vertex in the first partition.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the fourth set of instruction codes further selects an unvisited vertex in the second partition.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising a fifth set of instruction codes for performing a breadth first search from the unvisited vertex selected in the second partition.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising a sixth set of instruction codes for adding a plurality of vertices to the first partition until a load value and a data collection agent count between the first partition and the second partition are approximately balanced.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising a seventh set of instruction codes for assigning a plurality of vertices in the graph to the second partition.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising an eight set of instruction codes for determining whether a data collection agent has failed.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising a ninth set of instruction codes for partitioning the graph into a plurality of sub-graphs.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising a tenth set of instruction codes for using a largest sub-graph of the plurality of sub-graphs, to reassign the load among the nodes.

23. The system of claim 12, further comprising means for randomly selecting a vertex in the first partition.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for randomly selecting further selects an unvisited vertex in the second partition.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising means for performing a breadth first search from the unvisited vertex selected in the second partition.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising means for adding a plurality of vertices to the first partition until a load value and a data collection agent count between the first partition and the second partition are approximately balanced.

21. A system for assigning data collection agents to storage area network nodes in a storage area network resource management system, comprising:

means for generating a graph with nodes and edges, that represents the data collection agents;

means for assigning a load to the nodes in the graph; and

means for iteratively partitioning and assigning the load into approximately balanced distributed loads among the nodes.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the generating means divides the graph into at least a first partition and a second partition.

27. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for assigning a plurality of vertices in the graph to the second partition.

28. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for determining whether a data collection agent has failed.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising means for partitioning the graph into a plurality of sub-graphs.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising means for using a largest sub-graph of the plurality of sub-graphs, to reassign the load among the nodes.