Network storage appliance with integrated server and redundant storage controllers

• US 20050010715A1
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Davies, Ian Robert, Pecone, Victor Key, Kalwitz, George Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,661,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2005 using redundant communication controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/201 between storage system components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2046 where the redundant components share persistent storage G06F11/2043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2051 in regular structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2092 Techniques of failing over between control units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device

Abstract

A network storage appliance is disclosed. The appliance includes a chassis enclosing a backplane, and a server enclosed in the chassis and coupled to the backplane. The appliance also includes storage controllers enclosed in the chassis, each coupled to the backplane, which control transfer of data between the server and storage devices coupled to the storage controllers. The storage controllers also control transfer of data between the storage devices and computers networked to the appliance and external to the appliance. The storage controllers and the server comprise a plurality of hot-replaceable blades. Any one of the plurality of blades may be replaced during operation of the appliance without loss of access to the storage devices by the computers. In one embodiment, the server executes storage application software, such as backup software for backing up data on the storage devices, such as to a tape device networked to the server.

Claims

1. A network storage appliance, comprising:

a chassis;

a backplane, enclosed in said chassis;

a server, enclosed in said chassis, coupled to said backplane; and

a plurality of storage controllers, enclosed in said chassis, each coupled to said backplane, for controlling transfer of data between said server and a plurality of storage devices coupled to said plurality of storage controllers, and for controlling transfer of data between said plurality of storage devices and a plurality of computers networked to the appliance and external to the appliance;

wherein said plurality of storage controllers and said server comprise a plurality of hot-replaceable blades, wherein any one of said plurality of blades may be replaced during operation of the appliance without loss of access to said plurality of storage devices by said plurality of computers.

2. The network storage appliance of claim 1, wherein said plurality of storage controllers comprise a second plurality of hot-replaceable blades, wherein any one of said second plurality of blades may be replaced during operation of the appliance without loss of access to said plurality of storage devices by said computers, and without loss of access to said plurality of storage devices by said server.

3. The network storage appliance of claim 1, wherein said computers are networked to said plurality of storage controllers.

4. The network storage appliance of claim 3, further comprising:

at least one port combiner, enclosed in said chassis, wherein said computers are networked to said plurality of storage controllers via said at least one port combiner.

5. The network storage appliance of claim 4, wherein said at least one port combiner is configured to couple I/O ports of said computers, said server, and said plurality of storage controllers, for facilitating transfer of data therebetween.

6. The network storage appliance of claim 4, wherein said at least one port combiner comprises at least one hub.

7. The network storage appliance of claim 6, wherein said at least one port combiner comprises at least one FibreChannel hub.

8. The network storage appliance of claim 4, wherein said at least one port combiner comprises at least one switch.

9. The network storage appliance of claim 8, wherein said at least one port combiner comprises at least one FibreChannel switch.

10. The network storage appliance of claim 8, wherein said at least one port combiner comprises at least one Ethernet switch.

11. The network storage appliance of claim 8, wherein said at least one port combiner comprises at least one Infiniband switch.

12. The network storage appliance of claim 1, wherein said server comprises:

a central processing unit; and

a non-volatile memory, for storing application software for execution by said central processing unit.

13. The network storage appliance of claim 12, wherein said non-volatile memory comprises a solid state memory.

14. The network storage appliance of claim 13, wherein said solid state memory comprises a disk-on-chip memory.

15. The network storage appliance of claim 12, wherein said non-volatile memory comprises a solid state memory.

16. The network storage appliance of claim 12, wherein said application software comprises a data backup application.

17. The network storage appliance of claim 12, wherein said application software comprises a data snapshot application.

18. The network storage appliance of claim 1, wherein said chassis comprises a chassis for mounting in a 19 inch wide rack.

19. The network storage appliance of claim 1, wherein said chassis is 1U high.

20. A method for performing a data replication operation, comprising:

receiving, by a server enclosed in a network storage appliance chassis, a command to backup data stored on a storage device controlled by hot-pluggable redundant active-active failover storage controllers also enclosed in the chassis;

generating a plurality of requests, by the server, to the storage controllers to read the data from the storage device; and

generating a plurality of requests, by the server, to write the data received from the storage controllers to a backup device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining, by one of the storage controllers, another of the storage controllers has failed during said generating a plurality of requests to read the data; and

taking over, by the non-failed storage controller, an identity of the failed the storage controller, in response to said determining, wherein the non-failed storage controller provides the data requested by the server in place of the failed storage controller.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said determining comprises:

monitoring a heartbeat of each of the storage controllers by the other storage controller; and

detecting, by the non-failed storage controller, the heartbeat of the failed storage controller stopped.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said generating the plurality of requests to read the data from the storage device comprises generating SCSI requests to read logical blocks of data on the storage device.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein said generating the plurality of requests to write the data to the backup device comprises the server generating the plurality of requests to write the data to a tape device networked to the network storage appliance.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein said generating the plurality of requests to write the data to the backup device comprises the server generating the plurality of requests to write the data to a remote server networked to the network storage appliance.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said server generating the plurality of requests to a remote server networked to the network storage appliance comprises said server generating a plurality of internet protocol (IP) requests to write the data to the remote server.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said server generating the plurality of requests to a remote server networked to the network storage appliance comprises said server generating a plurality of FibreChannel requests to write the data to the remote server.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein said generating the plurality of requests to write the data to a backup device comprises the server generating the plurality of requests to the storage controllers to write the data to a second storage device controlled by the storage controllers.

29. A network storage appliance, comprising:

first and second redundant active-active failover blades, enclosed in a chassis and hot-replaceable in a backplane of said chassis, each comprising;

a processor, for performing RAID functions to control storage of data on a plurality of storage devices; and

a buffer memory, coupled to the processor, for buffering said data received from said plurality of storage devices; and

a third blade, enclosed in said chassis and hot-replaceable in said backplane, comprising;

a server, configured to generate I/O requests for said data; and

first and second I/O interface controllers, coupled to receive said I/O requests from said server and to forward said I/O requests to said first and second blades on a plurality of local buses comprised in said backplane.

30. The network storage appliance of claim 29, wherein said server comprises:

a third I/O interface controller, coupled to said first and second I/O interface controllers, for transmitting said I/O requests thereto.

31. The network storage appliance of claim 30, wherein said third blade further comprises:

a port combiner, configured to couple respective I/O ports of said first, second, and third I/O interface controllers, for facilitating transmissions of said I/O requests therebetween.

32. The network storage appliance of claim 30, wherein said third blade further comprises:

first and second I/O links, coupled to said first and second I/O interface controllers, for conveying said I/O requests transmitted by said third I/O interface controller to said first and second I/O interface controllers, respectively.

33. The network storage appliance of claim 32, wherein said first and second I/O links comprise FibreChannel links.

34. The network storage appliance of claim 32, wherein said first and second I/O links comprise Ethernet links.

35. The network storage appliance of claim 32, wherein said first and second I/O links comprise Infiniband links.

36. The network storage appliance of claim 29, wherein said plurality of local buses comprise PCIX buses.

37. The network storage appliance of claim 29, further comprising:

fourth and fifth blades, enclosed in said chassis and hot-replaceable in said backplane, comprising respective fourth and fifth I/O interface controllers, coupled to receive said data from said plurality of storage devices and to provide said data to said buffer memory of said first and second blades.

38. The network storage appliance of claim 37, wherein said fourth and fifth I/O interface controllers are configured to provide said data to said first and second blades via said plurality of local buses comprised in said backplane.

39. The network storage appliance of claim 37, wherein said fourth and fifth I/O interface controllers comprise SCSI interface controllers.

40. The network storage appliance of claim 37, wherein said fourth and fifth I/O interface controllers comprise FibreChannel interface controllers.

41. The network storage appliance of claim 37, wherein said fourth and fifth I/O interface controllers comprise Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface controllers.

42. The network storage appliance of claim 37, wherein said fourth and fifth I/O interface controllers comprise Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) interface controllers.

43. The network storage appliance of claim 37, wherein said fourth and fifth I/O interface controllers comprise iSCSI interface controllers.

44. The network storage appliance of claim 37, wherein said fourth and fifth I/O interface controllers are additionally coupled to receive second I/O requests from devices networked to said fourth blade and external to said chassis, and to forward said second I/O requests to said first and second blades on said plurality of local buses.

45. The network storage appliance of claim 29, further comprising:

a fourth blade, enclosed in said chassis and hot-replaceable in said backplane, comprising respective fourth and fifth I/O interface controllers, coupled to receive second I/O requests from devices networked to said fourth blade and external to said chassis, and to forward said second I/O requests to said first and second blades on said plurality of local buses.

46. The network storage appliance of claim 29, wherein each of said first, second, and third blades comprises:

a removal mechanism for use by a person to disconnect said blade from said backplane for removal of said blade from said chassis while said chassis is operational.

47. A computer network, comprising:

a network storage appliance, comprising;

a server, enclosed in a chassis, configured to issue first and second requests for first and second data stored on respective first and second pluralities of storage devices; and

a plurality of storage controllers, enclosed in said chassis, configured to control said first plurality of storage devices, and to provide said first data to said server in response to receiving said first requests; and

a storage controller, networked to said server and external to said storage appliance chassis, configured to control said second plurality of storage devices, and to provide said second data to said server in response to receiving said second requests.

48. The computer network of claim 47, further comprising:

a backup device, networked to said server and-external to said server;

wherein said server is further configured to write said first and second data to said backup device.

49. The computer network of claim 47, further comprising:

a backplane, enclosed in said chassis, wherein said plurality of storage controllers comprise a plurality of hot-replaceable blades for coupling to said backplane.

50. The computer network of claim 49, wherein any one of said plurality of hot-replaceable blades may be removed from said backplane while said appliance is operational without suffering unavailability of said first data to said server.

51. The computer network of claim 49, wherein any one of said plurality of hot-replaceable blades may fail without suffering unavailability of said first data to said server.

52. The computer network of claim 47, further comprising:

a plurality of computers, networked to said plurality of storage controllers and external to said appliance chassis;

wherein said plurality of storage controllers are configured to provide said first data to said plurality of computers in response to receiving third requests for said first data from said plurality of computers.

53. The computer network of claim 52, wherein said server is configured to provide virtualized storage to said plurality of computers, said virtualized storage comprising storage of said first plurality of storage devices controlled by said plurality of storage controllers and storage of said second plurality of storage devices controlled by said external storage controller.