Apparatus and method for storage controller to deterministically kill one of redundant servers integrated within the storage controller chassis
First Claim
1. A network storage appliance, comprising:
- a first server, comprising a first I/O port having a first unique ID for communicating on a network;
a second server, comprising a second I/O port having a second unique ID for communicating on said network;
a storage controller, coupled to said first and second servers; and
a control path, between said storage controller and said first server, for said storage controller to deterministically inactivate said first I/O port, wherein said second server is configured to assume said first unique ID on said second I/O port for communicating on said network after said storage controller inactivates said first I/O port.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for deterministically killing one of redundant servers on a common network is disclosed. The apparatus includes a chassis that encloses the servers and a storage controller, status indicators generated by the servers to the storage controller, and kill controls, generated by the storage controller to respective ones of the servers, each for killing a respective one of the servers. The status indicators and kill controls are wholly enclosed in the chassis. The kill controls deterministically disable the killed server on the network independently of the state of the server to be killed. That is, the server does not need to be able to respond to a command to be disabled on the network. In one embodiment, the kill controls comprise reset signals. After the storage controller deterministically kills one of the servers, the other server takes over the identity of the killed server on the network.
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Citations
53 Claims
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1. A network storage appliance, comprising:
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a first server, comprising a first I/O port having a first unique ID for communicating on a network;
a second server, comprising a second I/O port having a second unique ID for communicating on said network;
a storage controller, coupled to said first and second servers; and
a control path, between said storage controller and said first server, for said storage controller to deterministically inactivate said first I/O port, wherein said second server is configured to assume said first unique ID on said second I/O port for communicating on said network after said storage controller inactivates said first I/O port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A method for deterministically killing one of redundant servers, comprising:
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determining, by a storage controller integrated into a single chassis with redundant servers, whether a heartbeat of one of the servers has stopped; and
generating, by the storage controller, a control signal wholly internal to the chassis for disabling a one of the servers whose heartbeat has stopped, in response to said determining the one of the servers heartbeat has stopped. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50)
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51. An apparatus for deterministically killing one of redundant servers, comprising:
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a chassis, for enclosing the servers and a storage controller;
status indicators, generated by the servers to said storage controller, wherein said status indicators are wholly enclosed in said chassis; and
kill controls, generated by said storage controller to respective ones of the servers, each for killing a respective one of the servers, wherein said kill controls are wholly enclosed in said chassis. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53)
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Specification