Distributed storage resource management in a storage area network

• US 20050091221A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Rago, Stephen A., Williams, Timothy H., Harris, Gordon J.
• Application Number:
  US10/987,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20050091221A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; 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], H04L67/1097
• 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 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A method and system for managing storage resources associated with a network having at least one storage resource coupled to at least one server and at least one client over at least one data path. The method and system includes servers managing the storage resource over the data path, and clients directing I/O requests to the storage resources and redirecting. I/O requests to the servers upon the detection of a failure condition.

Claims

1. A method of managing storage resources associated with a network having at least one storage resource coupled to at least one server and at least one client over at least one data path, wherein said server manages said storage resources over said data path, and wherein said client receives a description of the storage resources from the at least one server, said client directs I/O requests directly to said storage resources using the description of the storage resources and redirects I/O requests to said server upon the detection of a failure condition.

2. The method of claim 1 which further includes:

authentication of said client; and

communication of volume information associated with said storage resource to said client based on the results of said authentication.

3. The method of claim 1 which further includes:

allocation of storage space from said storage resource in response to a client request; and

communication of volume information associated with said allocated space to said client.

6. The method of claim 1 which further includes:

changing the volume configuration corresponding to said storage resource;

committing the changes to said changed configuration, during which time said client is excluded from accessing said storage resource; and

communicating the new state of said configuration to said client.

8. The method of claim 1 which further includes:

communication between said clients and said servers over at least a second data path.

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

9. A distributed shared storage resource management system comprising:

at least one storage resource coupled to at least one server and at least one client over at least one data path, wherein said server manages said storage resource over said data path, and said client receives a description of the storage resources from the at least one server, said client directs I/O requests directly to said storage resources using the description of the storage resources and redirects I/O requests to said server upon the detection of a failure condition.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said server is configured to:

authenticate each client; and

communicate volume information associated with said storage resource to said client based on the results of said authentication.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said server is configured to:

allocate space from said storage resource in response to a request from a client; and

communicate volume information associated with said allocated space to said client.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein said server is configured to:

change volume configuration associated with said storage resource;

commit the changes to said changed configuration during which time said client is excluded from accessing said storage resource; and

communicate the new state of said configuration to said client.

16. The system of claim 9 further includes:

at least a second data path configured to allow communication between said client and said server.

12. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

17. An article comprising a computer-readable medium that stores computer executable instructions for causing a computer in a distributed shared storage resource management system which comprises at least one storage resource coupled to at least one server and at least one client over at least one data path, wherein said computer executable instructions cause said server to manage said storage resource over said data path, and said client receives a description of the storage resources from the at least one server, said client directs I/O requests directly to said storage resources using the description of the storage resources and redirects 110 requests to said server upon the detection of a failure condition.

18. The article of claim 17 further includes instructions to:

authenticate each client; and

communicate volume information associated with said storage resource to said client based on the results of said authentication.

19. The article of claim 17 further comprising instructions to:

allocate space from said storage resource in response to a request from a client; and

communicate volume information associated with said allocated space to said client.

22. The article of claim 17 further comprising instructions to:

change configuration associated with said storage resource;

commit said changes to said changed configuration during which time said client is excluded from accessing said storage resource; and

communicate the new state of the changed configuration to said client.

24. The article of claim 17 further comprising instructions to:

provide least a second data path to facilitate communication between said client and said server.

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

23. (canceled).

25. A method of managing storage resources associated with a network having at least one storage resource coupled to at least one server and at least one client over at least one data path, wherein said server manages said storage resources over said data path, and wherein said client receives a description of the storage resources from the at least one server, said client directs I/O requests directly to said storage resources using the description of the storage resources and redirects I/O requests to said server upon the detection of a failure condition, wherein said method comprising:

changing the volume configuration corresponding to said storage resource;

committing the changes to said changed configuration, during which time said client is excluded from accessing said storage resource; and

communicating the new state of said configuration to said client.