Method and apparatus for communicating between an agent and a remote management module in a processing system

• US 20060200471A1
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Inventors: Snyder, Peter, Kalra, Pradeep, Holland, Thomas, Insley, Mark W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks

Abstract

A processing system includes control circuitry to control the processing system, a remote management module to enable remote management of the processing system via a network, and an agent to operate as an intermediary between the remote management module and the control circuitry. The agent and the remote management module are configured to cooperatively implement an abstraction layer through which the agent and the remote management module communicate.

Claims

1. A processing system comprising:

control circuitry operable to control the processing system;

a remote management module to enable remote management of the processing system via a network; and

an agent to operate as an intermediary between the remote management module and the control circuitry, wherein the agent and the remote management module are configured to cooperatively implement an abstraction layer through which the agent and the remote management module communicate.

2. A processing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the agent is operable to detect a plurality of events in the processing system, and wherein the agent includes a buffer and is operable to create an event record in the buffer for each detected event;

and

wherein the remote management module is operable to receive event record data from the buffer through the abstraction layer in response to an event record being stored in the buffer.

3. A processing system as recited in claim 2, further comprising a link coupling the agent to the remote management module, wherein the agent and the remote management module are configured to cooperatively implement the abstraction layer, at least in part, by using a command packet protocol to communicate event record data over the link.

4. A processing system as recited in claim 3, wherein the link is an IIC bus.

5. A processing system as recited in claim 4, wherein the remote management module and the agent implement a data integrity protocol over the IIC bus.

6. A processing system as recited in claim 3, wherein the buffer is a first-in first out (FIFO) buffer.

7. A processing system as recited in claim 2, wherein:

the agent is operable to assert an interrupt in connection with detection of an event;

the remote management module is operable to send a command for the event record data to the agent in response to the interrupt; and

the agent further is operable to respond to the command by outputting the event record data from the buffer and sending the output event record data to the remote management module over the link.

8. A processing system as recited in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of sensors, wherein each of the plurality of events corresponds to a predetermined condition detected by a corresponding one of the sensors.

9. A processing system as recited in claim 2, further comprising a presence detector to detect the presence or absence of a predetermined component in the processing system, wherein one of the events corresponds to the presence or absence of a predetermined component in the processing system.

10. A processing system as recited in claim 2, wherein each event has a type which is one of a plurality of prespecified event types, each of the prespecified event types having been previously assigned a corresponding unique event type code in the agent and in the remote management module, and wherein the event record of each detected event includes an event type code indicating the type of the detected event and a value representing the detected event.

11. A processing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the agent is operable to detect a prespecified critical event and to respond to the prespecified critical event by asserting an immediate interrupt;

and

wherein the remote management module receives the immediate interrupt, wherein the immediate interrupt has a prespecified meaning to the remote management module, the remote management module being operable to respond to the immediate interrupt by executing a prespecified response.

12. A storage system comprising:

a storage interface through which to access a plurality of mass storage devices;

a first network interface through which to communicate with a plurality of network hosts;

control circuitry operable to provide the plurality of network hosts with access to the plurality of mass storage devices;

an agent capable of detecting a plurality of events in the storage server, the agent including a buffer and operable to store an event record in the buffer for each detected event and to assert an interrupt in connection with detection of an event; and

a remote management module to enable remote management of the storage server via a network, and further to send a command to the agent in response to the interrupt, wherein the agent responds to the command by outputting event record data from the buffer and sending the output event record data to the remote management module.

13. A storage system as recited in claim 12, wherein the remote management module and the agent communicate with each other over a link using a command packet protocol.

14. A storage system as recited in claim 13, wherein the link is an IIC bus.

15. A storage system as recited in claim 13, wherein the agent provides the event record data output from the buffer to the remote management module via the IIC bus.

16. A storage system as recited in claim 15, wherein the remote management module and the agent implement a data integrity protocol over the IIC bus.

17. A storage system as recited in claim 12, further comprising a plurality of sensors, wherein at least one of the events corresponds to a predetermined condition detected by a corresponding at least one of the sensors.

18. A storage system as recited in claim 17, further comprising a presence detector to detect the presence or absence of a predetermined component in the storage server, wherein one of the events corresponds to the presence or absence of a predetermined component in the storage server.

19. A storage system as recited in claim 12, wherein the agent is configured to detect a prespecified critical event and to respond to the prespecified critical event by asserting an immediate interrupt;

and

wherein the remote management module receives the immediate interrupt, wherein the immediate interrupt has a prespecified meaning to the remote management module, the remote management module being configured to respond to the immediate interrupt by executing a prespecified response.

20. A storage system as recited in claim 12, wherein, in response to the interrupt, the remote management module signals the agent to send event record data from the buffer to the remote management module until the interrupt is de-asserted, and wherein the interrupt is de-asserted by the agent only when the buffer is empty.

21. A storage system as recited in claim 20, wherein the buffer is a first-in first out (FIFO) buffer.

22. A storage system as recited in claim 12, wherein each event has a type which is one of a plurality of prespecified event types, each of the prespecified event types having been previously assigned a corresponding unique event type code in the agent and in the remote management module, and wherein the event record of each detected event includes an event type code indicating the type of the detected event and a value of a monitored signal corresponding to the detected event.

23. A storage server comprising:

a storage interface through which to access a plurality of mass storage devices;

a first network interface through which to communicate with a plurality of network hosts;

control circuitry operable to provide the plurality of network hosts with access to the plurality of mass storage devices;

an agent capable of detecting a plurality of events in the storage server, the agent including a buffer and operable to store an event record in the buffer for each detected event and to assert an interrupt in connection with detection of an event; and

a remote management module to enable remote management of the storage server via a network, and further to send a command to the agent in response to the interrupt, wherein the agent responds to the command by outputting event record data from the buffer and sending the output event record data to the remote management module.

24. A storage system as recited in claim 23, further comprising a plurality of sensors, wherein at least one of the events corresponds to a predetermined condition detected by a corresponding at least one of the sensors.

25. A storage system as recited in claim 24, further comprising a presence detector to detect the presence or absence of a predetermined component in the storage server, wherein one of the events corresponds to the presence or absence of a predetermined component in the storage server.

26. A storage system as recited in claim 23, wherein the remote management module is coupled to the agent by an IIC link, and wherein the agent provides the event record data dequeued from the FIFO buffer to the remote management module via the IIC link.

27. A storage system as recited in claim 26, wherein the remote management module and the agent communicate with each other over the IIC link using command packets.

28. A storage system as recited in claim 27, wherein the remote management module and the agent implement a data integrity protocol over the IIC link.

29. A storage system as recited in claim 23, wherein the agent is configured to detect a prespecified critical event and to respond to the prespecified critical event by asserting an immediate interrupt;

and

wherein the remote management module receives the immediate interrupt, wherein the immediate interrupt has a prespecified meaning to the remote management module, the remote management module being configured to respond to the immediate interrupt by executing a prespecified response.

30. A storage system as recited in claim 23, wherein, in response to the interrupt, the remote management module signals the agent to send event record data from the buffer to the remote management module until the interrupt is de-asserted, and wherein the interrupt is de-asserted by the agent only when the buffer is empty.

31. A storage system as recited in claim 30, wherein the buffer is a first-in first out (FIFO) buffer.

32. A storage system as recited in claim 23, wherein each event has a type which is one of a plurality of prespecified event types, each of the prespecified event types having been previously assigned a corresponding unique event type code in the agent and in the remote management module, and wherein the event record of each detected event includes an event type code indicating the type of the detected event and a value of a monitored signal corresponding to the detected event.

33. A method of enabling monitoring of events by a remote management module in a processing system, the method comprising:

using an agent in the processing system to detect an event in the processing system;

using the agent to generate event record data representing the event;

using the agent to store the event record data in a buffer; and

using an abstraction layer between the agent and the remote management module to communicate the event record data from the agent to the remote management module.

34. A method as recited in claim 33, wherein using the abstraction layer to communicate the event record data from the agent to the remote management module comprises:

using a command packet protocol to communicate the event record data over a link.

35. A method as recited in claim 34, further comprising:

using a data integrity protocol over the link to communicate the event record data.

36. A method as recited in claim 33, further comprising:

using the agent to assert an interrupt in connection with detection of an event;

using the remote management module to send a command for the event record data to the agent in response to the interrupt; and

using the agent to respond to the command by outputting the event record data from the buffer and sending the output event record data to the remote management module over the link.

37. A method as recited in claim 33, wherein the event corresponds to a predetermined condition detected by a sensor in the processing system.