System and method for storing storage operating system data in switch ports

• US 20070061526A1
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Radek Aster, Susan Coatney
• Original Assignee: Radek Aster, Susan Coatney
• Inventors: Aster, Radek, Coatney, Susan
• Granted Patent: US 7,987,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• 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

A computer server system and a method for operating the system are described. An address and a status of each computer device of a plurality of computer devices accessible to a switch is written into a memory in the switch. The status of a first computer device which is off line is set to indicate that the first computer device is off line. The status information is read from the memory in the switch by a second computer device so that the second computer device knows that the first computer device is off line. Embodiments are described where the status of a data storage device and the status of a server are written to the memory in the switch.

Claims

1. A method for operating a computer server system, comprising:

writing a status of each data storage device of a plurality of data storage devices to a memory in a switch, an at least one server connected to the switch and a selected data storage device of the plurality of data storage devices accessible by the at least one server;

setting the status of a data storage device which is off line to indicate that the data storage device is off line; and

reading the status information from the memory in the switch by the at least one server before the at least one server transfers data to the selected data storage device in order to prevent the server from transferring data to an off line data storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

writing to the memory in the switch an address of each data storage device of the plurality of data storage devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

writing to the memory in the switch an address and status of each server of the at least one server so that an address of an offline server is available to other devices connected to the switch.

4. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using a memory associated with a port of the switch as the memory in the switch.

5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using a memory associated with a port of the switch to hold the status of a storage device accessible through the port.

6. A computer system, comprising:

an operating system to write an address and a status of each data storage device of a plurality of data storage devices to a memory in a switch, at least one server connected to the switch and a selected data storage device of the plurality of data storage devices accessible by the at least one server;

a write command of the operating system to set the status of a data storage device which is off line to indicate that the data storage device is off line; and

a read command of the operating system to read the status information from the memory in the switch by the at least one server before the at least one server transfers data to the selected data storage device in order to prevent the server from transferring data to an offline data storage device.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

an address of each data storage device of the plurality of data storage devices written into the memory.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

an address and status of each server of the at least one server written into the memory so that an address of an offline server is available to other devices connected to the switch.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a memory associated with a port of the switch used as the memory in the switch.

10. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a memory associated with a port of the switch to hold the status of a storage device accessible through the port.

11. A method for operating a computer server system, comprising:

writing an address and a status of each server of a plurality of servers to a memory in a switch;

setting the status of a first server which is off line to indicate that the first server is off line; and

reading the status information from the memory in the switch by a second server so that the second server knows that the first server is off line.

12. A computer system, comprising:

an operating system to write an address and a status of each server of a plurality of servers to a memory in a switch, and the operating system to set the status of a first server which is off line to indicate that the first server is off line; and

a second server to read the status information from the memory in the switch so that the second server knows that the first server is off line.

13. A method for operating a computer server system, comprising:

writing an address and a status of each computer device of a plurality of computer devices accessible to a switch into a memory in the switch;

setting the status of a first computer device which is off line to indicate that the first computer device is off line; and

reading the status information from the memory in the switch by a second computer device so that the second computer device knows that the first computer device is off line.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

using a data storage device as the computer device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

using a server as the computer device.

16. A computer system, comprising:

an operating system to write an address and a status of each computer device of a plurality of computer devices to a memory in a switch, the computer devices accessible to the switch, and the operating system to set the status of a first computer device which is off line to indicate that the first computer device is off line; and

a read command to read the status information from the memory in the switch so that the second computer device knows that the first computer device is off line.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a data storage device is the computer device.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a server is the computer device.

19. A computer readable media, comprising:

said computer readable media containing instructions for execution on a processor for the practice of a method for operating a computer server system, the method having the steps of,

writing an address and a status of each computer device of a plurality of computer devices accessible to a switch into a memory in the switch;

setting the status of a first computer device which is off line to indicate that the first computer device is off line; and

reading the status information from the memory in the switch by a second computer device so that the second computer device knows that the first computer device is offline.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

using a data storage device as the computer device.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

using a server as the computer device.