PORT POOLING

• US 20070297428A1
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vaidya, Shrikant Jay, Vong, Ky Tong, Bose, Patrick Glen
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/557 Error correction, e.g. fault recovery or fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 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]

Abstract

In one embodiment, methods and systems for port pooling are described. An interface may communicate with at least one physical server. The at least one physical server may host a plurality of virtual servers and be connectable via a plurality of gateway ports to a storage area network (SAN). A virtual server manager configured to arrange the plurality of gateway ports in a plurality of port pools, define a virtual server group including a plurality of virtual servers, associate each virtual server with one or more port pools, the one or more port pools defining available gateway ports for access by the particular virtual server; and provide configuration instructions to allow the particular virtual server to communicate with the SAN through the available gateway ports.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

an interface to communicate with at least one physical server, the at least one physical server hosting a plurality of virtual servers and being connectable via a plurality of gateway ports to a storage area network (SAN); and

a virtual server manager configured to;

arrange the plurality of gateway ports in a plurality of port pools;

define a virtual server group including a plurality of virtual servers;

associate each virtual server with one or more port pools, the one or more port pools defining available gateway ports for access by the particular virtual server; and

provide configuration instructions to allow the particular virtual server to communicate with the SAN through the available gateway ports.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

define an allocation policy, the allocation policy to define how the available gateway ports are allocated to the one or more port pools; and

provide the plurality of virtual servers with access to allocated gateway ports based on the allocation policy.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the virtual server manager is configured to provide configuration instructions to allow the particular virtual server to communicate with the SAN through a subset of the available gateway ports.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the interface communicates with a plurality of physical servers, the virtual server manager being further configured to:

unassign a physical server from a virtual server; and

reassign a new physical server to the virtual server, the virtual server being associated with a different subset of the available gateway ports.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

dynamically migrate a virtual server from a first gateway port to a second gateway port in a same port pool.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

dynamically balance a load across the available gateway ports of the one or more port pools.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

generate a World-Wide Node Name (WWNN) for each of the plurality of virtual servers.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

generate World-Wide Port Names (WWPNs) associated with each of the WWNN;

bind the WWPNs to the one or more port pools for access to the available gateway ports; and

assign at least one of the WWPNs for each of the plurality of virtual servers.

9. A method comprising:

arranging a plurality of gateway ports in a plurality of port pools, the gateway ports configured to connect at least one physical server to a Storage Area Network (SAN);

defining a virtual server group including a plurality of virtual servers to be hosted on the at least one physical server;

associating each virtual server with one or more port pools, the one or more port pools defining available gateway ports for access by the particular virtual server; and

providing configuration instructions to allow the particular virtual server to communicate with the SAN through the available gateway ports.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing configuration instructions to allow the particular virtual server to communicate with the SAN through the available gateway ports comprises:

providing configuration instructions to allow the particular virtual server to communicate with the SAN through a subset of the available gateway ports.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

dynamically migrating the virtual server from a first gateway port to a second gateway port in a same port pool.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein dynamically migrating the virtual server from a first gateway port to a second gateway port in a same port pool comprises:

adding a new gateway port to a selected port pool; and

dynamically migrating the virtual server from a first gateway port to the new gateway port.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

dynamically balancing a load across the available gateway ports of the one or more port pools.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein dynamically balancing a load across the available gateway ports of the one or more port pools comprises:

dynamically balancing a load across the available gateway ports of the one or more port pools according to a user defined policy.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

dynamically changing a mapping of the virtual server to the available gateway ports from a pool listing defining a selected number of the one or more gateway ports from at least one of the one or more port pools available for access by the virtual server group.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing the virtual server with access to allocated gateway ports selected from the available gateway ports based on an allocation policy.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

unassigning a physical server from a virtual server; and

reassigning a new physical server to the virtual server, the virtual server being associated with a different subset of the available gateway ports.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein defining a virtual server group comprises:

determining in which of one or more port pools a virtual server group is permitted access to at least one gateway port; and

defining a pool listing for the virtual server group, the pool listing defining a selected number of the plurality of gateway ports from the one or more port pools available for access by the virtual server group.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the pool listing defines a first selected number of the plurality of gateway ports available from a first port pool available for access by the virtual server group.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the pool listing further defines a second selected number of the plurality of gateway ports available from a second port pool available for access by the virtual server group.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first selected number of the plurality of gateway ports available from a first port pool available for access by the virtual server group is greater than a total number of gateway ports included in the first port pool.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the first selected number of the plurality of gateway ports available from a first port pool available for access by the virtual server group is equal to a total number of gateway ports included in the first port pool.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the first selected number of the plurality of gateway ports available from a first port pool available for access by the virtual server group is less than a total number of gateway ports included in the first port pool.

24. The method of claim 9, wherein defining one or more port pools comprises:

defining a port pool to include one or more gateway ports from a single gateway device.

25. The method of claim 9, wherein defining one or more port pools comprises:

defining a port pool to include, from two or more gateway devices, one or more gateway ports.

26. Apparatus comprising:

means for defining one or more port pools to include one or more gateway ports, each of the gateway ports bound to a storage area network (SAN);

means for defining a virtual server group, the virtual server group including a pool listing, the pool listing defining a selected number of the one or more gateway ports from at least one of the one or more port pools available for access by the virtual server group;

means for defining a virtual server within the virtual server group, the virtual server including access to a selected number of the available gateway ports from the pool listing, the virtual server capable of communicating with the SAN through the available gateway ports from at least one port pool according to the selected number of the available gateway ports in each of the one or more port pools accessible to the virtual server; and

means for assigning a physical server to the virtual server, the virtual server capable of accessing the available gateway ports from the pool listing.