SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROXYING DATA ACCESS COMMANDS IN A STORAGE SYSTEM CLUSTER

• US 20080133852A1
• Filed: 02/11/2008
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meneghini, John, Rajan, Vijayan, Lent, Arthur F., Grier, James R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable

Abstract

A system and method proxies data access commands acrossed a cluster interconnect between storage appliances and a cluster using a file-level protocol. Each storage appliance activates two ports per data access, a local port for data access requests directed to clients of the storage appliance and a proxy port for data access requests directed to the partner storage appliance. Clients utilizing multi-pathing software may send data access requests to either the local port of the storage appliance or the proxy port of the storage appliance. The system and method improves high availability, especially during a loss of connectivity due to non-storage appliance hardware failure.

Claims

1. A system adapted to proxy data access commands from a first storage system to a second storage system connected via a cluster interconnect, the system comprising:

a virtual target layer interfacing with a virtual adapter on the first storage system, the virtual target module adapted to make a forwarding decision of a received data access request to thereby forward the request to the second storage system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the forwarding decision is based on a port to which the data access request is directed.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the forwarding decision is based upon a logical unit address contained within the data access request.

4. A storage appliance for use in a storage appliance cluster for proxying data access commands received at the storage appliance to a partner storage appliance in a storage appliance cluster, the storage appliance comprising:

a storage operating system executing on the storage appliance, the storage operating system including a virtual target module adapted to generate file-level data access operations from received data access operations, the file-level data access operations directed to a file located on the partner storage appliance.

5. The storage appliance of claim 4 wherein the virtual adapter interfaces with a virtual target module to present an adapter interface.