METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFYING ENCLOSURES AND DEVICES

• US 20080195581A1
• Filed: 02/08/2007
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Ashmore, Paul Andrew, Davies, Ian Robert, Kalwitz, George Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,539,799 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0646 Configuration or reconfiguration
• 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 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/04 Network management architectures or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• 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

A method, device, and system are provided for the automatically assigning identification numbers or enclosure IDs to enclosures in a data storage system. Each enclosure is assigned a unique enclosure ID that can be used to reference the enclosure in the data storage system. The enclosure IDs are generated and assigned to enclosures based on the network topology. Specifically, each enclosure is assigned an enclosure ID that not only uniquely identifies the enclosure but the enclosure ID can be used to determine the location of the enclosure in the data storage system.

Claims

1. A method of identifying storage system enclosures, comprising:

identifying a topology of enclosures within the storage system;

generating unique enclosure identifiers (IDs); and

assigning enclosures in the storage system a unique enclosure ID based on the identified topology of enclosures within the storage system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing enclosure IDs on at least some of the enclosures in the storage system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the enclosure IDs on the enclosures.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a topology comprises:

searching for all expanders in the storage system;

identifying a top expander;

identifying expanders that are below the top expander; and

building a map of interconnected expanders that represents the physical interconnection of enclosures in the storage system.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

comparing expander addresses to determine which expanders are associated with a common enclosure; and

logically grouping the expanders associated with a common enclosure.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a head enclosure;

assigning the head enclosure a first enclosure ID;

identifying a first enclosure that is connected to the head enclosure; and

assigning the first enclosure a second enclosure ID.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the head enclosure comprises a controller for executing commands received from a host and wherein the first enclosure comprises a first expander directly viewable by said controller.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the topology of the storage system is based on a physical cable connection order between enclosures.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether a first controller can directly see at least one enclosure in the storage system;

in the event that the first controller can directly see at least one enclosure, defining the cable order of the enclosures based on the chain of enclosures as seen by the first controller;

in the event that the first controller cannot directly see at least one enclosure, defining the cable order of the enclosures based on the reverse of its chain of enclosures as seen by a second controller; and

assigning enclosures enclosure IDs in ascending order based on the defined cable order.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning each storage device within an enclosure a unique device ID that comprises at least one of an enclosure ID and a device ID.

11. A device for assigning enclosures in a storage system identification numbers, comprising:

a memory comprising an assignment application, wherein the assignment application contains instructions to;

generate a map of enclosures within the storage system based on the interconnection of the enclosures;

assign each enclosure a unique enclosure identifier (ID) based on the enclosure'"'"'s position within the storage system; and

a processor operable to execute the assignment application instructions.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the memory and processor are operatively associated with at least one of a controller located on a storage enclosure and a host computer.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein at least some of the enclosures in the storage system comprise a display device for displaying the enclosure'"'"'s unique enclosure ID.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the enclosures communicate with one another using a known storage system communications protocol that comprises one of Fibre Channel protocol and Serial Attached Small Computer Systems Interface (SAS).

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the assignment application further comprises instructions for uniquely identifying each storage device in each enclosure in the storage system and assigning each storage device a device ID.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the device ID is a unique device ID that comprises the enclosure ID of the enclosure associated with the storage device as well as an identifier related to the location of the storage device in the enclosure.

17. An electronic data system including a number of enclosures, each enclosure containing one or more data storage devices, the system comprising:

means for determining the cabling order of the enclosures relative to a head enclosure;

means for generating enclosure identifiers (IDs); and

means for assigning each enclosure in the system a different enclosure ID based on the enclosure'"'"'s location in the cabling order.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the head enclosure comprises one of a RAID enclosure and a JBOD enclosure.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the head enclosure is assigned the lowest generated enclosure ID and each subsequent enclosure in the cabling order is assigned an enclosure ID in ascending order.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein each enclosure comprises a means for displaying its respective enclosure ID.