Server-Embedded Distributed Storage System

• US 20100082793A1
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Watkins, Mark Robert, Woods, Harold
• Granted Patent: US 10,572,188 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/201 between storage system components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• 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 67/1097 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 server-embedded distributed storage system and methods are disclosed. An exemplary method may include presenting at least one virtual disk to a client computing device. The at least one virtual disk includes storage cells from direct attached storage (DAS) devices of a plurality of separate servers for high availability access to data stored on the at least one virtual disk. The method may also include continuing to provide access to the data stored on the at least one virtual disk even in the event an internal storage controller for at least one of the plurality of servers is unavailable for managing its DAS device.

Claims

1. A server-embedded distributed storage system comprising:

a plurality of servers each having at least one direct attached storage (DAS) device;

an internal storage controller in each of the plurality of servers for managing the at least one DAS device, the internal storage controllers interconnected to one another;

a virtual disk including a plurality of storage cells selected from the DAS devices of the plurality servers, the virtual disk managed by the interconnected internal storage controllers to provide high availability access to data stored on the DAS devices by a plurality of client computing devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein data stored on the virtual disk is accessible by the plurality of client computing devices even if at least one of the DAS devices is unavailable.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein data stored on the virtual disk is accessible by the plurality of client computing devices even if at least one of the internal storage controllers is unavailable.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal storage controllers each manage a single cache for data redundancy.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal storage controllers each manage an external DAS device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal storage controllers each manage an internal DAS device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the internal storage controllers access remote storage for data recovery operations.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal storage controllers each negotiate for shared resources in their respective server.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal storage controllers execute dedicated program code so that the internal storage controllers function independent of software executing on the server.

10. A method of providing server embedded distributed storage comprising:

presenting at least one virtual disk to a client computing device, the at least one virtual disk including storage cells from direct attached storage (DAS) devices of a plurality of separate servers for high availability access to data stored on the at least one virtual disk; and

establishing alternate data paths to continue providing access to the data stored on the at least one virtual disk even in the event an internal storage controller for at least one of the plurality of servers is unavailable for managing its DAS device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising establishing alternate data paths to continue providing access to the data stored on the at least one virtual disk even in the event at least one of the DAS devices is unavailable.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising interconnecting internal storage controllers for each of the plurality of servers to one another to provide a pool of embedded controllers and a pool of disk drives divided among the pool of embedded controllers.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising dynamically managing the pool of embedded controllers.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein dynamically managing includes moving responsibility to a different server without having to copy data.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein dynamically managing includes load balancing.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein dynamically managing includes moving responsibility for managing the DAS devices to another internal storage controller to re-establish redundancy in the event of a controller failure.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60 data redundancy.

18. A system for providing server embedded distributed storage comprising:

means for aggregating storage cells from direct attached storage (DAS) devices of a plurality of separate servers for high availability access to data stored on the storage cells; and

means for continuing to provide access to the data when a server is unavailable.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for continuing to provide access to the data when at least one of the DAS devices is unavailable.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for continuing to provide access to the data when at least one of the internal storage controllers is unavailable.