METHOD AND/OR APPARATUS FOR CERTIFYING AN IN-BAND MANAGEMENT APPLICATION OF AN EXTERNAL STORAGE ARRAY

• US 20100131581A1
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Heroor, Srirang, Jibbe, Mahmoud K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A method comprising the steps of (A) generating a call for a first operating system at a host, (B) sending the call for the first operating system from the host to a storage array over a network, (C) generating a response to the call for the first operating system from the host, (D) sending the response from the storage array to the host over the network and (E) capturing and storing the response in a device.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

(A) generating a call for a first operating system at a host;

(B) sending said call for said first operating system from said host to a storage array over a network;

(C) generating a response to said call for said first operating system from said host;

(D) sending said response from said storage array to said host over said network; and

(E) capturing and storing said response in a device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

generating a call for a second operating system at said host.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of:

sending said call for said second operating system to said device.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of:

sending said response from said device to said host in response to said call for said second operating system.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said network comprises a fibre channel network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said device is configured to publish a universal transport mechanism Lun.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said storage array comprises one or more solid state storage devices.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said host comprises a hardware device with a software management utility.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said call for said first operating system is encoded in a fibre channel frame packet.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (E) further comprises the step of:

storing an object graph of said call for said first operating system.

11. A system comprising:

a first module configured to generate a call for a first operating system;

a second module configured to (i) receive said call for said first operating system, (ii) generate a response to said call for said first operating system, and (iii) send said response to said first module;

a third module configured to (i) capture said response sent from said second module, (ii) store said response, and (iii) send said response to said first module; and

a network connecting said first module, second module and third module.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said first module comprises a host device with a software management utility.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein said second module comprises a storage array.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said storage array comprises one or more solid state storage devices.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said network comprises a fibre channel network.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein said third module comprises (i) a network interface, (ii) an analyzer capability, and (iii) a memory for storing said responses.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said third module is further configured to store an object graph of said call for said first operating system.

18. The system according to claim 11, wherein said first module is further configured to generate a plurality of calls for said first operating system.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said second module is further configured to generate a plurality of responses in response to said plurality of calls for said first operating system.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said third module is further configured to capture and store said plurality of responses.

21. The system according to claim 11, wherein said first module is further configured to (i) generate said call for a second operating system and (ii) send said call for said second operating system to said third module.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein said third module is further configured to (i) receive said call for said second operating system and (ii) send said response to said first module in response to said call for said second operating system.

23. The system according to claim 11, wherein said call for said first operating system is encoded in a fibre channel frame packet.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein said response is encoded in said fibre channel frame packet.

25. A system comprising:

means for generating a call for a first operating system at a host;

means for sending said call for said first operating system from said host to a storage array over a network;

means for generating a response to said call for said first operating system from said host;

means for sending said response from said storage array to said host over said network; and

means for capturing and storing said response in a device.