STORAGE AVAILABILITY USING CRYPTOGRAPHIC SPLITTING

• US 20100162032A1
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Albert French, David Dodgson, Edward Chin, Joseph Neill, Ralph Farina, Scott Summers
• Original Assignee: Albert French, David Dodgson, Edward Chin, Joseph Neill, Ralph Farina, Scott Summers
• Inventors: Summers, Scott, Farina, Ralph, Dodgson, David, Chin, Edward, French, Albert, Neill, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US12/342,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20100162032A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• 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 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Methods and systems for maintaining data connectivity in a secure data storage network are disclosed. In one aspect, a method includes assigning a volume to a primary secure storage appliance located in a secure data storage network the primary secure storage appliance selected from among a plurality of secure storage appliances located in the secure data storage network, the volume presented as a virtual disk to a client device and mapped to physical storage at each of a plurality of storage systems. The method further includes detecting at one of the plurality of secure storage appliances a failure of the primary secure storage appliance. The method also includes, upon detecting the failure of the primary secure storage appliance, reassigning the volume to a second secure storage appliance from among the plurality of secure storage appliances, thereby rendering the second secure storage appliance a new primary secure storage appliance.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining data connectivity in a secure data storage network, the method comprising:

assigning a volume to a primary secure storage appliance located in a secure data storage network the primary secure storage appliance selected from among a plurality of secure storage appliances located in the secure data storage network, the volume presented as a virtual disk to a client device and mapped to physical storage at each of a plurality of storage systems;

detecting at one of the plurality of secure storage appliances a failure of the primary secure storage appliance;

upon detecting the failure of the primary secure storage appliance, reassigning the volume to a second secure storage appliance from among the plurality of secure storage appliances, thereby rendering the second secure storage appliance a new primary secure storage appliance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the failure of the primary secure storage appliance includes determining an absence of a heartbeat signal transmitted periodically among the plurality of secure storage appliances.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of secure storage appliances are connected within a cluster.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon reassigning the volume to a second secure storage appliance, sending an error message to an administrator of the secure data storage network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary secure storage appliance and the second secure storage appliance are each connected to the plurality of storage systems.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting an administrative interface to an administrator of the secure data storage network, the administrative interface presenting the plurality of secure storage appliances as a virtual secure storage appliance.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising presenting a common set of administrative settings for each of the plurality of secure storage appliances associated with the virtual secure storage appliance.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the common set of administrative settings is stored at each of the plurality of secure storage appliances.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising restoring operation of the primary secure storage appliance.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising detecting restoration of the primary secure storage appliance at one of the plurality of secure storage appliances.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising restoring a common set of administrative settings for the plurality of secure storage appliances to the primary secure storage appliance.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising reassigning the volume to the primary secure storage appliance and disassociating the second secure storage appliance from the volume.

13. A method of maintaining operation of a plurality of secure storage appliances, the method comprising:

assigning a volume to a primary secure storage appliance located in a secure data storage network the primary secure storage appliance selected from among a plurality of secure storage appliances located in the secure data storage network, the volume presented as a virtual disk to a client device and mapped to physical storage at each of a plurality of storage systems;

presenting an administrative interface to an administrator of the secure data storage network, the administrative interface presenting the plurality of secure storage appliances as a virtual secure storage appliance;

presenting a common set of administrative settings for each of the plurality of secure storage appliances associated with the virtual secure storage appliance, such that, upon detecting at one of the plurality of secure storage appliances a failure of the primary secure storage appliance, the common set of administrative settings remain accessible to the administrator.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the common set of administrative settings is stored at each of the plurality of secure storage appliances.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising restoring operation of the primary secure storage appliance.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting restoration of the primary secure storage appliance at one of the plurality of secure storage appliances.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising restoring the common set of administrative settings for the plurality of secure storage appliances to the primary secure storage appliance.

18. A secure data storage network comprising:

a client device;

a plurality of storage systems;

a plurality of secure storage appliances interconnected between the client device and the plurality of storage systems, the plurality of secure storage appliances including a primary secure storage appliance associated with a volume, the volume presented as a virtual disk to the client device and mapped to physical storage at each of the plurality of storage systems;

wherein each of the plurality of secure storage appliances includes a common set of administrative information, and each of the plurality of secure storage appliances monitors operational status of one or more of a different secure storage appliance among the plurality of secure storage appliances.

19. The secure data storage network of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of secure storage appliances is configured to periodically transmit a heartbeat message to another secure storage appliance from among the plurality of secure storage appliances.

20. The secure data storage network of claim 18, further comprising an administrative interface hosted by an administrative console, the administrative interface providing a view of a virtual secure storage appliance representing the plurality of secure storage appliances and presenting a common set of administrative settings associated with the plurality of secure storage appliances.

21. The secure data storage network of claim 18, wherein the plurality of secure storage appliances reside within a cluster in the secure data storage network.