COMPUTER SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT SERVER, AND MISMATCHED CONNECTION CONFIGURATION DETECTION METHOD

• US 20100306419A1
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Naohide Kinoshita, Yoshifumi Takamoto
• Original Assignee: Naohide Kinoshita, Yoshifumi Takamoto
• Inventors: Takamoto, Yoshifumi, Kinoshita, Naohide
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• 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]

Abstract

The management of computers connected with I/O switch devices is simplified. A computer system S includes one or several computers (server devices), one or several I/O devices, one or several I/O switch devices, and a management server 101. Management server 101 is provided with a storage part storing I/O configuration information and I/O switch management information; and a processing part comparing pieces of I/O configuration information and pieces of I/O switch management information, judging whether there might be a mismatch in the connection configuration between a computer and an I/O device and, in case it is judged that there is a mismatch, terminating the activation for a computer having the mismatched connection configuration, allocating a substitutable I/O device, and updating said I/O switch management information.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising one or several computers, one or several I/O devices allocated for each of said computers and for connecting with external devices, one or several I/O switch devices interposed between said computers and said I/O devices and switching the connections thereof, and a management server managing the connections between said computers and said I/O devices, wherein:

said management server is provided with a storage part storing I/O configuration information defining the association between said computers and said I/O devices, and I/O switch management information managing information about said connected I/O devices for each of said I/O switches; and

a processing part comparing pieces of said I/O configuration information and pieces of said I/O switch management information, and judging whether there is a mismatch in the connection configuration between said computers and said I/O devices.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein said I/O configuration information has a plurality of combination patterns with said computers and one or several I/O devices connected with the same computers;

said I/O switch management information has at least connection port numbers of said I/O switch devices, connecting I/O device names indicating the types of I/O devices to be connected, and identifiers of the I/O devices to be connected; and

said processing part, in case it is judged that there is a mismatch in the configuration of the connection between said computer and said I/O device, designates said I/O device having the mismatched connection configuration from said I/O configuration information, and overwrites the identifier of said designated I/O device in said I/O switch management information with the identifier of said substitute I/O device.

3. The computer system according to claim 2, wherein said processing part

receives a mismatched connection configuration occurrence notification from the I/O device for which said mismatched connection configuration has occurred and carries out an overwrite of the identifier of said I/O device.

4. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein said I/O switch device

has a function of converting the number of the port with which said I/O device is connected into an arbitrary port number at the instruction of said computer and, at the time of the mismatched connection configuration occurrence of said I/O device, converts the number of the port with which said substitute I/O device is connected into the number of the port with which the I/O device for which said mismatched connection configuration has occurred is connected.

5. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein said computer system is provided with said I/O devices for standby use with respect to said I/O switch device and

said processing part, at the time of the mismatched connection configuration occurrence of said I/O device, selects and allocates, in accordance with a criterion which is pre-registered by the administrator in said I/O configuration information, said substitute I/O device from said I/O devices for standby use with respect to said I/O switch device.

6. The computer system according to claim 5, wherein there is provided a plurality of types of said I/O devices for standby use.

7. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein said management server is further provided with a display part and

said processing part,

in case it has been judged that there is a mismatch in the configuration of the connection between said computer and said I/O device, makes a notification screen for the same mismatched connection configuration and a screen for selecting any of an activation halt, a connection repair, and a forced activation, of said computer which has the mismatched connection configuration, to be displayed to the administrator on said display part.

8. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein said processing part

updates said I/O switch management information at the time of activation of any of said computers and, by comparing said I/O configuration information and said updated I/O switch management information, judges a mismatch in the configuration of the connection between said computer and said I/O device.

9. A management server in a computer system comprising one or several computers, one or several I/O devices allocated for each of said computers and for connecting with external devices, one or several I/O switch devices interposed between said computers and said I/O devices and switching the connections thereof, and a management server managing the connections between said computers and said I/O devices;

the management server being provided with a storage part storing I/O configuration information defining the association between said computers and said I/O devices, and I/O switch management information managing information about said connected I/O devices for each of said I/O switches; and

a processing part comparing pieces of said I/O configuration information and pieces of said I/O switch management information, and judging whether there might be a mismatch in the connection configuration between said computers and said I/O devices.

10. The management server according to claim 9, wherein said I/O configuration information has a plurality of combination patterns with said computers and one or several I/O devices connected with the same computers;

said I/O switch management information has at least connection port numbers of said I/O switch devices, connecting I/O device names indicating the types of I/O devices to be connected, and identifiers of the I/O devices to be connected; and

said processing part,

in case it is judged that there is a mismatch in the configuration of the connection between said computer and said I/O device, designates said I/O device having the mismatched connection configuration from said I/O configuration information and overwrites the identifier of said designated I/O device in said I/O switch management information with the identifier of said substitute I/O device.

11. The management server according to claim 10, wherein said processing part

receives a mismatched connection configuration occurrence notification from the I/O device for which said mismatched connection configuration has occurred and carries out an overwrite of the identifier of said I/O device.

12. The management server according to claim 9, wherein said computer system is provided with said I/O devices for standby use with respect to said I/O switch device and

said processing part,

at the time of the mismatched connection configuration occurrence of said I/O device, selects and allocates, in accordance with a criterion which is pre-registered by the administrator in said I/O configuration information, said substitute I/O device from said I/O devices for standby use with respect to said I/O switch device.

13. The management server according to claim 12, wherein there is provided a plurality of types of said I/O devices for standby use.

14. The management server according to claim 9, further provided with a display part and wherein

said processing part,

in case it has been judged that there is a mismatch in the configuration of the connection between said computer and said I/O device, makes a notification screen for the same mismatched connection configuration and a selection screen for a selection including an activation halt, a connection repair, and a forced activation, of said computer which has the mismatched connection configuration, to be displayed to the administrator on said display part.

15. A mismatched connection configuration detection method based on a management server in a computer system comprising one or several computers, one or several I/O devices allocated for each of said computers and for connecting with external devices, one or several I/O switch devices interposed between said computers and said I/O devices and switching the connections thereof, and a management server managing the situation of the connections between said computers and said I/O devices;

wherein

said management server is provided with a storage part storing I/O configuration information defining the association between said computers and said I/O devices, and I/O switch management information managing information about said connected I/O devices for each of said I/O switches, and a processing part; and

said processing part compares pieces of said I/O configuration information and pieces of said I/O switch management information, and judges whether there might be a mismatch in the connection configuration between said computers and said I/O devices.

16. The mismatched connection configuration detection method according to claim 15, wherein said I/O configuration information has a plurality of combination patterns with said computers and one or several I/O devices connected with the same computers;

said I/O switch management information has at least connection port numbers of said I/O switch devices, connecting I/O device names indicating the types of I/O devices to be connected, and identifiers of the I/O devices to be connected; and

said processing part,

in case it is judged that there is a mismatch in the configuration of the connection between said computer and said I/O device, designates said I/O device having the mismatched connection configuration from said I/O configuration information and overwrites the identifier of said designated I/O device in said I/O switch management information with the identifier of said substitute I/O device.

17. The mismatched connection configuration detection method according to claim 16, wherein said processing part

receives a mismatched connection configuration occurrence notification from the I/O device for which said mismatched connection configuration has occurred and carries out an overwrite of the identifier of said I/O device.

18. The mismatched connection configuration detection method according to claim 15, wherein said computer system is provided with said I/O devices for standby use with respect to said I/O switch device and

said processing part,

at the time of the mismatched connection configuration occurrence of said I/O device, selects and allocates, in accordance with a criterion which is pre-registered by the administrator in said I/O configuration information, said substitute I/O device from said I/O devices for standby use with respect to said I/O switch device.

19. The mismatched connection configuration detection method according to claim 18, wherein there is provided a plurality of types of said I/O devices for standby use.

20. The mismatched connection configuration detection method according to claim 15, wherein said management server is further provided with a display part and

said processing part,

in case it has been judged that there is a mismatch in the configuration of the connection between said computer and said I/O device, makes a notification screen for the same mismatched connection configuration and a screen for selecting any of an activation halt, a connection repair, and a forced activation, of said computer which has the mismatched connection configuration, to be displayed to the administrator on said display part.