Bootstrapping Server Using Configuration File Stored In Server-Managed Storage

• US 20110106774A1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Friedman, David, Wickremesinghe, Rajiv, Nandyala, Harish, Bagal, Prasad
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/695
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0859 by keeping history of different configuration generations or by rolling back to previous configuration versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for booting a clustered management system is provided where the configuration information required to boot the system is stored within the system itself. The techniques cope with several issues including finding the configuration data on the physical disk before the logical disk system is established, coping with replicated copies of configuration data, network partitions and disk drive failures that may prevent a booting node to have perfect knowledge of the state of the entire system, and active nodes modifying or moving configuration data while the booting node is searching for a consistent, correct copy of configuration data.

Claims

1. A method performed by a multi-node clustered storage system comprising:

one or more nodes of the clustered storage system managing access to storage data, said storage data stored on one or more shared storage devices;

a first node of the one or more nodes performing bootstrapping operations based on configuration data;

wherein performing bootstrapping operations further comprises finding a correct version of configuration data stored at a non-fixed location on said one or more shared storage devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bootstrapping sequence further comprises:

discovering one or more storage devices accessible to the first node;

determining which of the one or more storage devices accessible to the first node are shared storage devices managed by the storage system;

analyzing the contents of the set of shared storage devices to find a correct version of said configuration data;

configuring the storage system based on the contents of the correct version of said configuration data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining which of the one or more storage devices are accessible to the first node further comprises:

reading metadata from a header on a particular storage device of the one or more storage devices; and

matching said metadata to a sequence of bytes that identifies the storage system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein analyzing the contents of the set of shared storage devices further comprises:

reading mode information from a fixed location on one or more storage devices of the set of shared storage devices; and

determining whether the particular storage device is online or offline.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that the particular storage device is offline, and determining that configuration data stored on the particular storage device is not the correct version.

6. A method comprising:

a first node in a clustered multi-node storage system that manages storage data on a set of one or more shared storage devices performing bootstrapping operations;

broadcasting over the network a request for other running nodes in the cluster to send configuration information to said first node;

a second node in the clustered multi-node storage system responding to the request with configuration information;

said first node completing the performance of the bootstrapping operations based on the configuration information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first node does not receive a response to the request;

finding a plurality of versions of configuration data each version of the plurality of versions stored on a corresponding shared storage device; and

determining a correct version of the configuration data of the plurality of versions of configuration data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

after the first node starts executing the bootstrapping operations, a third node updating the contents of the configuration data and creating a new version of the correct configuration data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein a shared storage device storing a correct version of the configuration data fails.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first node cannot communicate with other nodes in the cluster due to a network failure.