MANAGING ACCESS OF MULTIPLE EXECUTING PROGRAMS TO NON-LOCAL BLOCK DATA STORAGE

• US 20120060006A1
• Filed: 08/26/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Paterson-Jones, Roland, DeSantis, Peter N., Jorgensen, Atle Normann, Garman, Matthew S., Certain, Tate Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,806,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2046 where the redundant components share persistent storage G06F11/2043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Techniques are described for managing access of executing programs to non-local block data storage. In some situations, a block data storage service uses multiple server storage systems to reliably store network-accessible block data storage volumes that may be used by programs executing on other physical computing systems. A group of multiple server block data storage systems that store block data volumes may in some situations be co-located at a data center, and programs that use volumes stored there may execute on other physical computing systems at that data center. If a program using a volume becomes unavailable, another program (e.g., another copy of the same program) may in some situations obtain access to and continue to use the same volume, such as in an automatic manner in some such situations.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents configure one or more computing systems to manage access to block data storage functionality, by performing a method comprising:

providing access to a non-local block data storage volume for a first application program executing on a first computing system, the provided access enabling the first application program to initiate data access requests for the block data storage volume, the block data storage volume being provided by a second block data storage system that is separated from the first computing system by one or more networks;

responding to one or more received indications of one or more data access requests initiated by the first application program for the block data storage volume, the responding including initiating performance of the data access requests on the block data storage volume on the second block data storage system;

after the first application program executing on the first computing system becomes unavailable, providing access to the block data storage volume for a second application program executing on a third computing system in lieu of the access provided to the first application program; and

responding to one or more received indications of one or more other data access requests initiated by the second application program for the block data storage volume, the responding including initiating performance of the other data access requests on the block data storage volume on the second block data storage system.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the providing of the access for the first application program includes initiating attaching the block data storage volume to the first computing system via a first logical representation of the block data storage volume that is created locally to the first computing system, and wherein the providing of the access for the second application program includes identifying the third computing system on which the second application program executes and includes initiating attaching the block data storage volume to the third computing system via a second logical representation of the block data storage volume that is created locally to the third computing system.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein at least one of the configured one or more computing systems is executing a system manager module of a block data storage service, wherein the one or more data access requests are received from a first node manager module of the block data storage service that is associated with the first computing system and that sends the one or more data access requests over the one or more networks to the second block data storage system, and wherein the one or more other data access requests are received from a second node manager module of the block data storage service that is associated with the third computing system and that sends the one or more other data access requests over at least one network to the second block data storage system.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the first application program and the second application program are distinct executing copies of a single application program, and wherein the data access requests for the block data storage volume initiated by the first application program and the other data access requests for the block data storage volume initiated by the second application program are to access block data stored on the block data storage volume.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of one of the configured one or more computing systems that stores the contents, and wherein the contents are instructions that when executed program the one or more computing systems to perform the method.

18. (canceled)

20. A system configured to manage access to block data storage functionality by executing programs, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more modules configured to, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, provide a block data storage service, the providing of the block data storage service including;

creating a first block data storage volumes for use by a first executing programs, the first block data storage volumes being stored on a first of multiple block data storage systems;

responding to one or more data access requests initiated by an executing first program to the first block data storage volume by initiating performance of the one or more data access requests on the first block data storage volume; and

after the first program becomes unavailable and access to the first block data storage volume is provided to a distinct second executing program to replace the access provided to the unavailable first program, responding to one or more other data access requests initiated by the second program to the first block data storage volume by initiating performance of the one or more other data access requests on the first block data storage volume.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the one or more modules are further configured to:

provide to the first program local access to the first block data storage volume by initiating attaching the first block data storage volume to a first computing system executing the first program; and

provide to the second program local access to the first block data storage volume by initiating attaching the first block data storage volume to a third computing system executing the second program.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the first program and the second program are executing copies of a single program, and wherein the data access requests for the first block data storage volume by the first and second programs are to access block data stored on the block data storage volume.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the performance of the one or more data access requests initiated by the first program are performed on a first copy of the first block data storage volume on the first block data storage system, wherein the first program executes on a first computing system that is co-located with the first block data storage system at a first geographical location, wherein the second program executes on a second computing system at a distinct second geographical location, and wherein the performance of the one or more other data access requests initiated by the second program are performed on a second copy of the first block data storage volume that is created on a second block data storage system at the second geographical location.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein the system includes a first computing system that includes the at least one processor, and wherein the one or more modules includes software instructions for execution by the first computing system using the at least one processor.

25. (canceled)

26. A computer-implemented method for managing access to block data storage functionality, the method comprising:

providing, by a configured computing system, access to a non-local block data storage volume for a first application program executing on a first computing system distinct from the configured computing system, the provided access enabling the first application program to initiate data access requests for the block data storage volume, the block data storage volume being provided by a second block data storage system that is separated from the first computing system by one or more networks;

responding to one or more received indications of one or more data access requests initiated by the first application program for the block data storage volume, the responding including initiating performance of the data access requests on the block data storage volume on the second block data storage system;

after the first application program executing on the first computing system becomes unavailable, providing, by the configured computing system, access to the block data storage volume for a second application program executing on a third computing system; and

responding to one or more received indications of one or more other data access requests initiated by the second application program for the block data storage volume, the responding including initiating performance of the other data access requests on the block data storage volume on the second block data storage system.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the providing of the access for the first application program includes initiating attaching the block data storage volume to the first computing system via a first logical representation of the block data storage volume that is local to the first computing system, and wherein the providing of the access for the second application program includes initiating attaching the block data storage volume to the third computing system via a second logical representation of the block data storage volume that is local to the third computing system.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the configured computing system is executing a system manager module of a block data storage service, wherein the one or more data access requests are received from a first node manager module of the block data storage service that is associated with the first computing system and that sends the one or more data access requests over the one or more networks to the second block data storage system, and wherein the one or more other data access requests are received from a second node manager module of the block data storage service that is associated with the third computing system and that sends the one or more other data access requests over at least one network to the second block data storage system.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the configured computing system is executing a node manager module of a block data storage service, wherein the initiating of the performance of the data access requests on the block data storage volume on the second block data storage system includes sending the one or more data access requests over the one or more networks to the second block data storage system, and wherein the initiating of the performance of the other data access requests on the block data storage volume on the second block data storage system includes sending the one or more other data access requests over at least one network to the second block data storage system.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein the first application program and the second application program are distinct executing copies of a single application program, and wherein the data access requests for the block data storage volume initiated by the first application program and the other data access requests for the block data storage volume initiated by the second application program are to access block data stored on the block data storage volume.