PROVISIONING NETWORK-ATTACHED STORAGE

• US 20120158806A1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Witt, Emily Katherine, Snyder, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US12/972,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158806A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/827
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1827 Management specifically adapted to NAS management of storage area networks [SAN] G06F3/067
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• 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]

Abstract

A system may receive a user request for provisioning a network attached storage over a network, provision a server with a domain name in response to the user request, configure the server with a user identifier and a password, for gaining authorized access to the server, create a logical volume, mounting the logical volume on the server, and export the logical volume as a shared volume.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a user request for provisioning a network attached storage over a network;

provisioning a server with a domain name in response to the user request;

configuring the server with a user identifier and a password, for gaining authorized access to the server;

creating a logical volume;

mounting the logical volume on the server; and

exporting the logical volume as a shared volume.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

mounting the logical volume; and

recording the mounting of the logical volume by modifying a system file on the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the exporting the logical volume includes:

executing network file system (NFS);

or

executing Samba for Common Internet File System (CIFS).

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

mounting the exported volume on a host device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring a mirror for the logical volume;

or

configuring a backup device for automatic backup of the logical volume.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein provisioning the server includes:

provisioning a virtual machine;

or

provisioning a physical device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein provisioning the virtual machine includes:

creating a virtual central processing unit;

a memory; and

storage space.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein provisioning the virtual machine includes:

obtaining an Internet Protocol (IP) address from a pool of IP addresses;

registering the domain name and the IP address with a domain name server.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, over the network, a user request to de-provision the virtual machine; and

deleting the virtual machine in response to the user request over the network.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

returning the IP address to the pool; and

de-provisioning the logical volume.

11. A system comprising:

a resource management device to;

receive a web request for provisioning a network attached storage over a network, and

insert a job in a queue, the job corresponding to the request for provisioning; and

a workflow engine device to;

provision a server in accordance with the job;

create a logical volume from physical devices;

mount the logical volume on the server;

export the logical volume as a shared volume; and

remove the job from the queue.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the server includes one of:

a physical server or a virtual machine.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the workflow engine is further configured to:

record the mounting of the logical volume on a system file.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is configured to:

execute network file system (NFS);

or

execute a program to export Common Internet File System (CIFS).

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a host device, configured to;

mount the shared volume;

or

map the shared volume to a drive.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the workflow engine is further configured to:

configure a backup device for the logical volume.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the workflow engine is further configured to:

add an exclusion path for the backup of the logical volume.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a domain name server; and

a Internet Protocol (IP) address management device to allocate an IP address for the server,

wherein the workflow engine is further configure to register a domain name and the IP address at the domain name server.

19. One or more computer readable media, comprising machine executable instructions, the instructions causing one or more processors to:

receive a request from a browser to provision a network attached storage;

provision a domain name and an Internet Protocol (IP) address;

register the domain name and the IP address at a domain name server;

create a virtual server with the domain name;

create a logical volume;

mount the logical volume on the virtual server; and

cause the virtual server to export the logical volume as a shared volume.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, further comprising instructions for causing the one or more processors to mount the shared volume on a host device.