METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REDUCING POWER LOSS TO BACKUP IO START TIME OF A STORAGE DEVICE IN A STORAGE VIRTUALIZATION ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120167079A1
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LSI Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Banerjee, Arindam, Sangapu, Satish
• Granted Patent: US 8,464,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

A method and controller device for supplying battery power to a virtualized storage environment having a storage controller with a virtual machine manager and a second virtual machine. In response to a battery engaged event, the first virtual machine manager enables the image of the second virtual machine to be shared with a new instance of the second virtual machine so that the image does not have to be loaded therein. The first virtual machine manager then creates the new virtual machine. The old virtual machine shuts down non-necessary hardware devices and sets necessary hardware devices to low power mode. During this time, the new virtual machine executes a backup specific start-of-day (SOD) initialization sequence. The method also synchronizes the new and old virtual machines. The method also initiates a cache memory backup operation upon synchronization of the new and old virtual machines and then shuts down the old virtual machine.

Claims

1. A method for supplying battery power to a virtualized storage environment having a storage controller with a first virtual machine manager and at least one second virtual machine, wherein the first virtual machine manager has loaded in a memory portion thereof an image of the second virtual machine, the method comprising:

in response to a battery engaged event,

the first virtual machine manager shutting down all virtual machines in the storage controller except for the first virtual machine manager and the second virtual machine;

the first virtual machine manager enabling the image of the second virtual machine to be shared with a new instance of the second virtual machine (in such a way that the image of the second virtual machine does not have to be loaded into a memory portion of the new instance of the second virtual machine);

the first virtual machine manager creating the new instance of the second virtual machine;

the second virtual machine shutting down hardware devices in the virtualized storage environment that are not needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller;

the second virtual machine setting hardware devices in the virtualized storage environment needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode;

while the second virtual machine is setting the hardware devices needed for operation of the storage controller to low power mode, the new instance of the second virtual machine executing a backup specific start-of-day (SOD) initialization sequence;

synchronizing the new instance of the second virtual machine with the second virtual machine in such a way that a cache memory portion of the virtualized storage environment is not concurrently accessed by the second virtual machine and the new instance of the second virtual machine;

upon synchronization of the new instance of the second virtual machine with the second virtual machine, initiating a cache memory backup operation; and

upon synchronization of the new instance of the second virtual machine with the second virtual machine, shutting down the second virtual machine.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the second virtual machine shutting down hardware devices not needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller and the second virtual machine setting the hardware devices needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode is performed while the new instance of the second virtual machine is being created by the first virtual machine manager.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second virtual machine setting the hardware devices needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode includes at least one of manipulating hardware device states and accessing hardware device registry bits or hardware device firmware handling power to the device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising detecting by the second virtual machine the battery engaged event and delivering a battery engaged event notification to the first virtual machine manager 62, 64.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the image of the second virtual machine is a RAID.elf image.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first virtual machine manager is a Domain0 virtual machine, and wherein the second virtual machine is an input/output virtual machine (IOVM).

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one second virtual machine includes an input/output virtual machine (IOVM), an NAS virtual machine (NAS VM) and a Service virtual machine (Service VM).

8. A storage controller device, comprising:

an interface configured to couple the storage controller device to at least one data storage device; and

a processor coupled to the interface and configured to read data from and write data to the at least one data storage device,

wherein the storage controller device includes a storage controller that hosts a virtualized storage environment having a first virtual machine manager and at least one second virtual machine, wherein the first virtual machine manager has loaded in a memory portion thereof an image of the second virtual machine,

wherein the storage controller device is configured to, in response to a battery engaged event,

direct the first virtual machine manager to shut down all virtual machines in the storage controller except for the first virtual machine manager and the second virtual machine;

direct the first virtual machine manager to create a new instance of the second virtual machine;

direct the first virtual machine manager to enable the image of the second virtual machine to be shared with the new instance of the second virtual machine in such a way that the image of the second virtual machine does not have to be loaded into a memory portion of the new instance of the second virtual machine;

direct the second virtual machine to shut down hardware devices not needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller;

direct the second virtual machine to set hardware devices needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode;

while the second virtual machine is setting the hardware devices needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode, direct the new instance of the second virtual machine to execute a backup specific start-of-day (SOD) initialization sequence;

synchronize the new second virtual machine with the second virtual machine in such a way that a cache memory portion of the virtualized storage environment is not concurrently accessed by the second virtual machine and the new second virtual machine;

upon synchronization of the new second virtual machine with the second virtual machine, initiate a cache memory backup operation; and

shut down the second virtual machine.

9. The storage controller device as recited in claim 8, wherein the storage controller device is configured to direct the second virtual machine to shut down hardware devices not needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller while at least one of the new instance of the second virtual machine is being created by the first virtual machine manager and the image of the second virtual machine is being enabled by the first virtual machine manager for sharing with the new instance of the second virtual machine.

10. The storage controller device as recited in claim 8, wherein the storage controller device is configured to direct the second virtual machine to set the hardware devices needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode while at least one of the new instance of the second virtual machine is being created by the first virtual machine manager and the image of the second virtual machine is being enabled by the first virtual machine manager for sharing with the new instance of the second virtual machine.

11. The storage controller device as recited in claim 8, wherein the first virtual machine manager includes a virtual machine (VM) management module configured to perform at least one of shutting down all virtual machines in the storage controller except for the first virtual machine manager, the second virtual machine and creating a new instance of the second virtual machine, and enabling the image of the second virtual machine to be shared with the new instance of the second virtual machine in such a way that the image of the second virtual machine does not have to be loaded into a memory portion of the new instance of the second virtual machine.

12. The storage controller device as recited in claim 8, wherein the second virtual machine includes a battery management module configured to perform at least one of shutting down hardware devices not needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller and setting hardware devices needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode.

13. The storage controller device as recited in claim 8, wherein the second virtual machine is configured to set the hardware devices needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode by at least one of manipulating hardware device states and accessing hardware device registry bits or hardware device firmware handling power to the device.

14. The storage controller device as recited in claim 8, wherein the second virtual machine is configured to detect the battery engaged event and to notify the first virtual machine manager of the battery engaged event.

15. The storage controller device as recited in claim 8, wherein the image of the second virtual machine is a RAID.elf image.

16. The storage controller device as recited in claim 8, wherein the first virtual machine manager is a Domain0 virtual machine, and wherein the second virtual machine is an input/output virtual machine (IOVM).

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that carry out a method for supplying battery power to a virtualized storage environment having a storage controller with a first virtual machine manager and at least one second virtual machine, wherein the first virtual machine manager has loaded in a memory portion thereof an image of the second virtual machine, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

in response to a battery engaged event,

instructions for shutting down all virtual machines in the storage controller except for the first virtual machine manager and the second virtual machine;

instructions for enabling the image of a second virtual machine to be shared with the new instance of the second virtual machine in such a way that the image of the second virtual machine does not have to be loaded into a memory portion of the new instance of the second virtual machine;

instructions for creating the new instance of the second virtual machine;

instructions for shutting down hardware devices in the virtualized storage environment that are not needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller;

instructions for setting hardware devices in the virtualized storage environment needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode;

instructions for executing a backup specific start-of-day (SOD) initialization sequence while the second virtual machine is setting the hardware devices needed for operation of the storage controller to low power mode;

instructions for synchronizing the new instance of the second virtual machine with the second virtual machine in such a way that a cache memory portion of the virtualized storage environment is not concurrently accessed by the second virtual machine and the new instance of the second virtual machine;

instructions for initiating a cache memory backup operation upon synchronization of the new instance of the second virtual machine with the second virtual machine; and

instructions for shutting down the second virtual machine upon synchronization of the new instance of the second virtual machine with the second virtual machine.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the second virtual machine shutting down hardware devices not needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller and the second virtual machine setting the hardware devices needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode is performed while the new instance of the second virtual machine is being created by the first virtual machine manager.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the second virtual machine setting the hardware devices needed for a cache memory backup operation of the storage controller to low power mode includes at least one of manipulating hardware device states and accessing hardware device registry bits or hardware device firmware handling power to the device.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 17, further comprising instructions for detecting by the second virtual machine the battery engaged event and instructions for delivering a battery engaged event notification to the first virtual machine.