ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION PATH GROUP IDENTIFICATION FOR MULTIPLE STORAGE DEVICES

• US 20120290729A1
• Filed: 05/09/2011
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hardy, Clint A., Kalos, Matthew J., Peterson, Beth Ann, Riedy, Dale F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,806,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; 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], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• 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

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to setting up a logical path group identification for multiple data storage devices. An aspect of the disclosure concerns a computer implemented method that comprises receiving a host command to establish a group of connection paths between the host and a plurality of storage devices, identifying the group of connection paths, adding each one of the storage devices to the group of connection paths, and reporting to the host those storage devices that could not be successfully added to the group of connection paths. The method maintains host access security to the storage devices by not grouping a device when it is a reset event state.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising:

program code configured to receive a host command to establish a group of connection paths between the host and a plurality of storage devices;

program code configured to identify the group of connection paths;

program code configured to add each one of the storage devices to the identified connection path group; and

program code configured to report to the host those storage devices that could not be successfully added to the identified connection path group.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the plurality of storage devices are identified by a bit map associated with the host command.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the plurality of storage devices are identified by a device list associated with the host command.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code comprises program code configured to present an ending status to the host upon successfully accepting the host command and verifying command parameters.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code comprises program code configured to, in response to at least one of the plurality of storage devices being unsuccessfully added to the identified connection path group, report a device status and present an attention interrupt to the host.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code comprises program code configured to process a command to read data resulting from the adding of the storage devices to the identified connection path group.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code comprises program code configured to, in response to all of the storage devices being successfully added to the identified connection path group:

receive a chain of host commands for a storage device successfully added to the identified connection path group;

determine whether there is an outstanding attention interrupt; and

if there is an outstanding attention interrupt, then present the outstanding attention interrupt to the host.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code comprises program code configured to, in response to a particular storage device being in a reset event state, skip the adding of the particular storage device to the identified connection path group.

9. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving a host command to establish a group of connection paths between the host and a plurality of storage devices;

identifying the group of connection paths;

adding each one of the storage devices to the identified connection path group; and

reporting to the host those storage devices that could not be successfully added to the identified connection path group.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of storage devices are identified by a bit map associated with the host command.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising presenting an ending status to the host upon successfully accepting the host command and verifying command parameters.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising, in response to at least one of the plurality of storage devices being unsuccessfully added to the identified connection path group, reporting a device status and presenting an attention interrupt to the host.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising processing a command to read data resulting from the adding of the storage devices to the identified connection path group.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising, in response to all of the storage devices being successfully added to the identified connection path group:

receiving a chain of host commands for a storage device successfully added to the identified connection path group;

determining whether there is an outstanding attention interrupt; and

if there is an outstanding attention interrupt, then presenting the outstanding attention interrupt to the host.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising, in response to a particular storage device being in a reset event state, skipping the adding of the particular storage device to the connection path group.

16. A system comprising:

a logic component for receiving a host command to establish a group of connection paths between the host and a plurality of storage devices;

a logic component for identifying the group of connection paths;

a logic component for adding each one of the storage devices to the identified connection path group; and

a logic component for reporting to the host those storage devices that could not be successfully added to the identified connection path group.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of storage devices are identified by a device list associated with the host command.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a logic component for presenting an ending status to the host upon successfully accepting the host command and verifying command parameters.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising, in response to at least one of the plurality of storage devices being unsuccessfully added to the identified connection path group, a logic component for reporting a device status and presenting an attention interrupt to the host.

20. The system of claim 16 further comprising, in response to all of the storage devices being successfully added to the identified connection path group:

a logic component for receiving a chain of host commands for a storage device successfully added to the identified connection path group;

a logic component for determining whether there is an outstanding attention interrupt; and

if there is an outstanding attention interrupt, a logic component for presenting the outstanding attention interrupt to the host.