MANAGING DATA PATHS BETWEEN COMPUTER APPLICATIONS AND DATA STORAGE DEVICES

• US 20130185467A1
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Penumatsa, Vamsi, Challa, Narsimha Reddy, Sakhavullah, Mohammed
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/14 Handling requests for interconnection or transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4221 being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus

Abstract

Provided is a computer-implemented method of managing data paths between a computer application and a storage device. The I/O (input/output) load data of a computer application is obtained. If the I/O load data of the computer application is above a pre-determined threshold, data paths are provisioned between the computer application and the storage device based on a pre-defined policy applicable to the computer application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing data paths between a computer application and a storage device, comprising:

obtaining I/O (input/output) load data of the computer application; and

if the I/O load data of the computer application is above a pre-determined threshold, provisioning data paths between the computer application and the storage device based on a pre-defined policy applicable to the computer application.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein provisioning data paths between the computer application and the storage device includes configuring existing data paths between the computer application and the storage device, if the existing data paths are improperly configured to manage the I/O load of the computer application

3. A method of claim 2, wherein configuring existing data paths between the computer application and the storage device comprises:

determining whether the existing data paths are multi-path data paths;

if the existing data paths are multi-path data paths, determining if all existing data paths are active data paths;

if all existing data paths are active data paths, identifying storage ports on the storage device which are part of the active data paths;

determining if an identified storage port is part of a relatively non-critical computer application;

inactivating zone between the identified storage port and the relatively non-critical computer application, if there are more than two data paths between the identified storage port and the relatively non-critical computer application; and

if all existing data paths are not active data paths, identifying storage ports on the storage device which are not part of an active zone;

selecting a storage port, from the identified storage ports, which has less number of active data paths and low I/O data load.

4. A method of claim 1, wherein provisioning data paths between the computer application and the storage device includes allocating additional data paths between the computer application and the storage device.

5. A method of claim 4, wherein allocating additional data paths between the computer application and the storage device comprises:

identifying host bus adaptor (HBA) ports of a host computer hosting the computer application and storage ports of the storage device;

identifying the HBA ports and the storage ports that share a common fabric;

determining storage volume and existing data paths between the computer application and the storage device;

identifying used ports sets by adding HBA port and storage array port, for each data path;

transferring the storage volume through a new storage port which is not in any existing data path;

assigning access to the storage volume through a new HBA port which is not in the used port sets;

creating zoning configuration to include the new storage port and the new HBA port, if they are not in a zone; and

activating the zoning configuration to create a new data path between the computer application and the storage device.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined policy is based on a pre-defined classification of the computer application.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined policy is based on an organizational policy.

8. A method of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined policy identifies the storage device for provisioning data paths from the computer application.

9. A method of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined policy is user defined or system defined.

10. A method of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined policy is applicable to other computer applications.

11. A system for managing data paths between a computer application and a storage device, comprising:

a memory storing machine readable instructions to;

obtain I/O (input/output) load data of the computer application;

if the I/O load data of the computer application is above a pre-determined threshold, provision data paths between the computer application and the storage device based on a pre-defined policy applicable to the computer application; and

a processor to implement the machine readable instructions.

12. A system of claim 11, wherein the computer application is present in a host computer system of a computer storage system

13. A system of claim 12, wherein the computer storage system includes a plurality of host computers and a plurality of storage devices.

14. A system of claim 11, wherein the pre-defined policy is user defined or system defined.

15. A computer program product for managing data paths between a computer application and a storage device, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code that obtains I/O (input/output) load data of the computer application; and

if the I/O load data of the computer application is above a pre-determined threshold, provisions data paths between the computer application and the storage device based on a pre-defined policy applicable to the computer application.