SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BACKUP IN SCALE-OUT STORAGE CLUSTERS

• US 20140229695A1
• Filed: 02/13/2013
• Published: 08/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Dinkar, Abhijit, Cherian, Jacob
• Application Number:
  US13/765,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20140229695A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1004 Server selection for load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage system may include a storage cluster comprising a plurality of network attached storage nodes, one or more backup devices communicatively coupled to the storage cluster, and a cluster-wide data server executing on the plurality of network attached storage nodes and configured to manage communication of backup data between the plurality of network attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a storage cluster comprising a plurality of network attached storage nodes;

one or more backup devices communicatively coupled to the storage cluster; and

a cluster-wide data server executing on the plurality of network attached storage nodes and configured to manage communication of backup data between the plurality of network attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices.

2. The storage system of claim 1, the cluster-wide data server configured to load balance control connections between a data management application and the plurality of network attached storage nodes, the control connections for backup operations of data between the plurality of network-attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices.

3. The storage system of claim 2, the cluster-wide data server further configured to:

assign identifiers to each of the network attached storage nodes; and

load balance control connections among the identifiers.

4. The storage system of claim 1, the cluster-wide data server configured to load balance data connections between the plurality of network attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices, the data connections for backup operations of data between the plurality of network-attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices.

5. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the one or more backup devices are directly coupled to the plurality of network attached storage nodes.

6. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the one or more backup devices are coupled to the plurality of network attached storage nodes via a storage area network.

7. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the one or more backup devices are coupled to the plurality of network attached storage nodes via a local area network.

8. A method comprising:

instantiating a cluster-wide data server to execute on a plurality of network attached storage nodes defining a storage cluster; and

managing communication of backup data between the plurality of network attached storage nodes and one or more backup devices communicatively coupled to the storage cluster.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising load balancing control connections between a data management application and the plurality of network attached storage nodes, the control connections for backup operations of data between the plurality of network-attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

assigning identifiers to each of the network attached storage nodes; and

load balancing control connections among the identifiers.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising load balancing data connections between the plurality of network attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices, the data connections for backup operations of data between the plurality of network attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more backup devices are directly coupled to the plurality of network attached storage nodes.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more backup devices are coupled to the plurality of network attached storage nodes via a storage area network.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more backup devices are coupled to the plurality of network attached storage nodes via a local area network.

15. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

computer-executable instructions carried on the computer readable medium, the instructions readable by one or more processors, the instructions, when read and executed, for causing the one or more processors to;

instantiate a cluster-wide data server to execute on a plurality of network attached storage nodes defining a storage cluster; and

manage communication of backup data between the plurality of network attached storage nodes and one or more backup devices communicatively coupled to the storage cluster.

16. The article of claim 15, the instructions for further causing the one or more processors to load balance control connections between a data management application and the plurality of network attached storage nodes, the control connections for backup operations of data between the plurality of network-attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices.

17. The article of claim 16, the instructions for further causing the one or more processors to:

assign identifiers to each of the network attached storage nodes; and

load balance control connections among the identifiers.

18. The article of claim 15, the instructions for further causing the one or more processors to load balance data connections between the plurality of network attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices, the data connections for backup operations of data between the plurality of network attached storage nodes and the one or more backup devices.

19. The article of claim 15, wherein the one or more backup devices are directly coupled to the plurality of network attached storage nodes.

20. The article of claim 15, wherein the one or more backup devices are coupled to the plurality of network attached storage nodes via a storage area network.

21. The article of claim 15, wherein the one or more backup devices are coupled to the plurality of network attached storage nodes via a local area network.