MANAGING ACCESS OF MULTIPLE EXECUTING PROGRAMS TO NON-LOCAL BLOCK DATA STORAGE

• US 20140317370A1
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Paterson-Jones, Roland, DeSantis, Peter N., Jorgensen, Atle Normann, Garman, Matthew S., Certain, Tate Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,529,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2046 where the redundant components share persistent storage G06F11/2043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Techniques are described for managing access of executing programs to non-local block data storage. In some situations, a block data storage service uses multiple server storage systems to reliably store network-accessible block data storage volumes that may be used by programs executing on other physical computing systems. A group of multiple server block data storage systems that store block data volumes may in some situations be co-located at a data center, and programs that use volumes stored there may execute on other physical computing systems at that data center. If a program using a volume becomes unavailable, another program (e.g., another copy of the same program) may in some situations obtain access to and continue to use the same volume, such as in an automatic manner in some such situations.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A computer-readable medium whose contents enable one or more computing systems to manage access to block data storage functionality by executing programs, by performing a method comprising:

providing access to a non-local block data storage volume for a first program executing on a first computing system, the provided access enabling the first program to initiate data access requests for the block data storage volume, the block data storage volume being provided by a second block data storage system that is separated from the first computing system by one or more networks;

automatically responding to one or more received indications of one or more data access requests initiated by the first program for the block data storage volume, the responding including initiating performance of the data access requests on the block data storage volume on the second block data storage system;

after the first program executing on the first computing system becomes unavailable, providing access to the block data storage volume for a second program executing on a third computing system in lieu of the access provided to the first program; and

automatically responding to one or more received indications of one or more other data access requests initiated by the second program for the block data storage volume, the responding including initiating performance of the other data access requests on the block data storage volume on the second block data storage system.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the first program and the second program are executing copies of a single program, wherein the providing of the access for the first program includes attaching the block data storage volume to the first computing system in such a manner that the first executing program initiates the data access requests for the block data storage volume via interactions with a first logical block storage device local to the first computing system that represents the block data storage volume, wherein the providing of the access for the second program includes identifying the third computing system on which the second program executes and attaching the block data storage volume to the third computing system in such a manner that the second program has access to a second logical block storage device local to the third computing system that represents the block data storage volume, and wherein the data access requests for the block data storage volume by the first and second programs are to access block data stored on the block data storage volume.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the first and third computing systems and the second block data storage system are located at a single geographical location, wherein the first computing system and the second block data storage system are separated by one or more networks, wherein the performance of the data access requests and the other data access requests on the block data storage volume on the second block data storage system is automatically performed by a system manager module of a block data storage service, wherein the providing of the access for the first executing program to the block data storage volume is performed by a node manager module of the block data storage service that is associated with the first computing system and that manages access of the first executing program to the one or more networks, and wherein the automatic responding to the received indications of the data access requests is performed in part under control of the node manager module by initiating sending of the received data access requests over the one or more networks to the second block data storage system.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the providing of the access for the second executing program to the block data storage volume is performed by the node manager module that further manages access of the second executing program to the one or more networks, wherein the third and first computing systems are part of a single physical computing system, and wherein the automatic responding to the received indications of the other data access requests is performed in part under control of the node manager module by initiating sending of the received other data access requests over the one or more networks to the second block data storage system.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the contents are instructions that when executed cause the one or more computing systems to perform the method.

18. (canceled)

20. A system configured to manage access to block data storage functionality by executing programs, comprising:

one or more memories; and

a block data storage system manager module configured to provide a block data storage service that uses multiple block data storage systems to store block data storage volumes that are created by users of the block data storage service and accessed over one or more networks on behalf of one or more executing programs associated with the users, the providing of the block data storage service including;

creating one or more block data storage volumes for use by one or more executing programs, each of the block data storage volumes being stored on one of the multiple block data storage systems;

after access to a first of the created block data storage volumes is provided to a first of the one or more executing programs, responding to one or more data access requests initiated by the first program to the first created block data storage volume by initiating performance of the one or more data access requests on the first created block data storage volume; and

after the first program becomes unavailable and access to the first created block data storage volume is provided to a distinct second executing program to replace the access provided to the unavailable first program, responding to one or more other data access requests initiated by the second program to the first created block data storage volume by initiating performance of the one or more other data access requests on the first created block data storage volume.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the first program and the second program are executing copies of a single program, wherein the

providing of the access to the first program includes attaching the first block data storage volume to a first computing system executing the first program in such a manner that the first executing program initiates the data access requests for the first block data storage volume via interactions with a first logical block storage device local to the first computing system that represents the first block data storage volume, wherein the providing of the access to the second program includes identifying a third computing system on which the second program executes and attaching the first block data storage volume to the third computing system in such a manner that the second program has access to a second logical block storage device local to the third computing system that represents the first block data storage volume, and wherein the data access requests for the first block data storage volume by the first and second programs are to access block data stored on the block data storage volume.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the first block data storage volume is stored on a first of the block data storage systems, wherein the first and third computing systems and the first block data storage system are located at a single geographical location and separated by one or more networks, and wherein the system further comprises one or more node manager modules of the block data storage service associated with the first and second programs to manage access of the first and second programs to the one or more networks, such that the responding to the data access requests and to the other data access requests is performed in part under control of the one or more node manager modules by initiating sending of the data access requests and the other data access requests over the one or more networks to the first block data storage system.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein a first copy of the first block data storage volume is stored on a first of the block data storage systems, wherein the performance of the data access requests initiated by the first program are performed on the first copy of the first block data storage volume, wherein the first program executes on a first computing system that is co-located with the first block data storage system at a first geographical location, wherein the second program executes on a second computing system at a distinct second geographical location, and wherein the providing of the access to the first created block data storage volume to the second executing program includes initiating attachment of the second computing system to a second block data storage system at the second geographical location that stores a second copy of the first block data storage volume.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein the system includes a first computing system that includes at least one of the one or memories, and wherein the block data storage system manager module includes software instructions for execution by the first computing system using the at least one memory.

25. The system of claim 20 wherein the block data storage system manager module consists of one or more means for providing a block data storage service that uses multiple block data storage systems to store block data storage volumes that are created by users of the block data storage service and accessed over one or more networks on behalf of one or more executing programs associated with the users, the providing of the block data storage service including:

creating one or more block data storage volumes for use by one or more executing programs, each of the block data storage volumes being stored on one of the multiple block data storage systems;

after access to a first of the created block data storage volumes is provided to a first of the one or more executing programs, responding to one or more data access requests initiated by the first program to the first created block data storage volume by initiating performance of the one or more data access requests on the first created block data storage volume; and

after the first program becomes unavailable and access to the first created block data storage volume is provided to a distinct second executing program to replace the access provided to the unavailable first program, responding to one or more other data access requests initiated by the second program to the first created block data storage volume by initiating performance of the one or more other data access requests on the first created block data storage volume.