INFORMATION EXCHANGE IN DATA CENTER SYSTEMS

• US 20140359059A1
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gimpl, David J., Taljanovic, Nedzad, Gimpl, Brenda B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,331,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• 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

System information may be retrieved by an element manager on a device in a data center system where the element manager detects an application programming interface (API) call to the element manager from a centralized manager. The element manager establishes a two-way communication channel between the first element manager and the centralized manager according to a communications protocol. The element manager queries the centralized manager for data center system information through the two-way communication channel. The centralized manager manages a storage area network containing the device of the element manager.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving system information by an element manager on a device in a data center system, comprising:

detecting an application programming interface (API) call to the element manager and from a centralized manager that manages a storage area network containing the device of the element manager;

establishing a two-way communication channel between the first element manager and the centralized manager according to a communications protocol; and

querying the centralized manager to send data center system information to the element manager using the two-way communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the API call to the element manager comprises:

receiving, using the element manager, the API call;

determining the API call is from the centralized manager; and

establishing the two-way communication channel between the element manager and the centralized manager in response to determining that the API call is from the centralized manager.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the API call is from the centralized manager comprises:

identifying an address of the API call; and

determining the address of the API call is an address used by the centralized manager to communicate with the element manager.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the two-way communication channel with the centralized manager further comprises:

requesting access to the centralized manager; and

receiving credentials from the centralized manager.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the centralized manager for system information comprises:

requesting, by the element manager, the system information from the centralized manager through an information application programming interface; and

receiving, by the element manager, the system information from the centralized manager.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein data center system information includes element information collected by the centralized manager from at least one device in the data center system and centralized information created by the centralized manager from the element information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending element information, by the element manager, to the centralized manager in response to a request by the centralized manager.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing the data center system information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein utilizing the data center system information involves identifying a user-generated name of a hardware component in the storage area network.

10. A system for sharing and retrieving information in a data center system, comprising:

a data center device having an element manager that is configured to detect an application programming interface (API) call from a centralized manager and that includes;

a communications protocol implementation configured to establish a two-way communication channel between the element manager and the centralized manager according to a communications protocol; and

an information API implementation configured to query the centralized manager for data center system information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the information API implementation is configured to send information to the centralized manager upon request from the centralized manager.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the element manager includes a socket API implementation configured to detect API calls to the element manager.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein data center system information includes element information collected by the centralized manager from one or more devices in the data center system and centralized information created by the centralized manager from the element information

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the element manager is configured to utilize the data center system information.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the centralized manager is a centralized storage manager; and

the data center device is a hardware component in a storage area network.

16. A data center system for sharing data center system information, comprising:

a first device having a first element manager configured to send first element information to a centralized manager;

a second device having a second element manager configured to;

detect an application programming interface (API) call from the centralized manager;

establish a two-way communication channel between the second element manager and the centralized manager according to a communications protocol;

request data center system information from the centralized manager;

a centralized server having the centralized manager in communication with the first element manager and the second element manager and configured to;

collect the first element information from the first element manager;

store the first element information; and

send data center system information to the second element manager upon request from the second element manager.

17. The data center system of claim 16, wherein:

the first element manager has a first API implementation configured to send the first element information to the centralized manager;

the second element manager has;

a second API implementation configured to request the data center system information from the centralized manager through the two-way communication channel; and

a communications protocol implementation configured to establish the two-way communication channel between the second element manager and the centralized manager according to the communications protocol.

18. The data center system of claim 16, wherein the second element manager has a socket API implementation configured to:

receive the API call from the centralized manager; and

determine the API call is from the centralized manager.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the centralized manager is a centralized storage manager; and

the first device and the second device are hardware components in a storage area network.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein data center system information includes element information collected by the centralized manager from one or more devices in the data center system and centralized information created by the centralized manager from the element information.