COMPUTER SYSTEM

• US 20150304423A1
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: SATOYAMA, Ai, EGUCHI, Yoshiaki
• Application Number:
  US14/657,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20150304423A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• 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

A computer system includes a first server computer, a second server computer, a nonvolatile memory device, and a storage controller connected to the first server computer and the second server computer via PCI-Express, and connected to the nonvolatile memory device. The storage controller provides a storage area in the nonvolatile memory device as a shared data area for the first server computer and the second server computer. A server computer, which is each of the first and second server computers, stores a program that issues an NVM-Express command that is a command conforming to an NVM-Express standard. The program instructs the server computer to access the shared data area via PCI-Express by instructing the server computer to issue the NVM-Express command that specifies a namespace associated with the shared data area.

Claims

1. A computer system to be managed by an integrated management subsystem recognizing a SAN, the computer system comprising:

a storage component storing data;

a first processing component coupled to the storage component;

a plurality of second processing components, which are coupled to the first processing component via PCI-Express connections, and which issue access commands to access the data stored in the storage component via the first processing component; and

a management mean configured to provide emulated SAN connections between the first processing component and the second processing components which corresponds to the PCI-Express connections between the first processing component and the second processing components, to the integrated management subsystem.

2. A computer system according to claim 1,

wherein the access commands are NVM-Express commands specifying a namespace.

3. A computer system according to claim 2,

wherein, as the providing of the emulated SAN connections between the first processing component and the second processing components, the management mean is configured to send information about a virtual SAN storage port of the first processing component, to the integrated management subsystem.

4. A computer system according to claim 2,

wherein the first storage component manages a storage area related to the data stored in the storage component, and

wherein, as the providing of the emulated SAN connections between the first processing component and the second processing components, the management mean is configured to receive a definition request of a logical unit based on the storage area, and process to define a namespace corresponding to the storage area.

5. A computer system according to claim 4,

wherein the definition request further specifies a port of the first processing component,

wherein the definition of the namespace corresponding to the storage area is processed, if the specified port is a virtual SAN storage port of the first processing component, and

wherein the management mean is configured to process to define a logical unit to the specified port, if the specified port is a real SAN port of the first processing component.

6. A computer system according to claim 5,

wherein the real SAN storage port is coupled to an apparatus via a SAN, which is managed by the integrated management subsystem.

7. A computer system according to claim 5,

wherein the virtual SAN storage port is virtually provided by an intermediate device existed in the PCI-Express connection.

8. A computer system according to claim 1,

wherein, as the providing of the emulated SAN connection between the first processing component and the second processing components, the management means is configured to send a virtual SAN connection information indicating that the first processing component is coupled to a first one of the second processing components, and the first processing component is coupled to a second one of the second processing components.

9. A method for a computer system to be managed by an integrated management subsystem recognizing a SAN, wherein the computer system includes components at least includes:

a storage component storing data;

a first processing component coupled to the storage component; and

a plurality of second processing components, which are coupled to the first processing component via PCI-Express connections, and which issue access commands to access the data stored in the storage component via the first processing component, the method comprising a step of;

managing the components; and

providing emulated SAN connections between the first processing component and the second processing components which corresponds to the PCI-Express connections between the first processing component and the second processing components, to the integrated management subsystem.

10. A method according to claim 9,

wherein the access commands are NVM-Express commands specifying a namespace.

11. A method according to claim 10,

wherein, the step of the providing of the emulated SAN connections between the first processing component and the second processing components includes a step of sending information about a virtual SAN storage port of the first processing component, to the integrated management subsystem.

12. A method according to claim 10,

wherein the first storage component manages a storage area related to the data stored in the storage component, and wherein, the step of the providing of the emulated SAN connections between the first processing component and the second processing components includes a step of:

receiving a definition request of a logical unit based on the storage area; and

process to define a namespace corresponding to the storage area.

13. A method according to claim 12,

wherein the definition request further specifies a port of the first processing component,

wherein the step of the definition of the namespace corresponding to the storage area is processed, if the specified port is a virtual SAN storage port of the first processing component, and

wherein the step of the providing of the emulated SAN connections between the first processing component and the second processing components includes a step of processing to define a logical unit to the specified port, if the specified port is a real SAN port of the first processing component.

14. A method according to claim 13,

wherein the real SAN storage port is coupled to an apparatus via a SAN, which is managed by the integrated management subsystem.

15. A method according to claim 13,

wherein the virtual SAN storage port is virtually provided by an intermediate device existed in the PCI-Express connection.

16. A method according to claim 9,

wherein the step of the providing of the emulated SAN connections between the first processing component and the second processing components includes a step of sending a virtual SAN connection information indicating that the first processing component is coupled to a first one of the second processing components, and the first processing component is coupled to a second one of the second processing components.