INFORMATION PROCESSOR, COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM IN WHICH INPUT/OUTPUT CONTROL PROGRAM IS RECORDED, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INPUT/OUTPUT

• US 20160070491A1
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Takada, Yohsuke
• Application Number:
  US14/811,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20160070491A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/076 by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/10 Adding special bits or symbols to the coded information, e.g. parity check, casting out 9's or 11's
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/16 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• 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 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

An I/O controller simultaneously performs first I/O control on a plurality of storing devices, which configure a redundant system, in accordance with a first I/O request from an upper application. An response processor outputs, when the response processor receives a process completion notification from a first storing device that is one of the plurality of storing devices as a result of the first I/O control simultaneously performed on the plurality of storing devices, a completion response representing completion of a process related to the first I/O request to the upper application. This configuration makes it possible to rapidly respond to the I/O control of the upper application with a process completion and to reduce the time length occupied by the I/O control of the upper application.

Claims

1. An information processor comprising:

an input/output (I/O) controller that simultaneously performs first I/O control on a plurality of storing devices, which configure a redundant system, in accordance with a first I/O request from an upper application; and

a response processor that outputs, when the response processor receives a process completion notification from a first storing device that is one of the plurality of storing devices as a result of the first I/O control simultaneously performed on the plurality of storing devices, a completion response representing completion of a process related to the first I/O request to the upper application.

2. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein the response processor outputs, when the response processor receives the process completion notification from the first storing device within a first time period after starting the first I/O control and does not receive a process completion notification from a second storing device that is different from the first storing device and that is one of the plurality of storing devices within the first time period, the completion response to the upper application.

3. The information processor according to claim 2, wherein

the I/O controller

reserves a plurality of second memory regions, prepared one for each of the plurality of storing devices, the plurality of second memory regions being different from a first memory region in which the first I/O request from the upper application is processed;

copies information related to the first I/O request from the first memory region to the plurality of second memory regions; and

performs the first I/O control on the plurality of storing devices using the information related to the first I/O request in the plurality of second memory regions.

4. The information processor according to claim 3, wherein

the I/O controller

performs the first I/O control on the second storing device, being switched into a tentative fallback state after the first time period has passed, using the information related to the first I/O request stored in the second memory region prepared for the second storing device while performs, using information being related to a second I/O request newly issued from the upper application and being stored in the second memory region prepared for the first storing device, second I/O control on the first storing device in accordance with the second I/O request;

and

when the second I/O control responsive to the second I/O request is related to a writing access, records position information representing a position having undergone the writing access in the first storing device, as difference information, into a difference information managing region.

5. The information processor according to claim 4, further comprising a restoration processor that restores, upon receipt of the process completion notification from the second storing device within a second time period after the first time period has passed, the second storing device from the tentative fallback state and copies difference data from the first storing device to the second storing device, the difference data corresponding to the difference information recorded in the difference information managing region.

6. The information processor according to claim 5, wherein the restoration processor changes, when not receiving the process completion notification from the second storing device within the second time period since the first time period has passed, the second storing device from the tentative fallback state into a fallback state.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored therein an input/output (I/O) controlling program for causing a computer to execute a process comprising:

simultaneously performing first I/O control on a plurality of storing devices, which configure a redundant system, in accordance with a first I/O request from an upper application; and

outputting, when receiving a process completion notification from a first storing device that is one of the plurality of storing devices as a result of the first I/O control simultaneously performed on the plurality of storing devices, a completion response representing completion of a process related to the first I/O request to the upper application.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 7, wherein the process further comprises outputting, when receiving the process completion notification from the first storing device within a first time period after starting the first I/O control and not receiving a process completion notification from a second storing device that is different from the first storing device and that is one of the plurality of storing devices within the first time period, the completion response to the upper application.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the process further comprises:

reserving a plurality of second memory regions, prepared one for each of the plurality of storing devices, the plurality of second memory regions being different from a first memory region in which the first I/O request from the upper application is processed;

copying information related to the first I/O request from the first memory region to the plurality of second memory regions; and

performing the first I/O control on the plurality of storing devices using the information related to the first I/O request in the plurality of second memory regions.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, wherein the process further comprises:

performing the first I/O control on the second storing device, being switched into a tentative fallback state after the first time period has passed, using the information related to the first I/O request stored in the second memory region prepared for the second storing device, while performing, using information being related to a second I/O request newly issued from the upper application and being stored in the second memory region prepared for the first storing device, second I/O control on the first storing device in accordance with the second I/O request; and

when the second I/O control responsive to the second I/O request is related to a writing access, recording position information representing a position having undergone the writing access in the first storing device, as difference information, into a difference information managing region.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10, wherein the process further comprises restoring, upon receipt of the process completion notification from the second storing device within a second time period since the first time period has passed, the second storing device from the tentative fallback state and copies difference data from the first storing device to the second storing device, the difference data corresponding to the difference information recorded in the difference information managing region.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 11, wherein the process further comprises changing, when not receiving the process completion notification from the second storing device within the second time period since the first time period has passed, the second storing device from the tentative fallback state into a fallback state.

13. A method for input/output (I/O) controlling comprising:

by a computer

simultaneously performing first I/O control on a plurality of storing devices, which configure a redundant system, in accordance with a first I/O request from an upper application; and

outputting, when receiving a process completion notification from a first storing device that is one of the plurality of storing devices as a result of the first I/O control simultaneously performed on the plurality of storing devices, a completion response representing completion of a process related to the first I/O request to the upper application.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising

by the computer

outputting, when receiving the process completion notification from the first storing device within a first time period after starting the first I/O control and not receiving a process completion notification from a second storing device that is different from the first storing device and that is one of the plurality of storing devices within the first time period, the completion response to the upper application.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising

by the computer

reserving a plurality of second memory regions, prepared one for each of the plurality of storing devices, the plurality of second memory regions being different from a first memory region in which the first I/O request from the upper application is processed;

copying information related to the first I/O request from the first memory region to the plurality of second memory regions; and

performing the first I/O control on the plurality of storing devices using the information related to the first I/O request in the plurality of second memory regions.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising

by the computer

performing the first I/O control on the second storing device, being switched into a tentative fallback state after the first time period has passed, using the information related to the first I/O request stored in the second memory region prepared for the second storing device, while performing, using information being related to a second I/O request newly issued from the upper application and being stored in the second memory region prepared for the first storing device, second I/O control on the first storing device in accordance with the second I/O request;

and

when the second I/O control responsive to the second I/O request is related to a writing access, recording position information representing a position having undergone the writing access in the first storing device, as difference information, into a difference information managing region.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising

by the computer

restoring, upon receipt of the process completion notification from the second storing device within a second time period after the first time period has passed, the second storing device from the tentative fallback state and copies difference data from the first storing device to the second storing device, the difference data corresponding to the difference information recorded in the difference information managing region.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising

by the computer

changing, when the computer does not receive the process completion notification from the second storing device within the second time period since the first time period has passed, the second storing device from the tentative fallback state into a fallback state.