LOCALLY PROVIDING CLOUD STORAGE ARRAY SERVICES

• US 20160352834A1
• Filed: 06/11/2015
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Inventors: BOROWIEC, BENJAMIN P., NOONAN, TERENCE W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,521,200 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3034 where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; 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], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3086 where the reporting involves the use of self describing data formats, i.e. metadata, markup languages, human readable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• 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 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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

Locally providing cloud storage array services for a storage array of a data center when the storage array is not connected to a remote cloud-based storage array services provider includes initiating, by a primary storage array, one or more cloud storage array services and locally providing the cloud storage array services. Such local providing of the cloud storage array services also includes generating, by the cloud storage array services, metadata describing one or more real-time storage array characteristics and presenting the metadata to a user through a local area network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by the local storage array, loss of a data communications connection between the local storage array and a remote cloud based storage array services provider;

initiating, by a local storage array, one or more cloud storage array services to execute on the local storage array; and

locally providing the cloud storage array services for the local storage array responsive to detecting the loss of data communications between the local storage array and the remote cloud based storage array services provider, and wherein locally providing the cloud storage array services includes;

generating, by the cloud storage array services, metadata describing one or more storage array characteristics of the one or more cloud storage array services executing on the local storage array; and

presenting the metadata describing the one or more storage array characteristics of the one or more cloud storage array services executing on the local storage array.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein:

initiating the one or more cloud storage array services by the local storage array further comprises initiating the one or more cloud storage array services by the local storage array only in response to detecting the loss of the data communications connection between the local storage array and the remote, cloud-based storage array services provider.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data center further comprises a plurality of storage arrays, including the local storage array and the method further comprises:

prior to detecting the loss of the data communications connection between the local storage array and the remote, cloud-based storage array services provider;

periodically retrieving, by the local storage array from the remote cloud-based storage array services provider, a current configuration of the one or more cloud storage array services and the plurality of storage arrays; and

subsequent to detecting the loss of the data communications connection between the local storage array and the remote cloud-based storage array services provider;

locally providing the one or more cloud storage array services according to the current configuration retrieved from the remote cloud-based storage array services provider, wherein the current configuration of the one or more cloud storage array services includes one or more of;

any data related to the execution of the services including list of the types of one or more cloud storage array services to be executed;

executable computer program instructions of the one or more cloud storage array services;

updates to the executable computer program instruction of the one or more cloud storage array services;

data used to seed the services; and

data describing a format of presenting results of the one or more cloud storage array services.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data center further comprises a plurality of storage arrays, including the local storage array, and generating, by the cloud storage array services, metadata describing one or more real-time storage array characteristics further comprises:

generating metadata describing one or more real-time storage array characteristics of each of the plurality of the storage arrays; and

aggregating, for presentation to the user, the metadata of each of the plurality of storage arrays.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data center further comprises a plurality of storage arrays, including the local storage array, and initiating the one or more cloud storage array services further comprises:

selecting, by the local storage array in dependence upon workload characteristics of each of the plurality of storage arrays, one of the plurality of storage arrays to host the one or more cloud storage array services.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting, by the local storage array, a change in workload characteristics of each of the plurality of storage arrays; and

re-selecting one of the plurality of storage arrays to host the one or more cloud storage array services in dependence upon the changed workload characteristics.

7. The method of claim 5,further comprising:

operating, by the local storage array, as a proxy for the selected storage array when the selected storage array is not the local storage array; and

presenting the metadata to a user through a local area network further comprises presenting the metadata through the proxy of the local storage array.

8. An apparatus comprising a computer processor and a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, where the computer memory includes computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

detecting, by the local storage array, loss of a data communications connection between the local storage array and a remote cloud based storage array services provider;

initiating, by the local storage array, one or more cloud storage array services to execute on the local storage array; and

locally providing the cloud storage array services for the local storage array responsive to detecting the loss of data communications between the local storage array and the remote cloud based storage array services provider, and wherein locally providing the cloud storage array services includes;

generating, by the cloud storage array services, metadata describing one or more storage array characteristics of the one or more cloud storage array services executing on the local storage array; and

presenting the metadata describing the one or more storage array characteristics of the one or more cloud storage array services executing on the local storage array.

9. The apparatus of claim 8,

wherein:

initiating the one or more cloud storage array services by the local storage array further comprises initiating the one or more cloud storage array services by the local storage array only in response to detecting the loss of the data communications connection between the local storage array and the remote, cloud-based storage array services provider.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the data center further comprises a plurality of storage arrays, including the local storage array and the apparatus further comprises computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

prior to detecting the loss of the data communications connection between the local storage array and the remote, cloud-based storage array services provider;

periodically retrieving, by the local storage array from the remote cloud-based storage array services provider, a current configuration of the cloud storage array services and the plurality of storage arrays.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data center further comprises a plurality of storage arrays, including the local storage array, and generating, by the cloud storage array services, metadata describing one or more real-time storage array characteristics further comprises:

generating metadata describing one or more real-time storage array characteristics of each of the plurality of the storage arrays; and

aggregating, for presentation to the user, the metadata of each of the plurality of storage arrays.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data center further comprises a plurality of storage arrays, including the local storage array, and initiating the one or more cloud storage array services further comprises:

selecting, by the local storage array in dependence upon workload characteristics of each of the plurality of storage arrays, one of the plurality of storage arrays to host the one or more cloud storage array services.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

detecting, by the local storage array, a change in workload characteristics of each of the plurality of storage arrays; and

re-selecting one of the plurality of storage arrays to host the one or more cloud storage array services in dependence upon the changed workload characteristics.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

operating, by the local storage array, as a proxy for the selected storage array when the selected storage array is not the local storage array; and

presenting the metadata to a user through a local area network further comprises presenting the metadata through the proxy of the local storage array.

15. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to carry out the steps of:

detecting, by a local storage array, loss of a data communications connection between the local storage array and a remote cloud based storage array services provider;

initiating, by the local storage array, one or more cloud storage array services to execute on the local storage array; and

locally providing the cloud storage array services for the local storage array responsive to detecting the loss of data communications between the local storage array and the remote cloud based storage array services provider, and wherein locally providing the cloud storage array services includes;

generating, by the cloud storage array services, metadata describing one or more storage array characteristics of the one or more cloud storage array services executing on the local storage array; and

presenting the metadata describing the one or more storage array characteristics of the one or more cloud storage array services executing on the local storage array.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to carry out the steps of:

detecting, by the local storage array prior to initiating the cloud storage array services by the local storage array, a data communications connection between the local storage array and a remote cloud-based storage array services provider, wherein the remote cloud-based storage array services provider provides the one or more cloud storage array services; and

detecting, by the local storage array, loss of the data communications connection between the local storage array and the remote cloud-based storage array services provider, wherein;

initiating the one or more cloud storage array services by the local storage array further comprises initiating the one or more cloud storage array services by the local storage array only in response to detecting the loss of the data communications connection between the local storage array and the remote, cloud-based storage array services provider.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the data center further comprises a plurality of storage arrays, including the local storage array further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to carry out the steps of:

prior to detecting the loss of the data communications connection between the local storage array and the remote, cloud-based storage array services provider;

periodically retrieving, by the local storage array from the remote cloud-based storage array services provider, a current configuration of the cloud storage array services and the plurality of storage arrays.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the data center further comprises a plurality of storage arrays, including the local storage array, and generating, by the cloud storage array services, metadata describing one or more real-time storage array characteristics further comprises:

generating metadata describing one or more real-time storage array characteristics of each of the plurality of the storage arrays; and

aggregating, for presentation to the user, the metadata of each of the plurality of storage arrays.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the data center further comprises a plurality of storage arrays, including the local storage array, and initiating the one or more cloud storage array services further comprises:

selecting, by the local storage array in dependence upon workload characteristics of each of the plurality of storage arrays, one of the plurality of storage arrays to host the one or more cloud storage array services.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to carry out the steps of:

detecting, by the local storage array, a change in workload characteristics of each of the plurality of storage arrays; and

re-selecting one of the plurality of storage arrays to host the one or more cloud storage array services in dependence upon the changed workload characteristics.