SMART MOUNTING OF STORAGE DEVICES

• US 20180205789A1
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Published: 07/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gnech, Thomas H., Koenig, Steffen, Petrik, Oliver, Wagner, Sven
• Granted Patent: US 10,530,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• 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 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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 method for smart mounting of a storage device to a server may be provided. The method comprises providing a first peer-to-peer communication component to a first server a first storage device is controlled by, and providing a second peer-to-peer communication component to a second server a second storage device is controlled by. The method also comprises requesting, by said second server, a mounting of said first storage device of said first server using a direct communication between said first peer-to-peer communication component, and said second peer-to-peer communication component using a peer-to-peer communication protocol between said first and said second peer-to-peer communication component without using a central instance between said first and said second server, and providing mounting information of said first storage device to said second peer-to-peer communication component without using said central instance.

Claims

1. A method for smart mounting of a storage device to a server, said method comprising

providing a first peer-to-peer communication component to a first server a first storage device is controlled by,

providing a second peer-to-peer communication component to a second server a second storage device is controlled by,

requesting by said second server a mounting of said first storage device of said first server using a direct communication between said first peer-to-peer communication component and said second peer-to-peer communication component using a peer-to-peer communication protocol between said first and said second peer-to-peer communication component without using a central instance between said first and said second server, and

providing mounting information of said first storage device to said second peer-to-peer communication component without using said central instance.

2. The method according to claim 1, also comprising

initiating a copying request by said first or said second server and starting said copying process at least at one of said first or said second storage device using only said first peer-to-peer communication component and said second peer-to-peer communication component.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first storage device and said second storage device is each connected to a joint storage area network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first storage device and said second storage device is each part of said same storage system.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first storage device and said second storage device is each part of a different storage system using said joint storage area network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a registry data history is shared among said first and second peer-to-peer communication component.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, prior to a mounting of a storage device not controlled by a server, said server related peer-to-peer communication component determines whether said server controlling said second storage device is equipped with a peer-to-peer communication component.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a communication between said first and said second peer-to-peer communication component is using a communication technology based on a protocol of said storage area network.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein registration data history information of a storage device is maintained individually per peer-to-peer communication component.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein registration data history information of a plurality of storage devices is maintained jointly in one joint archive.

11. A system for smart mounting of a storage device to a server, said system comprising

a first peer-to-peer communication component of a first server a first storage device is controlled by,

a second peer-to-peer communication component of a second server a second storage device is controlled by,

wherein said second peer-to-peer communication component is adapted for requesting, by said second server, a mounting of said first storage device of said first server using a direct communication between said first peer-to-peer communication component and said second peer-to-peer communication component using a peer-to-peer communication protocol between said first and said second peer-to-peer communication component without using a central instance between said first and said second server, and

wherein said first peer-to-peer-communication component is adapted for providing mounting information of said first storage device to said second peer-to-peer communication component without using said central instance.

12. The system according to claim 11, also comprising

a copy initiating unit adapted for initiating a copying request by said first or said second server and starting said copying process at least at one storage system using only said first peer-to-peer communication component and said second peer-to-peer communication component.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein said first storage device and said second storage device is each connected to a same storage area network.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein said first storage device and said second storage device is each part of said same storage system.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said first storage device and said second storage device is each part of a different storage system using a joint storage area network.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein said first and second peer-to-peer communication components are adapted for maintaining a registry data history.

17. The system according to claim 11, also comprising a determination unit adapted for, prior to a mounting of a storage device not controlled by a server, said server related peer-to-peer communication component determining whether said server controlling said second storage device is equipped with a peer-to-peer communication component.

18. The system according to claim 11, wherein a communication between said first and said second peer-to-peer communication component is based on a communications technology, based on a protocol of said storage area network.

19. The system according to claim 11, wherein registration data history information of a storage device is maintained individually per peer-to-peer communication component, or

wherein registration data history information of a plurality of storage devices is maintained jointly in one joint archive.

20. A computer program product for smart mounting of a storage device to a server, said computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, said program instructions being executable by one or more computing systems to cause said one or more computing systems to

provide a first peer-to-peer communication component to a first server a storage device is controlled by,

provide a second peer-to-peer communication component to a second server a second storage device is controlled by,

request by said second server a mounting of said first storage device of said first server using a direct communication between said first peer-to-peer communication component, and said second peer-to-peer communication component using a peer-to-peer communication protocol between said first and said second peer-to-peer communication component without using a central instance between said first and said second server, and

provide mounting information of said first storage device to said second peer-to-peer communication component without using said central instance.