Retrieval of data stored on redundant disks across a network using remote procedure calls

• US 6,029,231 A
• Filed: 12/03/1996
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Blumenau, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peikari, B. James
• Application Number:
  US08/757,122
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 395/182.03, 395/182.04, 395/200.3, 395/182.05, 395/182.08, 395/182.09, 395/185.07, 371/10.2, 709/304
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A host computer including an interpreter that maps logical user write requests to physical block level write requests, a host storage driver having a disk driver interface for receiving block level write requests, a host storage disk connected to be controlled by disk control signals of the host storage driver, and a redundant disk system having a disk driver interface to the interpreter and a remote procedure call interface to one or more associated computers connected to the host computer over a network, the redundant disk system sending write requests and data to be written from the interpreter to the host storage driver and to at least one of the other computers connected to the network.

Claims

1. A host computer having capabilities for redundant storage of computer data, said computer having a user application space and a kernel space, said computer comprising

an interpreter that maps logical user write requests to physical block level write requests,

a host storage driver having a disk driver interface for receiving block level write requests, said host storage driver generating disk control signals to write blocks of data to disk in response to block level write requests, said host storage driver being located in said kernel space of said computer,

a host storage disk connected to be exclusively controlled by said disk control signals of said host storage driver, and

a redundant disk system having a redundant disk driver located in said kernel space of said computer providing a disk driver interface to said interpreter, said redundant disk system also having a remote procedure call interface to one or more associated computers connected to said host computer over a network, said redundant disk system sending host computer write requests and host computer data to be written from said interpreter to said host storage driver via said redundant disk driver and to at least one of said one or more associated computers via said remote procedure call interface.

2. The host computer of claim 1 wherein one portion of said host storage disk is used to store said host computer data in response to write requests from said interpreter, and another portion of said host storage disk is used to store associated computer data from at least one of said one or more associated computers, and wherein said redundant disk system sends write requests and data to be written from said interpreter to said host storage driver for storage in said one portion of said host storage disk, and said redundant disk system receives associated computer write requests and data to be written from at least one of said one or more associated computers and sends said associated computer write requests and associated computer data to said host storage driver for storage in said another portion of said host storage disk.

4. The computer of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said interpreter comprises a file system of an operating system of said computer.

5. The computer of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said interpreter comprises a database server application.

6. The computer of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said redundant disk system includes a remote disk system, said redundant disk driver also having an operating system device driver application programming interface to said remote disk system, said remote disk system being implemented in the user space of said computer and communicating with at least one of said one or more associated computers.

3. A host computer having capabilities for redundant storage of computer data, said computer having a user application space and a kernel space, said computer comprising

an interpreter that maps logical user write requests to physical block level write requests,

a host storage driver having a disk driver interface for receiving block level write requests, said host storage driver generating disk control signals to write blocks of data to disk in response to block level write requests, said host storage driver being located in said kernel space of said computer,

a host storage disk connected to be exclusively controlled by said disk control signals of said host storage driver, and

a redundant disk system having a redundant disk driver located in said kernel space of said computer providing a disk driver interface to said interpreter, said redundant disk system also having a remote procedure call interface to one or more associated computers connected to said host computer over a network, said redundant disk system sending write requests and data to be written from said interpreter via said redundant disk driver to said host storage driver for storage in one portion of said host storage disk, said redundant disk system receiving associated computer write requests and data to be written from at least one of said one or more associated computers via said remote procedure call interface and sending said associated computer write requests and associated computer data via said redundant disk driver to said host storage driver for storage on another portion of said host storage disk.

7. A computer system having distributed redundant storage of computer data comprising

a network, and

a plurality of computers that are connected to said network, each said computer having a user application space and a kernel space, each said computer comprising

an interpreter that maps logical user write requests to physical block level write requests,

a host storage driver having a disk driver interface for receiving block level write requests, said host storage driver generating disk control signals to write blocks of data to disk in response to block level write requests, said host storage driver being located in said kernel space of said computer,

a host storage disk connected to be exclusively controlled by said disk control signals of said host storage driver, one portion of said host storage disk being used to store host computer data in response to write requests from said interpreter, and another portion of said host storage disk being used to store associated computer data from at least one other said computer connected to said network, and

a redundant disk system having a redundant disk driver located in said kernel space of said computer providing a disk driver interface to said interpreter, said redundant disk system also having a remote procedure call interface to at least one other said computer connected to said network,

said redundant disk system sending write requests and data to be written from said interpreter via said redundant disk driver to said host storage driver for storage in said one portion of said host storage disk and to at least one other said computer connected to said network via said remote procedure call interface for storage in said at least one other said computer,

said redundant disk system receiving associated computer write requests and data to be written from at least one other said computer connected to said network via said remote procedure call interface and sending said associated computer write requests and associated computer data via said redundant disk driver to said host storage driver for storage on said another portion of said host storage disk.

8. The computer system of claim 7 wherein at least one said interpreter of a said computer comprises a file system of an operating system of said computer.

9. The computer system of claim 7 wherein at least one said interpreter of a said computer comprises a database server application.

10. The computer system of claim 7 wherein said redundant disk system of a said computer includes a remote disk system, said redundant disk driver also having an operating system device driver application programming interface to said remote disk system, said remote disk system being implemented in the user space of said computer and communicating with at least one other computer of said plurality of computers.

11. A computer implemented method of providing redundant storage for computer data of computers connected to a network, each said computer having a user application space and a kernel space, said method comprising

mapping logical user write requests to physical block level write requests at interpreters of respective said computers,

receiving said physical block level write requests at redundant disk systems of respective said computers having redundant disk drivers located in said kernel space of said computer providing disk driver interfaces to respective said interpreters, said redundant disk systems also having remote procedure call interfaces to other computers on said network,

sending said write requests and host computer data to be written from said redundant disk systems via said redundant disk drivers to host storage drivers of respective said computers for writing on portions of respective host storage disks and also sending each write request and data to be written to at least one other computer connected to said network via said remote procedure call interfaces, each said host storage driver being located in said kernel space of a respective said computer, each said host storage disk each being exclusively controlled by a respective host storage driver, and

receiving, at said redundant disk systems of at least some computers, associated computer write requests and associated computer data to be written from other said computers connected to said network via said remote procedure call interfaces and sending said associated computer write requests and associated computer data via said redundant disk drivers to respective said host storage drivers for storage on different portions of said host storage disks than the portions used for said host computer data.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said interpreters of at least some of said computers comprise file systems of operating systems of said computers.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said interpreters of at least some of said computers comprise database server applications.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said redundant disk systems of at least some of said computers each includes a remote disk system, said redundant disk driver also having an operating system device driver application programming interface to said remote disk system, said remote disk system being implemented in the user space of said computer and communicating with another said computer.

15. A computer program for implementation on a computer to provide redundant storage of computer data, said computer program residing on a computer-readable medium, said computer having a user application space and a kernel space, said computer comprising

an interpreter that maps logical user write requests to physical block level write requests,

a host storage driver having a disk driver interface for receiving block level write requests, said host storage driver generating disk control signals to write blocks of data to disk in response to block level write requests, said host storage driver being located in said kernel space of said computer, and

a host storage disk connected to be controlled by said disk control signals of said host storage driver,

said computer program comprising instructions causing said computer to create a redundant disk system having a redundant disk driver located in said kernel space of said computer providing a disk driver interface to said interpreter, said redundant disk system also having a remote procedure call interface to one or more associated computers connected to said host computer over a network, said redundant disk system sending write requests and data to be written from said interpreter via said redundant disk driver to said host storage driver and to at least one of said one or more associated computers via said remote procedure call interface.

16. The computer program of claim 15 wherein one portion of said host storage disk is used to store said host computer data in response to write requests from said interpreter, and another portion of said host storage disk is used to store associated computer data from at least one of said one or more associated computers, and wherein said redundant disk system sends write requests and data to be written from said interpreter to said host storage driver for storage in said one portion of said host storage disk, and said redundant disk system receives associated computer write requests and data to be written from at least one of said one or more associated computers and sands said associated computer write requests and associated computer data to said host storage driver for storage on said another portion of said host storage disk.

17. The computer program of claim 15 wherein said redundant disk system includes a remote disk system, said redundant disk driver also having an operating system device driver application programming interface to said remote disk system, said remote disk system being implemented in the user space of said computer and communicating with at least one of said one or more associated computers.