Method and system for determining and displaying the topology of a storage array network having multiple hosts and computer readable medium for generating the topology

• US 6,671,776 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2000
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: DeKoning, Rodney Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): GOODARZI, NASSER MOAZZAMI
• Application Number:
  US09/490,383
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 711/4, 711/112-114, 711/202-209, 714/6, 714/9, 710/5, 710/38
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• 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 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 system and method for dynamically generating the topology of a storage array network by linking information concerning hosts and clusters along with information about host port adapters. Namely, each host identifies itself to all controllers and provides information in a command that allows the controller to know which host and cluster, if applicable, is associated with the host port adapter through which the command was issued. In addition, the topology is automatically updated anytime there is a change on the network such as a new device was added or a host port adapter was replaced.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting information from which a topology of a storage array network having multiple hosts, with at east one host having a plurality of host port adapters, may be determined, the method comprising:

generating a command from a host wherein the command includes a unique host identifier and a unique host port adapter identifier wherein the unique host identifier is linked to the unique host port adapter identifier; and

transmitting the command from the host to a controller of the storage array network through a first path coupling the host port adapter to the controller.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing in the controller of the storage array network, a table of information concerning the command generated and the first path coupling the host port adapter to the controller; and

transmitting the table of information stored in the controller to a remote computing device.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

generating the topology of the storage array network from the table of information.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

transmitting from the remote computing device commands to reconfigure the storage array network.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

displaying the topology.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

displaying the topology on a display remotely located from the storage array network.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for the method recited in claim 1.

8. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process performing the method recited in claim 1.

9. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the command from the host to the controller through each path coupling the plurality of host port adapters to the controller.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating the command from a host wherein the command includes a unique host identifier and a unique host port adapter identifier that is linked to the unique host identifier whenever the host port adapter is replaced with another host port adapter; and

transmitting the command to the controller of the storage array network through a first path coupling the host port adapter to the controller.

11. A storage array network comprising:

a plurality of hosts;

a storage array having multiple volumes;

a storage array controller operatively coupled to the storage array; and

a bus operatively coupling each host to the storage array controller, wherein each of the plurality of hosts transmits to the storage array controller a command that includes a unique host identifier and a unique host port adapter identifier.

12. The network of claim 11 wherein a path of the bus that operatively couples the storage array controller to a host is also transmitted to the controller.

13. The network of claim 11 wherein each host has a utility application resident on a processor of the host that designates the unique host identifier.

14. The network of claim 11 wherein the storage array controller has a memory that stores a table of information including the unique host identifier and the unique host adapter port identifier.

15. The network of claim 14 further comprising computing device operatively coupled to the plurality of hosts and the storage array controller wherein the computing device receives the table stored by the storage array controller and generates a topology of the network.

16. The network of claim 15 wherein the computing device is remotely located from the plurality of hosts and storage array controller.

17. The network of claim 15 further comprising a display operatively coupled to the computing device for displaying the topology of the network.

18. The network of claim 17 further comprising an input means for inputting commands to change the configuration of the topology wherein the computing device receives the inputs, generates a commanded action and downloads the commanded action to the storage array controller which implements the commanded action.

19. The network of claim 18 wherein the computing device is in a personal computer and the input device is a keyboard.

20. A computer readable medium containing a program for generating a topology of a storage array network, the program comprising:

code that accesses topology information from at least one storage array controller and that creates a table of unique identifiers of a plurality of hosts and unique identifiers of a plurality of host port adapters associated with each of the plurality of hosts; and

code that utilizes the table to generate a display of the topology of the network.

21. A system for determining a topology of a storage array network having multiple hosts with at least one host having a plurality of host port adapters, the system comprising:

a general purpose computing device; and

a computer program comprising two or more program modules executable by the computing device;

wherein the program modules comprise a table module that accesses at least one storage array controller and retrieves information that associates a host and its host port adapter with the controller via a path and a topology module that utilizes the table module to generate a topology of the network.