Storage management system

• US 6,757,778 B1
• Filed: 05/07/2002
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Veritas Operating Corporation (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: van Rietschote, Hans F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Kevin L.
• Application Number:
  US10/140,614
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 711/6, 711/112, 711/114, 711/170
• US Class Current: 711/6
• 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 3/0664 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 storage management system may provide virtual storage devices for use by an operating system. The storage management system may map files representing the virtual storage devices to a plurality of volumes to be stored on physical storage devices. In various embodiments, the storage management system may include storage management components which manage the files representing the virtual storage devices. In one implementation, the storage management system may support a set of storage commands for the virtual storage devices, including standard commands used by the operating system to communicate with storage devices, and additional commands for communicating with the storage management components. The storage management system may be configured to schedule various applications/operating systems for execution on multiple processing hardware, and to present a consistent view of storage for a given application/operating system, independent of which of the multiple processing hardware on which the application/operation system is executing.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

processing hardware;

one or more physical storage devices;

an operating system executable on the processing hardware; and

a storage management system executable on the processing hardware, wherein the storage management system is configured to provide one or more virtual storage devices for use by the operating system, and wherein the storage management system is configured to map files representing the virtual storage devices to a plurality of volumes to be stored on the physical storage devices.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the storage management system is further configured to map the plurality of volumes to the physical storage devices according to one or more volume attributes.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the storage management system is further configured to replicate one or more of the plurality of volumes to a second one or more physical storage devices remote from the one or more physical storage devices.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the storage management system is further configured to perform hierarchical storage management on the files representing the virtual storage devices.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising network hardware coupled to the processor hardware, wherein at least one of the physical storage devices is coupled to the processing hardware through the network hardware.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the storage management system is further configured to provide virtual network hardware for use by the operating system.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein the operating system communicates with at least one of the virtual storage devices through the virtual network hardware.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the storage management system is further configured to schedule the operating system for execution on the processing hardware.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8 further comprising multiple processing hardware, wherein the storage management system is further configured to schedule the operating system for execution on a first processor hardware of the multiple processor hardware.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9 wherein the storage management system provides a same set of the virtual storage devices for use by the operating system independent of which of the multiple processor hardware on which the operating system is scheduled to execute.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 8 further comprising an application configured to execute with the operating system, wherein the storage management system is further configured to schedule the application for execution on the processing hardware.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the processing hardware includes one or more processors, and wherein a first processor on which the operating system is executing traps on commands to the virtual storage devices by the operating system, the trap occurring prior to the first processor transmitting the command external to the first processor.

13. A computer accessible medium comprising instructions which, when executed on processing hardware:

provides one or more virtual storage devices for use by an operating system which is also executable on the processing hardware; and

maps files representing the virtual storage devices to a plurality of volumes to be stored on physical storage devices coupled to the processing hardware.

14. The computer accessible medium as recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions, when executed, map the plurality of volumes to the physical storage devices according to one or more volume attributes.

15. The computer accessible medium as recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions, when executed, replicate one or more of the plurality of volumes to a second one or more physical storage devices remote from the one or more physical storage devices.

16. The computer accessible medium as recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions, when executed, perform hierarchical storage management on the files representing the virtual storage devices.

17. The computer accessible medium as recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions, when executed, provide virtual network hardware for use by the operating system.

18. The computer accessible medium as recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions, when executed, schedule the operating system for execution on the processing hardware.

19. The computer accessible medium as recited in claim 18 wherein the instructions, when executed, schedule the operating system for execution on a first processor hardware of multiple processor hardware.

20. The computer accessible medium as recited in claim 19 wherein the instructions, when executed, provide a same set of the virtual storage devices for use by the operating system independent of which of the multiple processor hardware on which the operating system is scheduled to execute.

21. A method comprising:

providing one or more virtual storage devices for use by an operating system; and

mapping files representing the virtual storage devices to a plurality of volumes to be stored on one or more physical storage devices.

22. The method as recited in claim 21 further comprising mapping the plurality of volumes to the physical storage devices according to one or more volume attributes.

23. The method as recited in claim 21 further comprising replicating one or more of the plurality of volumes to a second one or more physical storage devices remote from the one or more physical storage devices.

24. The method as recited in claim 21 further comprising performing hierarchical storage management on the files representing the virtual storage devices.

25. The method as recited in claim 21 further comprising providing virtual network hardware for use by the operating system.

26. The method as recited in claim 21 further comprising scheduling the operating system for execution.

27. The method as recited in claim 21 further comprising scheduling the operating system for execution on a first processor hardware of multiple processor hardware.

28. The method as recited in claim 27 further comprising providing a same set of the virtual storage devices for use by the operating system independent of which of the multiple processor hardware on which the operating system is scheduled to execute.