Storage area network methods and apparatus for display and management of a hierarchical file system extension policy

• US 6,854,035 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2001
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dunn, Andrew, Perkins, Jason Michael, Dunham, Douglas Paul, Dunton, Tina Lynn, Yip, Ophelia K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hiep T.
• Application Number:
  US09/971,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20030145041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 711/117, 711/171, 707/205, 709/226
• US Class Current: 711/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• 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 storage area network (SAN), e.g., as described above, includes a one or more hosts digital data processors, each having a file system that effects access to one or more storage devices. Each processor is associated with multiple groups from respective levels of a hierarchy, e.g., a first processor group and a second processor group hierarchically descendant from the first processor group. A process, e.g., executing on a manager digital data processor, includes a graphical user interface that displays the processor groups as a hierarchical tree. Along, for example, with the identities of the processor groups, nodes of the displayed tree list attributes of the policy defined for each respective group.

Claims

1. A method for rendering information on a network having one or more processors each having a file system that effects access to one or more storage devices, comprising:

maintaining information indicating the processors associated with at least one of a first processor group and a second processor group, wherein the first processor group is associated with a first set of attributes defining a first file system extension policy, and wherein the second processor group is associated with a second set of one or more attributes defining a second file system extension policy, wherein the attributes of the second set and the first set define the file system extension policy for the second processor group; and

displaying the first and second processor groups as a hierarchical tree displaying for each processor group one or more tree nodes, wherein each tree node identifies at least one attribute of the file system extension policy defined for that processor group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical tree and the nodes are displayed in a first panel of an output display device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

displaying in a second panel one or more interface graphical objects to enable at least one of (i) displaying and (ii) permitting modification of one or more respective attribute of the file system extension policy associated with the processor group selected in the first panel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein attributes defined in the second set that differ from corresponding attributes defined in the first set override the attributes in the first set, wherein the attributes of the second set in combination with non-overridden attributes of the first set define the file system extension policy of the processors in the second processor group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one node associated with one of the processor groups identifies at least one attribute of the file system extension policy associated with that processor group other than at least one attribute inherited from another processor group.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one node associated with one of the processor groups indicates whether the file system extension policy associated with that processor group is inherited entirely from another processor group.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one attribute of one of the file system extension policies defined for one of the processor group is a member of a set of attributes comprising:

a utilization threshold above which file system extension is requested, one or more storage devices accessible for file system extension, a range of storage capacities for accessible storage devices to be assigned for file system extension, maximum file system size, and a flag indicating whether file system utilization is monitored.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying one or more interface graphical objects for defining one or more attributes of at least one of the file system extension policies associated with at least a selected one of the processor groups.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the interface graphical objects are displayed in a panel separate from that in which the hierarchical tree is displayed.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

updating the tree nodes associated with the selected processor group to reflect one or more modifications to the file system extension policy defined for the selected processor group.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein a first one of the interface graphical objects includes a dialog box that allows selecting a processor group.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a second one of the interface graphical objects includes another dialog box that allows defining at least one attribute of the file system extension policy of the processor group.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the second processor group is displayed as a hierarchical descendant of the first processor group in the hierarchical tree.

14. A graphical user interface rendered by a computer in a display monitor providing information on one or more processors and one or more storage devices, comprising:

one or more graphical objects each representing a processor group to which one or more processors are assigned, wherein the processors assigned to a one processor group share a file system extension policy, and wherein the rendered processor groups form a hierarchical tree with each graphical object representing a node in the tree; and

one or more textual descriptions associated with at least one of the tree nodes for describing at least a portion of the file system extension policy associated with the processor group represented by that tree node.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein the graphical user interface displays the tree nodes and the textual descriptions in a single panel.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein the file system extension policy comprises at least one attribute that is a member of a set of attributes comprising:

a utilization threshold above which file system extension is requested, one or more storage devices accessible for file system extension, a range of storage capacities for accessible storage devices to be assigned for file system extension, maximum file system size, and a flag indicating whether file system utilization is monitored.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein a selected one of the processor groups inherits at least a portion of a file system extension policy associated with another processor group at a higher level in the hierarchical tree.

18. The graphical user interface of claim 14, further comprising one or more graphical interface objects for defining at least a portion of the file system extension policy associated with at least a selected one of the processor groups.

19. A storage area network (SAN), comprising:

a plurality of processors each having a file system that effects access to one or more storage devices coupled to the SAN,

a system executing;

(i) a process in communication with the processors, the process responding to a file system extension request by a selected one of the processors in accord with a file system extension policy defined for a first processor group to which the selected processor belongs, wherein the first processor group is hierarchically related to a second processor group; and

(ii) a graphical user interface that displays at least two hierarchically related graphical objects one of which represents the first processor group and another represents the second processor group, wherein the graphical user interface further provides, for each graphical object, a description of one or more attributes of the file system extension policy associated with the processor group represented by that graphical object.

20. The SAN of claim 19, wherein the process executes on one of the processors.

21. The SAN of claim 20, wherein the selected processor communicates with the process via in interconnect fabric component.

22. The SAN of claim 20, wherein an agent executing on the selected processor transmits the request for file system extension from the selected processor to the process.

23. The SAN of claim 19, wherein the second processor group is at a higher hierarchical level than the first processor group, and the file system extension policy defined for the first processor group is inherited at least partially from the file system extension policy defined for the second processor group.

24. A computer readable medium including a program executed by a processor to render information on a network having one or more processors each having a file system that effects access to one or more storage devices, wherein the executed program causes operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

maintaining information indicating the processors associated with at least one of a first processor group and a second processor group, wherein the first processor group is associated with a first set of plural attributes defining a first file system extension policy, and wherein the second processor group is associated with a second set of one or more attributes defining a second file system extension policy, wherein the attributes of the second set and the first set define the file system extension policy for the second processor group; and

displaying the first and second processor groups as a hierarchical tree displaying for each processor group one or more tree nodes, wherein each tree node identifies at least one attribute of the policy defined for that processor group.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the hierarchical tree and the nodes are displayed in a first panel of an output display device.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying in a second panel one or more interface graphical objects to enable at least one of (i) displaying and (ii) permitting modification of one or more respective attributes of the file system extension policy associated with the processor group selected in the first panel.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein at least one node associated with one of the processor groups identifies at least one attribute of the file system extension policy associated with that processor group other than at least one attribute inherited from another processor group.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein at least one node associated with one of the processor groups indicates whether the file system extension policy associated with that processor group is inherited entirely from another processor group.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein at least one attribute of one of the file system extension policies defined for one of the processor groups is a member of a set of attributes comprising:

a utilization threshold above which file system extension is requested, one or more storage devices accessible for file system extension, a range of storage capacities for accessible storage devices to be assigned for file system extension, maximum file system size, and a flag indicating whether file system utilization is monitored.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying one or more interface graphical objects for defining one or more attributes of one of the file system extension policies associated with at least a selected one of the processor groups.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 30, wherein the interface graphical objects are displayed in a panel separate from that in which the hierarchical tree is displayed.

32. The computer outer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

updating tree nodes associated with the selected processor group to reflect one or more modifications to the file system extension policy defined for the selected processor group.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein attributes defined in the second set that differ from corresponding attributes defined in the first set override the attributes in the first set, wherein the attributes of the second set in combination with non-overridden attributes of the first set define the file system extension policy of the processors in the second processor group.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the second processor group is displayed as a hierarchical descendant of the first processor group in the hierarchical tree.