Storage management software bridges

• US 6,883,081 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2002
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Veritas Operating Corporation (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Colgrove, John A., Bromley, Graham, Lanzatella, Thomas W., Unueco, Allen, Cuykendall, Blaine T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sparks, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Bao Q
• Application Number:
  US10/208,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20040024984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 711/6, 711/154, 711/156, 711/170, 711/202, 709/203, 709/223, 709/226, 709/229, 707/1, 707/10, 707/102, 707/205
• US Class Current: 711/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• 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]
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Methods and systems to bridge storage management software are provided. A first storage management application communicates with a host and performs an analysis of a storage environment associated with the host. The first storage management application uses the analysis to determine if a storage resource interface is controlled by a second storage management application, and if so a plugin application is accessed by the first storage management application to permit the second storage management application to perform a storage management operation on behalf of the host. In one embodiment, the analysis is updated by the first storage management application upon receiving results from second storage management application, where the results reflect the processing of the storage management operation by the second storage management application.

Claims

1. A method to bridge storage management applications, comprising:

receiving a request to perform a storage management operation, wherein the storage management operation is received by a first storage management application from a host;

performing one or more analysis operations on a storage environment associated with the storage management operation, wherein the one or more analysis operations are performed by the first storage management application;

passing the storage management operation from the first storage management application to a second storage management application using an interface associated with the second storage management application, wherein the second storage management application performs the storage management operation on one or more storage resources included in the storage environment on behalf of the first storage management application; and

receiving results associated with performing the storage management operation on the one or more storage resources, wherein the results are received by the first storage management application from the second storage management application, wherein in receiving the results, the results are received from a data store read by the first storage management application and written to by the second storage management application.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein in passing the storage management operation, the second storage management application translates the storage management operation from the interface associated with the second storage management application to one or more second interfaces associated with the one or more storage resources.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein in passing the storage management operation, the one or more storage resources are storage arrays accessible in the storage environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in performing the one or more analysis operations, the one or more analysis operations provide a mapping of the storage environment.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising using the mapping and results returned from the second storage management application that are associated with the storage management operation to satisfy processing of the storage management operation for the host.

6. A method to bridge storage management applications, comprising:

receiving a request from a host interface to perform a storage management operation on a storage resource, wherein the host interface is used by the host to communicate with a first storage management application;

producing a mapping of a storage environment housing the storage resource, wherein the mapping is produced by the first storage management application;

determining that an interface to perform the storage management operation is controlled by a second storage management application;

using a second storage management application interface to communicate the storage management operation to the second storage management application;

receiving results from the second storage management application when the second storage management application processes the storage management operation on the storage resource, wherein the results are received by the first storage management application and the first storage management application uses the results to generate or adjust the mappings of the storage environment that are altered by the results; and

communicating the generated or adjusted mappings to the host through the host interface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein in receiving the request, the storage management operation is a frozen image operation.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein in receiving the request, the storage resource is a virtual storage resource.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein in receiving the request, the storage environment includes a storage area network (SAN) environment.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein in determining, the second storage management application is a Volume Manager (VM) application.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein in receiving the results, the results are received in one or more data structures accessible to the first management application.

12. A storage management bridging system, comprising:

a host;

a first storage management application that communicates with the host;

a second storage management application that communicates with a storage resource interface associated with a storage resource;

a plugin application used by the first storage management application to access the second storage management application on behalf of the host, wherein the plugin application permits the first storage management application to cause the second storage management application to access the storage resource interface to perform a storage management operation requested by the host; and

a database, wherein the database houses results obtained by the second storage management application associated with performing the storage management operation, and wherein the database is accessible to the first storage management application to acquire the results.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the results are used by the first storage management application to generate or update mappings associated with a storage environment of the host.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first storage management application performs an analysis of a storage environment associated with the host when receiving the storage management operation requested by the host before accessing the plugin application.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the plugin application is associated with at least one of a storage resource properties retrieval application, an obtain frozen image technique application, an establish operation, and a split operation.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the first storage management application accesses the plugin application when the storage resource is associated with a storage array.

17. A method to bridge storage management applications, comprising:

receiving a request from a host interface to perform a storage management operation on a storage resource, wherein the host interface is used by the host to communicate with a first storage management application;

producing a mapping of a storage environment housing the storage resource, wherein the mapping is produced by the first storage management application;

determining that an interface to perform the storage management operation is controlled by a second storage management application, wherein the second storage management application is a Volume Manager (VM) application;

using a second storage management application interface to communicate the storage management operation to the second storage management application;

receiving results from the second storage management application when the second storage management application processes the storage management operation on the storage resource, wherein the results are received by the first storage management application and the first storage management application uses the results to generate or adjust the mappings of the storage environment that are altered by the results.

18. A storage management bridging system, comprising:

a host;

a first storage management application that communicates with the host;

a second storage management application that communicates with a storage resource interface associated with a storage resource; and

a plugin application used by the first storage management application to access the second storage management application on behalf of the host, wherein the plugin application permits the first storage management application to cause the second storage management application to access the storage resource interface to perform a storage management operation requested by the host;

wherein the first storage management application performs an analysis of a storage environment associated with the host when receiving the storage management operation requested by the host before accessing the plugin application.

19. A storage management bridging system, comprising:

a host;

a first storage management application that communicates with the host;

a second storage management application that communicates with a storage resource interface associated with a storage resource; and

a plugin application used by the first storage management application to access the second storage management application on behalf of the host, wherein the plugin application permits the first storage management application to cause the second storage management application to access the storage resource interface to perform a storage management operation requested by the host, and wherein the plugin application is associated with at least one of a storage resource properties retrieval application, an obtain frozen image technique application, an establish operation, and a split operation.

20. A storage management bridging system, comprising:

a host;

a first storage management application that communicates with the host;

a second storage management application that communicates with a storage resource interface associated with a storage resource; and

a plugin application used by the first storage management application to access the second storage management application on behalf of the host, wherein the plugin application permits the first storage management application to cause the second storage management application to access the storage resource interface to perform a storage management operation requested by the host;

wherein the first storage management application accesses the plugin application when the storage resource is associated with a storage array.