Method and system for creating and managing common and custom storage devices in a computer network

• US 6,883,093 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McBrearty, Gerald F., Shieh, Johnny M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Komol, Vajirachai
• Application Number:
  US09/726,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 707/201, 707/203
• US Class Current: 713/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• 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: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A method and system for creating and managing a plurality of storage devices in a computer network. The present invention creates a common root storage device, which stores files that are shared among several computers in the network, and a custom root storage device, which store files specific to a single computer. The method of the present invention includes creating common and custom root storage devices within the network, recognizing these devices during startup (boot) of a network computer and updating the common root storage devices as needed. In a preferred embodiment, multiple common root storage devices are used so that an alternate common root storage device may be updated while the primary common root storage device is in use. The present invention also includes a system for creating and managing storage devices on computers within the computer network using the aforementioned methods.

Claims

1. A method for creating and managing storage devices in a computer network having a plurality of computers, comprising creating a common storage device having a primary common root storage device and an alternate common root storage device and a custom storage device, wherein the, common storage device stores files that are used by the plurality of computers and the custom storage device stores files specific to an individual one of the plurality of computers and further comprising updating the alternate common root storage device, causing each of the plurality of computers to use the undated alternate common root storage device upon reboot, determining that each of the plurality of computers are using the updated alternate common root storage device, updating the primary common root storage device and causing all of the plurality of computers to use the undated primary common root storage device upon reboot.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the common storage device and the custom storage device are part of a storage area network.

3. A method for creating and managing a common storage device having a primary common root storage device and an alternate common root storage device and a custom storage device within a computer network, the computer network having a plurality of computers, the method comprising:

performing an install sequence to create the common storage device and the custom storage device on the computer network;

updating the common storage device using an update sequence when it is determined that the common storage device needs updating;

performing a boot sequence when it is determined that the one of the plurality of computers in the computer network has been rebooted;

updating the alternate common root storage device and causing each of the plurality of computers to use the updated alternate common root storage device upon reboot;

determining that each of the plurality of computers are using the updated alternate common root storage device; and

updating the primary common root storage device and causing all of the plurality of computers to use the updated primary common root storage device upon reboot.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein performing the install sequence comprises allowing an administrator to choose and create the common storage device and the custom storage device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein performing the install sequence comprises creating on the custom storage device a volume group having logical volumes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein default file systems are created and mounted.

7. The method of claim 3, performing the install sequence comprises populating a file system from the common storage device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the common storage device contains files necessary to at least initially populate the custom storage device.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein performing a boot sequence comprises locating the boot code on the custom root storage device and then activating the custom root storage device.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein performing a boot sequence comprises activating at least one of the common root storage devices.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining that activation of the primary common root storage device was not successful and activating the alternate common root storage device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining that the primary common root storage device is marked for updating and activating instead the alternate common root storage device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining whether a level of the activated common root storage device level matches a level of the custom root storage device and, if not, then updating the operating system files on the custom root storage device based on the common root storage device level.

14. A storage device management system for creating and managing common root storage devices having primary common root storage devices and alternate common root storage devices and custom root storage devices in a computer network containing a plurality of computers, the storage device management system comprising:

a storage area network in communication with the plurality of computers, the storage area network comprising;

common root storage devices containing files common to each of the plurality of computers, wherein each of the plurality of computers use updated information from the alternate common root storage devices upon reboot and wherein all of the plurality of computers use undated primary common root storage devices upon reboot when it is determined that each of the plurality of computers are using the updated alternate common root storage devices; and

custom root storage devices for each of the plurality of computers,

each of the plurality of computers having a corresponding custom root storage device that contains files specific to the corresponding one of the plurality of computers.

15. The storage device management system of claim 14, wherein the common root storage devices include a primary common root storage device and an alternate common root storage device.