Virtual host controller interface with multipath input/output

• US 6,904,477 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2002
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Danielson, John H., Seshadri, Chitrank, Padmanabhan, Seetharaman
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, HAROLD J
• Application Number:
  US10/473,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20040107300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 719/321, 710/74, 709/1, 711/6, 711/100, 711/114, 714/5, 714/8, 714/100
• US Class Current: 710/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2005 using redundant communication controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• 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: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level

Abstract

A processor-based system (200) with a multipath I/O architecture, including a virtual host controller interface (vHCI) layer (280) between a common architecture layer (270) and a physical host controller interface layer (290), which may include convential host bus adapters (HBAs) coupled to target decives such as storage devices (240, 250) in a storage area network (SAN). Target drivers send I/O requests to a common architecture layer, which forwards them to the vHCI layer (280), which then sends them to HBAs for sending to the target devices (240, 250). A multipathing driver interface (MPXIO) layer (310) resides beneath the vHCI layer (280), and determines target device path information for the vHCI layer (280). Positioning the MPXIO layer (310) beneath the vHCI layer avoids the need for multipathing target drivers (360) above the common architecture layer. A failover operations module may be provided for each type of target device to provide the vHCI layer (280) with failover protocol information in the event of a failed path.

Claims

1. A multipathing subsystem in a computer system having a system interface layer and at least one physical host controller interface (pHCI) in a pHCI layer, including:

a virtual host controller interface (vHCI) coupled to and interacting with the system interface layer;

a multipath I/O module maintaining path information for the at least one pHCI and for informing the vHCI of the at least one pHCI, wherein the vHCI layer interacts with the multipath I/O module to determine the pHCI to use for a received target driver command packet, and wherein the vHCI is configured to transport received target driver command packets to the determined pHCI.

2. The subsystem of claim 1, where the system includes multiple pHCIs, which provide a physical transport mechanism to transport command packets to target devices.

3. The system of claim 1, further including a plurality of target driver modules configured to communicate with a plurality of physical interfaces, wherein at least a first target driver module is coupled to a first physical interface through the virtual host controller interface, and at least a second target driver module is coupled directly to a second physical interface.

4. The system of claim 1, further including at least one failover operations module configured to provide a failover protocol relating to a first target device to the virtual host controller interface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the failover operations module is configured to compile with the virtual host controller interface.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the failover operations module is configured to compile separately from the virtual host controller interface.

7. The system of claim 6, configured to receive a second failover operations module without recompiling the virtual host controller interface.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the virtual host controller interfaces with physical interfaces for different types of devices to perform the operations of determining information relating to the plurality of paths, determining the plurality of physical interfaces, and determining the physical interface to use for the different types of devices, and wherein the virtual host controller I/O receives packets from the target driver module for different types of devices.

9. A processor-based system, including:

a processor configured to generate input/output (I/O) requests;

at least one target device capable of receiving the generated I/O requests;

at least one physical interface configured to couple to the device;

at least a first and second paths each providing communication to one target device through one physical interface;

a memory in communication with the processor and configured to store program instructions;

at least one target driver module stored in the memory and configured to generate instructions specific to the at least one target device;

a virtual host controller interface stored in the memory and in communication with the target driver module;

a multipath driver module stored in the memory and in communication with the virtual host controller interface; and

wherein the multipath driver module is configured to generate path information relating to paths to each target device and provide the path information to the virtual host controller interface, and wherein the virtual host controller interface is configured to pass I/O requests to a physical interface associated with a selected path to the target device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the multipath driver module is configured to determine each of a plurality of paths to the target device at a predetermined time.

11. The system of claim 10, where the predetermined time is at boot-up of the system.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the predetermined time is at a user-selected time after boot-up of the system.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the virtual host controller interface is further configured, in the event of detection of a failed path, to resend a request to the selected target device by way of another path.

14. The system of claim 13, further including a common architecture layer between the target driver and the virtual host controller interface, the common architecture layer configured to generate instructions adapted for execution by the at least one physical interface.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the common architecture layer is configured to communicate with at least a first target device through the virtual host controller interface and at least

a first physical interface, and is coupled directly to at least a second physical interface to communicate with at least a second target device.

16. A method for multipath input/output communication with at least one target device coupled to a processor based system, comprising:

receiving an I/O packet from a target driver directed to one target device;

interfacing with an I/O module to determine information relating to a plurality of paths and a plurality of physical interfaces, wherein each path defines a connection through one physical interface to one target device;

using the determined information to determine one path to use to access the target device to which the received I/O packet is directed;

forwarding the I/O packet to the physical interface corresponding to the determined path to use, wherein the physical interface transmits the I/O packet to the target device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the physical interfaces are for different types of devices, wherein the operations of determining information relating to the plurality of paths, determining the plurality of physical interfaces, and determining the physical interface to use are performed for the different types of devices, and wherein the received packets from target drivers are directed to different types of devices.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the interface code interfaces with physical interfaces for different types of devices to perform the operations of determining information relating to the plurality of paths, determining the plurality of physical interfaces, and determining the physical interface to use for the different types of devices, and wherein the interface code receives packets from target drivers for different types of devices.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein interfacing with the I/O module to determine information relating to the paths further comprises:

locating a number of target devices coupled to the system; and

determining at least one path to the located devices.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, in the event of a failure of a path to the target device:

selecting an alternative path to the target device; and

reforwarding the I/O packet using the selected alternative path.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the locating and determining steps are carried out at least at a time of boot-up of the system.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the locating and determining steps are carried out at least at a time other than boot-up of the system.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

accessing failover information relating to a first target device;

in the event of a failed path to the target device, using the failover information to access another path to the target device; and

reforwarding the packet through the path accessed using the failover information.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein locating the target device and determining the at least one path to the target device steps are performed at a time other than at boot-up time of the system.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving failover information relating to the target device;

using the failover information to access another path to the target device in response to a failure of one path to the target device; and

reforwarding the packet through the path accessed using the failover information.

26. Interface code implemented in a computer readable medium for multipath input/output (I/O) communication with at least one target device coupled to a processor based system, wherein a target driver is used to interface with and transfer packets to a target device via a physical interface for the device, wherein the interface code is executed to perform:

providing an I/O module;

receiving an I/O packet from the target driver directed to the target device;

interfacing with the I/O module to determine information relating to a plurality of paths, wherein each path defines a connection through one physical interface to one target device; and

using the determined information to determine one path to use to access the target device to which the received I/O packet is directed; and

forwarding the I/O packet to the physical interface corresponding to the determined path, wherein the physical interface transmits the I/O packet to the target device.

27. The interface code of claim 26, wherein determining information relating to the plurality of paths comprises locating a number of target devices coupled to the system, and for each target device, determining at least one path to the target device.

28. The interface code of claim 26, wherein locating the target device and determining the at least one path to the target device steps are performed at a time of a boot-up of the system.

29. The interface code of claim 26, further comprising:

selecting an alternative path to the first target device in response to a failure of one path to the target device; and

reforwarding the I/O packet to the target device using the selected alternative path.