Method and apparatus for controlling communications in data storage complexes

• US 6,920,511 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2001
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sicola, Stephen J., Roberts, Bruce, Pagano, Bill, Sardeson, Bruce, Spicher, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Auve, Glenn A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, NIMESH G
• Application Number:
  US10/086,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20030079074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 710/100, 710/305, 711/112, 711/114, 361/685, 361/724
• US Class Current: 710/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems

Abstract

A controller for positioning on a shelf of a cabinet within a mass storage system for controlling communication among device enclosures in a reporting group. The controller includes an interface to a data communication loop linking device enclosures each including disk drives positioned on one or more cabinets. The interface is used to transmit control commands. A cabinet bus interface controller is provided and linked to a cabinet bus in the cabinet to receive enclosure reporting messages from the device enclosures to collect environment information. The cabinet bus interface transmits reporting messages onto the cabinet bus to provide environmental information. The interface controller determines the shelf location of the controller within the cabinet from signals on the cabinet bus and receives the cabinet identifier over the cabinet bus. A processor is linked to the interface controller and functions to create and issue the control commands to the loop interface.

Claims

1. A first controller for positioning on a shelf of a data storage cabinet in a mass storage system having a plurality of reporting groups, comprising:

an interface to a data communication loop for a reporting group, said loop linked to device enclosures each including a plurality of data devices and an enclosure processor, wherein the interface is adapted for transmitting control commands onto the data communication loop;

a cabinet bus interface controller linked to a cabinet bus in the data storage cabinet and adapted to receive enclosure reporting messages from the device enclosures including environmental information for the device enclosures and to transmit a subenclosure message including environmental information for the first controller; and

a processor for creating the control commands and the subenclosure message, wherein the control commands are addressed to one of the device enclosures designated as a primary reporting device designated by the processor.

2. The first controller of claim 1, wherein the processor functions to change the primary reporting device designation to a different one of the device enclosures.

3. The first controller of claim 1, wherein at least one of the device enclosures is positioned in a data storage cabinet differing from the data storage cabinet housing the first controller and wherein the two data storage cabinets are communicatively-linked with a cabinet communication network, the different data storage cabinet including a cabinet bus linked to the cabinet communication network to provide a communication path for the enclosure reporting messages from at least one of the device enclosures.

4. The first controller of claim 1, wherein the cabinet bus interface controller is configured to receive cabinet identification and shelf identification signals from the cabinet bus and to determine a shelf identifier from the shelf identification signals and wherein the subenclosure messages include the shelf identifier and the cabinet identification.

5. The first controller of claim 1, wherein the enclosure reporting messages comprise SCSI-3 Enclosure (SES) data.

6. The first controller of claim 1, wherein the cabinet bus interface controller emulates a memory image to the processor including read only memory, non-volatile read and write memory, and read and write memory.

7. The first controller of claim 6, wherein the read only memory includes a shelf identifier field for storing a shelf identifier for the first controller and a cabinet number field for storing a cabinet identifier for the data storage cabinet.

8. The first controller of claim 6, wherein the cabinet bus interface controller transmits interrupt signals to the processor based on changes to the memory image.

9. A method of controlling communications in a data storage complex containing a plurality of reporting groups, comprising:

providing a controller including a processor for creating and transmitting control commands and a cabinet bus interface controller for providing an interface between the processor and other devices in one of the plurality of reporting groups within the storage complex, said cabinet bus interface controller including a data structure for storing a reporting group assignment for the controller; and

communicatively linking the controller to a plurality of enclosures with a data communication loop and with a cabinet bus, wherein the control commands are transmitted over the data communication loop and wherein environmental status messages are received by the controller over the cabinet bus, wherein the cabinet bus interface controller is configured to determine whether the environmental status messages on the cabinet bus originate from one of the enclosures assigned to said one of the plurality of reporting groups.

10. The method of claim 9, further including determining with the cabinet bus interface controller from signals on the cabinet bus a shelf position of the controller within a cabinet in the data storage complex.

11. The method of claim 9, further including determining ones of the enclosures participating in the said one of the plurality of reporting groups.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the enclosures includes a plurality of devices linked to the data communication loop and further including bypassing malfunctioning ones of the devices on the data communication loop.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the bypassing is performed on a targeted one of the enclosures within a targeted cabinet in the data storage complex.

14. A system for data communication management comprising:

a plurality of devices stored within a data storage cabinet, said devices grouped into a plurality of reporting groups;

a data communication loop for transmitting control commands to and receiving control information from said plurality of devices within each reporting group;

a host for controlling said devices via said data communication loop in response to said control information received from said devices; and

a controller having a cabinet bus interface controller linked to a cabinet bus in the data storage cabinet and adapted to receive enclosure reporting messages from the plurality of devices and a processor that functions to designate the primary reporting device, wherein the controller is coupled to said host and said data communication loop, wherein said controller controls said devices in response to commands received from said GUI host, said commands addressed to one of the plurality of devices designated as a primary reporting device.

15. The system as set forth in claim 14, wherein the enclosure reporting messages comprise SCSI-3 Enclosure (SES) data.

16. The system as set forth in claim 14, wherein the cabinet bus interface controller emulates a memory image to the processor including read only memory, non-volatile read and write memory, and read and write memory.

17. The system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the read only memory includes a shelf identifier field for storing a shelf identifier for the controller and a cabinet number field for storing a cabinet identifier for the data storage cabinet.

18. The system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the cabinet bus interface controller transmits interrupt signals to the processor based on changes to the memory image.

19. A first controller for positioning on a shelf of a data storage cabinet in a mass storage system, comprising:

an interface to a data communication loop linked to device enclosures each including a plurality of data devices and an enclosure processor, wherein the interface is adapted for transmitting control commands onto the data communication loop addressed to one of the device enclosures that is designated as a primary reporting device;

a cabinet bus interface controller linked to a cabinet bus in the data storage cabinet and adapted to receive enclosure reporting messages from the device enclosures including environmental information for the device enclosures and to transmit a subenclosure message including environmental information for the first controller; and

a processor for creating the control commands and the subenclosure message, wherein the processor designates the primary reporting device.

20. The first controller of claim 19, wherein the processor functions to change the primary reporting device designation to a different one of the device enclosures.

21. The first controller of claim 19, wherein at least one of the device enclosures is positioned in a data storage cabinet differing from the data storage cabinet housing the first controller and wherein the two data storage cabinets are communicatively-linked with a cabinet communication network, the different data storage cabinet including a cabinet bus linked to the cabinet communication network to provide a communication path for the enclosure reporting message from at least one of the device enclosures.

22. The first controller of claim 19, wherein the cabinet bus interface controller is configured to receive cabinet identification and shelf identification signals from the cabinet bus and to determine a shelf identifier from the shelf identification signals and wherein the subenclosure message includes the shelf identifier and the cabinet identification.

23. The first controller of claim 19, wherein the enclosure reporting messages comprise SCSI-3 Enclosure (SES) data.

24. A The first controller of claim 19, wherein the cabinet bus interface controller emulates a memory image to the processor including read only memory, non-volatile read and write memory, and read and write memory.

25. The first controller of claim 24, wherein the read only memory includes a shelf identifier field for storing a shelf identifier for the controller and a cabinet number field for storing a cabinet identifier for the data storage cabinet.

26. The first controller of claim 24, wherein the cabinet bus interface controller transmits interrupt signals to the processor based on changes to the memory image.

27. A method of controlling communications in a data storage complex, comprising:

providing a first controller including a processor for creating and transmitting control commands and a cabinet bus interface controller for providing an interface between the processor and other devices in the data storage complex; and

communicatively linking the controller to a plurality of enclosures with a data communication loop and with a cabinet bus,

wherein the control commands are transmitted over the data communication loop and wherein environmental status messages are received by the controller over the cabinet bus, and wherein the CBI controller includes a data structure for storing a reporting group assignment defining a reporting group for the first controller and wherein the CBI controller is configured to determine whether the environmental status messages on the cabinet bus originate from one of the enclosures assigned to the reporting group.

28. The method of claim 27, further including determining with the CBI controller a shelf position of the first controller within a cabinet in the data storage complex from signals on the cabinet bus.

29. The method of claim 27, further including determining which enclosures of the plurality of enclosures participate in the reporting group.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein each of the enclosures includes a plurality of devices linked to the data communication loop and the method further includes bypassing devices that are malfunctioning on the data communication loop.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the bypassing is performed on a targeted one of the enclosures within a targeted cabinet in the data storage complex.