Storage area network management system, method, and computer-readable medium
First Claim
1. A storage area network (SAN) management system comprising:
- host computers, each comprising a storage area network management mechanism;
storage devices, each comprising a storage management mechanism;
switches coupled to the host computers and to the storage devices, said switches interconnecting the host computers and the storage devices, each of the switches comprising a region-setting mechanism; and
an integrated management mechanism to manage the SAN according to a process comprising;
obtaining access route information of the host computers and the storage devices;
setting up a storage affinity for each host, a switch zoning affinity for each switch, and a host affinity for each storage device, as a SAN configuration setting information based on said obtained access route information;
transmitting access management information to the storage devices and to the storage area network management mechanisms of the host computers, based upon the set storage affinity for a host computer;
transmitting region information to the region-setting mechanisms of the switches, based upon the set switch zoning affinity; and
transmitting access limit information concerning the host computers to the storage management mechanisms of the storage devices, based upon the set host affinity for a storage device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An integrated management mechanism of a storage area network (SAN) integrates and manages a traditionally dispersed security system from a single source and automates security management in the SAN. The integrated management mechanism integrates and manages the SAN, and is configured so that access relationships of the host computers and the storage devices of the SAN are managed using the integrated management mechanism. An access path on the integrated management mechanism, including a region of the storage devices to which access is attempted from the host computer, the fiber channel adapters used when accessing that storage, and the host bus adapters (HBA) are configured. Based on the access path information configured, the integrated management mechanism establishes respective storage settings, zoning settings, and accessible region permissions for a SAN management mechanism of the host computer, a zoning settings mechanism of the switch, and a storage management mechanism of the storage device.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A storage area network (SAN) management system comprising:
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host computers, each comprising a storage area network management mechanism; storage devices, each comprising a storage management mechanism; switches coupled to the host computers and to the storage devices, said switches interconnecting the host computers and the storage devices, each of the switches comprising a region-setting mechanism; and an integrated management mechanism to manage the SAN according to a process comprising; obtaining access route information of the host computers and the storage devices; setting up a storage affinity for each host, a switch zoning affinity for each switch, and a host affinity for each storage device, as a SAN configuration setting information based on said obtained access route information; transmitting access management information to the storage devices and to the storage area network management mechanisms of the host computers, based upon the set storage affinity for a host computer; transmitting region information to the region-setting mechanisms of the switches, based upon the set switch zoning affinity; and transmitting access limit information concerning the host computers to the storage management mechanisms of the storage devices, based upon the set host affinity for a storage device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. Host computers in a storage area network system (SAN) including storage devices and switches interconnecting the storage devices and the host computers, each host computer comprising:
an integrated management mechanism to integrate and manage the SAN according to a process comprising; obtaining access route information of the host computers and the storage devices; setting up a storage affinity for each host, a switch zoning affinity for each switch, and a host affinity for each storage device, as a SAN configuration setting information based on said obtained access route information; transmitting access management information to the storage devices and to storage area network management mechanisms of the host computers, based upon the set storage affinity for a host computer; transmitting region information to region-setting mechanisms of the switches, based upon the set switch zoning affinity; and transmitting access limit information concerning the host computers to storage management mechanisms of the storage devices, based upon the set host affinity for a storage device.
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5. A switch in a storage area network system (SAN) including storage devices, host computers, and an integrated management mechanism integrating and managing the SAN, said switch comprising:
a region-setting mechanism carrying out storage device region access path settings, according to a process comprising; receiving storage device region access path information, from the integrated management mechanism, and setting access path information to a storage device region, based on the storage device region access path settings received from the integrated management mechanism, wherein said switch communicatively interconnects the storage devices and the host computers according to the setting of the access path information according to the integrated management mechanism.
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6. A storage device in a storage area network system (SAN) including host computers and switches that interconnect the host computers and the storage device, and an integrated management mechanism integrating and managing the storage area network system, said storage device comprising:
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a storage management mechanism to establish conditions of access restrictions for the storage device according to a process comprising; receiving storage device access restriction information, from the integrated management mechanism, and establishing an access restriction condition to the storage device based on the storage device access restriction information transmitted by the integrated management mechanism.
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7. An apparatus provided in a storage area network (SAN) including storage devices including storage management mechanisms, host computers including storage area network management mechanisms, and switches having a region setting mechanism and interconnecting the storage devices and the host computers, said apparatus comprising:
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an integrated management mechanism to integrate and manage the SAN according to a process comprising; obtaining access route information of the host computers and the storage devices; setting up a storage affinity for each host, a switch zoning affinity for each switch, and a host affinity for each storage device, as a SAN configuration setting information based on said obtained access route information; transmitting access management information to the storage devices and to the storage area network management mechanisms of the host computers, based upon the set storage affinity for a host computer; transmitting region information to the switch region-setting mechanism of the switches based upon the set switch zoning affinity, and transmitting access restriction information concerning the host computers to the storage management mechanisms of the storage devices, based upon the set host affinity for a storage device, wherein the integrated management mechanism transmits any combination of the one or more of the access management, region information, or access limit information.
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8. A computer-readable medium including a program which program, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute the processes comprising:
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integrating, managing, and controlling access relationships in a storage area network (SAN) including host computers and storage devices connected by switches, each switch having a region setting mechanism, through fiber channels, said processes further comprising; obtaining access route information of the host computers and the storage devices; setting up a storage affinity for each host, a switch zoning affinity for each switch, and a host affinity for each storage device, as a SAN configuration setting information based on said obtained access route information, transmitting access management information to the storage devices and storage area network management mechanisms of the host computers based upon the set storage affinity for a host computer, transmitting region information to the region setting mechanisms of the switches, based upon the set switch zoning affinity, and transmitting access restriction information about the host computers to storage management mechanisms of the storage devices based upon the set host affinity for a storage device.
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9. A storage area network (SAN) system comprising:
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computers as hosts comprising a storage area network management mechanism; storage devices, each comprising a storage management mechanism; switches interconnecting the computers and the storage devices, each of the switches comprising a region-setting mechanism; and an integrated management device to integrated and manage said according to a process comprising; obtaining access path information of the host computers and the storage devices, setting up a storage affinity for each host, a switch zoning affinity for each switch, and a host affinity for each storage device, as a SAN configuration setting information based on said obtained access path information, transmitting access management information to the storage area network management mechanism of the host computers and to the storage devices, based upon the set storage affinity for a host computer, transmitting region information to the region setting mechanisms of the switches, based upon the set switch zoning affinity, transmitting access restriction information about the host computers to the storage management mechanisms of the storage devices, based upon the set host affinity for a storage device, detecting whether fiber channel adapters mounted on the storage devices and the host computers, the host bus adapters mounted on the host computers, or the switches in said storage area network management system are replaced, obtaining settings information following the replacement from the storage area network management mechanism of the host computers, the switch region-setting mechanism or the storage device storage management mechanism, and reconfiguring the access paths to be equivalent to the access paths to the replacement. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A storage area network (SAN) system comprising:
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host computers, each comprising a storage area network management mechanism; storage devices, each comprising a storage management mechanism; switches, each having a region setting mechanism, interconnecting the host computers and the storage devices; and an integrated management mechanism to integrate and control the SAN according to a process comprising; obtaining access path information of the host computers and the storage devices, setting up a storage affinity for each host, a switch zoning affinity for each switch, and a host affinity for each storage device, as a SAN configuration setting information based on said obtained access path information, transmitting access management information to the storage devices and to the storage area network management mechanism of the host computers, based upon the set storage affinity for a host computer, transmitting region information to the region-setting mechanisms of the switches, based upon the set switch zoning affinity, transmitting access restriction information concerning the host computers to the storage management mechanisms of the storage devices, based upon the set host affinity for a storage device, wherein when the SAN is started up and the access path information has not been set up, the integrated management mechanism first sets up the region-setting mechanisms of the switches so that no access is permitted and, after that, the integrated management mechanism sets up regions on the regions setting mechanisms of the switches.
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16. A storage area network (SAN) system comprising:
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host computers, each comprising a storage area network management mechanism; storage devices, each comprising a storage management mechanism; switches, each having a region setting mechanism, interconnecting the host computers and the storage devices; and an integrated management mechanism to integrate and control the according to a process comprising; obtaining access path information of the host computers and the storage devices, setting up a storage affinity for each host, a switch zoning affinity for each switch, and a host affinity for each storage device, as a SAN configuration setting information based on said obtained access path information, transmitting access management information to the storage devices and to the storage area network management mechanisms of the host computers, based upon the set storage affinity for a host computer, transmitting region information to the region-setting mechanisms of the switches, based upon the set switch zoning affinity, transmitting access restriction information concerning the host computers to the storage management mechanisms of the storage devices, establishing specified fiber channel transfer classes using the storage area network management mechanism of the host computers whose access information has been set up, and the storage management mechanism of the storage devices, such that host bus adapters of the host computers and the fiber channel adapters of the storage devices operate using same transfer class.
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17. A storage area network (SAN) system comprising:
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host computers, each comprising a storage area network management mechanism; storage devices, each comprising a storage management mechanism; switches, each having a region setting mechanism, interconnecting the host computers and the storage devices; and an integrated management mechanism to integrate and control the SAN according to a process comprising; obtaining access path information of the host computers and the storage devices, setting up a storage affinity for each host, a switch zoning affinity for each switch, and a host affinity for each storage device, as a SAN configuration setting information based on said obtained access path information, transmitting access management information to the storage devices and to the storage area network management mechanisms of the host computers, based upon the set storage affinity for a host computer, transmitting region information to the region-setting mechanisms of the switches, based upon the set switch zoning affinity, and transmitting access restriction information concerning the above host computers to the storage management mechanisms of the storage devices, based upon the set host affinity for a storage device, wherein when a problem occurs in the SAN, the integrated management mechanism receives problem information and, for a specified period of time, waits to see if there are other problem reports by checking problem reports received during the specified period and investigating relationship between the received problem reports and the problem report received first, and if the integrated management mechanism determines that the received problem reports and the problem report first received are related, the integrated management mechanism transmits a single report concerning one affected area according to a problem report method definition set up in advance in the integrated management mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method of integrating and controlling a storage area network (SAN) system, comprising:
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providing an integrated, manager to manage access relationships, which comprises access management information, region information, or access limit information, between host computers of the SAN and storage devices of the SAN, wherein a switch connects the host computers and the storage devices; obtaining by the integrated manager access route information of the host computers and the storage devices; setting, by the integrated manager, a storage affinity for each host, a switch zoning affinity for each switch, and a host affinity for each storage device, as a SAN configuration setting information based on said obtained access route information; transmitting, by the integrated manager, the access management information to the storage devices and to the host computers, based upon the set storage affinity for a host computer; transmitting, by the integrated manager, the region information to the switches, based upon the set switch zoning affinity; and transmitting, by the integrated manager, the access limit information concerning the host computers to the storage devices, based upon the set host affinity for a storage device. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification