Proposed configuration management behaviors in a raid subsystem

• US 7,143,235 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2003
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Steven S., Schoenthal, Scott, Strange, Stephen H.
• Primary Examiner(s): PORTKA, GARY J
• Application Number:
  US10/394,855
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A technique forecasts the behavior of a RAID subsystem when processing a proposed configuration management request that modifies a topology or attribute configuration, e.g., RAID groups and volume layout, of a storage array managed by the subsystem. In response to the proposed request, the RAID subsystem returns a set of projected result data instead of committing the request to the storage array configuration. An operator issues the proposed request in accordance with a novel view-only mode of a configuration management command. The view-only mode is manifested as an “-n” option that instructs a configuration thread of the RAID subsystem to return pre-committed results without actually committing the modification.

Claims

1. A method for forecasting a behavior of a storage subsystem when processing a proposed configuration management request that modifies a topology or attribute configuration of a storage array coupled to a storage system, the method comprising the steps of:

issuing a configuration management command to add one or more disks to the storage array in a view-only mode, the configuration management command entered through a user interface of a storage operating system executing on the storage system; and

returning a set of projected result data instead of committing the command to modify the storage array configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of, in response to the step of issuing, instructing the storage subsystem to return the set of projected data without committing the modification to the storage array configuration.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of returning comprises the step of returning the result data as a proposed configuration response on a command line that can be reissued upon confirmation of the response.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of viewing the result data for acceptance and likelihood of committing the proposed configuration response to the storage array configuration.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

making changes to the result data; and

reissuing a new configuration management command.

6. A system adapted to forecast a behavior of a storage subsystem when processing a proposed configuration management request that modifies a topology or attribute configuration of a storage array coupled to a storage system, the system comprising:

a user interface having a configuration client configured to enter a configuration management command to add one or more disks to the storage array including a plurality of disks with a view-only mode to create a proposed configuration; and

a configuration thread configured to perform the proposed configuration and return results of the proposed configuration to the configuration client without committing the results.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the view-only mode manifests as a command that instructs the configuration thread to return pre-committed results without committing those results.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein one of the plurality of configuration management commands is a vol create command that creates a configuration tree comprising a plurality of objects arranged by the storage subsystem into levels that cooperate to organize one or more disks of the storage array into a volume of the storage array.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein another of the plurality of configuration management commands is a vol add command used to add disks to the volume.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein another of the plurality of configuration management commands is a vol mirror command that creates a plex object of the configuration tree, the vol mirror command denoting that the volume is an unmirrored volume and that the plex object creates a mirrored volume from the unmirrored volume.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the storage subsystem is a RAID subsystem.

12. The system of claim 6 wherein the storage subsystem is a RAID subsystem.

13. A method for forecasting a behavior of a RAID subsystem when processing a proposed configuration management request that modifies a topology or attribute configuration of a storage array coupled to a storage system, the method comprising the steps of:

issuing a configuration management command to add one or more disks to the storage array with a pre-commit command to a storage operating system executing on the storage system;

converting the configuration management command to a proposed configuration management operation for the storage array;

performing the proposed configuration management operation without committing the operation to the storage array configuration; and

returning a proposed configuration response to the configuration client, the response indicating proposed results of the issued command.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the response is acceptable;

if so, determining whether a user wants to increase a likelihood of committing the proposed results;

if not, reissuing the configuration management command without the pre-commit command to the storage operating system;

converting the configuration management command to a configuration management operation;

processing the configuration management operation; and

committing the result to the storage array configuration.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the response is acceptable;

if so, determining whether a user wants to increase a likelihood of committing the proposed results;

if so, reissuing the configuration management command with a disk select option to the storage operating system, the disk select option specifying the proposed results included in the response;

converting the configuration management command to a configuration management operation;

processing the configuration management operation; and

committing the result to the storage array configuration.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the response is acceptable;

if not, reissuing the configuration management command with a disk select option to the storage operating system, the disk select option specifying details of the configuration management command;

converting the configuration management command to a configuration management operation;

processing the configuration management operation; and

committing the result to the storage array configuration.

17. Apparatus for forecasting a behavior of a RAID subsystem when processing a proposed configuration management request that modifies a topology or attribute configuration of a storage array coupled to a storage system, the apparatus comprising:

means for issuing a configuration management command to add one or more disks to the storage array in a view-only mode, the configuration management command entered through a user interface of a storage operating system executing on the storage system; and

means for returning a set of projected result data instead of committing the command to modify the storage array configuration.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising means for instructing the RAID subsystem to return the set of projected data without committing the modification to the storage array configuration.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising means for viewing the result data for acceptance and likelihood of committing the proposed configuration response to the storage array configuration.

20. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions for forecasting a behavior of a RAID subsystem when processing a proposed configuration management request that modifies a topology or attribute configuration of a storage array coupled to a storage system, the executable instructions comprising one or more program instructions for:

issuing a configuration management command to add one or more disks to the storage array in a view-only mode, the configuration management command entered through a user interface of a storage operating system executing on the storage system; and

returning a set of projected result data instead of committing the command to modify the storage array configuration.

21. The computer readable medium method of claim 20 further comprising one or more program instructions for instructing the RAID subsystem to return the set of projected data without committing the modification to the storage array configuration.

22. A method for forecasting a behavior of a storage subsystem when processing a proposed configuration management request, the method comprising the steps of:

issuing a configuration management command for an array of a plurality of disks, the command to add disks to the proposed configuration; and

returning a set of projected result data and not committing the command to add the disks.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising the steps of:

making changes to the set of projected result data; and

reissuing a new configuration management command.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of:

observing the set of projected results in a view-only mode.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of:

issuing a vol create command that creates a configuration tree comprising a plurality of objects arranged by the storage subsystem into levels that cooperate to organize one or more disks of the storage array into a volume of the storage array.

26. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

issuing a vol add command used to add disks to the volume.

27. The method claim 22 further comprising:

issuing a vol mirror command that creates a plex object of the configuration tree, the vol mirror command denoting that the volume is an unmirrored volume and that the plex object creates a mirrored volume from the unmirrored volume.

28. A method for previewing a volume configuration of a storage subsystem, the method comprising the steps of:

proposing the volume configuration for the storage subsystem;

adding a plurality of disks to the proposed volume configuration; and

reviewing the proposed volume configuration before committing the volume configuration to the storage subsystem.

29. An apparatus for previewing a volume configuration of a storage system, comprising:

means for proposing the volume configuration for the storage subsystem;

means for adding a plurality of disks to the proposed volume configuration; and

means for reviewing the proposed volume configuration before committing the volume configuration to the storage subsystem.

30. A system for previewing a proposed volume configuration of a storage system, comprising:

a user interface configured to enter a configuration management command to add a volume to the storage system; and

an operating system configured to add a plurality of disks to the proposed volume configuration in a view-only mode.

31. A computer readable media

containing instructions for execution on a processor for the practice of the method of previewing a volume configuration of a storage subsystem, comprising:

proposing the volume configuration for the storage subsystem;

adding a plurality of disks to the proposed volume configuration; and

reviewing the proposed volume configuration before committing the volume configuration to the storage subsystem.