System and method for storing storage operating system data in switch ports
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for storing and distributing data in a network storage system having a plurality of devices interconnected with one or more switches, the method comprising:
- writing, by one of the plurality of devices, a set of data to a memory associated with a port of one of the one or more switches, the memory being readable by all of the plurality of devices;
reading, by one of the plurality of devices, the set of data from the memory;
including in the set of data identification of one or more disks that are offline and inaccessible to any of the plurality of devices; and
including in the set of data a disk identification string, the disk identification string indicating a name of a switch, a port number on the switch, and a disk number.
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Abstract
A system and method of storing data for use by storage operating systems in memories associated with switch ports. The data is written to a switch port memory, which is readable by all devices connected to the switch, and by all devices connected to a switching fabric containing that switch. When a device connected to the switching fabric requires the information, the device retrieves the stored information from the switch-port memory, without the need for any interaction of the device that originally wrote the data.
36 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method for storing and distributing data in a network storage system having a plurality of devices interconnected with one or more switches, the method comprising:
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writing, by one of the plurality of devices, a set of data to a memory associated with a port of one of the one or more switches, the memory being readable by all of the plurality of devices; reading, by one of the plurality of devices, the set of data from the memory; including in the set of data identification of one or more disks that are offline and inaccessible to any of the plurality of devices; and including in the set of data a disk identification string, the disk identification string indicating a name of a switch, a port number on the switch, and a disk number. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A network storage system comprising:
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one or more switches having a plurality of ports, each switch having a memory associated with the port; a plurality of file servers interconnected with the one or more switches; a plurality of disks, each disk of the plurality of disks connected to at least one of the one or more switches; and a fabric management layer configured to include in the set of data identification of one or more disks that are offline and inaccessible to any of the plurality of devices and further configured to include in the set of data a disk identification string for each disk, the disk identification string indicating a name of a switch, a port number on the switch, and a disk number. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer-readable medium, including program instructions executing on a file server, for storing and distributing data in a network storage system, the program instructions performing comprising:
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writing, by one of a plurality of devices, a set of data to a memory associated with a port of a switch, the memory being readable by all of the plurality of devices; reading, by one of the plurality of devices, the set of data from the memory; including in the set of data identification of one or more disks that are offline and inaccessible to any of the plurality of devices; and including in the set of data a disk identification string for each disk, the disk identification string indicating a name of a switch, a port number on the switch, and a disk number.
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17. A method for storing and distributing data in a network storage system having a plurality of devices interconnected with a switch, the method comprising:
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writing, by a first one of the plurality of devices, a set of data into a port memory associated with a port of the switch; including in the set of data a disk identification string, the disk identification string indicating a name of a switch, a port number on the switch, a disk number, and a status of the disk; and reading by a second one of the plurality of devices the set of data from the port memory to determine the status of the disk. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An apparatus for storing and distributing data in a network storage system having a plurality of devices interconnected with a switch, the method comprising:
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means for writing, by a first one of the plurality of devices, a set of data into a port memory associated with a port of the switch; means for including in the set of data a disk identification string, the disk identification string indicating a name of a switch, a port number on the switch, a disk number, and a status of the disk; and means for reading by a second one of the plurality of devices the set of data from the port memory to determine the status of the disk. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A computer readable media, comprising:
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said computer readable media containing instructions for execution on a processor for the practice of a method for operating a plurality of devices interconnected with a switch, comprising; writing, by a first one of the plurality of devices, a set of data into a port memory associated with a port of the switch; and including in the set of data a disk identification string, the disk identification string indicating a name of a switch, a port number on the switch, a disk number, and a status of the disk; and reading by a second one of the plurality of devices the set of data from the port 11 memory to determine the status of the disk.
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Specification