System and method for managing storage networks and for managing scalability of volumes in such a network

• US 7,225,317 B1
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Jeffrey A., VanTine, Lee W., Wentworth, James A. III, McCann, Peter J., Glade, Bradford B., Caritj, Walter M., Oliveira, Fernando, Harvey, David, Waxman, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Peugh; Brian R.
• Application Number:
  US10/810,971
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 711/206, 711/152, 711/154
• US Class Current: 711/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1012 Load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• 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 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/54 Store-and-forward switching systems packet switching systems H04L45/00, H04L47/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0695 the faulty arrangement being the maintenance, administration or management system

Abstract

This invention is a system and method for managing one or more data storage networks using a new architecture. A method for handling logical to physical mapping is included in one embodiment with the new architecture. A method for handling errors is included in another embodiment with the new architecture.

Claims

1. A method for managing use of memory in a system of one or more storage area networks including an intelligent multi-protocol switch (IMPS) combined with a storage and switch controller including at least one microprocessor and a disk array for storing meta-data related to the plurality of data storage volumes such that the one or more data storage networks are managed by the storage and switch controller using the meta-data and by controlling the IMPS, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

using memory in the storage and switch controller to supplement the memory of the IMPS by storing in the IMPS a subset of a full set of extent maps for data volumes handled by the IMPS, and storing protection maps in the memory of the storage and switch controller that mark edges of unmapped regions of the data volumes then selectively loading more than the subset of extent maps in the IMPS in response to host access to the data volumes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if host I/O access to a marked region is noted as being sequential then additional extent maps that complement the subset of the full set of extent maps are loaded to the IMPS by the storage and switch controller.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein host I/O access requests related to data volumes for which no extent maps are loaded are handled by loading the map from the storage and switch controller to the IMPS.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the storage and switch controller uses host I/O access data collected from the IMPS to determine which data to replace in its memory.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein if stored extent maps have become fragmented a process is triggered to reduce the fragmentation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein host I/O access requests related to data volumes for which no extent maps are loaded are handled by loading the map from the storage and switch controller to the IMPS.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage and switch controller uses host I/O access data collected from the IMPS to determine which data to replace in its memory.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein if stored extent maps have become fragmented a process is triggered to reduce the fragmentation.

9. A system for managing use of memory in a storage area network management system, the system comprising an intelligent multi-protocol switch (IMPS) combined with a storage and switch controller including at least one microprocessor and a disk array for storing meta-data related to the plurality of data storage volumes such that the one or more data storage networks are managed by the storage and switch controller using the meta-data and by controlling the IMPS, wherein the system is configured for managing use of the memory by using memory in the storage and switch controller to supplement the memory of the IMPS by storing in the IMPS a subset of a full set of extent maps for data volumes handled by the IMPS, and storing protection maps in the memory of the storage and switch controller that mark edges of unmapped regions of the data volumes then selectively loading more than the subset of extent maps in the IMPS in response to host access to the data volumes.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein if host I/O access to a marked region is noted as being sequential then additional extent maps that complement the subset of the full set of extent maps are loaded to the IMPS by the storage and switch controller.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein host I/O access requests related to data volumes for which no extent maps are loaded are handled by loading the map from the storage and switch controller to the IMPS.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the storage and switch controller uses host I/O access data collected from the IMPS to determine which data to replace in its memory.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein if stored extent maps have become fragmented a process is triggered to reduce the fragmentation.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein host I/O access requests related to data volumes for which no extent maps are loaded are handled by loading the map from the storage and switch controller to the IMPS.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the storage and switch controller uses host I/O access data collected from the IMPS to determine which data to replace in its memory.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein if stored extent maps have become fragmented a process is triggered to reduce the fragmentation.

17. A program product for managing use of memory in a system of one or more storage area networks including an intelligent multi-protocol switch (IMPS) combined with a storage and switch controller including at least one microprocessor and a disk array for storing meta-data related to the plurality of data storage volumes such that the one or more data storage networks are managed by the storage and switch controller using the meta-data and by controlling the IMPS, wherein the program product includes computer-executable code encoded on a computer-readable medium for executing the steps of:

using memory in the storage and switch controller to supplement the memory of the IMPS by storing in the IMPS a subset of a full set of extent maps for data volumes handled by the IMPS, and storing protection maps in the memory of the storage and switch controller that mark edges of unmapped regions of the data volumes then selectively loading more than the subset of extent maps in the IMPS in response to host access to the data volumes.