Storage area network methods and apparatus using event notifications with data

• US 7,287,063 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2001
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yonker, William Roy, Baldwin, Duane Mark, Merbach, David Lynn, Shoikhet, Kirill, Knight, Gregory John, Chirashnya, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang; Karen C.
• Application Number:
  US09/971,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,209 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/249, 709/250, 709/207, 709/218, 709/220, 709/213, 709/214, 709/215, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/357 Fibre channel switches

Abstract

An storage area network (SAN) has a manager digital data processor that includes a first element that maintains a first representation of the SAN and a second element that maintains a second representation of the SAN. The first element generates notifications of events in the SAN, e.g., addition or removal of components or relationships between components, and includes with them data pertaining to the event. The second element responds to such notifications and data by updating the second representation. That data is preferably sufficient for the second element to update the second representation without further reference to information contained in the representation.

Claims

1. A system for managing a storage area network (SAN), the system comprising:

(i) a first digital data processor connected to the SAN, wherein an agent associated with the first digital data processor generates an event notification indicative of an event with respect to the storage area network, the event notification further including data for use in processing the event notification, and wherein the event is indicative of;

(a) a change in any of a topology of the SAN or a component of the SAN;

(b) a missing device, wherein the data includes an identity of the missing device;

(c) a change in utilization of a file system of the first digital data processor; and

(d) connectivity of at least one storage device of a plurality of storage devices to the first digital processor;

(ii) a second digital data processor coupled to the SAN and in communication with the first digital data processor, wherein the SAN comprises the plurality of storage devices in communication with the first and second digital processors, wherein a manager that maintains a model of the SAN and the topology of the SAN executes on the second digital data processor, wherein the agent associated with the first digital data processor communicates the event notification to the manager, and wherein the manager responds to the event notification; and

(iii) one or more tasks, wherein the manager responds to the event notification by executing the one or more tasks, and wherein;

(a) the one or more tasks process the event indicative of the missing device on the basis of the identity of the missing device included in the data included with the event notification, wherein the data is sufficient to process the event notification;

(b) the one or more tasks handle the event indicative of the change in the utilization of the file system by extending the file system, wherein a logical object is used to represent an assigned storage device, wherein the logical object is added into a logical grouping of storage devices that includes the file system to be extended, and wherein a volume size of the file system is extended based on a comparison of observed utilization of the file system to a defined threshold; and

(c) the one or more tasks modify the model based on the event notification and the data, wherein at least one of the one or more tasks stores the data included with the event notification in a database that represents the model of the SAN, and wherein a further event notification is made only if the current time of the further event notification follows that of a previous event notification by a specified alert interval.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the manager includes a topology engine that handles event notifications indicative of changes in topology of the SAN, wherein the topology represents one or more hosts, one or more storage devices, and interconnections among the one or more hosts and the one or more storage devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

the first digital data processor maintains a first representation of the SAN and the second digital data processor maintains a second representation of the SAN.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein

the SAN comprises a plurality of hosts including the first and the second digital data processor, wherein

one or more agents are each associated with one or more hosts of the plurality of hosts, each agent generating a scan identifying attributes of any of (i) a host with which the agent is associated, (ii) a storage device to which the host is coupled, and (iii) a relationship between the host and the storage device, and wherein,

the agents in communication coupling with the first digital data processor and transmitting the scan to the first digital data processor.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more agents transmit the scans to the first digital data processor asynchronously with respect to one another, wherein the first representation comprises scans received from the one or more agents.

6. A method for managing a storage area network (SAN), the method comprising:

(i) generating, by an agent associated a first digital data processor connected to the SAN, an event notification indicative of an event with respect to the storage area network, the event notification further including data for use in processing the event notification, and wherein the event is indicative of;

(a) a change in any of a topology of the SAN or a component of the SAN;

(b) a missing device, wherein the data includes an identity of the missing device;

(c) a change in utilization of a file system of the first digital data processor; and

(d) connectivity of at least one storage device of a plurality of storage devices to the first digital processor;

(ii) communicating, by the agent associated with the first digital data processor, to a manager that responds to the event notification, wherein the manager executes on a second digital data processor coupled to the SAN, wherein the second digital data processor is in communication with the first digital data processor, wherein the SAN comprises the plurality of storage devices in communication with the first and second digital processors, and wherein the manager maintains a model of the SAN and the topology of the SAN; and

(iii) responding, by the manager, to the event notification by executing one or more tasks, wherein;

(a) the one or more tasks process the event indicative of the missing device on the basis of the identity of the missing device included in the data included with the event notification, wherein the data is sufficient to process the event notification;

(b) the one or more tasks handle the event indicative of the change in the utilization of the file system by extending the file system, wherein a logical object is used to represent an assigned storage device, wherein the logical object is added into a logical grouping of storage devices that includes the file system to be extended, and wherein a volume size of the file system is extended based on a comparison of observed utilization of the file system to a defined threshold; and

(c) the one or more tasks modify the model based on the event notification and the data, wherein at least one of the one or more tasks stores the data included with the event notification in a database that represents the model of the SAN, and wherein a further event notification is made only if the current time of the further event notification follows that of a previous event notification by a specified alert interval.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the manager includes a topology engine that handles event notifications indicative of changes in topology of the SAN, wherein the topology represents one or more hosts, one or more storage devices, and interconnections among the one or more hosts and the one or more storage devices.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein

the first digital data processor maintains a first representation of the SAN and the second digital data processor maintains a second representation of the SAN.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein

the SAN comprises a plurality of hosts including the first and the second digital data processor, wherein

one or more agents are each associated with one or more hosts of the plurality of hosts, each agent generating a scan identifying attributes of any of (i) a host with which the agent is associated, (ii) a storage device to which the host is coupled, and (iii) a relationship between the host and the storage device, and wherein,

the agents in communication coupling with the first digital data processor and transmitting the scan to the first digital data processor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more agents transmit the scans to the first digital data processor asynchronously with respect to one another, wherein the first representation comprises scans received from the one or more agents.

11. A system for managing a storage area network (SAN), the system comprising:

(A) a computing system; and

(B) program implemented in the computing system, wherein the program performs;

(i) generating, by an agent associated a first digital data processor connected to the SAN, an event notification indicative of an event with respect to the storage area network, the event notification further including data for use in processing the event notification, and wherein the event is indicative of;

(a) a change in any of a topology of the SAN or a component of the SAN;

(b) a missing device, wherein the data includes an identity of the missing device;

(c) a change in utilization of a file system of the first digital data processor; and

(d) connectivity of at least one storage device of a plurality of storage devices to the first digital processor;

(ii) communicating, by the agent associated with the first digital data processor, to a manager that responds to the event notification, wherein the manager executes on a second digital data processor coupled to the SAN, wherein the second digital data processor is in communication with the first digital data processor, wherein the SAN comprises the plurality of storage devices in communication with the first and second digital processors, and wherein the manager maintains a model of the SAN and the topology of the SAN; and

(iii) responding, by the manager, to the event notification by executing one or more tasks, wherein;

(a) the one or more tasks process the event indicative of the missing device on the basis of the identity of the missing device included in the data included with the event notification, wherein the data is sufficient to process the event notification;

(b) the one or more tasks handle the event indicative of the change in the utilization of the file system by extending the file system, wherein a logical object is used to represent an assigned storage device, wherein the logical object is added into a logical grouping of storage devices that includes the file system to be extended, and wherein a volume size of the file system is extended based on a comparison of observed utilization of the file system to a defined threshold; and

(c) the one or more tasks modify the model based on the event notification and the data, wherein at least one of the one or more tasks stores the data included with the event notification in a database that represents the model of the SAN, and wherein a further event notification is made only if the current time of the further event notification follows that of a previous event notification by a specified alert interval.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the manager includes a topology engine that handles event notifications indicative of changes in topology of the SAN, wherein the topology represents one or more hosts, one or more storage devices, and interconnections among the one or more hosts and the one or more storage devices.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein

the first digital data processor maintains a first representation of the SAN and the second digital data processor maintains a second representation of the SAN.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein

the SAN comprises a plurality of hosts including the first and the second digital data processor, wherein

one or more agents are each associated with one or more hosts of the plurality of hosts, each agent generating a scan identifying attributes of any of (i) a host with which the agent is associated, (ii) a storage device to which the host is coupled, and (iii) a relationship between the host and the storage device, and wherein,

the agents in communication coupling with the first digital data processor and transmitting the scan to the first digital data processor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more agents transmit the scans to the first digital data processor asynchronously with respect to one another, wherein the first representation comprises scans received from the one or more agents.