Systems and methods of sharing removable media storage devices in multi-partitioned systems

• US 7,370,157 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Zilavy, Daniel V., Cross, Edward A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, THANH DUC
• Application Number:
  US11/135,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 711/111
• US Class Current: 711/147
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/152 Virtualized environment, e.g. logically partitioned system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/211 Optical disk storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Systems and methods of sharing removable media storage (RMS) devices in multi-partitioned systems are disclosed. An exemplary method may include receiving requests from a plurality of partitions of a processor to map at least one shared RMS device for the multi-partitioned system. The method may also include scheduling the requests if the shared RMS device is unavailable. The method may also include automatically mapping the at least one shared RMS device to the partitions one at a time as the at least one shared RMS device becomes available.

Claims

1. A multi-partitioned system with shared removable media storage (RMS), comprising:

a processor having a plurality of partitions;

at least one shared RMS device provided for the plurality of partitions, the at least one shared RMS device logically disconnected from the plurality of partitions by default;

a management processor addressable by the plurality of partitions, the management processor mapping the same shared RMS device to the plurality of partitions independent of one another for data access operations; and

a virtual input/output (I/O) controller provided in the address space of each of the plurality of partitions, the virtual I/O controller handling communications between the respective partition and the management processor.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a switching fabric for linking the partitions to the at least one shared RMS device via the management processor on a requested basis.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a register interface for each of the partitions, the register interface supporting hot-plug operations for the at least one shared RMS device.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a register interface for each of the partitions, the register interface supporting media-sense operations for the at least one shared RMS device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the management processor is operatively associated with a queue for scheduling access to the at least one shared RMS device by more than one partition.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the management processor logically disconnects a partition from the at least one shared RMS device before mapping the same shared RMS device to another partition.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the management processor logically disconnects a partition from the at least one shared RMS device when the partition is finished with a data access operation.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the management processor establishes a smart cache for mapping the at least one shared RMS device to more than one partition for read-only operations.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one shared RMS device is mapped directly to the management processor for system-wide firmware install operations.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one shared RMS device is mapped directly to the management processor for writing system state information to a removable storage media in the at least one shared RMS device.

11. A multi-partitioned system with shared removable media storage (RMS), comprising:

a processor having a plurality of partitions;

at least one shared RMS device provided for the plurality of partitions, the at least one shared RMS device logically disconnected from the plurality of partitions by default; and

a management processor addressable by the plurality of partitions, the management processor mapping the same shared RMS device to the plurality of partitions independent of one another for data access operations, wherein the management processor logically disconnects a partition from the at least one shared RMS device before mapping the same shared RMS device to another partition.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a switching fabric for linking the partitions to the at least one shared RMS device via the management processor on a requested basis.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising a virtual input/output (I/O) controller provided in the address space of each of the plurality of partitions, the virtual I/O controller handling communications between the respective partition and the management processor.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising a register interface for each of the partitions, the register interface supporting hot-plug operations for the at least one shared RMS device.

15. The system of claim 11 further comprising a resister interface for each of the partitions, the register interface supporting media-sense operations for the at least one shared RMS device.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the management processor is operatively associated with a queue for scheduling access to the at least one shared RMS device by more than one partition.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the management processor logically disconnects a partition from the at least one shared RMS device when the partition is finished with a data access operation.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the management processor establishes a smart cache for mapping the at least one shared RMS device to more than one partition for read-only operations.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the at least one shared RMS device is mapped directly to the management processor for system-wide firmware install operations.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the at least one shared RMS device is mapped directly to the management processor for writing system state information to a removable storage media in the at least one shared RMS device.

21. A multi-partitioned system with shared removable media storage (RMS), comprising:

a processor having a plurality of partitions;

at least one shared RMS device provided for the plurality of partitions, the at least one shared RMS device logically disconnected from the plurality of partitions by default; and

a management processor addressable by the plurality of partitions, the management processor mapping the same shared RMS device to the plurality of partitions independent of one another for data access operations, wherein the at least one shared RMS device is mapped directly to the management processor for writing system state information to a removable storage media in the at least one shared RMS device.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising a switching fabric for linking the partitions to the at least one shared RMS device via the management processor on a requested basis.

23. The system of claim 21 further comprising a virtual input/output (I/O) controller provided in the address space of each of the plurality of partitions, the virtual I/O controller handling communications between the respective partition and the management processor.

24. The system of claim 21 further comprising a register interface for each of the partitions, the register interface supporting hot-plug operations for the at least one shared RMS device.

25. The system of claim 21 further comprising a register interface for each of the partitions, the register interface supporting media-sense operations for the at least one shared RMS device.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the management processor is operatively associated with a queue for scheduling access to the at least one shared RMS device by more than one partition.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the management processor logically disconnects a partition from the at least one shared RMS device before mapping the same shared RMS device to another partition.

28. The system of claim 21 wherein the management processor logically disconnects a partition from the at least one shared RMS device when the partition is finished with a data access operation.

29. The system of claim 21 wherein the management processor establishes a smart cache for mapping the at least one shared RMS device to more than one partition for read-only operations.

30. The system of claim 21 wherein the at least one shared RMS device is mapped directly to the management processor for system-wide firmware install operations.