Graphic user interface for a storage system

• US 7,477,949 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: XIV Ltd. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Birenboim, Amihay, Zeidner, Efri, Helman, Haim, Zohar, Ofir, Schwartz, Shemer, Revah, Yaron, Cohen, Dror
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr.; Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US11/429,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20060267984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/83, 715/700, 715/705
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method for interfacing with a storage system. The storage system has a plurality of elements having a visible relationship with each other, and the storage system is coupled to a system control unit including a display. The method includes: drawing an image of the elements on the display, the image showing the visible relationship, and modifying an appearance of one of the elements in the image to represent a property of the element. The method further includes, in response to a first input from a user of the storage system to the system control unit, drawing an enlarged image of the element and representing the property in the enlarged image. The method also includes, in response to a second input from a user of the storage system to the control unit with respect to the enlarged image, representing a further property of the element in the enlarged image.

Claims

1. A method for interfacing with a storage system having a plurality of elements, the elements having a visible relationship with each other, and being coupled to a system control unit including a display, the method comprising:

drawing an image of the elements on the display, the image showing the visible relationship;

modifying an appearance of one of the elements in the image to represent a property of the element;

in response to a first input from a user of the storage system to the system control unit, drawing an enlarged image of the element and representing the property in the enlarged image; and

in response to a second input from a user of the storage system to the system control unit with respect to the enlarged image, representing a further property of the element in the enlarged image.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image is a realistic image of the storage system, and wherein the enlarged image is a realistic image of the one element.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein representing the property comprises displaying text describing the property on the display.

4. A method for interfacing with a storage system having a first plurality of sub-systems, each of the sub-systems having respective second pluralities of elements having respective visible relationships with each other, each of the sub-systems being coupled to a system control unit including a display, the method comprising:

drawing an image of each of the sub-systems on the display, each such image having the respective second plurality of elements and showing the respective visible relationships;

in response to a first input from a user of the storage system, selecting the image of a given one of the sub-systems, so as to form a selected image;

enlarging the selected image to form an enlarged image of the given sub-system;

modifying an appearance of one of the elements in the enlarged image to represent a property of the element; and

in response to a second input from the user to the system control unit, making a change in the property of the element and representing the change in the appearance of the element.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the image of each of the sub-systems is a realistic image.

6. A method for interfacing with a storage system having a plurality of elements, the elements having a visible relationship with each other, and being coupled to a system control unit including a display, the method comprising:

drawing an image of the elements on the display, the image showing the visible relationship;

modifying an appearance of one of the elements in the image to represent a first property of the element; and

in response to an input from the user, drawing an at least partly transparent overlay on the image of the elements and drawing on the overlay a representation of a second property of the element.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the representation comprises a graphical plot of the property.

8. The method according to claim 6, and comprising drawing on the overlay the representation of a third property of a second of the elements.

9. A method for interfacing with a storage system having a plurality of elements and a first side having a first visible relationship of the elements with each other and a second side having a second visible relationship of the elements with each other, the storage system being coupled to a system control unit including a display, the method comprising:

drawing a first image of the first side on the display, the first image showing the first visible relationship of the elements;

modifying a first appearance of a given one of the elements in the first image to represent a first property of the element;

in response to an input from a user of the storage system to the system control unit, drawing a second image of the second side on the display, the second image showing the second visible relationship of the elements; and

modifying a second appearance of the given element in the second image to represent a second property of the element.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the second side of the storage system is invisible to the user at a time when the first side is visible to the user.

11. Apparatus for interfacing with a storage system having a plurality of elements, the elements having a visible relationship with each other, and being coupled to a system control unit including a display, the apparatus comprising:

a processor, which is adapted to;

draw an image of the elements on the display, the image showing the visible relationship,

modify an appearance of one of the elements in the image to represent a property of the element,

in response to a first input from a user of the storage system to the system control unit, draw an enlarged image of the element and represent the property in the enlarged image, and

in response to a second input from a user of the storage system to the system control unit with respect to the enlarged image, represent a further property of the element in the enlarged image.

12. Apparatus for interfacing with a storage system having a plurality of elements, the elements having a visible relationship with each other, and being coupled to a system control unit including a display, the apparatus comprising:

a processor which is adapted to;

draw an image of the elements on the display, the image showing the visible relationship,

modify an appearance of one of the elements in the image to represent a first property of the element, and

in response to an input from the user, draw an at least partly transparent overlay on the image of the elements and draw on the overlay a representation of a second property of the element.