Technique for verifying a configuration of a storage environment

• US 7,487,381 B1
• Filed: 01/08/2004
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beaman, Rebecca, Grier, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson; Yolanda L
• Application Number:
  US10/753,707
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 714/57, 714/46
• US Class Current: 714/4.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; 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], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• 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 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• 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

The system and method verifies a configuration of a storage system through versions, configurations and components failure of the various storage system components and generates a report identifying errors and/or warnings of the current configuration. A graphical representation of the storage system, including switches, clients and the like may be generated showing misconfiguration errors.

Claims

1. A method for operating a data storage network, comprising:

executing a configuration verification computer program;

checking, by the configuration verification computer program, versions of a selected component of a plurality of components installed in the data storage network;

checking, by the configuration verification computer program, configuration settings of the selected component of the plurality of components of the data storage network;

determining, in response to the configuration settings, if there are any misconfiguration settings; and

sending, in response to determining that there are no misconfiguration settings, a directed packet through a potential data path to ensure that a component of the storage network is operational.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

presenting, in response to determining that there are misconfiguration settings, a report to a user identifying a set of warnings and errors with the configuration settings.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

including a return code in the report.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

presenting in the report a graphical representation of a configuration of an environment of the storage network.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

presenting in the graphical representation a version and current configuration of each component of the storage environment.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

correcting automatically any of the set of warnings and errors.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

passing the set of warnings and errors to an expert system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

entering a command by a user to execute the configuration verification computer program.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating the configuration verification program by an administrator.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring one or more storage systems as a component of the plurality of components.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring one or more clients as a component of the plurality of components.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring one or more network switches as a component of the plurality of components.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring one or more interconnecting cables as a component of the plurality of components.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing each of a storage system of the data storage network by the configuration verification program to determine a version of a storage operating system executing on the storage system.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

sending a remote application program interface command to the storage system to access the storage system.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

repeating selecting the selected component until all components of the data storage network are checked by the configuration verification computer program.

17. A data storage computer network, comprising:

a memory storing a configuration verification computer program;

said configuration verification computer program executed by a processor;

the configuration verification computer program to check versions of a selected component of a plurality of components installed in the data storage computer network;

the configuration verification computer program to check configuration settings of the selected component of the plurality of components of the data storage computer network;

the processor to determine, in response to the configuration settings, if there are any misconfiguration settings; and

a port to send, in response to determining that there are no misconfiguration settings, a directed packet through a potential data path to ensure that a component of the storage system is operational.

18. The data storage network as in claim 17, further comprising:

a report to present, in response to determining that there are misconfiguration settings, to a user identifying a set of warnings and errors with the configuration settings.

19. The data storage network of claim 18 further comprising:

a return code included in the report.

20. The data storage network of claim 18, further comprising:

the report presenting a graphical representation of a configuration of an environment of the storage network.

21. The data storage network of claim 20, further comprising:

the graphical representation presenting a version and current configuration of each component of the storage environment.

22. The data storage network of claim 18 further comprising:

a processor to correct automatically any of the set of warnings and errors.

23. The data storage network of claim 18 further comprising:

a processor to pass the set of warnings and errors to an expert system.

24. The data storage network of claim 17, further comprising:

a command entered by a user to execute the configuration verification computer program.

25. The data storage network of claim 17, further comprising:

a command for an administrator to initiate the configuration verification program.

26. The data storage network of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more storage systems configured as a component of the plurality of components.

27. The data storage network of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more clients configured as a component of the plurality of components.

28. The data storage network of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more network switches configured as a component of the plurality of components.

29. The data storage network of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more interconnecting cables configured as a component of the plurality of components.

30. The data storage network of claim 17, further comprising:

a command to access each of a storage system of the data storage network by the configuration verification program to determine a version of a storage operating system executing on the storage system.

31. The data storage network of claim 30 further comprising:

a remote application program interface command sent as the command to the storage system to access the storage system.

32. The data storage network of claim 17 further comprising:

a processor to repeatedly select the selected component until all components of the data storage network are checked by configuration verification computer program.

33. A computer readable media, comprising:

said computer readable media containing instructions for execution on a processor for a method of operating a data storage network, the method having the steps of;

executing a configuration verification computer program;

checking, by the configuration verification computer program, versions of a selected component of a plurality of components installed in the data storage network;

checking, by the configuration verification computer program, configuration settings of the selected component of the plurality of components of the data storage network;

determining, in response to the configuration settings, if there are any misconfiguration settings; and

sending, in response to determining that there are no misconfiguration settings, a directed packet through a potential data path to ensure that a component of the storage network is operational.

34. A computer, comprising:

a memory storing a configuration verification computer program;

the configuration verification computer program to check versions of a selected component of a plurality of components installed in the data storage computer network;

the configuration verification computer program to check configuration settings of the selected component of the plurality of components of the data storage computer network;

a processor to determine, in response to the configuration settings, if there are any misconfiguration settings; and

a port to send, in response to determining that there are no misconfiguration settings, a directed packet through a potential data path to ensure that a component of the storage system is operational.

35. A computer readable media containing instructions for execution on a processor, said instructions comprising:

executing a configuration verification computer program;

checking, by the configuration verification computer program, versions of a selected component of a plurality of components installed in the data storage network;

checking, by the configuration verification computer program, configuration settings of the selected component of the plurality of components of the data storage network;

determining, in response to the configuration settings, if there are any misconfiguration settings; and

sending, in response to determining that there are no misconfiguration settings, a directed packet through a potential data path to ensure that a component of the storage network is operational.