System and method for transport-level failover of FCP devices in a cluster

• US 7,512,832 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Herman, Pawlowski, Brian, Srinivasan, Mohan, Rajan, Vijayan, Lent, Arthur F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzo; Bryce P
• Application Number:
  US11/837,350
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4
• US Class Current: 714/4.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2033 switching over of hardware resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2092 Techniques of failing over between control units

Abstract

A system and method for clustered failover of storage appliances is provided. In the event of a failover of one storage appliance to a surviving storage appliance, the surviving storage appliance assumes the identity of the failed storage appliance. This assumption of the identifier is accomplished by initializing a Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter on the surviving storage appliance with the NodeName and PortNames of the failed storage appliance.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

configuring a second device with at least two ports, wherein a first port on the second device is configured to receive requests directed to the second device;

detecting, by the second device, a failure in a first device;

configuring a second port on the second device with a port name and a node name of the first device;

asserting ownership, by the second device, of a first set of storage devices originally owned by the first device; and

servicing, by the second device, data access requests directed to either the first device or the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the failover is detected by the second device detecting a lack of a heartbeat signal from the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the failover is initiated by a user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the node name and the port name on the second device prior to failure of the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the second device with a second set of storage devices, wherein the second set of storage devices are owned by the second device and used in processing requests directed to the second device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device and the second device are fibre channel protocol (FCP) devices.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the first device is repaired;

performing a giveback operation, wherein the giveback operation transfers control of the first set of storage devices from the second device to the first device;

ceasing to service requests for the first device by the second device; and

configuring the port name and the node name of the second port on the second device to a standby name.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

configuring a first port on the first device with the port name and the node name previously assigned to the second port of the second device; and

processing, by the first device, requests directed to the first device by the devices.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the giveback operation is initiated by a user.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the giveback operation is initiated by an application.

11. A storage system, comprising:

a second computer configured with a first port and a second port, where the first and second port are used to communicate with devices connected to the second computer over a network, and the second computer is further connected with a first set of storage devices and a second set of storage devices, wherein the second port is assigned a port name and a node name of a first computer to allow the second computer to receive and respond to requests directed to the first computer or the second computer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the failover is detected by the second computer detecting a lack of a heartbeat signal from the first computer.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the failover is initiated by a user.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a data structure stored on the second computer stores the node name and the port name on the second device prior to failure of the first device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first computer and the second computer are fibre channel protocol (FCP) devices.

16. A method, comprising:

configuring a second computer with a first port and a second port for communicating with devices connected over a network to the second computer, and with a first set of storage devices and a second set of storage devices, wherein the second port is assigned a port name and a node name of a first computer to allow the second computer to receive and respond to requests directed to the first computer or the second computer;

in response to the first computer coming back online, initiating a giveback operation;

ceasing to service requests for the first computer by the second computer; and

configuring the port name and the node name of the second port on the second computer to a standby name.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the giveback operation transfers control of the first set of storage devices from the second computer to the first computer.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

configuring a first port on the first computer with the port name and the node name previously assigned to the second port of the second computer; and

processing, by the first computer, requests directed to the first computer by the devices.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first computer is connected to the first set of storage devices and the second set of storage devices, and has a second port to allow for takeover in response to a failure of the second computer.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein initiating the giveback operation is started by a user.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein initiating the giveback operation is started by an application.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the first computer and the second computer are fibre channel protocol (FCP) devices.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the second computer is configured with the node name and the port name of the first computer in response to a failover of the first computer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the failover is detected by the second computer detecting a lack of a heartbeat signal from the first computer.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the failover is initiated by a user.

26. A storage system, comprising:

a second computer configured with a first port and a second port, where the first and second port are used to communicate with devices connected to the second computer over a network, and the second computer is further connected with a first set of storage devices and a second set of storage devices, wherein the second port is assigned a port name and a node name of a first computer to allow the second computer to receive and respond to requests directed to the first computer or the second computer; and

in response to the first computer coming back online, a storage operating system executed on the second computer is configured to initiate a giveback operation, cease servicing requests for the first computer, and change the port name and the node name of the second port to a standby name.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the giveback operation transfers control of the first set of storage devices from the second computer to the first computer.

28. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

a storage system on the first computer to configure a first port with the port name and the node name previously assigned to the second port of the second computer, and to process requests directed to the first computer by the devices.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the first computer is connected to the first set of storage devices and the second set of storage devices, and has a second port to allow for takeover in response to a failure of the second computer.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein a user initiates the giveback operation.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein an application initiates the giveback operation.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the first computer and the second computer are fibre channel protocol (FCP) devices.

33. The system of claim 26, wherein the second computer is configured with the node name and the port name of the first computer in response to a failover of the first computer.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the failover is detected by the second computer detecting a lack of a heartbeat signal from the first computer.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the failover is initiated by a user.