Volume server and volume owner communication protocol in a distributed storage management system

• US 7,523,139 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Kemkar, Ankur A., Bhalerao, Rajesh, Kiselev, Oleg, Colgrove, John A., Karr, Ronald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Khanh B
• Application Number:
  US10/838,164
• Time in Patent Office: 1,814 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2064 while ensuring consistency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency ensuring consistency in mirrored systems G06F11/2064
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0667 at data level, e.g. file, record or object virtualisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A system, method, and medium provide communication between a volume server and a volume owner in a distributed storage management system. A volume server may manage configuration information for a particular volume of storage. A volume owner may manage input/output (I/O) for the volume. The volume server may lease the configuration information to the volume owner using a communications protocol. The communications protocol comprises a plurality of operations for management of the lease. The volume owner may use the configuration information to manage the I/O for the volume.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more physical storage devices;

a computer system comprising at least one processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a volume server which is executable by the at least one processor to manage configuration information for a volume, wherein the volume comprises data stored on the one or more physical storage devices, wherein the configuration information for the volume specifies a logical configuration of the data stored on the one or more physical storage devices; and

a volume owner, wherein the volume owner is coupled to the one or more physical storage devices over a network;

wherein the volume server is further executable by the at least one processor to lease the configuration information to the volume owner using a communications protocol, wherein leasing the configuration information creates a lease of the configuration information to the volume owner, wherein the lease comprises a specific duration of time for exclusive management of input/output (I/O) for the volume by the volume owner, wherein the communications protocol comprises a plurality of operations for management of the lease; and

wherein the volume owner is configured to use the logical configuration specified in the configuration information to manage I/O for the volume, and wherein the volume owner is configured to use the logical configuration specified in the configuration information to send I/O requests over the network to the one or more physical storage devices.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the volume server comprises a configuration engine;

wherein the volume owner comprises an I/O engine.

3. The system of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to open the volume when given a globally unique identifier for the volume.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to close the volume when given a globally unique identifier for the volume.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to get the configuration information.

6. The system of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to renew the lease.

7. The system of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to revoke the lease.

8. The system of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to set lease parameters.

9. The system of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to set I/O statistics information for the volume.

10. A method comprising:

a volume server storing configuration information for a volume, wherein the volume comprises data stored on one or more physical storage devices, wherein the configuration information for the volume specifies a logical configuration of the data stored on the one or more physical storage devices;

the volume server leasing the configuration information to a volume owner using a communications protocol, wherein leasing the configuration information creates a lease of the configuration information to the volume owner, wherein the lease comprises a specific duration of time for exclusive management of input/output (I/O) for the volume by the volume owner, wherein the communications protocol comprises a plurality of operations for management of the lease; and

the volume owner using the logical configuration specified in the configuration information to manage I/O for the volume and send I/O requests over a network to the one or more physical storage devices.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein the volume server comprises a configuration engine;

wherein the volume owner comprises an I/O engine.

12. The method of claim 10,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to open the volume when given a globally unique identifier for the volume.

13. The method of claim 10,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to close the volume when given a globally unique identifier for the volume.

14. The method of claim 10,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to get the configuration information.

15. The method of claim 10,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to renew the lease.

16. The method of claim 10,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to revoke the lease.

17. The method of claim 10,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to set lease parameters.

18. The method of claim 10,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to set I/O statistics information for the volume.

19. A computer-accessible storage medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to perform:

storing configuration information for a volume at a volume server, wherein the volume comprises data stored on one or more physical storage devices, wherein the configuration information for the volume specifies a logical configuration of the data stored on the one or more physical storage devices;

leasing the configuration information from the volume server to a volume owner using a communications protocol, wherein leasing the configuration information creates a lease of the configuration information to the volume owner, wherein the lease comprises a specific duration of time for exclusive management of input/output (I/O) for the volume by the volume owner wherein the communications protocol comprises a plurality of operations for management of the lease; and

using the logical configuration specified in the configuration information at the volume owner to manage I/O for the volume and send I/O requests over a network to the one or more physical storage devices.

20. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 19,

wherein the volume server comprises a configuration engine;

wherein the volume owner comprises an I/O engine.

21. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 19,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to open the volume when given a globally unique identifier for the volume.

22. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 19,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to close the volume when given a globally unique identifier for the volume.

23. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 19,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to get the configuration information.

24. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 19,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to renew the lease.

25. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 19,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to revoke the lease.

26. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 19,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to set lease parameters.

27. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 19,

wherein the plurality of operations comprises an operation to set I/O statistics information for the volume.

28. A system comprising:

means for storing configuration information for a volume at a volume server, wherein the volume comprises data stored on one or more physical storage devices, wherein the configuration information for the volume specifies a logical configuration of the data stored on the one or more physical storage devices;

means for leasing the configuration information from the volume server to a volume owner using a communications protocol, wherein leasing the configuration information creates a lease of the configuration information to the volume owner, wherein the lease comprises a specific duration of time for exclusive management of input/output (I/O) for the volume by the volume owner, wherein the communications protocol comprises a plurality of operations for management of the lease; and

means for using the logical configuration specified in the configuration information at the volume owner to manage I/O for the volume and send I/O requests over a network to the one or more physical storage devices.