Managing method for storage subsystem

• US 7,548,924 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2004
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam; Hosain T
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, SHEW FEN
• Application Number:
  US10/873,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20050234941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,819 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-205, 717114-115, 711/112
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0614 Improving the reliability of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0637 Permissions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• 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 management computer, which allocates ports to an information processing system, including a host computer and a storage subsystem, operates to group plural ports, plural logic devices, and the host computers for each storage domain that constitutes a management unit. In the case in which a discovery request for the logic devices is received from a host computer, a storage domain to which the host computer, which has sent the discovery request, and the logic devices, for which the discovery is requested, are specified out of the storage domains in which the plural ports, the plural logic devices, and the host computers are grouped. Then, the ports, which belong to the specified storage domain, are selected, and the selected ports are allocated to the logic devices.

Claims

1. A method for managing a storage subsystem operatively connected to a plurality of host computers and a management computer via a SAN (Storage Area Network), wherein the storage subsystem includes a plurality of logic devices and a plurality of ports via which the plurality of logic devices are accessed by the plurality of host computers, the method comprising:

defining a plurality of storage domains, each of the plurality of storage domains including at least one of the plurality of ports, at least one of the plurality of logic devices, and at least one of the plurality of host computers, to thereby allow each host computer to access a logic device belonging to the same storage domain as the host computer via a port belonging to the same storage domain as the host computer;

obtaining topology information of the SAN;

dividing the SAN into a plurality of SAN domains that are management units according to a security function in the SAN, based on the topology information of the SAN, so that each of the plurality of SAN domains includes at least one of the plurality of host computers and at least one of the plurality of ports, wherein at least two of said plurality of SAN domains belong to the same storage domain;

after defining the plurality of storage domains and dividing the SAN into the plurality of SAN domains, receiving a discovery request for one of the plurality of logic devices from one of the plurality of host computers;

in response to the discovery request, specifying one of the storage domains to which both the requesting one of the plurality of host computers and the requested one of the plurality of logic devices belong, specifying one of the SAN domains to which the requesting one of the plurality of host computers belongs, selecting one of the plurality of ports which belongs to both the specified one of the storage domains and the specified one of the SAN domains, and allocating the selected one of the plurality of ports to the requested one of the plurality of logic devices; and

sending information regarding the selected one of the plurality of ports to the requesting one of the plurality of host computers to enable access by the requesting one of the plurality of host computers to the requested one of the plurality of logic devices via the selected one of the plurality of ports,

wherein the storage subsystem executes the step of, in the case in which a configuration of the plurality of logic devices and the plurality of ports included in the storage subsystem has been changed, sending configuration change information, which includes data indicating the changed logic devices and ports, to the management computer,

wherein in response to receiving the configuration change information, the management computer executes the step of changing the definition of the storage domains in which the plurality of ports, the plurality of logic devices, and the plurality of host computers are defined, using the received configuration change information,

wherein the management computer executes the step of periodically acquiring, from the storage subsystem, information indicating a port utilization rate, and

wherein, in the step of selecting one of the plurality of ports to be allocated to the requested one of the plurality of logic devices, in the case in which there are a plurality of selectable ports, the management computer selects the one of the plurality of ports with a low utilization rate using the acquired utilization rate.

2. A method according to claim 1,

wherein the storage subsystem executes the step of, at the time of initial setting, sending configuration information, which includes data indicating the plurality of logic devices and the plurality of ports included in the storage subsystem, to the management computer.

3. A method according to claim 1,

wherein the management computer executes the step of periodically acquiring, from the storage subsystem, information indicating whether or not the ports are normal, and

wherein, in the step of selecting one of the plurality of ports to be allocated to the requested one of the plurality of logic devices, in the case in which there are a plurality of selectable ports, the management computer selects one of the plurality of ports with a normal state and based on a number of normal ports, using the acquired information indicating whether or not the ports are normal.

4. A method according to claim 1,

wherein, in the step of selecting one of the plurality of ports to be allocated to the requested one of the plurality of logic devices, in the case where there are a plurality of selectable ports, the management computer selects a port with a network address of the requesting one of the plurality of host computers which is a closest port based on sub-network addresses of the plurality of ports and the requesting one of the plurality of host computers;

and

wherein the network address of the requesting one of the host computers is an IP address.

5. A method according to claim 1,

wherein, in the step of dividing the SAN into the SAN domains, the management computer divides the SAN such that the SAN domains are identical with domains in a VLAN.

6. A method according to claim 1,

wherein, in the case in which data indicating that a port is overloaded is included in the acquired configuration change information, the management computer cancels association between a logic device and the overloaded port in a storage domain.

7. A method according to claim 1,

wherein the step of obtaining topology information of the SAN obtains the topology information from a topology management table stored in the management computer;

wherein the step of dividing the SAN into one or more SAN domains is performed based on the topology information stored in the topology management table;

wherein the SAN domains are associated with attributes thereof in a SAN domain management table stored in the management computer, based on the topology information stored in the topology information management table; and

wherein the SAN domains are associated with the plurality of ports in a port management table stored in the management computer, based on the topology information stored in the topology management table.

8. A management computer that manages a storage system operatively connected to the management computer and a plurality of computers via a network, wherein the storage system includes a plurality of logic devices and a plurality of ports via which the plurality of logic devices are accessed by the plurality of host computers, the management computer comprising:

a control unit; and

an input/output unit that is connected to the network and the control unit,

wherein the plurality of computers and the storage system are connected via a SAN (Storage Area Network),

wherein the control unit defines a plurality of storage domains, each of the plurality of storage domains including at least one of the plurality of ports, at least one of the plurality of logic devices, and at least one of the plurality of computers, to thereby allow each computer to access a logic device belonging to the same storage domain as the computer via a port belonging to the same storage domain as the computer;

obtains topology information of the SAN;

divides the SAN into a plurality of SAN domains that are management units according to a security function in the SAN, based on the topology information of the SAN, so that each of the plurality of SAN domains includes at least one of the plurality of computers and at least one of the plurality of ports, wherein at least two of said plurality of SAN domains belong to the same storage domain;

after defining the plurality of storage domains and dividing the SAN into the plurality of SAN domains, receives a discovery request for one of the plurality of logic devices from one of the plurality of computers;

in response to the discovery request, specifies one of the storage domains to which both the requesting one of the plurality of computers and the requested one of the plurality of logic devices belong, specifies one of the SAN domains to which the requesting one of the plurality of computers belongs, selects one of the plurality of ports belonging to both the specified one of the storage domains and the specified one of the SAN domains, and allocates the selected one of the plurality of ports to the requested one of the plurality of logic devices; and

sends information regarding the selected one of the plurality of ports to the requesting one of the plurality of computers to enable access by the requesting one of the plurality of computers to the requested one of the plurality of logic devices via the selected one of the plurality of ports,

wherein the control unit periodically acquires, from the storage system via the input/output unit, information indicating a port utilization rate, and

wherein, in the case in which there are a plurality of selectable ports, the control unit selects, as the selected one of the plurality of ports, a port with a low utilization rate using the acquired utilization rate.

9. A management computer according to claim 8,

wherein the control unit periodically acquires, from the storage system, information indicating whether or not the ports are normal, and

wherein, in the case in which there are a plurality of selectable ports, the control unit selects, as the selected one of the plurality of ports, a port with a normal state and based on a number of normal ports, using the acquired information indicating whether the ports are normal.

10. A management computer according to claim 8,

wherein in selecting one of the plurality of ports to be allocated to the requested one of the plurality of logic devices, in the case in which there are a plurality of selectable ports, the control unit selects a port with a network address of the requesting one of the plurality of computers closest to a network address of the requesting one of the plurality of computers based on sub-network addresses of the plurality of ports and the requesting one of the plurality of computers.

11. A management computer according to claim 8,

wherein the control unit divides the SAN such that the SAN domains are identical with domains of a VLAN.

12. A management computer according to claim 8,

wherein the topology information of the SAN is obtained from a topology management table stored in the management computer;

wherein the SAN is divided into one or more SAN domains based on the topology information stored in the topology management table;

wherein the SAN domains are associated with attributes thereof in a SAN domain management table stored in the management computer, based on the topology information stored in the topology information management table; and

wherein the SAN domains are associated with the plurality of ports in a port management table stored in the management computer, based on the topology information stored in the topology management table.