Redundant storage controller system with enhanced failure analysis capability
First Claim
1. A method for robustly providing failure analysis information to an operator of a redundant storage controller system having first and second storage controllers in communication via an inter-controller link, the method comprising:
- transferring from the first storage controller to the second storage controller, via the inter-controller link, information for use in analysis of a failure of the first storage controller; and
providing, by the second storage controller, the failure analysis information to the operator;
wherein the second storage controller performs said providing the failure analysis information to the operator before the first storage controller is rebooted.
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Abstract
A redundant storage controller system that robustly provides failure analysis information (FAI) to an operator of the system is disclosed. The system includes first and second storage controllers in communication with one another, such as via a PCI-Express link. When one of the controllers fails, the FAI is transferred from the failed controller to the surviving controller over the link. The operator issues a command to the surviving storage controller, which responsively provides the FAI. In one embodiment, the failed storage controller writes the FAI to the second storage controller. In one embodiment, each storage controller periodically writes the FAI before there is a failure. In one embodiment, the second storage controller reads the FAI from the failed storage controller. The FAI may include boot logs, crash logs, debug logs, and event logs. The FAI may also be written to a disk drive connected to the controllers.
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Citations
87 Claims
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1. A method for robustly providing failure analysis information to an operator of a redundant storage controller system having first and second storage controllers in communication via an inter-controller link, the method comprising:
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transferring from the first storage controller to the second storage controller, via the inter-controller link, information for use in analysis of a failure of the first storage controller; and providing, by the second storage controller, the failure analysis information to the operator; wherein the second storage controller performs said providing the failure analysis information to the operator before the first storage controller is rebooted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A redundant storage controller system, comprising:
first and second redundant storage controllers, coupled together by a communications link, each storage controller of the first and second storage controllers comprising; a CPU, configured to generate information for use in analysis of a failure of the storage controller; a memory, configured to receive the information from the other, failed storage controller via the communications link; and an interface, coupled to the memory, configured to receive a command from an operator of the system, and in response to the command, to provide from the memory of the storage controller the information that was received from the other, failed storage controller; wherein the interface of the non-failed storage controller is configured to provide the information to the operator before the failed storage controller is rebooted. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83)
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84. A storage controller, comprising:
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a PCI-Express interface, configured to couple to a PCI-Express link, and configured to receive thereon from a failed storage controller coupled thereto information for use in analysis of a failure of the failed storage controller; a memory, coupled to the PCI-Express interface, configured to store the received information; and an operator interface, coupled to the memory, configured to receive a command from an operator of the storage controller, and to responsively provide to the operator the received information. - View Dependent Claims (85, 86, 87)
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Specification