Method to detect and suggest corrective actions when performance and availability rules are violated in an environment deploying virtualization at multiple levels

• US 7,689,767 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Dalal, Chirag Deepak, Bharadwaj, Vaijayanti Rakshit
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dudek; Edward J
• Application Number:
  US10/954,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,007 Days
• Field of Search: 711/114, 710/104
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0629 Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A computer system or memory medium with instructions executable by a computer system to detect and/or suggest corrective actions when performance and availability are violated in an environment deploying virtualization at multiple levels. In one embodiment the computer system receives identities of a plurality of first physical storage devices, wherein storage in the plurality of first physical storage devices was logically aggregated to create a first storage object. The computer system also receives identities of a plurality of second physical storage devices, wherein storage in the plurality of second physical storage devices was logically aggregated to create a second storage object. Then, the computer system compares the identity of each of the plurality of first physical storage devices with the identities of the plurality of second physical storage devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

logically aggregating a plurality of first physical storage devices to create a first storage object;

logically aggregating a plurality of second physical storage devices to create a second storage object;

logically aggregating the first and second storage objects to create a volume;

reading identities of the plurality of first physical storage devices;

reading identities of the plurality of second physical storage devices;

processing the identities of the plurality of first physical storage devices and the identities of the plurality of second physical storage devices, wherein the processing is performed after creation of the volume;

storing a result of the processing in memory;

wherein the processing comprises an act of comparing the identity of each of the plurality of first physical storage devices with the identities of the plurality of second physical storage devices.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising an act of generating a message if the identity of one of the plurality of first physical storage devices compares equally with the identity of any of the plurality of second physical storage devices.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the message comprises an instruction to evacuate data stored in one of the first or second storage objects.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising an act of generating an executable command if the identity of one of the plurality of first physical storage devices compares equally with the identity of any of the plurality of second physical storage devices.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the executable command when executed evacuates data from one of the first and second storage objects.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the executable command is transmitted to a storage subsystem that contains the plurality of first and second physical storage devices.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising an act of accessing memory in a storage subsystem, wherein the memory contains identities of the plurality of first physical storage devices that form the first storage object and identities of the plurality of second physical storage devices that form the second storage object.

8. A computer readable memory for storing instructions executable by a computer system, wherein the computer system performs a method in response to executing the instructions, the method comprising:

reading identities of a plurality of first physical storage devices, wherein storage in the plurality of first physical storage devices is logically aggregated to create a first storage object;

reading identities of a plurality of second physical storage devices, wherein storage in the plurality of second physical storage devices is logically aggregated to create a second storage object;

processing the identities of the plurality of first physical storage devices and the identities of the plurality of second physical storage devices;

wherein the processing comprises an act of comparing the identity of each of the plurality of first physical storage devices with the identities of the plurality of second physical storage devices;

storing a result of the processing in memory.

9. A computer readable memory for storing instructions executable by a computer system, wherein the computer system performs a method in response to executing the instructions, the method comprising:

reading identities of a plurality of first physical storage devices, wherein storage in the plurality of first physical storage devices is logically aggregated to create a first storage object;

reading identities of a plurality of second physical storage devices, wherein storage in the plurality of second physical storage devices is logically aggregated to create a second storage object;

comparing the identity of each of the plurality of first physical storage devices with the identities of the plurality of second physical storage devices;

storing a result of the comparing in a memory;

generating a message if the identity of one of the plurality of first physical storage devices compares equally with the identity of any of the plurality of second physical storage devices.

10. The computer readable memory of claim 9 wherein the message comprises an instruction to evacuate data stored in one of the first or second storage objects.

11. The computer readable memory of claim 9 wherein the method further comprises the computer system generating an executable command if the identity of one of the plurality of first physical storage devices compares equally with the identity of any of the plurality of second physical storage devices.

12. The computer readable memory of claim 11 wherein the executable command when executed evacuates data from one of the first and second storage objects.

13. The computer readable memory of claim 11 wherein the executable command is transmitted to a storage subsystem that contains the plurality of first and second physical storage devices.

14. A computer readable memory for storing instructions executable by a computer system, wherein the computer system performs a method in response to executing the instructions, the method comprising:

reading identities of a plurality of first physical storage devices, wherein storage in the plurality of first physical storage devices is logically aggregated to create a first storage object;

reading identities of a plurality of second physical storage devices, wherein storage in the plurality of second physical storage devices is logically aggregated to create a second storage object;

comparing the identity of each of the plurality of first physical storage devices with the identities of the plurality of second physical storage devices;

storing a result of the comparing in a memory;

accessing memory in a storage subsystem, wherein the memory contains identities of the plurality of first physical storage devices that form the first storage object and identities of the plurality of second physical storage devices that form the second storage object.

15. A system comprising:

a computer system coupled to a data storage sub-system;

wherein the data storage subsystem comprises a plurality of first physical storage devices;

wherein the data storage subsystem comprises a first storage manager for logically aggregating storage of the plurality of first physical storage devices to create a first storage object

wherein the computer system comprises a memory for storing instructions executable by the computer system, wherein the computer system performs a method in response to executing the instructions, the method comprising;

reading data that identifies the plurality of first physical storage devices;

reading data that identifies a plurality of second physical storage devices, wherein storage in the plurality of second physical storage devices is logically aggregated to create a second storage object;

processing the data that identifies the plurality of first physical storage devices and the data that identifies the plurality of second physical storage devices;

wherein processing the data that identifies the plurality of first physical storage devices and the data that identifies the plurality of second physical storage devices comprises an act of comparing the data that identifies the plurality of first physical storage devices with the data that identifies the plurality of second physical storage devices.

16. A method comprising:

reading first information corresponding to a plurality of first hard disks, wherein storage in the plurality of first hard disks is logically aggregated to create a first storage object;

reading second information corresponding to a plurality of second hard disks, wherein storage in the plurality of second hard disks is logically aggregated to create a second storage object;

processing the first and second information to determine whether one of the first and one of the second hard disks are contained in a single disk array;

storing a result of the processing in memory;

wherein processing the first and second information to determine whether one of the first and one of the second hard disks are contained in a single disk array comprises an act of comparing the first information with the second information.