Method and apparatus for verifying storage access requests in a computer storage system with multiple storage elements

• US 7,716,261 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BMC Groep BV (Randstad NV)
• Original Assignee: BMC Groep BV (Randstad NV)
• Inventors: Black, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moser; Bruce M
• Application Number:
  US11/584,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/200, 707/205, 711/170
• US Class Current: 707/827
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0637 Permissions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for verifying access to logical volume stored on at least one of the plurality of storage elements. The access can involve verification that the appropriate logical volume is being accessed and may also or instead include checking of authorization of a user to access that logical volume or logical entity. A database may be maintained to track users or host computers that are permitted to access the logical volume.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of assigning a logical volume identifier comprising computer-implemented acts of:

identifying a first logical volume that is stored on a first storage element in a computer system comprising a plurality of storage elements of a storage domain including the first storage element, each of the plurality of storage elements storing at least one logical volume, said first logical volume being one of a plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain, wherein the computer system further comprises at least one node that stores information indicating a logical volume identifier for each of the plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain that has been assigned a logical volume identifier and a communications network that couples together the plurality of storage elements, and wherein each of the plurality of storage elements is a unitary storage system comprising at least one physical storage device and comprising at least one port visible to the at least one node via the communications network; and

assigning to the first logical volume, at the at least one node, a first logical volume identifier that is different from each of the other logical volume identifiers assigned to others of said plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain and is independent of a physical storage location of the first logical volume, said first logical volume identifier uniquely identifying said first logical volume among the plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain;

wherein the first logical volume is accessible via the at least one port of the first storage element via the first logical volume identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one node comprises an enterprise storage management console.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first logical volume identifier has a same number of bits as a number of bits used to address the plurality of storage elements.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first logical volume identifier has the same number of bits as a worldwide name.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first logical volume identifier has a same number of bits as a number of bits used to address the plurality of storage elements plus a number of bits used for a logical unit number.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first logical volume identifier has the same number of bits as a worldwide name plus a logical unit number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of assigning the first logical volume the first logical volume identifier further comprises an act of storing information on the at least one node that maps the first logical volume identifier to the first storage element.

8. At least one computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on a computer system, perform a method of assigning a logical volume identifier comprising acts of:

identifying a first logical volume that is stored on a first storage element in the computer system comprising a plurality of storage elements of a storage domain including the first storage element, each of the plurality of storage elements storing at least one logical volume, said first logical volume being one of a plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain, wherein the computer system further comprises at least one node that stores information indicating a logical volume identifier for each of the plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain that has been assigned a logical volume identifier and a communications network that couples together the plurality of storage elements, and wherein each of the plurality of storage elements is a unitary storage system comprising at least one physical storage device and comprising at least one port visible to the at least one node via the communications network; and

assigning to the first logical volume, at the at least one node, a first logical volume identifier that is different from each of the other logical volume identifiers assigned to others of said plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain and is independent of a physical storage location of the first logical volume, said first logical volume identifier uniquely identifying said first logical volume among the plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain;

wherein the first logical volume is accessible via the at least one port of the first storage element via the first logical volume identifier.

9. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the at least one node comprises an enterprise storage management console.

10. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first logical volume identifier has a same number of bits as a number of bits used to address the plurality of storage elements.

11. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first logical volume identifier has a same number of bits as a worldwide name.

12. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first logical volume identifier has a same number of bits as a number of bits used to address the plurality of storage elements plus a number of bits used for a logical unit number.

13. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first logical volume identifier has a same number of bits as a worldwide name plus a logical unit number.

14. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the act of assigning the first logical volume to the first logical volume identifier further comprises an act of storing information on the at least one node that maps the first logical volume identifier to the first storage element.

15. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of storage elements of a storage domain including a first storage element, wherein each of the plurality of storage elements storage at least one logical volume;

a node that stores information indicating a logical volume identifier for each of a plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain that has been assigned a logical volume identifier;

a communications network that couples together the plurality of storage elements and the at least one node, wherein each of the plurality of storage elements is a unitary storage system comprising at least one physical storage device and at least one port visible to the at least one node via the communications network; and

at least one controller that;

identifies a first logical volume of said plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain that is stored on a first storage element of the computer system; and

assigns to the first logical volume a first logical volume identifier that is different from each of the other logical volume identifiers assigned to others of said plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain and is independent of a physical storage location of the first logical volume, said first logical volume identifier uniquely identifying said first logical volume among the plurality of all logical volumes in the storage domain;

wherein the first logical volume is accessible via the at least one port of the first storage element via the first logical volume identifier.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the at least one node comprises an enterprise storage management console.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the first logical volume identifier has a same number of bits as a number of bits used to address the plurality of storage elements.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the first logical volume identifier has a same number of bits as a worldwide name.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the first logical volume identifier has a same number of bits as a number of bits used to address the plurality of storage elements plus a number of bits used for a logical unit number.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the first logical volume identifier has the same number of bits as a worldwide name plus a logical unit number.