Method and apparatus for reporting storage device and storage system data

• US 7,743,284 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Taylor, James A., Gavarre, Sharon A., Hindi, Faris
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente; Emerson C
• Application Number:
  US11/796,619
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 714/42, 714/45, 714/47
• US Class Current: 714/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; 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], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0775 Content or structure details of the error report, e.g. specific table structure, specific error fields
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0787 Storage of error reports, e.g. persistent data storage, storage using memory protection
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/18 Error detection or correction; Testing , e.g. of drop-outs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1823 wherein a flag is set when errors are detected or qualified
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1826 wherein a defect list or error map is generated
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/415 Redundant array of inexpensive disks [RAID] systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06

Abstract

A method for providing data regarding a storage system comprising storage devices is described herein. A storage management module of an operating system of the storage system may be used for servicing (e.g., monitoring or testing) storage devices according to servicing parameters. For each serviced storage device, a reporting module of the storage management module may collect storage device and storage system data upon the occurrence of predetermined events (e.g., when a storage device exhibits an error and monitoring begins, when monitoring ends, and when testing of the storage device ends). The collected data may be saved to a report file in a predetermined format and received by a program configured to automatically extract the data according to the predetermined format for use in storage device and storage system analysis and to determine modified servicing parameters used by the storage management module to service storage devices.

Claims

1. A system for providing data regarding a storage system, the system comprising:

the storage system comprising a set of one or more storage devices, a reporting module, and a storage management module configured for monitoring or testing storage devices of the storage system; and

the reporting module configured for;

collecting storage system data and storage device data of a particular storage device upon the particular storage device exhibiting an error,

storing the collected data to a report file in a predetermined format that specifies a first section comprising storage system data and a second section comprising storage device data,

collecting monitoring data of the particular storage device upon monitoring of the particular storage device ending,

collecting testing data of the particular storage device upon testing of the particular storage device ending, and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format which specifies first and second sub-sections of the second section, the first sub-section comprising monitoring data and the second sub-section comprising testing data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the storage system further comprises a storage management module configured for servicing storage devices of the storage system; and

the reporting module is further configured for;

collecting storage system data and storage device data of the particular storage device upon servicing of the particular storage starting or ending, and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the storage management module services the storage devices according to a set of servicing parameters; and

the collected data is used to determine modified servicing parameters used by the storage management module to service the storage devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting module is further configured for:

collecting extracted data retrieved from the particular storage device upon monitoring or testing of the particular storage device ending; and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format which specifies a third sub-section of the second section, the third sub-section comprising extracted data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein storage system data comprises data regarding the configuration or operating status of the storage system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein storage system data comprises storage system manufacturer, model, version, storage adapter types, log information from adapter drivers, switch models, configuration of switches, drive shelf types, log information from drive shelves, presence of any bridges, bridge types, bridge firmware versions, log information from any bridges, or SCSI Enclosure Services (SES) information.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a report analysis program configured for automatically processing, without human intervention, the report file according to the predetermined format.

8. A system for providing data regarding a storage system, the system comprising:

the storage system comprising a set of one or more storage devices, a reporting module, and a storage management module configured for monitoring or testing storage devices of the storage system; and

the reporting module configured for;

collecting storage system data and storage device data of a particular storage device upon the particular storage device exhibiting an error,

storing the collected data to a report file in a predetermined format that specifies a first section comprising storage system data and a second section comprising storage device data,

collecting storage system data upon monitoring of the particular storage device ending,

collecting storage system data upon testing of the particular storage device ending, and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format which specifies first and second sub-sections of the first section, the first sub-section comprising storage system data collected upon monitoring of the particular storage device ending and the second sub-section comprising storage system data collected upon testing of the particular storage device ending.

9. A method for providing data regarding a storage system comprising a set of one or more storage devices, the method comprising:

providing the storage system that executes a reporting module and a storage management module for;

collecting storage system data and storage device data of a particular storage device upon the particular storage device exhibiting an error,

storing the collected data to a report file in a predetermined format that specifies a first section comprising storage system data and a second section comprising storage device data,

monitoring or testing the storage devices,

collecting monitoring data of the particular storage device upon monitoring of the particular storage device ending,

collecting testing data of the particular storage device upon testing of the particular storage device ending, and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format which specifies first and second sub-sections of the second section, the first sub-section comprising monitoring data and the second sub-section comprising testing data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

servicing storage devices of the storage system;

collecting storage system data and storage device data of the particular storage device upon servicing of the particular storage starting or ending; and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

collecting extracted data retrieved from the particular storage device upon monitoring or testing of the particular storage device ending; and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format which specifies a third sub-section of the second section, the third sub-section comprising extracted data.

12. A method for providing data regarding a storage system comprising a set of one or more storage devices, the method comprising:

providing the storage system that executes a reporting module and a storage management module for;

collecting storage system data and storage device data of a particular storage device upon the particular storage device exhibiting an error;

storing the collected data to a report file in a predetermined format that specifies a first section comprising storage system data and a second section comprising storage device data;

monitoring or testing storage devices of the storage system;

collecting storage system data upon monitoring of the particular storage device ending;

collecting storage system data upon testing of the particular storage device ending; and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format which specifies first and second sub-sections of the first section, the first sub-section comprising storage system data collected upon monitoring of the particular storage device ending and the second sub-section comprising storage system data collected upon testing of the particular storage device ending.

13. A computer-program product comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon when executed by a processor, provide data regarding a storage system comprising a set of one or more storage devices, the computer-program product comprising sets of instructions for:

collecting storage system data and storage device data of a particular storage device upon the particular storage device exhibiting an error,

storing the collected data to a report file in a predetermined format that specifies a first section comprising storage system data and a second section comprising storage device data,

monitoring or testing storage devices of the storage system,

collecting monitoring data of the particular storage device upon monitoring of the particular storage device ending,

collecting testing data of the particular storage device upon testing of the particular storage device ending, and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format which specifies first and second sub-sections of the second section, the first sub-section comprising monitoring data and the second sub-section comprising testing data.

14. The computer-program product of claim 13, further comprising sets of instructions for:

servicing storage devices of the storage system;

collecting storage system data and storage device data of the particular storage device upon servicing of the particular storage starting or ending; and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format.

15. The computer-program product of claim 13, further comprising sets of instructions for:

collecting extracted data retrieved from the particular storage device upon monitoring or testing of the particular storage device ending; and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format which specifies a third sub-section of the second section, the third sub-section comprising extracted data.

16. A computer-program product comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon when executed by a processor, provide data regarding a storage system comprising a set of one or more storage devices, the computer-program product comprising sets of instructions for:

collecting storage system data and storage device data of a particular storage device upon the particular storage device exhibiting an error;

storing the collected data to a report file in a predetermined format that specifies a first section comprising storage system data and a second section comprising storage device data;

monitoring or testing storage devices of the storage system;

collecting storage system data upon monitoring of the particular storage device ending;

collecting storage system data upon testing of the particular storage device ending; and

storing the collected data to the report file in the predetermined format which specifies first and second sub-sections of the first section, the first sub-section comprising storage system data collected upon monitoring of the particular storage device ending and the second sub-section comprising storage system data collected upon testing of the particular storage device ending.