Method and apparatus for representing, managing, analyzing and problem reporting in storage networks

• US 7,779,118 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Pherwani, Viren, Even, Ron, Artzi, Amanuel Ronen, Kuhhirte, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan; Duyen M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whipple; Brian P
• Application Number:
  US11/646,638
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program product for performing an analysis on a Storage Area Network (SAN) system, containing a plurality of components, is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of representing selected ones of the plurality of components and the relationship among the components, wherein the representation comprises the steps of creating at least one non-specific representation of the selected components and creating at least one non-specification representation of relations along which the events propagate amongst the selected components, providing a mapping between a plurality events and a plurality of observable events occurring among the components, wherein the mapping is represented as a value associating each event with each observable event, and performing the system analysis based on the mapping of events and observable events.

Claims

1. A method for performing an analysis on a Storage Area Network (SAN) system, containing a plurality of components, the method comprising the steps of:

representing, in a computer, selected ones of the plurality of components and the relationship among the components, wherein the representation comprises the steps of;

creating at least one non-specific representation, in a computer, of the selected components, wherein the non-specific representations are selected from the group consisting of;

DiskPartition, DataPath, PowerPath_DataPath, PowerPathDevice, PowerPathChildDevice, DataPathRedundancyGroup, ScSiProtocolEndPoint, HostBusAdapter, StorageProcessorSystem, StorageProcessorRedundancyGroup, SCSITargetProtocolEndPoint, HardwarePort, NetworkPath, Portlink,NAS-Datamover_RedundancyGroup;

NAS_ControlStation_RedundancyGroup, NAS-ControlStation, NAS_DataMover, NAS_FileSystem, NAS_System; and

creating at least one non-specific representation, in a computer, of relations along which the events propagate amongst the selected components, wherein the representations of relations are selected from the group consisting of;

BasedOnVolume, DiskPartitionBaseOnVolume;

BasedOnDiskPartition, Part of/AllocatedVolume, AllocatedFromStoragePool, HostedStoragePool, ComposedOf, ExposedVia, ExposedStorageVolume, BasedOn, HostedBy, ResidesOnDiskPartition, MemberOf/LogicalDisk, AllocatedFromPool, Peer, LayeredOver, Enables, ConsistsOf, Part OfDomain, AccessedVia, and ControlledEntity;

providing a mapping between a plurality of events and a plurality of observable events occurring among the components, wherein the mapping is represented as a value associating each event with each observable event; and

performing the system analysis based on the mapping of events and observable events.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of performing an analysis comprises the step of:

determining a mismatch measure based on the values associated with the plurality of observable events and the plurality of events.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the analysis comprises the step of:

determining at least one causing event based on the at least one of the plurality of observed events.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the system analysis is selected from the group consisting of:

fault detection, fault monitoring, performance, congestion, connectivity, interface failure, node failure, link failure, routing protocol error, routing control errors, and root-cause analysis.

5. An apparatus for performing an analysis on a Storage Area Network (SAN) system, containing a plurality of components, the apparatus comprising:

a processor in communication with a memory, the processor executing code for;

representing selected ones of the plurality of components and the relationship among the components, wherein the representation comprises the steps of;

creating at least one non-specific representation of the selected components, wherein the non-specific representations are selected from the group consisting of;

DiskPartition, DataPath, PowerPath_DataPath, PowerPathDevice, PowerPathChildDevice, DataPathRedundancyGroup, ScSiProtocolEndPoint, HostBusAdapter, StorageProcessorSystem, StorageProcessorRedundancyGroup, SCSITargetProtocolEndPoint, HardwarePort, NetworkPath, Portlink,NAS-Datamover_RedundancyGroup;

NAS_ControlStation_RedundancyGroup, NAS-ControlStation, NAS_DataMover, NAS_FileSystem, NAS_System; and

creating at least one non-specific representation of relations along which the events propagate amongst the selected components, wherein the representations of relations are selected from the group consisting of;

BasedOnVolume, DiskPartitionBaseOnVolume;

BasedOnDiskPartition, Part of/AllocatedVolume, AllocatedFromStoragePool, HostedStoragePool, ComposedOf, ExposedVia, ExposedStorageVolume, BasedOn, HostedBy, ResidesOnDiskPartition, MemberOf/LogicalDisk, AllocatedFromPool, Peer, LayeredOver, Enables, ConsistsOf, Part OfDomain, AccessedVia, and ControlledEntity;

providing a mapping between a plurality of events and a plurality of observable events occurring among the components, wherein the mapping is represented as a value associating each event with each observable event, and

performing the system analysis based on the mapping of events and observable events.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the step of performing an analysis comprises the step of:

determining a mismatch measure based on the values associated with the plurality of observable events and the plurality of events.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the system analysis is selected from the group consisting of:

fault detection, fault monitoring, performance, congestion, connectivity, interface failure, node failure, link failure, routing protocol error, routing control errors, and root-cause analysis.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the analysis comprises the step of:

determining at least one causing event based on the at least one of the plurality of observed events.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

an input/output device, in communication with the processor.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the code is stored in the memory.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable code for performing an analysis on a Storage Area Network (SAN) system, containing a plurality of components, the product providing instruction to a computer system for executing the steps of:

representing selected ones of the plurality of components and the relationship among the components, wherein the representation comprises the steps of;

creating at least one non-specific representation of the selected components, wherein the non-specific representations are selected from the group consisting of;

DiskPartition, DataPath, PowerPath_DataPath, PowerPathDevice, PowerPathChildDevice, DataPathRedundancyGroup, ScSiProtocolEndPoint, HostBusAdapter, StorageProcessorSystem, StorageProcessorRedundancyGroup, SCSITargetProtocolEndPoint, HardwarePort, NetworkPath, Portlink,NAS-Datamover_RedundancyGroup;

NAS_ControlStation_RedundancyGroup, NAS-ControlStation, NAS_DataMover, NAS_FileSystem, NAS_System; and

creating at least one non-specific representation of relations along which the events propagate amongst the selected components, wherein the representations of relations are selected from the group consisting of;

BasedOnVolume, DiskPartitionBaseOnVolume;

BasedOnDiskPartition, Part of/AllocatedVolume, AllocatedFromStoragePool, HostedStoragePool, ComposedOf, ExposedVia, ExposedStorageVolume, BasedOn, HostedBy, ResidesOnDiskPartition, MemberOf/LogicalDisk, AllocatedFromPool, Peer, LayeredOver, Enables, ConsistsOf, Part OfDomain, AccessedVia, and ControlledEntity;

providing a mapping between a plurality of events and a plurality of observable events occurring among the components, wherein the mapping is represented as a value associating each event with each observable event, and

performing the system analysis based on the mapping of events and observable events.

12. The computer readable code as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of performing an analysis comprises the step of:

determining a mismatch measure based on the values associated with the plurality of observable events and the plurality of events.

13. The computer readable code as recited in claim 11, wherein the system analysis is selected from the group consisting of:

fault detection, fault monitoring, performance, congestion, connectivity, interface failure, node failure, link failure, routing protocol error, routing control errors, and root-cause analysis.

14. The computer readable code as recited in claim 11, wherein the analysis comprises the step of:

determining at least one causing event based on the at least one of the plurality of observed events.