Automated monitoring and reporting of health issues for a virtual server

• US 7,805,511 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Panicker, Shubhashri, Knaus, Anton W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean; Frantz B
• Application Number:
  US12/112,902
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 714/15, 714/25, 718/1, 370/242
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3072 where the reporting involves data filtering, e.g. pattern matching, time or event triggered, adaptive or policy-based reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/20 the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV

Abstract

Method and apparatus for automated monitoring and reporting of health issues for a virtual server is described herein. A virtual server may comprise virtual-server components distributed over two or more server systems, the components being used collectively to provide data-access service to client systems. A virtual server may further comprise virtual-server components that are distributed over one or more storage systems. Each server system of a virtual server may implement a health module that automatically monitors and reports health issues regarding the functions/operations or performance of the virtual server. In some embodiments, the health modules executing on the server systems work in conjunction to monitor and report on the virtual-server components (comprising physical and/or virtual components) of the virtual server. As such, the health modules provide convenient and automated monitoring and reporting of health issues affecting the virtual server in providing data-access service to a set of client systems.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring health issues of a virtual server, the system comprising:

a set of two or more server systems, each server system configured for providing data-access service to a storage system for one or more client systems;

the storage system for storing data;

the virtual server comprising a plurality of virtual-server components for collectively providing data-access service for the client systems, the virtual-server components comprising;

a plurality of physical components distributed over the set of two or more server systems and the storage system; and

a plurality of virtual components distributed over the set of two or more server systems and the storage system, a virtual component configured for having a current associated physical component in the set of server systems or the storage system and transparently changing association to a new associated physical component in the set of server systems or the storage system, wherein data-access service to a client system is uninterrupted during the change of association, the virtual components including at least one virtual volume in the storage system; and

a set of health modules, each health module residing on a server system, the set of health modules configured for;

collectively monitoring a set of predetermined health issues regarding the functions or performance of the virtual-server components, wherein a virtual volume is configured for having a current associated aggregate in the storage system and transparently changing association to a new associated aggregate in the storage system, and the set of health modules automatically monitor the set of predetermined health issues regarding the functions or performance of the new associated aggregate in the storage system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a virtual component has a unique identifier within the virtual server that is used by a client system in accessing the virtual server, wherein the unique identifier of the virtual component does not change during a change of association to a new associated physical component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a virtual component comprises a virtual interface for providing a network connection between the virtual server and a client system, the virtual interface configured for having a current associated network port in the set of server systems and transparently changing association to a new associated network port in the set of server systems.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each server system is further configured for:

offsetting a server system failure in the set of servers systems; and

distributing data-access loads from the client systems within the set of servers systems.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of health modules is further configured for:

producing a health report, a health report comprising a summary report summarizing health issues regarding the virtual server or a topic report summarizing configuration health issues, virtual component health issues, or physical component health issues of the virtual server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the storage system comprises a plurality of storage devices for storing data;

an aggregate comprises at least one storage device of the storage system; and

a virtual component comprising a virtual volume in the storage system has an associated aggregate in the storage system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

an aggregate provides an aggregate storage space, each virtual volume comprising a sub-set of the aggregate storage space; and

a virtual volume dynamically increases or decreases in storage size within the aggregate storage space.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the virtual components comprise a plurality of virtual volumes on the storage system;

the plurality of virtual volumes comprise a global namespace, each virtual volume comprising a sub-set of the global namespace; and

the global namespace comprises a single shared file system accessible by all server systems in the set of server systems.

9. A system for monitoring health issues of a virtual server, the system comprising:

a set of at least two server systems, each server system configured for providing data-access service to one or more client systems;

the virtual server comprising a plurality of virtual-server components comprising virtual components and physical components distributed over the set of at least two server systems, each virtual component having an associated physical component in the set of at least two server systems, the virtual-server components being used by the virtual server for collectively providing data-access service to the client systems; and

a set of health modules, each health module residing on a server system, the set of health modules configured for collectively;

collecting information regarding a set of predetermined health issues regarding the functions or performance of the virtual server;

storing the collected information as health logs stored to a health database, each health log comprising information regarding a predetermined health issue for a particular virtual or physical component in the virtual server;

retrieving a plurality of health logs from the health databases; and

producing a health report that summarizes the plurality of retrieved health logs, the health report summarizing the set of predetermined health issues for virtual or physical components of the virtual server, the virtual or physical components of the virtual server being distributed over at least two different server systems.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each server system is configured for providing data-access service for accessing a set of one or more storage systems, the system further comprising:

the set of one or more storage systems for storing data, wherein the virtual server further comprises a plurality of virtual-server components distributed over the set of one or more storage systems.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein a virtual component is configured for having a current associated physical component in the set of server systems and transparently changing association to a new associated physical component in the set of server systems, wherein data-access service to a client system is uninterrupted during the change of association.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein upon a predetermined health issue changing in condition, new information collected for the changed predetermined health issue is used to modify a health database.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein each health module comprises a parameter interface for receiving configuration parameters to dynamically change the set of predetermined health issues without requiring software code of the health module to be modified.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein a health report only contains information regarding open predetermined health issues that are currently unresolved on the virtual server.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the set of predetermined health issues comprises configuration health issues, virtual component health issues, and physical component health issues of the virtual server; and

a health report comprises a summary of all health issues regarding the virtual server.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the set of predetermined health issues comprises configuration health issues, virtual component health issues, and physical component health issues of the virtual server; and

a health report comprises a summary of only configuration health issues, only virtual component health issues, or only physical component health issues of the virtual server.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein each health module comprises a parameter interface for receiving configuration parameters to dynamically change specified contents to be contained in the health report without requiring software code of the health module to be modified.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the set of at least two server systems comprises at least first and second server system; and

the plurality of retrieved health logs comprises at least first and second health logs, the first health log comprising information regarding a predetermined health issue for a virtual or physical component distributed on the first server system and the second health log comprising information regarding a predetermined health issue for a virtual or physical component distributed on the second server system.

19. A method for monitoring health issues of a virtual server, the method comprising:

providing a set of at least two server systems, the virtual server comprising a plurality of virtual-server components comprising virtual components and physical components distributed over the set of at least two server systems, each virtual component having an associated physical component in the set of at least two server systems, the virtual-server components being used by the virtual server for collectively providing data-access service to one or more client systems, each server system configured for collectively;

collecting information regarding a set of predetermined health issues regarding the functions or performance of the virtual server;

storing the collected information as health logs stored to a health database, each health log comprising information regarding a predetermined health issue for a particular virtual or physical component in the virtual server;

retrieving a plurality of health logs from the health databases; and

producing a health report that summarizes the plurality of retrieved health logs, the health report summarizing the set of predetermined health issues for virtual or physical components of the virtual server, the virtual or physical components of the virtual server being distributed over at least two different server systems.