Managing storage system configuration information

• US 7,822,894 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2007
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Isobe, Itaru, Harima, Toru, Namba, Tatsuo, Uchiumi, Katsuhiro, Futawatari, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Stiglic; Ryan M
• Application Number:
  US11/907,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20080052433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 710/104
• US Class Current: 710/104
• 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 11/076 by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour

Abstract

The present invention unitarily manages the configuration change of a storage system so as to know the latest configuration, and evaluates the reliability in advance when the configuration is changed so that the generation of a failure is suppressed. When the host 1 is connected to the switch 2, the attribute information of HBA 1A and the attribute information of the switch 2 are stored in the connection information storage unit 2C by FDMI (Fabric Device Management Interface) (S1, S2). Each attribute information is associated with each other and is managed as combination information. The storage device 3 acquires the combination information from the switch 2 (S3, S4), and requests the management device 4 to judge the reliability of this combination (S5). The management device 4 judges the combination of the HBA and the switch (S6), and notifies this judgment result to the storage device 3 (S7). When the configuration of the storage system is changed, the reliability of the configuration can be confirmed before starting operation with the configuration after change, and therefore the generation of a failure can be decreased.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining storage system connection configuration information of a storage system including a plurality of storage devices connected to a host via an inter-connection device, and a management device connected to said storage devices, comprising:

storing storage system connection configurations;

detecting a failure occurs in an existing system connection configuration and incrementing a failure count of the existing system connection configuration accordingly;

judging whether the existing system connection configuration has been operating without a failure for a predetermined period of time; and

deleting history of past storage system connection configurations, when a failure analysis unit judges that the failure count of the existing system connection configuration remains “

0”

for the predetermined period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing system connection configuration change history information which includes a date and a time of a change in at least one of a host bus adapter (HBA) model, a driver software of the HBA, a switch model, and a switch firmware.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

collecting real-time system connection configuration;

comparing the real-time system connection configuration with the stored existing system connection configuration; and

determining a failure occurred in the system connection configuration is caused by something other than the system connection configuration if the real-time and existing system connection configurations match.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the failure occurred in the system connection configuration is determined as being caused by a change to the system connection configuration, if the real-time and existing system connection configurations do not match.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

if the failure is determined as being caused by a change to the system connection configuration, checking whether the system connection configuration as changed is verified by a vendor of the changed host bus adapter (HBA) model, driver software of the HBA, switch model, or switch firmware.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

if the failure is determined as being caused by a change to the system connection configuration, checking whether the system connection configuration as changed is field-proven.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

after the system connection configuration as changed have being field-proven for a pre-determined period of period, changing a status designation of the system connection configuration as changed from “

field-proven”

to “

verified”

.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

sending out a checking result which includes a warning if the system connection configuration as changed is not verified by the vendor.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dividing and including the plurality of storage devices in a plurality of physically separated sub-storage systems;

judging whether the existing sub-system connection configuration has been operating without a failure for a predetermined period of time; and

deleting history of past sub-system storage connection configurations, when the failure analysis unit judges that the failure count of the existing sub-system connection configuration remains “

0”

for the predetermined period of time.

10. A storage system, comprising:

a plurality of storage devices connected to a host via an inter-connection device;

a management device connected to said storage devices;

a storage unit which stores storage system connection configurations;

a failure detecting unit which detects a failure occurs in an existing system connection configuration and increments a failure count of the existing system connection configuration accordingly;

a failure analysis unit which judges whether the existing system connection configuration has been operating without a failure for a predetermined period of time; and

a history deletion unit which deletes history of past storage system connection configurations, when the failure analysis unit judges that the failure count of the existing system connection configuration remains “

0”

for the predetermined period of time.

11. The storage system of claim 10, further comprising:

a storing unit which stores system connection configuration change history information which includes a date and a time of a change in at least one of a host bus adapter (HBA) model, a driver software of the HBA, a switch model, and a switch firmware.

12. The storage system of claim 11, further comprising:

a collecting and comparing unit which collects real-time system connection configuration, compares the real-time system connection configuration with the stored existing system connection configuration, and determines a failure occurred in the system connection configuration is caused by something other than the system connection configuration if the real-time and existing system connection configurations match.

13. The storage system of claim 12, wherein the collecting and comparing unit determines the failure occurred in the system connection configuration is caused by a change to the system connection configuration, if the real-time and existing system connection configurations do not match.

14. The storage system of claim 13, further comprising:

a support-checking unit which checks, if the failure is determined as being caused by a change to the system connection configuration, whether the system connection configuration as changed is verified by a vendor of the changed host bus adapter (HBA) model, driver software of the HBA, switch model, or switch firmware.

15. The storage system of claim 14, wherein the support-checking unit checks, if the failure is determined as being caused by a change to the system connection configuration, whether the system connection configuration as changed is field-proven.

16. The storage system of claim 15, wherein after the system connection configuration as changed have being field-proven for a pre-determined period of period, a status designation system connection configuration as changed is changed from “

field-proven”

to “

verified”

.

17. The storage system of claim 14, wherein the support-checking unit sends a checking result to the collecting and comparing unit, and the checking result includes a warning if the system connection configuration as changed is not verified by the vendor.

18. The storage system of claim 10, wherein the failure detecting unit, the failure analysis unit and the history deletion unit are include in the management device.

19. The storage system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of storage devices are included in a plurality of physically separated sub-storage systems, the failure analysis unit which judges whether the existing sub-system connection configuration has been operating without a failure for a predetermined period of time, and a history deletion unit which deletes history of past sub-system storage connection configurations, when the failure analysis unit judges that the failure count of the existing sub-system connection configuration remains “

0”

for the predetermined period of time.