Storage area network mapping

• US 8,019,840 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Kellogg, Harry E, Purdy, Paulene M., McDougall, David
• Primary Examiner(s): DIVECHA, KAMAL B
• Application Number:
  US10/284,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20040088366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,239 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/223, 711/114, 711/1
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage 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: G06F 3/0686 Libraries, e.g. tape libraries, jukebox

Abstract

A computerized method for determining whether a storage device detected in a SAN is associated with a storage array detected in the SAN, where the storage array has one or more storage devices associated therewith. The computerized method includes obtaining identifying information for the detected storage device, obtaining identifying information for the one or more storage devices associated with the detected storage array, and processing the obtained information to determine whether the detected storage device is one of the one or more storage devices associated with the detected storage array.

Claims

1. A computerized method of determining whether a storage device attached to an interface device in a storage area network (SAN) is associated with a storage array in the SAN, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a computer, information identifying the storage device from the interface device to which the storage device is attached;

identifying, by the computer, a storage array in the SAN;

obtaining, by the computer, information identifying each of one or more storage device associated with the storage array from the storage array; and

defining, by the computer, a link between the interface device and the storage array upon determining that the storage device attached to the interface device is one of the storage devices associated with the storage array.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein the interface device connects the storage device to a host coupled to the SAN.

3. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising generating a topology map for at least a portion of the SAN.

4. The computerized method of claim 3 wherein generating includes illustrating a link on the topology map between the interface device and the storage array upon determining that the storage device attached to the interface device is one of the storage devices associated with the storage array.

5. The computerized method of claim 3 wherein generating includes illustrating an association of the storage device attached to the interface device with the storage array on the topology map upon determining that the storage device attached to the interface device is one of the storage devices associated with the storage array.

6. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein the interface device is a bridge.

7. The computerized method of claim 6 wherein the bridge is a FC-SCSI bridge.

8. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein the storage array is a tape library and the storage devices are tape drives.

9. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein the information identifying the storage device attached to the interface device is obtained from the interface device.

10. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein the information identifying each of the one or more storage devices associated with the storage array is obtained from the storage array.

11. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein the information identifying the storage device attached to the interface device and the information identifying each of the one or more storage devices associated with the storage array is serial number information.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 12, wherein the interface device connects the storage device to a host coupled to the SAN.

14. A computerized method comprising:

collecting, by a computer, a list of bridges and tape libraries in a storage area network (SAN);

obtaining, by the computer, from each said bridge identifying information for each tape drive associated therewith;

obtaining, by the computer, from each said tape libraries identifying information for each tape drive associated therewith;

defining, by the computer, a link between a given bridge and a given tape library upon determining that a tape drive associated with the given bridge is a tape drive associated with the given tape library; and

producing, by the computer, a topology map for the SAN using the link between the given bridge and the given tape library.

15. A computerized method of determining whether a tape drive attached to a FC-SCSI bridge in a storage area network (SAN) is associated with a tape library in the SAN, the tape library having a plurality of tape drives associated therewith, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a computer, identifying information for the tape drive attached to the FC-SCSI bridge;

obtaining, by the computer, identifying information for each of the plurality of tape drives associated with the tape library; and

processing, by the computer, the obtained identifying information to determine whether the tape drive attached to the FC-SCSI bridge is one of the plurality of tape drives associated with the tape library.