SCSI HBA management using logical units

• US 8,095,715 B1
• Filed: 09/05/2006
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Overby, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq
• Assistant Examiner(s): YU, HENRY W
• Application Number:
  US11/470,032
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0036 Small computer system interface [SCSI]

Abstract

Systems and methods for accessing host bus adapter (HBA) management features for Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) based HBAs produced by different vendors use a standard interface. A virtual SCSI target is created to emulate each HBA in a system, representing the HBA as a logical unit. Standard commands specified for logical units are used by an HBA device driver to perform HBA management operations. The standard commands may be used to access HBA management features for any HBA regardless of the vendor. Therefore, the HBA communication interface is standardized for HBA devices, permitting efficient access regardless of the operating system or HBA vendor.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for standardizing communication between a storage management application and a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) host bus adapter within a computing device, comprising:

representing a first SCSI host bus adapter of a plurality of SCSI host bus adapters that is coupled to a first SCSI bus as a first logical unit coupled to the first SCSI bus through a first virtual SCSI target of a plurality of virtual SCSI targets that is stored in system memory of the computing device and is not physically present on the first SCSI bus, wherein the first logical unit and the first virtual SCSI target appear as physical devices on the first SCSI bus to the storage management application;

intercepting, by the first virtual SCSI target, a management command produced by the storage management application for execution by the first logical unit that represents the first SCSI host bus adapter;

translating the intercepted management command for execution by the first SCSI host bus adapter to produce a translated management command;

providing the translated management command to the first SCSI host bus adapter for execution without transmitting over the first SCSI bus; and

executing the management command by the first SCSI host bus adapter to perform management operations that change settings of the first SCSI host bus adapter.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the management command to the first logical unit that represents the first SCSI host bus adapter using a SCSI pass through interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising responding to an inquiry received from an operating system with a data structure describing the first SCSI host bus adapter as the first logical unit, wherein the operating system does not provide an interface enabling communication between the storage management application and the first SCSI host bus adapter.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

representing a second SCSI host bus adapter as a second logical unit coupled to a second SCSI bus through a second virtual SCSI target that is not physically present on the second SCSI bus, wherein the second logical unit and the second virtual SCSI target appear as physical devices on the second SCSI bus to the storage management application;

intercepting the management command produced by the storage management application for execution by the second logical unit that represents the second SCSI host bus adapter to produce a second intercepted management command;

translating the second intercepted management command for execution by the second SCSI host bus adapter to produce a second translated management command;

providing the second translated management command to the second SCSI host bus adapter for execution without transmitting the management command over the second SCSI bus; and

executing the management command by the second SCSI host bus adapter to perform management operations that change settings of the second SCSI host bus adapter.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating with other logical units coupled to the first SCSI bus without waiting for confirmation that the management command was executed by the first SCSI host bus adapter.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying a first target identifier for the management command, wherein the first target identifier corresponds to the first virtual SCSI target.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

representing a second SCSI host bus adapter as a second logical unit coupled to a second SCSI bus through a second virtual SCSI target that is not physically present on the second SCSI bus, wherein the second logical unit and the second virtual SCSI target appear as physical devices on the second SCSI bus to the storage management application;

producing an additional management command for execution by the second logical unit that represents the second SCSI host bus adapter; and

specifying a second target identifier corresponding to the second virtual SCSI target for the additional management command.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the management command is simultaneously issued to the first logical unit and the second logical unit by the storage management application and,

the translating of the intercepted management command is performed by a first device driver that is specific to a first vendor of the first SCSI host bus adapter and the translating of the second intercepted management command is performed by a second device driver that is specific to a second vendor of the second SCSI host bus adapter that is different than the first vendor.

8. A computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing a processor to use a standard interface to access management features of a first Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) host bus adapter within a computing device, by performing the steps of:

representing the first SCSI host bus adapter of a plurality of SCSI host bus adapters that is coupled to a SCSI bus as a first logical unit that is coupled to the SCSI bus through a first virtual SCSI target of a plurality of virtual SCSI targets that is stored in system memory of the computing device and is not physically present on the first SCSI bus, wherein the first logical unit and the first virtual SCSI target appear as physical devices on the first SCSI bus to a storage management application;

intercepting, by the first virtual SCSI target, a management command produced by the storage management application for execution by the first logical unit that represents the first SCSI host bus adapter;

translating the intercepted management command for execution by the first SCSI host bus adapter to produce a translated management command; and

providing the translated management command to the first SCSI host bus adapter for execution without transmitting over the first SCSI bus, wherein the execution of the management command by the first SCSI host bus adapter changes settings of the first SCSI host bus adapter.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising broadcasting a portion of the management commands output by the storage management application to the first logical unit that represents the first SCSI host bus adapter and to a second logical unit that represents a second SCSI host bus adapter, wherein the second logical unit appears to the storage management application as a physical device coupled to on a second SCSI bus through a second virtual SCSI target.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising specifying a first target identifier corresponding to the first virtual SCSI target for a first portion of management commands that are output by the storage management application for execution by the first logical unit that represents the first SCSI host bus adapter.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising communicating with other logical units coupled to the first SCSI bus without waiting for confirmation that the management commands were executed by the first SCSI host bus adapter.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

translating, by a first device driver that is specific to a first vendor of the first SCSI host bus adapter, the portion of the management commands to produce a first translated portion of the management commands for execution by the first SCSI host bus adapter; and

separately translating, by a second device driver that is specific to a second vendor of the second SCSI host bus adapter that is different than the first vendor, the portion of the management commands to produce a second translated portion of the management commands for execution by the second SCSI host bus adapter.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising responding to an inquiry received from an operating system with a data structure describing the first SCSI host bus adapter as the first logical unit, wherein the operating system does not provide an interface enabling communication between the storage management application and the first SCSI host bus adapter.

12. A system for standardizing communication between a storage management application and a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) host bus adapter within a computing device, comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to execute the storage management application;

a system memory coupled to the CPU and configured to store the storage management application and a first virtual SCSI target of a plurality of virtual SCSI targets; and

a plurality of SCSI host bus adapters including a first SCSI host bus adapter coupled to the system memory to provide a first SCSI bus,

wherein the first virtual SCSI target is configured to emulate the first SCSI host bus adapter as a first logical unit coupled to the first SCSI bus,

wherein the first virtual SCSI target and the first logical unit appear as physical devices on the first SCSI bus to the storage management application,

wherein the first virtual SCSI target is configured to intercept a management command produced by the storage management application,

wherein the intercepted management command is translated to produce a translated management command, and

wherein the first SCSI host bus adapter is configured to execute the translated management command to perform management operations that change settings of the first SCSI host bus adapter without transmitting over the first SCSI bus.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first virtual SCSI target is configured to respond to an inquiry command with a data structure describing the first SCSI host bus adapter as the first logical unit coupled to the first SCSI bus.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a second SCSI host bus adapter coupled to the system memory to provide a second SCSI bus,

wherein a second virtual SCSI target stored in the system memory is configured to emulate the second SCSI host bus adapter as a second logical unit coupled to the second SCSI bus, wherein the second virtual SCSI target and the second logical unit appear as physical devices on the second SCSI bus to the storage management application, the first virtual SCSI target provides a standard interface for communications between the storage management application and the first SCSI host bus adapter, and the second virtual SCSI target provides a standard interface for communications between the storage management application and the second SCSI host bus adapter.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the storage management application is configured to communicate with physical SCSI targets coupled to the first SCSI bus without waiting for confirmation that management commands have been executed by the first SCSI host bus adapter.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the management command is simultaneously issued to the first SCSI host bus adapter and a second SCSI host bus adapter by the storage management application and the translating of the second intercepted management command is performed by a first device driver that is specific to a first vendor of the first SCSI host bus adapter, and configured to translate the management command for execution by the first SCSI host bus adapter;

and

a second device driver that is specific to a second vendor of the second SCSI host bus adapter that is different than the first vendor, and configured to separately translate the management command intercepted by a second virtual SCSI target for execution by the second SCSI host bus adapter.

20. The system of claim 12, further comprising a first device driver that is stored in the system memory and configured to respond to an inquiry received from an operating system with a data structure describing the first SCSI host bus adapter as the first logical unit, wherein the operating system does not provide an interface enabling communication between the storage management application and the first SCSI host bus adapter.