Client processing in response to managed system state changes

• US 8,112,489 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Tetreault, Brian R., Cox, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Application Number:
  US12/286,442
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2033 switching over of hardware resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component

Abstract

Described are techniques for processing changes in data storage system state information. Communication are sent and received between a client and a data storage system over a network connection. The data storage system includes a plurality of service processors. A server of the data storage system communicates with the client over the network connection to perform management requests. In response to determining that there has been a change in the data storage system state information indicating that the user interface needs updating, user interface update processing is performed in accordance with said change. If at least one of the plurality of service processors is in an unhealthy state, said user interface update processing includes automatically requesting additional information from the data storage system about an unhealthy service processor, analyzing said additional information, and updating at least a portion of the user interface displayed in accordance with said analyzing.

Claims

1. A method for processing changes in data storage system state information comprising:

providing a client in communication with a data storage system over a network connection, said data storage system including a plurality of service processors wherein a server executing on a designated one of the plurality of service processors communicates with the client over the network connection to perform management requests and wherein the client does not directly communicate with any others of the plurality of service processors other than said designated one;

sending the data storage system state information from the data storage system to the client over the network connection;

determining, by the client, whether there has been a change to the data storage system state information indicating that a user interface on the client needs updating; and

in response to determining that there has been a change in the data storage system state information indicating that the user interface needs updating, performing user interface update processing in accordance with said change, wherein, if at least one of the plurality of service processors is in an unhealthy state, said user interface update processing including automatically requesting additional information from the data storage system about an unhealthy service processor, analyzing said additional information, and updating at least a portion of the user interface displayed in accordance with said analyzing, wherein communications transmitted over the network connection between the client and the data storage system to perform management requests are between the client and a web server on the designated one of the plurality of service processors, and wherein, the web server is a first type which is able to process a set of data storage system management requests when the designated one of the plurality of service processors is healthy and wherein the web sewer is a second type which is able to process only a portion of said set when said designated one of the plurality of service processors is unhealthy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said user interface update processing includes enabling or disabling at least one displayed menu item in accordance with allowed data storage system management requests for a current data storage system state represented by the change in the data storage system state information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the data storage system state information is communicated to the client from the data storage system synchronously.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the data storage system state information is communicated to the client from the data storage system asynchronously.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said client periodically issues a polling request to the designated one of the plurality of service processors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said designated one of the plurality of service processors is a single one of the plurality of service processors designated as an active service processor and a remainder of said plurality of service processors are passive service processors.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said change includes at least one of:

at least one of the plurality of service processors transitioning from a healthy state to an unhealthy state, at least one of the plurality of service processors transitioning from an unhealthy state to a healthy state, a change in a type of web server executing on said active service processor, a current data storage system state in which each of said plurality of service processors being in a healthy state, and a current data storage system state in which each of said plurality of service processors being in an unhealthy state.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said user interface update processing includes displaying a menu of items corresponding to different commands, and selecting one of the items using an input device causes a corresponding one of the different commands to be issued to the data storage system.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a portion of the items are displayed in a manner so that each item in the portion is visually distinguishable from others of said items not in the portion to indicate possible corrective actions to be taken in response to said change.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said analyzing said additional information includes determining one or more actions to be taken in response to an error state associated with an unhealthy service processor, and said additional information includes a status of devices on an unhealthy service processor.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a service processor is determined as healthy in accordance with one or more criteria, a service processor determined as healthy being able to service a set of expected data storage system management requests over the network connection used for data storage management, wherein a service processor has a state of healthy or unhealthy in accordance with the one or more criteria.

7. A method for processing changes in data storage system state information comprising:

providing a client in communication with a data storage system over a network connection, said data storage system including a plurality of service processors wherein a server executing, on a designated one of the plurality of service processors communicates with the client over the network connection to perform management requests;

sending the data storage system state information from the data storage system to the client over the network connection;

determining, by the client, whether there has been a change to the data storage system state information indicating that a user interface on the client needs updating; and

in response to determining that there has been a change in the data storage system state information indicating that the user interface needs updating, performing user interface update processing in accordance with said change, wherein, if at least one of the plurality of service processors is in an unhealthy state, said user interface update processing including automatically requesting additional, information from the data storage system about an unhealthy service processor, analyzing said additional information, and updating at least a portion of the user interface displayed in accordance with said analyzing, wherein said designated one of the plurality of service processors is a single one of the plurality of service processors designated as an active service processor and a remainder of said plurality of service processors are passive service processors, wherein communications transmitted over the network connection between the client and the data storage system to perform management requests are between the client and a web server executing on whichever service processor is currently designated as active, and wherein, the web server is one of a plurality of types including a first type which is able to process a set of data storage system management requests when a service processor is healthy and a second type which is able to process only a portion said set when a service processor is unhealthy.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said user interface updating processing includes selecting a communication protocol used by the client when communicating with the data storage, system to perform management requests, the communication protocol being selected in accordance with a type of the web server executing on the service processor currently designated as active and currently communicating with the client.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein, a first of the plurality of service processors is designated as the active service processor and is in a healthy state and a second of the plurality of service processors is in an unhealthy state, and said user interface update processing includes issuing a request to a first web server of the first type on the first service processor to obtain information about the second service processor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said first service processor acts as a proxy for requests directed to the second service processor and said first service processor transmits the request to a second web server of the second type executing on the second service processor.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable code thereon for processing changes in data storage system state information, the computer readable medium comprising executable code for:

sending and receiving communications between a client and a data storage system over a network connection, said data storage system including a plurality of service processors wherein a server executing on a designated one of the plurality of service processors communicates with the client over the network connection to perform management requests and wherein the client does not directly communicate with any others of the plurality of service processors other than said designated of;

receiving, by the client, the data storage system state information from the data storage system over the network connection;

determining, by the client, whether there has been a change to the data storage system state information indicating that a user interface on the client needs updating; and

in response to determining that there has been a change in the data storage system state information indicating that the user interface needs updating, performing user interface update processing in accordance with said change, wherein, if at least one of the plurality of service processors is in an unhealthy state, said user interface update processing including automatically requesting additional information from the data storage system about an unhealthy service processor, analyzing said additional information, and updating at least a portion of the user interface displayed in accordance with said analyzing, wherein communications transmitted over the network connection between the client and the data storage system to perform management requests are between the client and a web server on the designated one of the plurality of service processors, and wherein, the web server is a first type which is able to process a set of data storage system management requests when the designated one of the plurality of service processors is health and wherein the web server is a second type which is able to process only a portion of said set when said designated one of the plurality of service processors is unhealthy.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein said user interface update processing includes enabling or disabling at least one displayed menu item in accordance with allowed data storage system management requests for a current data storage system state represented by the change in the data storage system state information.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the data storage system state information is communicated to the client from the data storage system synchronously.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the data storage system state information is communicated to the client from the data storage system asynchronously.

20. A method for processing changes in data storage system state information, the method comprising:

sending and receiving communications between a client and a data storage system over a network connection, said data storage system including a plurality of service processors wherein a server executing on a designated one of the plurality of service processors communicates with the client over the network connection to perform management requests and wherein the client does not directly communicate with, any others of the plurality of service processors other than said designated one;

receiving, by the client, the data storage system state information from the data storage system over the network connection;

determining, by the client, whether there has been a change to the data storage system state information indicating that a user interface on the client needs updating; and

in response to determining that there has been a change in the data storage system state information indicating that the user interface needs updating, performing user interface update processing in accordance with said change, wherein, if at least one of the plurality of service processors is in an unhealthy state, said user interface update processing including automatically requesting additional information from the data storage system about an unhealthy service processor, analyzing said additional information, and updating at least a portion of the user interface displayed in accordance with said analyzing, wherein communications transmitted over the network connection between the client and the data storage system to perform management requests are between the client and a web server on the designated one of the plurality of service processors, and wherein, the web server is a first type which is able to recess a set of data storage system management requests when the designated one of the plurality of service processors is healthy and wherein the web server is a second type which is able to process only a portion of said set when said designated one of the plurality of service processors is unhealthy.