Storage router and method for providing virtual local storage

• US 8,402,194 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2011
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Crossroads Systems (Texas) Incorporated (Crossroads Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Crossroads Systems (Texas) Incorporated (Crossroads Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoese, Geoffrey B., Russell, Jeffry T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Christopher B
• Application Number:
  US13/197,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20110289252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 710 1- 5, 710 8- 13, 710 36- 38, 710126-131, 710/250, 710/305, 709/258, 714/42, 711110-113
• US Class Current: 710/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1668 Details of memory controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4059 where the synchronisation uses buffers, e.g. for speed matching between buses
• 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 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• 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 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/631 Small computer system interface [SCSI] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/645 Fibre channel identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A storage router and method for providing virtual local storage on remote storage devices to devices are provided. Devices are connected to a first transport medium, and a plurality of storage devices are connected to a second transport medium. In one embodiment, the storage router maintains a map to allocate storage space on the remote storage devices to devices connected to the first transport medium by associating representations of the devices connected to the first transport medium with representations of storage space on the remote storage devices, wherein each representation of a device connected to the first transport medium is associated with one or more representations of storage space on the remote storage devices and controls access from the devices connected to the first transport medium to the storage space on the remote storage devices in accordance with the map and using native low level block protocol.

Claims

1. A storage network comprising:

a first transport medium;

a plurality of devices connected to the first transport medium, wherein the first transport medium is a serial network transport medium;

a second transport medium;

a plurality of storage devices connected to the second transport medium;

a storage router interfacing between the first transport medium and the second transport medium, the storage router providing virtual local storage on the storage devices to the devices connected to the first transport medium, the storage router operable to;

maintain a configuration that creates a path through the storage router so that a device connected to the first transport medium can communicate with one or more remote storage devices connected to the storage router;

receive native low level block protocol requests for access to storage space on one or more of the storage devices from the device connected to the first transport medium;

implement access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration.

2. The storage network of claim 1, wherein the storage router is operable to implement access controls to allow a first device to access a first portion of the storage space but deny the first device access to a second portion of the storage space, to allow a second device access to both the first and second portions of the storage space, and to deny a third device access to the first portion of the storage space but allow the third device access to the second portion of the storage space.

3. The storage router of claim 2, wherein implementing access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration further comprises allowing access from a device to storage space if the storage router has been configured to include a path from the device to requested storage space prior to receipt at the storage router of the native low level block protocol request to access the storage space.

4. The storage router of claim 1, wherein implementing access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration further comprises:

allowing a first device and a second device to access a first portion of the storage space, but denying the first and the second device access to a second portion of the storage space.

5. The storage router of claim 4, wherein implementing access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration further comprises allowing a third device access to a portion of the storage space different than the first portion of the storage space and denying the third device access to a different portion of storage space than the second portion of the storage space.

6. The storage router of claim 2, wherein the plurality of devices connected to the first transport medium comprise network servers.

7. A storage router for providing virtual local storage, comprising:

a first controller operable to interface with a first transport medium, wherein the first medium is a serial network transport medium;

a second controller operable to interface with a second transport medium;

a supervisor unit in communication with the first controller, wherein the storage router is operable to;

maintain a configuration that creates a path through the storage router so that a device connected to the first transport medium can communicate with one or more remote storage devices connected to the storage router through the second transport medium;

receive native low level block protocol requests for access to storage space on one or more of the storage devices from the device connected to the first transport medium;

implement access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration.

8. The storage router of claim 7, wherein the storage router is configured to implement access controls to allow a first device to access a first portion of the storage space but deny the first device access to a second portion of the storage space, to allow a second device access to both the first and second portions of the storage space, and to deny a third device access to the first portion of the storage space but allow the third device access to the second portion of the storage space.

9. The storage router of claim 7, wherein implementing access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration further comprises allowing access from a device to storage space if the storage router has been configured to include a path from the device to requested storage space prior to receipt at the storage router of the native low level block protocol request to access the storage space.

10. The storage router of claim 7, wherein implementing access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration further comprises:

allowing a first device and a second device to access a first portion of the storage space, but denying the first and the second device access to a second portion of the storage space.

11. The storage router of claim 10, wherein implementing access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration further comprises allowing a third device access to a portion of the storage space different than the first portion of the storage space and denying the third device access to a different portion of storage space than the second portion of the storage space.

12. The storage router of claim 7, wherein the device connected to the first transport medium comprises a network server.

13. The storage router of claim 7, wherein the storage space on the remote storage devices comprises storage space on multiple remote storage devices.

14. The storage router of claim 7, wherein the storage router is configured to receive commands according to a first low level block protocol from the device connected to the first transport medium and forward commands according to a second low level block protocol to the remote storage devices.

15. The storage router of claim 7, wherein the first transport medium is an Ethernet or Fibre Channel transport medium.

16. The storage router of claim 7, wherein the configuration according to which access controls are implemented is maintained in a manner that is transparent to devices connected to the first transport medium.

17. The storage router of claim 7, wherein implementing access controls is performed at the storage router in a manner that is transparent to devices connected to the first transport medium.

18. The storage router of claim 7, wherein the storage provides virtual local storage by controlling what subsets of the storage spaces devices connected to the transport medium see as local storage.

19. The storage router of claim 18, wherein the storage router presents subsets of the storage space to devices connected to the first transport medium as LUNs, and further wherein the storage router processes a discovery request from the device and respond with a list of LUNs for storage space accessible by the device.

20. The storage router of claim 7, wherein the configuration is maintained in multiple tables.

21. A method for providing virtual local storage on remote storage devices, comprising:

interfacing with a first transport medium, wherein the first medium is a serial network transport medium;

interfacing with a second transport medium; and

maintaining a configuration that creates a path through a storage router so that a device connected to the first transport medium can communicate with one or more storage devices connected to the storage router through the second transport medium;

receiving native low level block protocol requests at the storage router for access to storage space on one or more of the storage devices from the device connected to the first transport medium;

implementing access controls at the storage router for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein implementing access controls further comprises:

allowing a first device to access a first portion of the storage space but denying the first device access to a second portion of the storage space, allowing a second device access to both the first and second portions of the storage space, and denying a third device access to the first portion of the storage space but allowing the third device access to the second portion of the storage space.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein implementing access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration further comprises allowing access from a device to storage space if the storage router has been configured to include a path from the device to the requested storage space prior to receipt at the storage router of the native low level block protocol request to access the storage space.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein implementing access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration further comprises allowing a first device and a second device to access a first portion of the storage space, but denying the first and the second device access to a second portion of the storage space.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein implementing access controls for storage space on the storage devices in accordance with the configuration further comprises allowing a third device access to a portion of the storage space different than the first portion of the storage space and denying the third device access to a different portion of storage space than the second portion of the storage space.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the device connected to the first transport medium comprises a network server.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the storage space on the remote storage devices comprises storage space on multiple remote storage devices.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the storage router receives native low level block protocol requests for access to storage space on one or more of the storage devices according to a first low level block protocol and forward commands to the remote storage devices according to a second low level block protocol.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the first transport medium is an Ethernet or Fibre Channel transport medium.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein maintaining the configuration according to which access controls are implemented is done in a manner that is transparent to devices connected to the first transport medium.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein implementing access controls is performed at the storage router in a manner that is transparent to devices connected to the first transport medium.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein the storage provides virtual local storage by controlling what subsets of the storage space devices connected to the transport medium see as local storage.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the storage router presents subsets of the storage space to devices connected to the first transport medium as LUNs, and further wherein the storage router processes a discovery request from the device and respond with a list of LUNs for storage space accessible by the device.

34. The method of claim 21, wherein maintaining the configuration further comprises maintaining the configuration within multiple tables.