Storage path management bus view

• US 8,520,533 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Gill, Todd R., Sandstrom, Harold M., Perreault, James A., Neil, John S., Sachdev, Vinay S., Bowlin, Bradley A., Stultz, Brion E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Qureshi, Afsar M
• Application Number:
  US13/250,512
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 370216-260, 709203-239, 705/51, 705/59
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/201 between storage system components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• 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]

Abstract

In large complex multi-path storage environments, knowing there is a problem is extremely valuable. Example embodiments of the present invention include a management framework that provides an easy to use and read graphical perspective that allows analysis of faults in a multi-path storage environment. The architecture is not only responsive, scalable, and robust, but also provides “middleware” services to a broad spectrum of enterprise management applications whose domains may extend beyond storage path management. The management framework includes a consolidator that, along with an agent on the hosts, supports an administrator in: collecting storage path information from hosts; summarizing, aggregating, filtering, and reformatting storage path information to serve enterprise management needs and policies; forwarding an alert regarding storage path information to interested managers; routing storage path management commands from managers to hosts; and reporting command completion status from the host back to the requesting manager.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving edge point state information for a bus in a multi-pathing environment, wherein the bus comprises a pair of edge points in a storage area network (SAN);

analyzing the received edge point state information, wherein analyzing the received edge point state information comprises;

determining a first bus state for a first edge point of each pair of edge points in a group of at least one pair of edge points grouped according to a second edge point of each pair of edge points; and

setting a second bus state for the second edge point according to the first bus state of each respective first edge point of each pair of edge points; and

providing an indication regarding a bus state according to the analyzed edge point information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving edge point state information comprises receiving an indication of whether an edge point in the pair of edge points comprising the bus experiences a fault.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a first bus state for a first edge point of each pair of edge points in a group of at least one pair of edge points grouped according to a second edge point of each pair of edge points comprises determining an array port state for each respective path to each array port of each pair of edge points in the group of at least one pair of edge points grouped according to a host bus adapter port of each pair of edge points.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein setting a second bus state for the second edge point according to the first bus state of each respective first edge point of each pair of edge points comprises determining a host bus adapter state for the group of at least one pair of edge points according to the array port state of each pair of edge points in the group of at least one pair of edge points.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein determining an array port state for each respective path to each array port of each pair of edge points in the group of at least one pair of edge points grouped according to a host bus adapter port of each pair of edge points comprises:

setting the array port bus state to a first array port bus state if one or more paths to the array port are in an unavailable state; and

setting the array port bus state to a second array port bus state if all paths to the array port are in an available state.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a host bus adapter state for the group of at least one pair of edge points according to the array port state of each pair of edge points in the group of at least one pair of edge points comprises:

setting the host bus adapter port state to a first host bus adapter port state if all paths through the host bus adapter port are in an unavailable state;

setting the host bus adapter port state to a second host bus adapter port state if one or more, but not all, paths through the host bus adapter port are in an unavailable state; and

setting the host bus adapter port state to a third host bus adapter port state if all paths through the host bus adapter port are in an available state.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver module configured to receive edge point state information for a bus in a multi-pathing environment, wherein the bus comprises a pair of edge points in a storage area network (SAN);

an analyzer module configured to analyze the received edge point state information, determine a first bus state for a first edge point of each pair of edge points in a group of at least one pair of edge points grouped according to a second edge point of each pair of edge points, and set a second bus state for the second edge point according to the first bus state of each respective first edge point of each pair of edge points; and

an indicator module configured to provide an indication regarding a bus state according to the analyzed edge point information.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the receiver module is further configured to receive an indication of whether an edge point in the pair of edge points comprising the bus experiences a fault.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the analyzer module is further configured to determine an array port state for each respective path to each array port of each pair of edge points in the group of at least one pair of edge points grouped according to a host bus adapter port of each pair of edge points.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the analyzer module is further configured to determine a host bus adapter state for the group of at least one pair of edge points according to the array port state of each pair of edge points in the group of at least one pair of edge points.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the analyzer module is further configured to

set the array port bus state to a first array port bus state if one or more paths to the array port are in an unavailable state;

and

set the array port bus state to a second array port bus state if all paths to the array port are in an available state.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the analyzer module is further configured to

set the host bus adapter port state to a first host bus adapter port state if all paths through the host bus adapter port are in an unavailable state;

set the host bus adapter port state to a second host bus adapter port state if one or more, but not all, paths through the host bus adapter port are in an unavailable state; and

set the host bus adapter port state to a third host bus adapter port state if all paths through the host bus adapter port are in an available state.

13. A computer-program product including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer-program code that, when executed on a processor of a computer, cause the computer to provide an indication regarding storage path information, the computer-program product comprising:

computer program code for receiving edge point state information for a bus in a multi-pathing environment, wherein the bus comprises a pair of edge points in a storage area network (SAN);

computer program code for analyzing the received edge point state information, wherein computer program code for analyzing the received edge point state information comprises;

computer program code for determining a first bus state for a first edge point of each pair of edge points in a group of at least one pair of edge points grouped according to a second edge point of each pair of edge points; and

computer program code for setting a second bus state for the second edge point according to the first bus state of each respective first edge point of each pair of edge points; and

computer program code for providing an indication regarding a bus state according to the analyzed edge point information.

14. The computer-program product of claim 13

wherein computer program code for determining a first bus state for a first edge point of each pair of edge points in a group of at least one pair of edge points grouped according to a second edge point of each pair of edge points comprises wherein computer program code for determining an array port state for each respective path to each array port of each pair of edge points in the group of at least one pair of edge points grouped according to a host bus adapter port of each pair of edge points;

and

wherein computer program code for setting a second bus state for the second edge point according to the first bus state of each respective first edge point of each pair of edge points comprises computer program code for determining a host bus adapter state for the group of at least one pair of edge points according to the array port state of each pair of edge points in the group of at least one pair of edge points.

15. The computer program product of claim 14

wherein computer program code for determining an array port state for each respective path to each array port of each pair of edge points in the group of at least one pair of edge points grouped according to a host bus adapter port of each pair of edge points comprises:

computer program code for setting the array port bus state to a first array port bus state if one or more paths to the array port are in an unavailable state; and

computer program code for setting the array port bus state to a second array port bus state if all paths to the array port are in an available state; and

wherein computer program code for determining a host bus adapter state for the group of at least one pair of edge points according to the array port state of each pair of edge points in the group of at least one pair of edge points comprises;

computer program code for setting the host bus adapter port state to a first host bus adapter port state if all paths through the host bus adapter port are in an unavailable state;

computer program code for setting the host bus adapter port state to a second host bus adapter port state if one or more, but not all, paths through the host bus adapter port are in an unavailable state; and

computer program code for setting the host bus adapter port state to a third host bus adapter port state if all paths through the host bus adapter port are in an available state.