Inter-server dynamic transfer method for virtual file servers

• US 8,539,076 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakatani, Yoji, Nakano, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Rashid, Harunur
• Application Number:
  US11/905,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 714/6.3
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• 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 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to dynamically transfer a virtual file server within a cluster that is configured by a plurality of file servers in which virtual file servers are set up. A storage system includes: a first file server; a second file server; and a disk subsystem, in which: the first file server and the second file server each include a virtual file server control unit that sets up the virtual file server; the virtual file server includes a routing table that stores path information necessary for communication; and the virtual file server started up in the second file server determines a communication path by using the routing table used by the virtual file server in the first file server after taking a failover from the virtual file server of the first file server to the second file server.

Claims

1. A management computer comprising:

a processor;

a display unit coupled to the processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor,

wherein, when setting up a plurality of virtual file servers on first and second file server devices respectively, each of the first and second file server devices including a plurality of network interfaces, the processor instructs the first and second file server devices to configure the plurality of virtual file servers respectively by allocating physical resources of the first and second file server devices to each of the plurality of virtual file servers assigned to the first and second file server devices respectively, the physical resources including the plurality of network interfaces,

wherein the first and second file server devices are coupled to a storage system including a logical unit shared by the first and second file server devices, the shared logical unit storing configuration information indicating which of the plurality of network interfaces is allocated to which of the plurality of virtual file servers, and service state information including routing information for each of the plurality of virtual file servers on the first and second file server devices to communicate with devices through a network,

wherein, when a first virtual file server of the plurality of virtual file servers on the first file server device fails over to a second virtual file server of the plurality of virtual file servers on the second file server device, the second virtual file server reads out the configuration information and the service state information from the shared logical unit, and defines a communication path between one of the plurality of network interfaces of the second file server device allocated to the second virtual file server and the devices by using the read out routing information for the first virtual file server, and

wherein the plurality of network interfaces included in each of the first and second file server devices is implemented for the first and second virtual file servers respectively provided in the first and second file server devices.

2. A management computer according to claim 1, wherein the memory stores information indicating a relationship between the first and second file server devices and the assigned plurality of virtual file servers respectively.

3. A management computer according to claim 1,

wherein the processor outputs a list of the first and second file server devices to the display unit,

wherein the display unit indicates the list of the first and second file server devices and a mark indicating one of the virtual file servers corresponding to the first and second file server devices respectively, and

wherein the processor stores relationship information between the first and second file server devices and the virtual file servers, respectively, in the information of the memory based on the displayed mark.

4. A management computer according to claim 1, wherein the processor outputs a matrix between each of the first and second file server devices and the virtual file servers, and stores relationship information between each of the first and second file server devices and the virtual file servers, respectively, by inputting a mark on the virtual file servers, one by one, for assigning to the respective first and file server devices.

5. A method performed in a computer system including a first file server device, a second file server device, and a client computer, and a plurality of disk apparatuses coupled to the first file server device and the second file server device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first virtual file server, of a plurality of virtual file servers, in the first file server device;

providing a second virtual file server, of the plurality of virtual file servers, in the second file server device,

wherein each of the first file server device and the second file server device includes a plurality of network interfaces;

instructing the first file server device to configure the first virtual file server by allocating physical resources of the first file server device to the first virtual file server assigned to the first file server device;

instructing the second file server device to configure the second virtual file server by allocating physical resources of the second file server device to the second virtual file server assigned to the second file server device,

wherein the physical resources of the first file server device and the physical resources of the second file server device include the plurality of network interfaces of the first file server device and the second file server device, respectively;

coupling the first and second file server devices to a storage system including a logical unit shared by the first and second file server devices, the shared logical unit storing configuration information indicating which of the plurality of network interfaces is allocated to which of the plurality of virtual file servers, and service state information including routing information for each of the plurality of virtual file servers on the first and second file server devices to communicate with devices through a network;

failing over the first virtual file server in the first file server device to the second virtual file server in the second file server device according to a condition of a resource related to the first file server device,

wherein, when the first virtual file server of the plurality of virtual file servers on the first file server device fails over to the second virtual file server of the plurality of virtual file servers on the second file server device, the second virtual file server reads out the configuration information and the service state information from the shared logical unit, and defines a communication path between one of the plurality of network interfaces of the second file server device allocated to the second virtual file server and the devices by using the read out routing information for the first virtual file server, and

wherein the plurality of network interfaces included in each of the first and second file server devices is implemented for the first and second virtual file servers respectively provided in the first and second server devices.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first virtual file server is allocated to change from the first file server device to the second file server device upon detecting a failure of the first virtual file server in the first file server device.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

configuring a logical unit for storing a file system in the disk apparatuses; and

specifying an access path to the logical unit.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

storing configuration information including path information in the disk apparatuses; and

referring to the path information for providing a file system to the client computer.

9. A system comprising:

a first file server device coupled to a client computer via a network;

a second file server device coupled to the client computer via the network; and

a disk apparatus coupled to the first file server device and the second file server device,

wherein the first file server device is configured to provide a first virtual file server, of a plurality of virtual file servers, to the client computer for using a file system stored in the disk apparatus,

wherein the second file server device is configured to provide a second virtual file server, of the plurality of virtual file servers, to the client computer, each of the first and second file server devices including a plurality of network interfaces,

wherein the client computer instructs the first file server device to configure the first virtual file server by allocating physical resources of the first file server device to the first virtual file server assigned to the first file server device, and instructs the second file server device to configure the second virtual file server by allocating physical resources of the second file server device to the second virtual file server assigned to the second file server device,

wherein the physical resources of the first file server device and the physical resources of the second file server device include the plurality of network interfaces of the first file server device and the second file server device, respectively,

wherein the first and second file server devices are coupled to the disk apparatus, the disk apparatus including a logical unit shared by the first and second file server devices, the shared logical unit storing configuration information indicating which of the plurality of network interfaces is allocated to which of the plurality of virtual file servers, and service state information including routing information for each of the plurality of virtual file servers on the first and second file server devices to communicate with devices through a network,

wherein, when a first virtual file server of the plurality of virtual file servers on the first file server device fails over to a second virtual file server of the plurality of virtual file servers on the second file server device, the second virtual file server reads out the configuration information and the service state information from the shared logical unit, and defines a communication path between one of the plurality of network interfaces of the second file server device allocated to the second virtual file server and the devices by using the read out routing information for the first virtual file server, and

wherein the plurality of network interfaces included in each of the first and second file server devices is implemented for the first and second virtual file servers respectively provided in the first and second file server devices.

10. The system according to claim 9,

wherein the second server device is configured to provide a second virtual file server to the client computer if the first virtual file server is allocated to the second server device from the first server device according to a condition of a resource related to the first server device, and

wherein the condition of the resource is a failure of the first virtual file server in the first file server device.

11. The system according to claim 9,

wherein the disk apparatus includes a logical unit for storing the file system, and

wherein the logical unit for storing the file system stores path information for accessing the logical unit.

12. The system according to claim 11,

wherein the disk apparatus stores configuration information including the path information, and

wherein the path information is referred to in order to provide the file system to the client computer.