Cluster view for storage devices

• US 8,700,875 B1
• Filed: 09/20/2011
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Cassell, Loellyn, DeGraaf, John, Barron, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): DUDEK JR, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US13/237,369
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 711/170, 711/E12.002, 713/1
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/156 Query results presentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1827 Management specifically adapted to NAS management of storage area networks [SAN] G06F3/067
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1008 Graphical user interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for generating a macroscopic cluster view of storage devices, as opposed to merely an isolated view from an individual node. For example, nodes within a node cluster may be queried for storage device reports comprising storage device information regarding storage devices with which the nodes are respectively connected (e.g., I/O performance statistics, path connections, storage device attributes, status, error history, etc.). The storage device reports may be aggregated together to define one or more storage device data structures (e.g., a storage device data structure comprising one or more tables that may be populated with storage device information). In this way, the cluster view may be generated based upon querying one or more storage device data structures (e.g., an error cluster view, a storage device cluster view, a node summary cluster view, etc.).

Claims

1. A method for generating a cluster view of one or more storage devices, comprising:

querying a first node for a first storage device report associated with a first storage device accessible by the first node, the first storage device report comprising first storage device information;

defining a first storage device data structure for the first storage device based upon the first storage device report, the defining comprising;

responsive to determining that the first storage device information comprises conflicting information in relation to current information within the first storage device data structure;

if the first node is a preferred node over a prior node that reported the current information within the first storage device data structure, then overwriting the current information with the conflicting information; and

if the prior node that reported the current information within the first storage device data structure is a preferred node over the first node, then discarding the conflicting information; and

utilizing the first storage device data structure to generate a cluster view.

2. The method of claim 1, the defining a first storage device data structure comprising at least one of:

defining I/O performance statistics associated with the first storage device;

defining path connections between the first storage device and one or more nodes;

defining storage device role information corresponding to a current role of the first storage device;

defining storage device status information associated with an ability of the first storage device to accept I/O requests;

defining storage device attribute information associated with the first storage device;

defining storage device usage statistics associated with the first storage device;

defining configuration settings associated with the first storage device;

defining administrator assigned attributes associated with the first storage device;

defining job status of operations associated with the first storage device;

defining storage device ownership associated with the first storage device;

or

defining error history associated with the first storage device.

3. The method of claim 1, the defining a first storage device data structure comprising:

responsive to determining that the first storage device information comprises supplemental information in relation to the current information within the first storage device data structure, adding the supplemental information into the first storage device data structure.

4. The method of claim 1, the defining a first storage device data structure comprising:

responsive to determining that the first storage device information comprises non-supplemental redundant information in relation to the current information within the first storage device data structure, discarding the non-supplemental redundant information.

5. The method of claim 1, a non-preferred node corresponding to a non-owner node with respect to the first storage device.

6. The method of claim 1, the preferred node corresponding to a storage device ownership node.

7. The method of claim 1, the first storage device information comprising:

a list of path connections from the first storage device to one or more nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a request for an error cluster view;

querying one or more storage device data structures to identify one or more storage devices associated with at least one error to create the error cluster view; and

presenting the error cluster view.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a request for a storage device summary cluster view;

querying one or more storage device data structures to create the storage device summary cluster view comprising a cluster view of storage devices and storage device connectivity; and

presenting the storage device summary cluster view.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a request for a storage device cluster view of the first storage device;

querying the first storage device data structure to create the storage device cluster view comprising at least one of path connections from the first storage device to one or more nodes, storage device configuration and statistical information, or error history for the first storage device; and

presenting the storage device cluster view.

11. The method of claim 1, the first storage device report comprising the first storage device information in a first data format and comprising second storage device information for a second storage device in a second data format different than the first data format.

12. The method of claim 11, the first data format corresponding to a logical unit number (LUN) of a virtual storage format and the second data format corresponding to a physical storage format.

13. The method of claim 1, the first storage device report received from the first node comprising a first operating system type, and a second storage device report received from a second node comprising a second operating system type different than the first operating system type.

14. The method of claim 1, comprising:

defining a plurality of storage device data structures in parallel.

15. The method of claim 1, the first storage device information comprising:

storage device configuration and statistical information associated with one or more storage devices connected to the first node.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed perform a method for generating a cluster view of one or more storage devices, comprising:

querying a first node for a first storage device report associated with a first storage device accessible by the first node, the first storage device report comprising first storage device information;

defining a first storage device data structure for the first storage device based upon the first storage device report, the defining comprising;

responsive to determining that the first storage device information comprises conflicting information in relation to current information within the first storage device data structure;

if the first node is a preferred node over a prior node that reported the current information within the first storage device data structure, then overwriting the current information with the conflicting information; and

if the prior node that reported the current information within the first storage device data structure is a preferred node over the first node, then discarding the conflicting information; and

utilizing the first storage device data structure to generate a cluster view.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the defining a first storage device data structure comprising at least one of:

defining I/O performance statistics associated with the first storage device;

defining path connections between the first storage device and one or more nodes;

defining storage device role information corresponding to a current role of the first storage device;

defining storage device status information associated with an ability of the first storage device to accept I/O requests;

defining storage device attribute information associated with the first storage device;

defining storage device usage statistics associated with the first storage device;

defining configurations settings associated with the first storage device;

defining administrator assigned attributes associated with the first storage device;

defining job status of operations associated with the first storage device;

defining storage device ownership associated with the first storage device;

or

defining error history associated with the first storage device.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the defining a first storage device data structure comprising:

responsive to determining that the first storage device information comprises supplemental information in relation to the current information within the first storage device data structure, adding the supplemental information into the first storage device data structure.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the defining a first storage device data structure comprising:

responsive to determining that the first storage device information comprises non-supplemental redundant information in relation to the current information within the first storage device data structure, discarding the non-supplemental redundant information.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the preferred node corresponding to a storage device ownership node.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the first storage device information comprising:

a list of path connections from the first storage device to one or more nodes; and

storage device configuration and statistical information associated with one or more storage devices connected to the first node.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the method comprising:

receiving a request for an error cluster view;

querying one or more storage device data structures to identify one or more storage devices associated with at least one error to create the error cluster view; and

presenting the error cluster view.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a storage device summary cluster view;

querying one or more storage device data structures to create the storage device summary cluster view comprising a cluster view of storage devices and storage device connectivity; and

presenting the storage device summary cluster view.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a storage device cluster view of the first storage device;

querying the first storage device data structure to create the storage device cluster view comprising at least one of path connections from the first storage device to one or more nodes, storage device configuration and statistical information, or error history for the first storage device; and

presenting the storage device cluster view.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the first storage device report comprising the first storage device information in a first data format and comprising second storage device information for a second storage device in a second data format different than the first data format.

26. A system for generating a cluster view of one or more storage devices, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory comprising instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processors implement at least some of;

a node query component configured to;

query a first node for a first storage device report associated with a first storage device accessible by the first node, the first storage device report comprising first storage device information;

a data structure component configured to;

define a first storage device data structure for the first storage device based upon the first storage device report, the defining comprising;

responsive to determining that the first storage device information comprises conflicting information in relation to current information within the first storage device data structure;

 

if the first node is a preferred node over a prior node that reported the current information within the first storage device data structure, then overwrite the current information with the conflicting information; and

if the prior node that reported the current information within the first storage device data structure is a preferred node over the first node, then discard the conflicting information; and

a cluster view component configured to;

utilize the first storage device data structure to generate a cluster view.

27. The system of claim 26, the cluster view component configured to:

receive a request for an error cluster view;

query one or more storage device data structures to identify one or more storage devices associated with at least one error to create the error cluster view; and

present the error cluster view.

28. The system of claim 26, the cluster view component configured to:

receive a request for a storage device summary cluster view;

query one or more storage device data structures to create the storage device summary cluster view comprising a cluster view of storage devices and storage device connectivity; and

present the storage device summary cluster view.

29. The system of claim 26, the cluster view component configured to:

receive a request for a storage device cluster view of the first storage device;

query the first storage device data structure to create the storage device cluster view comprising at least one of path connections from the first storage device to one or more nodes, storage device configuration and statistical information, or error history for the first storage device; and

present the storage device cluster view.

30. The system of claim 26, the preferred node corresponding to a storage device ownership node.

31. The system of claim 26, the data structure component configured to:

responsive to determining that the first storage device information comprises supplemental information in relation to the current information within the first storage device data structure, add the supplemental information into the first storage device data structure.

32. The system of claim 26, the data structure component configured to:

responsive to determining that the first storage device information comprises non-supplemental redundant information in relation to the current information within the first storage device data structure, discard the non-supplemental redundant information.

33. The system of claim 26, the first storage device information comprising:

a list of path connections from the first storage device to one or more nodes; and

storage device configuration and statistical information associated with one or more storage devices connected to the first node.