System and method for improving cluster performance using an operation thread for passive nodes

• US 8,726,072 B1
• Filed: 01/05/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Pandey, Manu
• Primary Examiner(s): Schell, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/344,248
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4.12, 714/5.1, 714/5.11, 714/10, 714/12, 714/13, 714/43, 709/252, 709/224, 709/226
• US Class Current: 714/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers

Abstract

A system for providing improved cluster operation performance comprises a storage system and a cluster system communicatively coupled to the storage system. The cluster system comprises an active node and a plurality of passive nodes. The active node comprises a storage system interface engine and at least one initiator engine and each of the plurality of passive nodes comprises a storage system interface engine and at least one initiator engine. The storage system interface engine of the active node is configured to coordinate communication between the cluster system and the storage system, and simultaneously communicate an operation request from each of the plurality of passive nodes of the cluster system to the storage system.

Claims

1. A system for providing improved cluster operation performance, the system comprising:

a storage system; and

a cluster system communicatively coupled to the storage system comprising an active node and a plurality of passive nodes, wherein the active node comprises a storage system interface engine and at least one initiator engine and each of the plurality of passive nodes comprises a storage system interface engine and at least one initiator engine, the storage system interface engine of the active node is configured to generate an operation thread for each of the plurality of passive nodes, and simultaneously execute the operation thread for each of the plurality of passive nodes to communicate an operation request from each of the plurality of passive nodes of the cluster system to the storage system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the active node is an active server suitable for managing a resource group and each of the plurality of passive nodes are suitable for managing the resource group in the event of a failover.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage system further comprises at least one communication engine suitable for communicating with the at least one initiator engine of the active node and the at least one initiator engine of each of the plurality of passive nodes.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the active node storage system interface engine is configured to communicate an operation execution request to the active node initiator engine.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the active node storage system interface engine receives notification from the storage system upon execution of the operation.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the active node storage system interface engine is configured to simultaneously call an application programming interface on each of the plurality of passive nodes to request mapping of each of the plurality of passive node initiators to the storage system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage system interface engine is configured add a passive node as a possible owner of a resource.

8. A method for providing improved cluster operation performance, the method comprising:

requesting an operation execution on an active node;

receiving the operation execution request on the active node of the cluster system;

creating a plurality of operation threads for a plurality of passive nodes in the cluster system, each particular operation thread corresponds to a particular node of the plurality of passive nodes, each particular operation thread configured for communicating the operation request to the particular node; and

simultaneously executing at least two of the plurality of operation threads to communicate the operation request from at least two of the plurality of passive nodes of the cluster system to a storage system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the active node is an active server suitable for managing a resource group and each of the plurality of passive nodes are suitable for managing the resource group in the event of a failover.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the operation is a connect operation.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the operation is a disconnect operation.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving a notification regarding execution of each of the plurality of operation threads.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the notification is a successful or unsuccessful connect or disconnect notification.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising inspecting the notification prior to reporting a status to a client application.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising reporting a status to a client application.

16. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon instructions for performing a method for providing a cluster system performance improvement in a cluster system having at least one active node and a plurality of passive nodes, comprising machine executable code, which when executed by at least one machine, causes the machine to:

receive an operation execution request on the at least one active node;

create a plurality of operation threads for the plurality of passive nodes, each particular operation thread corresponds to a particular node of the plurality of passive nodes, each particular operation thread configured for communicating the operation request to the particular node; and

simultaneously execute at least two of the plurality of operation threads to communicate the operation request from at least two of the plurality of passive nodes of the cluster system to a storage system.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operation is at least one of a connect operation or a disconnect operation.

18. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer program code is further adapted to receive a notification regarding execution of each of the plurality of operation threads.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, wherein the computer program code is further adapted to report a status to a client application.

20. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the computer program code is further adapted to inspect the notification prior to reporting the status to the client application.