Remote support automation for a storage server

• US 8,806,037 B1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Kalra, Pradeep, Lancaster, Larry, Ratty, Muthukumar, Leung, Ka Wai
• Primary Examiner(s): SCOTT, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US12/074,222
• Time in Patent Office: 2,356 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/028 for synchronisation between service call and response
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A remote management module receives a command from a support server in response to the remote management module initiating a first secure, authenticated connection with the support server, wherein the remote management module is integrated with, and monitors a condition of, a processing system. The remote management module executes the command to generate a result that provides diagnostic data about the processing system. The remote management module reports the result to the support server upon the remote management module initiating a second secure, authenticated connection with the support server.

Claims

1. A processing system comprising:

a processor;

sensors that collect data about environmental state of the processing system;

presence detectors that collect data about presence or absence of components in the processing system;

a first network interface to a storage subsystem;

a second network interface; and

a remote management module that operates independently of the processor, the remote management module comprising;

a data collector configured to monitor condition of the processing system via a plurality of interfaces, wherein the data collector being configured to monitor condition of the processing system via the plurality of interfaces comprises the data collector configured to,

collect data from the sensors and the presence detectors via at least a first set of interfaces of the plurality of interfaces

collect data from an operating system of the processing system via a second set of one or more interfaces of the plurality of interfaces,

determine whether an alarm or error occurs in the processing system based, at least in part, on the collected data,

maintain one or more logs pertaining to the condition of the processing system, including indication of any determined alarm or error;

a remote support agent, connected with the data collector, configured to,

periodically establish network connections with a support server at a time interval via a third network interface of the remote management module,

communicate to the support server a determined alarm or determined error of the data processing system via one of the periodically established network connections,

decrease the time interval for the periodic establishment of network connections with the support server after communicating a determined alarm or determined error of the data processing system, and

communicate information corresponding to the determined alarm or the determined error to the support server via the one or more network connections periodically established at the decreased time interval.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the remote management module includes an additional processor that is powered by a standby voltage, and wherein the remote management module is capable of communicating with the support server even when the processor is disabled.

3. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the remote support agent is configured to request additional diagnostic data from the processor that is not available to the remote management module upon executing the command at the remote management module.

4. The processing system of claim 1, wherein:

the remote support agent is configured to determine that an alarm indicates a system crash of the processing system, to obtain a signature of a core file that was generated by the processing system during the system crash via one of the plurality of interfaces, and to transmit the signature of the core file to the support server.

5. The processing system of claim 4, wherein the remote support agent is further configured to obtain chunks of the core file as specified by commands received from the support server, wherein the remote support agent configured to communicate information corresponding to the determined alarm or the determined error to the support server via the one or more network connections periodically established at the decreased time interval comprises the remote support agent configured to transmit the obtained chunks of the core file via the one or more network connections periodically established at the decreased time interval.

6. The processing system of claim 1, wherein remote management module further comprises a machine readable storage medium that hosts a plurality of scripts and the remote support agent is also configured to run those of the plurality of scripts specified by commands received from the support serve.

7. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the remote support agent is further configured to run a script that is received from the support server through at least one of the network connections periodically established at the decreased time interval, and to store the script upon receiving the script.

8. The processing system of claim 7, wherein the remote management module also comprises a security policy and the remote support agent is configured to check the script against the security policy.

9. The processing system of claim 1:

wherein the data collector configured to determine whether an alarm or error occurs in the processing system based, at least in part, on the collected data comprises the data collector being configured to compare the collected data to one or more threshold values, and to determine whether an alarm has occurred based on the comparison.

10. A storage server comprising:

sensors that collect data about environmental state of the storage server;

presence detectors that collect data about presence or absence of components in the storage server;

a storage interface through which to access a plurality of mass storage devices;

a first network interface through which to communicate with a plurality of network clients;

a processor to manage the storage interface and the first network interface, and to otherwise control the storage server; and

a remote management module comprising control circuitry that operates independently of the processor and one or more machine readable storage media having instructions stored therein, the instructions executable by the control circuitry to cause the remote management module to,

collect data from the sensors and the presence detectors via a first set of interfaces internal to the storage server;

collect data from an operating system of the processing system via a second set of one or more interfaces internal to the storage server,

determine whether an alarm or error occurs in the processing system based, at least in part, on the collected data,

maintain one or more logs pertaining to the condition of the storage server, including indication of any determined alarm or error;

periodically establish at a time interval network connections with a support server via a second network interference

communicate to the support server a determined alarm or determined error of the data processing system via one of the periodically established network connections,

decrease the time interval for the periodic establishment of network connections with the support server after communicating a determined alarm or determined error of the data processing system, and

communicate information corresponding to the determined alarm or the determined error to the support server via the one or more network connections periodically established at the decreased time interval.

11. The storage server of claim 10, wherein the remote management module includes an additional processor that is powered by a standby voltage, and wherein the remote management module is capable of communicating with the support server even when the processor is disabled.

12. The storage server of claim 10, wherein the remote support agent is configured to request additional diagnostic data from the processor that is not available to the remote management module upon executing the commands at the remote management module.

13. The storage server of claim 10, wherein the instructions comprises instructions executable by the control circuitry to cause the remote management module to:

determine that an alarm indicates a system crash of the storage server;

obtain a signature of a core file that was generated by the storage server during the system crash via the second set of one or more interfaces, and

transmit of the signature of the core file to the support server.

14. A method comprising:

periodically establishing, at a first time interval by a remote management module at a storage server, network connections with a support server that is remote from the storage server;

collecting, by the remote management module, data about hardware of the storage server and data from an operating system of the storage server, wherein said collecting is via a plurality of interfaces internal to the storage server that provides the remote management module access to the data;

determining, by the remote management module, an alarm for the storage server based, at least in part, on the collected data;

reporting, by the remote management module, the alarm to the support server via one of the network connections established after the alarm is determined;

after reporting the alarm to the support server and in accordance with a command from the support server, periodically establishing, by the remote management module, network connections with the support server at a second time interval that is shorter than the first time interval;

communicating, by the remote management module, information corresponding to the alarm to the support server via the network connections periodically established at the second time interval.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising restoring the periodic establishing of network connection with the support server to the first time interval after a cause of the alarm is diagnosed by the support server.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

obtaining a signature of a core file, wherein the storage server generated the core file because of a system crash; and

wherein said reporting the alarm to the support server comprises transmitting the signature of the core file to the support server.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said communicating information corresponding to the alarm to the support server comprises:

transmitting a different chunk of the core file to the support server, wherein each chunk of the core file is transmitted via a different one of the network connections periodically established at the second time interval.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining a configuration of the storage server at start up;

reporting the configuration of the storage server to the support server via at least one of the network connections periodically established at the first time interval; and

reporting changes to the configuration of the storage server to the support server via at least one of the network connections periodically established at the first time interval.