System and method for determining a level of success of operations on an abstraction of multiple logical data storage containers

• US 9,043,573 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Reissner, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bragdon, Reginald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Westbrook, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/490,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 711/170, 711/172
• US Class Current: 711/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; 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], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/076 by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0614 Improving the reliability of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices

Abstract

Various systems and methods are described for configuring a logical data storage container. In one embodiment, an instruction to perform an operation to modify an attribute of the logical data storage container that is an abstraction of a plurality of pertinent storage containers is received. A translated instruction to perform a sub-operation associated with the operation is transmitted to each of a number of the plurality of pertinent storage containers. A level of success of the performing of the operation on the logical data storage container is detected based on a comparison of a threshold value to a level of success of the performing of the sub-operation on each of the number of the plurality of pertinent storage containers. A report of the detected level of success is communicated.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a data storage system, the method comprising:

receiving an instruction to perform an operation to modify an attribute of a logical data storage container, the logical data storage container comprising a set of underlying storage containers;

transmitting, to each of a plurality of underlying storage containers of the set of underlying storage containers, a translated instruction to perform a sub-operation associated with the operation;

detecting, for each of the plurality of underlying storage containers, a level of success in performing the corresponding sub-operation based on a comparison of a first threshold value to a number of steps of the corresponding sub-operation that are successfully processed by that underlying storage container, wherein the level of success in performing the corresponding sub-operation is deemed a partial success when one or more of the steps fails and the number of steps of the corresponding sub-operation meets or exceeds the first threshold value;

detecting a level of success in performing the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container based on a comparison of a second threshold value to the levels of successes in performing the sub-operations by the plurality of underlying storage containers; and

communicating a report of the level of the success in performing the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container, the report including the partial successes and the one or more failed steps.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the instruction to perform the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container includes receiving the instruction from a client device, and wherein the operation includes (i) adjusting a size of the logical data storage container, (ii) adjusting one or more permissions on the logical data storage container, or (iii) enabling or disabling thin or thick-provisioning of the logical data storage container.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including, in the report, information about one or more commands to be executed on at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers to change the level of success in processing the sub-operation on the at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers from less than complete success to complete success.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, for each of the plurality of underlying storage containers, the steps of the sub-operation to be processed by that underlying storage container based on information about that underlying storage container and information about the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the logical data storage container is comprised of the set of underlying storage containers by accessing of a value of a type attribute of the logical data storage container.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rolling back at least one step of a sub-operation on at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers based on the level of success in performing the sub-operation on the at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers falling short of partial success.

7. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory, coupled to the at least one processor, storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request to perform an operation to modify an attribute of a logical data storage container, the logical data storage container comprising a set of underlying storage containers;

transmitting, to each of a plurality of underlying storage containers of the set of underlying storage containers, a translated instruction to perform a sub-operation associated with the operation;

detecting, for each of the plurality of underlying storage containers, a level of success in performing the corresponding sub-operation based on a comparison of a first threshold value to a number of steps of the corresponding sub-operation that are successfully processed by that underlying storage container, wherein the level of success in performing the corresponding sub-operation is deemed a partial success when one or more of the steps fails and the number of steps of the corresponding sub-operation meets or exceeds the first threshold value;

detecting a level of success in performing the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container based on a comparison of a second threshold value to the levels of successes in performing the sub-operations by the plurality of underlying storage containers; and

communicating a report of the level of the success in performing the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container, the report including the partial successes and the one or more failed steps.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions cause the system to receive the request to perform the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container from a client device, and wherein the operation includes (i) adjusting a size of the logical data storage container, (ii) adjusting one or more permissions on the logical data storage container, or (iii) enabling or disabling thin or thick-provisioning of the logical data storage container.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions cause the system to further perform operations comprising:

including, in the report, information about one or more commands to be executed on at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers to change the level of success in processing the sub-operation on the at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers from less than complete success to complete success.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions cause the system to further perform operations comprising:

determining, for each of the plurality of underlying storage containers, the steps of the sub-operation to be processed by that underlying storage container based on information about that underlying storage container and information about the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions cause the system to further perform operations comprising:

determining that the logical data storage container is comprised of the set of underlying storage containers by accessing of a value of a type attribute of the logical data storage container.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions cause the system further perform operations comprising:

rolling back at least one step of a sub-operation on at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers based on the level of success in performing the sub-operation on the at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers falling short of partial success.

13. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a storage system, causes the storage system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to perform an operation to modify an attribute of a logical data storage container, the logical data storage container comprising a set of underlying storage containers;

transmitting, to each of a plurality of underlying storage containers of the set of underlying storage containers, a translated instruction to perform a sub-operation associated with the operation;

detecting, for each of the plurality of underlying storage containers, a level of success in performing the corresponding sub-operation based on a comparison of a first threshold value to a number of steps of the corresponding sub-operation that are successfully processed by that underlying storage container, wherein the level of success in performing the corresponding sub-operation is deemed a partial success when one or more of the steps fails and the number of steps of the corresponding sub-operation meets or exceeds the first threshold value;

detecting a level of success in performing the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container based on a comparison of a second threshold value to the levels of successes in performing the sub-operations by the plurality of underlying storage containers; and

communicating a report of the level of the success in performing the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container, the report including the partial successes and the one or more failed steps.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the storage system to receive the request to perform the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container from a client device, and wherein the operation includes (i) adjusting a size of the logical data storage container, (ii) adjusting one or more permissions on the logical data storage container, or (iii) enabling or disabling thin or thick-provisioning of the logical data storage container.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the storage system to further perform operations comprising:

including, in the report, information about one or more commands to be executed on at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers to change the level of success in processing the sub-operation on the at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers from less than complete success to complete success.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the storage system to further perform operations comprising:

determining, for each of the plurality of underlying storage containers, the steps of the sub-operation to be processed by that underlying storage container based on information about that underlying storage container and information about the operation to modify the attribute of the logical data storage container.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the storage system to further perform operations comprising:

determining that the logical data storage container is comprised of the set of underlying storage containers by accessing of a value of a type attribute of the logical data storage container.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the storage system to further perform operations comprising:

rolling back at least one step of a sub-operation on at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers based on the level of success in performing the sub-operation on the at least one of the plurality of underlying storage containers falling short of partial success.