Servicing of storage device software components of nodes of a cluster storage system

• US 9,215,279 B1
• Filed: 02/17/2009
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Mu, Paul Yuedong, Hoffmann, John Eric, Le, Nam, Boyles, John Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Application Number:
  US12/372,646
• Time in Patent Office: 2,492 Days
• Field of Search: 709213-229
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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 67/143 Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding

Abstract

Described herein are method and apparatus for servicing software components of nodes of a cluster storage system. During data-access sessions with clients, client IDs and file handles for accessing files are produced and stored to clients and stored (as session data) to each node. A serviced node is taken offline, whereby network connections to clients are disconnected. Each disconnected client is configured to retain its client ID and file handles and attempt reconnections. Session data of the serviced node is made available to a partner node (by transferring session data to the partner node). After clients have reconnected to the partner node, the clients may use the retained client IDs and file handles to continue a data-access session with the partner node since the partner node has access to the session data of the serviced node and thus will recognize and accept the retained client ID and file handles.

Claims

1. A cluster storage system for providing data-access sessions with clients that access data containers of a shared storage of the cluster storage system, the cluster storage system comprising:

a plurality of nodes comprising a serviced node and a partner node, each node comprising a storage device software component (“

D-blade”

) configured for receiving access requests for data containers of the shared storage, the serviced node comprising a serviced D-blade and the partner node comprising a partner D-blade;

the serviced D-blade configured for;

receiving, from a first client through a network connection, a first access request for a first data container stored on the shared storage, the first client previously being verified as having permission to connect with the serviced D-blade through a connection authentication procedure, the first client having an associated first user identifier (ID);

using the first user ID and permission metadata associated with the first data container, performing a first access request validation procedure on the first access request to verify that the first client has permission to access the first data container;

after verifying that the first client has permission to access the first data container;

producing a first data container handle comprising a physical address for the first data container and performing the first access request on the first data container;

sending the first data container handle to the first client; and

storing session data comprising a plurality of data container handles, including the first data container handle, and the first user ID;

a servicing module configured for servicing the serviced D-blade by;

taking the serviced D-blade offline by forcing a network disconnection with each client, including the first client, currently accessing a data container using the serviced D-blade;

beginning servicing of the serviced D-blade, the servicing comprising upgrading, re-installing, performing maintenance, or repairing the serviced D-blade; and

providing access of the session data to the partner D-blade; and

the partner D-blade configured for;

receiving, from the first client, a second access request for the first data container, the second access request specifying the first data container handle and the first user ID; and

upon determining that the session data comprises a data container handle matching the first data container handle and a user ID matching the first user ID, performing the second access request on the first data container based on the first access request validation procedure on the first user ID.

2. The cluster storage system of claim 1, wherein:

the first access request comprises a virtual address of the first data container, whereby the serviced D-blade translates the virtual address to a physical address of the first data container, the physical address comprising the first data container handle for use by the first client in subsequent access requests for the first data container.

3. The cluster storage system of claim 2, wherein the first client accesses the first data container using the partner D-blade without re-submitting the virtual address of the first data container.

4. The cluster storage system of claim 1, wherein the partner D-blade is further configured for:

validating access requests received from disconnected clients using the data container handles produced by the serviced D-blade and the session data.

5. The cluster storage system of claim 4, wherein:

the session data further comprises permission and lock state data associated with each data container handle; and

the partner D-blade is configured for validating the access requests by determining permission and lock state data stored in the session data associated with the data container handles.

6. The cluster storage system of claim 1, wherein, upon a disconnection, each client is configured for:

retaining each data container handle; and

upon reconnection, automatically sending retained data container handles to access previously accessed data containers using the partner D-blade.

7. A method for servicing a cluster storage system providing data-access sessions with clients that access data containers of a shared storage of the cluster storage system, the cluster storage system comprising a plurality of nodes comprising a serviced node and a partner node, each node comprising a storage device software component (“

D-blade”

) configured for receiving access requests for data containers of the shared storage, the serviced node comprising a serviced D-blade and the partner node comprising a partner D-blade, the method comprising;

at the serviced D-blade;

receiving, from a first client through a network connection, a first access request for a first data container stored on the shared storage, the first client previously being verified as having permission to connect with the serviced D-blade through a connection authentication procedure, the first client having an associated first user identifier (ID);

using the first user ID and permission metadata associated with the first data container, performing a first access request validation procedure on the first access request to verify that the first client has permission to access the first data container;

after verifying that the first client has permission to access the first data container;

producing a first data container handle comprising a physical address for the first data container and performing the first access request on the first data container;

sending the first data container handle to the first client; and

storing session data comprising a plurality of data container handles, including the first data container handle, and the first user ID;

providing a servicing module configured for servicing the serviced D-blade by;

taking the serviced D-blade offline by forcing a network disconnection with each client, including the first client, currently accessing a data container using the serviced D-blade;

beginning servicing of the serviced D-blade, the servicing comprising upgrading, re-installing, performing maintenance, or repairing the serviced D-blade; and

providing access of the session data to the partner D-blade; and

wherein the partner D-blade is configured for;

receiving, from the first client, a second access request for the first data container, the second access request specifying the first data container handle and the first user ID; and

upon determining that the session data comprises a data container handle matching the first data container handle and a user ID matching the first user ID, performing the second access request on the first data container based on the first access request validation procedure on the first user ID.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, upon a disconnection, each client is configured for:

retaining each data container handle; and

upon reconnection, automatically sending retained data container handles to access previously accessed data containers using the partner D-blade.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein

the first access request comprises a virtual address of the first data container, whereby the serviced D-blade translates the virtual address to a physical address of the first data container, the physical address comprising the first data container handle for use by the first client in subsequent access requests for the first data container.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first client accesses the first data container using the partner D-blade without re-submitting the virtual address of the first data container.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the partner D-blade is further configured for:

validating access requests received from disconnected clients using the data container handles produced by the serviced D-blade and the session data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the session data further comprises permission and lock state data associated with each data container handle; and

the partner D-blade is configured for validating the access requests by determining permission and lock state data stored in the session data associated with the data container handles.