Information exchange in data center systems

• US 9,331,894 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gimpl, Brenda B., Gimpl, David J., Taljanovic, Nedzad
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Jimmy H
• Application Number:
  US13/906,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20140359059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• 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 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• 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]

Abstract

System information may be retrieved by an element manager on a device in a data center system where the element manager detects an application programming interface (API) call to the element manager from a centralized manager. The element manager establishes a two-way communication channel between the first element manager and the centralized manager according to a communications protocol. The element manager queries the centralized manager for data center system information through the two-way communication channel. The centralized manager manages a storage area network containing the device of the element manager.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first request for first information by a first element manager, the first element manager managing a first element in a storage area network (SAN), the storage area network including at least one storage element, at least one server element, and at least one network element, the SAN managed by a centralized manager;

determining, by the first element, that the first request is from the centralized manager;

sending the first information to the centralized manager in response to the first request;

establishing a two-way communication channel between the first element manager and the centralized manager according to a communications protocol;

sending a second request to the centralized manager by the element manager using the two-way communication channel;

receiving, by the first element manager, second information from the centralized manager in response to the second request, at least part of the second information originating from an administrator associated with the SAN; and

displaying, by the first element manager, the second information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the first request is from the centralized manager comprises:

identifying an address of an API call; and

determining that the address of the API call is an address used by the centralized manager to communicate with the element manager.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the two-way communication channel comprises:

requesting access to the centralized manager; and

receiving credentials from the centralized manager.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second information includes element information collected by the centralized manager from a second element manager managing a second element in the SAN, and further includes centralized information created by the centralized manager from the element information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the administrator is a human administrator.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second information includes a name for the first element, the name assigned by the human administrator.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second information further includes a second name for a second element in the SAN, the second name assigned by a second human administrator associated with the SAN, the second human administrator different from the human administrator.

8. A computer system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the computer system is configured to perform a method comprising;

receiving a first request for first information by a first element manager, the first element manager managing a first element in a storage area network (SAN), the storage area network including at least one storage element, at least one server element, and at least one network element, the SAN managed by a centralized manager;

determining, by the first element, that the first request is from the centralized manager;

sending the first information to the centralized manager in response to the first request;

establishing a two-way communication channel between the first element manager and the centralized manager according to a communications protocol;

sending a second request to the centralized manager by the element manager using the two-way communication channel;

receiving, by the first element manager, second information from the centralized manager in response to the second request, at least part of the second information originating from an administrator associated with the SAN; and

displaying, by the first element manager, the second information.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the determining that the first request is from the centralized manager comprises:

identifying an address of an API call; and

determining that the address of the API call is an address used by the centralized manager to communicate with the element manager.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the establishing the two-way communication channel comprises:

requesting access to the centralized manager; and

receiving credentials from the centralized manager.

11. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the second information includes element information collected by the centralized manager from a second element manager managing a second element in the SAN, and further includes centralized information created by the centralized manager from the element information.

12. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the administrator is a human administrator.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the second information includes a name for the first element, the name assigned by the human administrator.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the second information further includes a second name for a second element in the SAN, the second name assigned by a second human administrator associated with the SAN, the second human administrator different from the human administrator.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a computer system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a first request for first information by a first element manager, the first element manager managing a first element in a storage area network (SAN), the storage area network including at least one storage element, at least one server element, and at least one network element, the SAN managed by a centralized manager;

determining, by the first element, that the first request is from the centralized manager;

sending the first information to the centralized manager in response to the first request;

establishing a two-way communication channel between the first element manager and the centralized manager according to a communications protocol;

sending a second request to the centralized manager by the element manager using the two-way communication channel;

receiving, by the first element manager, second information from the centralized manager in response to the second request, at least part of the second information originating from an administrator associated with the SAN; and

displaying, by the first element manager, the second information.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the determining that the first request is from the centralized manager comprises:

identifying an address of an API call; and

determining that the address of the API call is an address used by the centralized manager to communicate with the element manager.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the establishing the two-way communication channel comprises:

requesting access to the centralized manager; and

receiving credentials from the centralized manager.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the second information includes element information collected by the centralized manager from a second element manager managing a second element in the SAN, and further includes centralized information created by the centralized manager from the element information.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the administrator is a human administrator.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the second information includes a name for the first element, the name assigned by the human administrator.