Proximity based management services

• US 9,465,827 B1
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Cox, Timothy J., Joyce, Scott E., Labaj, Donald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): DWIVEDI, MAHESH H
• Application Number:
  US13/785,625
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10099 the directional field being used for pinpointing the location of the record carrier, e.g. for finding or locating an RFID tag amongst a plurality of RFID tags, each RFID tag being associated with an object, e.g. for physically locating the RFID tagged object in a warehouse
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations

Abstract

Described are techniques for determining a list of data storage systems. Filtering criteria is used and includes a distance threshold and associated distance condition denoting a distance with respect to the management device. A set of one or more data storage systems meeting the filtering criteria is determined. Information is displayed regarding the set of data storage systems.

Claims

1. A method for determining a list of data storage systems comprising:

receiving, at a management device, filtering criteria including a distance threshold, an associated distance condition denoting a distance with respect to the management device, and other criteria to identify any data storage system meeting the distance threshold and the associated distance condition and wherein said any data storage system has any of its data backup and data replication copy stored on another data storage system also meeting the distance threshold and the associated distance condition;

determining a set of one or more data storage systems meeting the filtering criteria, wherein the set of one or more data storage systems includes at least one data storage array and wherein the filtering criteria indicate that the set determined includes data storage systems located within the distance threshold from the management device and wherein each data storage system of the set has any of its data backup and data replication copy stored on a target that is another data storage system of the set;

displaying information regarding the set of data storage systems meeting the filtering criteria; and

for each data storage system of the set, performing any of;

reconfiguring the target to be a new target data storage system not included in the set, and physically relocating the target to a different physical location from said each data storage system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each data storage system of the set is included in a plurality of data storage systems, and wherein each of the plurality of data storage systems includes a radio frequency identification tag that transmits a unique identifier uniquely identifying said each data storage system to a tag reader.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the tag reader is included as an integrated component of the management device or is otherwise in electronic communication with the management device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, by the tag reader, a plurality of unique identifiers transmitted from a plurality of radio frequency identification tags, each of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags being included on a different one of the plurality of data storage systems and used to uniquely identify said different one of the plurality of data storage systems;

determining a distance of each of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags from the tag reader whereby the distance is a distance between the tag reader and one of the data storage systems including said each radio frequency identification tag; and

determining, in accordance with the filtering criteria, a first set of one or more of the plurality of unique identifiers each associated with one of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each data storage system included in the set of one or more data storage systems is uniquely identified by one of the unique identifiers included in the first set, and wherein a first of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags that transmits said one unique identifier is included in said each data storage system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining, in accordance with the filtering criteria, the first set of one or more of the plurality of unique identifiers each associated with one of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags includes:

determining whether a distance of each of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags from the tag reader is in accordance with the distance threshold and distance condition by being within the distance threshold from the management device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the filtering criteria specifies to include a data storage system in the set if the data storage system is less than the distance threshold.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the filtering criteria includes any of a utilization metric, a metric related to health of a data storage system, a metric related to storage capacity of a data storage system, criteria related to software on a data storage system, criteria related to configuration information of a data storage system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the filtering criteria includes criteria related to any of a power source of a data storage system, physical drive information, and logical storage configuration information.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the distance from the tag reader determined for each of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags is determined using one or more signals transmitted from said each radio frequency identification tag.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

obtaining additional information for each data storage system including one of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags determined to have an associated distance from the tag reader that is in accordance with the distance threshold and distance condition.

12. A system comprising:

a plurality of data storage systems, each of the plurality of data storage systems including an identification tag that wirelessly transmits information including a unique identifier uniquely identifying said each data storage system;

a tag reader that reads signals transmitted wirelessly by identification tags; and

a management device comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium including code stored thereon that, when executed, performs a method comprising;

receiving filtering criteria including a distance threshold, an associated distance condition denoting a distance from any of said tag reader and the management device, and other criteria to identify any data storage system meeting the distance threshold and the associated distance condition and wherein said any data storage system has any of its data backup and data replication copy stored on another data storage system also meeting the distance threshold and the associated distance condition;

determining a set of one or more of the plurality of data storage systems meeting the filtering criteria, wherein the set of one or more data storage systems includes at least one data storage array and wherein the filtering criteria indicate that the set determined includes data storage systems located within the distance threshold from the management device and wherein each data storage system of the set has any of its data backup and data replication copy stored on a target that is another data storage system of the set;

displaying information on the management device regarding the set of data storage systems meeting the filtering criteria; and

for each data storage system of the set, performing any of;

reconfiguring the target to be a new target data storage system not included in the set, and physically relocating the target to a different physical location from said each data storage system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium of the management device further comprises code stored thereon that, when executed performs further processing of the method comprising:

controlling operation of the tag reader, whereby the tag reader receives a plurality of unique identifiers each transmitted wirelessly by an identification tag included on one of the plurality of data storage systems and said controlling provides for the tag reader communicating the plurality of unique identifiers to the management device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium of the management device further comprises code stored thereon that, when executed, performs further processing of the method comprising:

determining a distance between each of a plurality of identification tags that wirelessly transmits one of the plurality of unique identifier and any of said tag reader and said management device, wherein said distance represents a distance between one of the plurality of data storage systems including said each identification tag and any of said tag reader and said management device;

determining an address of one of the plurality of data storage systems using one of the unique identifiers; and

communicating with said one data storage system using said address to obtain additional information regarding said one data storage system.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the identification tag included on each of the plurality of data storage systems is any of read-only, read-write, and write once read many and the identification tag is any of a radio frequency identification tag and an infrared identification tag.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code stored thereon that, when executed, performs a method for determining a list of data storage systems, the method comprising:

receiving at a management device filtering criteria including a distance threshold, an associated distance condition denoting a distance from the management device, and other criteria to identify any data storage system meeting the distance threshold and the associated distance condition and wherein said any data storage system has any of its data backup and data replication copy stored on another data storage system also meeting the distance threshold and the associated distance condition;

determining a set of one or more data storage systems meeting the filtering criteria, wherein the set of one or more data storage systems includes at least one data storage array and wherein the filtering criteria indicate that the set determined includes data storage systems located within the distance threshold from the management device and wherein each data storage system of the set has any of its data backup and data replication copy stored on a target that is another data storage system of the set;

displaying information regarding the set of data storage systems meeting the filtering criteria; and

for each data storage system of the set, performing any of;

reconfiguring the target to be a new target data storage system not included in the set, and physically relocating the target to a different physical location from said each data storage system.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein each data storage system includes a radio frequency identification tag that transmits a unique identifier uniquely identifying said each data storage system to a tag reader.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the tag reader is included as an integrated component of the management device or is otherwise in electronic communication with the management device, and the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprises code that, when executed, performs further processing of the method comprising:

receiving, by the tag reader, a plurality of unique identifiers transmitted from a plurality of radio frequency identification tags, each of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags being included on a different one of the plurality of data storage systems and used to uniquely identify said different one of the plurality of data storage systems;

determining a distance of each of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags from the tag reader whereby the distance is a distance between the tag reader and one of the data storage systems including said each radio frequency identification tag; and

determining, in accordance with the filtering criteria, a first set of one or more of the plurality of unique identifiers each associated with one of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags.