Systems and methods for mirroring virtual functions in a chassis configured to receive a plurality of modular information handling systems and a plurality of modular information handling resources

• US 9,471,234 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Devarappalli, Kiran Kumar, Koladi, Krishnaprasad
• Primary Examiner(s): Abad, Farley
• Assistant Examiner(s): YU, HENRY W
• Application Number:
  US14/875,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20160034213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 710/3, 710/31, 710/33, 710/38, 710/51, 710/100, 709/231, 714/6.3, 370/409, 711/114, 711/162
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1302 Relay switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1304 Coordinate switches, crossbar, 4/2 with relays, coupling field
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention

Abstract

A method may include, in a chassis configured to receive a plurality of modular information handling systems and a plurality of modular information handling resources, exposing a first virtual function instantiated on a management processor disposed in the chassis to a switch interfaced between a modular information handling system and the management processor. The method may also include communicating, by the management processor, an input/output request from the modular information handling system received by the first virtual function to at least one of a second virtual function instantiated on a first storage controller communicatively coupled to the management processor and a third virtual function instantiated on a second storage controller communicatively coupled to the management processor. The method may further include receiving, by the management processor, an acknowledgment of completion of the input/output request from at least one of the second virtual function and the third virtual function.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a management processor configured to be communicatively coupled to a plurality of information handling systems and further configured to;

expose a first virtual function instantiated on the management processor to a switch interfaced between an information handling system and the management processor; and

in response to receiving by the first virtual function an input/output request from the information handling system;

communicate the input/output request to each of two mirrored virtual functions, the mirrored virtual functions comprising;

a second virtual function instantiated on a first information handling resource communicatively coupled to the management processor; and

a third virtual function instantiated on a second information handling resource communicatively coupled to the management processor;

receive an acknowledgment of completion of the input/output request from each of the second virtual function and the third virtual function; and

communicate the acknowledgement to the information handling system via the switch and the first virtual function.

2. The system of claim 1, the switch comprising a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express switch.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first information handling resource comprises a Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks controller and the second information handling resource comprises an Internet Small Computer System Interface controller.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first information handling resource comprises a first Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks controller and the second information handling resource comprises a second Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks controller.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the input/output request is a write request.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the input/output request is a read request.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

communicating the input/output request comprises;

dividing the read request into a first part and a second part;

communicating the first part to the second virtual function;

communicating the second part to the third virtual function; and

receiving the acknowledgment of completion of the input/output request comprises;

receiving data responsive to the first part of the read request from the second virtual function; and

receiving data responsive to the second part of the read request from the third virtual function.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first information handling resource comprises a first storage controller and the second information handling resource comprises a second storage controller.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first information handling resource comprises a storage controller and the second information handling resource comprises a network interface card.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the management processor is configured to be disposed in a chassis configured to receive the plurality of information handling systems, the first information handling resource, and the second information handling resource.

11. A method comprising:

exposing a first virtual function instantiated on a management processor to a switch interfaced between an information handling system and the management processor; and

in response to receiving by the first virtual function an input/output request from the information handling system;

communicating, by the management processor, the input/output request to each of two mirrored virtual functions, the mirrored virtual functions comprising;

a second virtual function instantiated on a first information handling resource communicatively coupled to the management processor; and

a third virtual function instantiated on a second information handling resource communicatively coupled to the management processor;

receiving, by the management processor, an acknowledgment of completion of the input/output request from each of the second virtual function and the third virtual function; and

communicating, by the management processor, the acknowledgement to the information handling system via the switch and the first virtual function.

12. The method of claim 11, the switch comprising a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express switch.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information handling resource comprises a Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks controller and the second information handling resource comprises an Internet Small Computer System Interface controller.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information handling resource comprises a first Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks controller and the second information handling resource comprises a second Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks controller.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the input/output request is a write request.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the input/output request is a read request.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

communicating the input/output request comprises;

dividing the read request into a first part and a second part;

communicating the first part to the second virtual function; and

communicating the second part to the third virtual function; and

receiving the acknowledgment of completion of the input/output request comprising;

receiving data responsive to the first part of the read request from the second virtual function; and

receiving data responsive to the second part of the read request from the third virtual function.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information handling resource comprises a first storage controller and the second information handling resource comprises a second storage controller.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information handling resource comprises a storage controller and the second information handling resource comprises a network interface card.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the management processor is configured to be disposed in a chassis configured to receive the information handling system, the first information handling resource, and the second information handling resource.