Network-attached storage solution for application servers

• US 9,509,718 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Biggs, Eric, McGaha, Darren, Pratt, Matthew J., Arthur, Drew, Hagerman, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): ABYANEH, ALI S
• Application Number:
  US14/334,403
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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

A storage system for application servers is disclosed. The storage system comprises a network-attached storage device comprising a plurality of files that include a plurality of server applications in a plurality of network zone directories. Each of the network zone directories corresponds to one of a plurality of network zones. Access is restricted between each of the network zones. The storage system also comprises one or more application servers in each of the network zones. Each application server is configured to mount only a network zone directory of the network zone directories corresponding to a network zone of the network zones within which the corresponding application server resides based on a policy associated with the network-attached storage device and access one or more of the files including at least one server application of the server applications in the network zone directory.

Claims

1. A storage system for application servers that utilizes a network-attached storage device rather than merely utilizing each application server'"'"'s local storage, comprising:

a network-attached storage device comprising a plurality of files that includes one or more server status files and a plurality of server applications in a plurality of network zone directories, wherein each of the plurality of network zone directories corresponds to one of a plurality of network zones, and wherein access is restricted between each of the plurality of network zones; and

one or more application servers in each of the plurality of network zones, the one or more application servers communicatively coupled to the network-attached storage device via a local area network enabled through the Ethernet,

each application server of the one or more application servers in each of the plurality of network zones is configured to;

mount only a network zone directory of the plurality of network zone directories corresponding to a network zone of the plurality of network zones within which the corresponding application server resides based on a policy associated with the network-attached storage device, and

access one or more of the plurality of files including at least one server application of the plurality of server applications in the network zone directory, wherein each application server is configured to access only files in the network zone directory corresponding to the network zone within which the corresponding application server resides, and wherein remote access to a status of at least one server of the plurality application servers is disabled and local access to the status is enabled, and

the at least one server is configured to;

run a script to obtain the status from a memory of the at least one server subsequent to the remote access being disabled and the local access being enabled, wherein the status is stored in a server status file of the one or more server status files on the network-attached storage device.

2. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network zones comprises an enterprise network zone and at least three other different network zones, and wherein the plurality of network zone directories comprises an enterprise network zone directory and at least three other different network zone directories.

3. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the one or more application servers comprise different types of application servers.

4. The storage system of claim 1, wherein each of the network zone directories comprises one or more application server directories and one or more log directories.

5. The storage system of claim 4, wherein the one or more log directories in each network zone directory of the plurality of network zone directories comprises one or more log files associated with the one or more application servers in the corresponding network zone of the plurality of network zones.

6. The storage system of claim 4, wherein the one or more application servers in each network zone of the plurality of network zones are further configured to write to a different one of the one or more application server directories in the corresponding network zone based on a particular naming convention.

7. The storage system of claim 6, wherein the particular naming convention comprises an application identifier name field, an environment name field, a function name field, and one of the plurality of network zones name field.

8. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the status of the at least one server includes at least one of number of requests the at least one server is handling, response time, or amount of headroom on the at least one server.

9. A storage system for application servers that utilizes a network-attached storage device rather than merely utilizing each application server'"'"'s local storage, comprising:

a network-attached storage device comprising a plurality of files that includes one or more server status files and one or more server applications in one or more network zone directories, wherein each of the one or more network zone directories corresponds to one of a plurality of network zones, and wherein access is restricted between each of the plurality of network zones; and

a plurality of application servers in each of the plurality of network zones, the plurality of application servers communicatively coupled to the network-attached storage device via a local area network enabled through the Ethernet,

each application server of the plurality of application servers in each of the plurality of network zones is configured to;

mount only a network zone directory of the plurality of network zone directories corresponding to a network zone of the plurality of network zones within which the corresponding application server resides based on a policy associated with the network-attached storage device, and

access one or more of the plurality of files including at least one server application of the one or more server applications in the network zone directory, wherein each application server is configured to access only files in the network zone directory corresponding to the network zone within which the corresponding application server resides, and wherein remote access to a status of at least one server of the plurality application servers is disabled and local access to the status is enabled,

the at least one server is configured to;

run a script to obtain the status from a memory of the at least one server subsequent to the remote access being disabled and the local access being enabled, wherein the status is stored in a server status file of the one or more server status files on the network-attached storage device, and

at least some of the plurality of application servers are configured to;

mount a same storage location on the network-attached storage device and access a same server application of the one or more server applications at the same storage location on the network-attached storage device instead of accessing individual server applications in their respective local storage.

10. The storage system of claim 9, wherein the network-attached storage device further comprises a plurality of log files associated with the plurality of application servers in one or more log directories.

11. The storage system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of application servers comprises two or more different types of application servers.

12. The storage system of claim 9, wherein each of the network zone directories comprises one or more application server directories, and wherein each of the plurality of application servers is further configured to write to a different one of the one or more application server directories based on a particular naming convention.

13. The storage system of claim 12, wherein the particular naming convention comprises an application identifier name field, an environment name field, and a function name field.

14. The storage system of claim 13, wherein the environment field comprises test, development, or production, and wherein the function field comprises log, configuration, code, or data.

15. The storage system of claim 9, wherein the status of the at least one server includes at least one of number of requests the at least one server is handling, response time, or amount of headroom on the at least one server.

16. The storage system of claim 9, wherein at least one of an alert is sent, headroom on the at least one server is increased, other server resources are increased to help support the at least one server, or the at least one server is rebooted based on the status of the at least one server.

17. The storage system of claim 9, wherein the script is executed periodically to obtain and store a current status of the at least one server from the memory of the at least one server on the network-attached storage device.