Switch failure recovery system

• US 9,697,095 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Berry, Andrew, Phelps, Craig Warren, Russell, Deborah C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal, Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US14/575,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20160179638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2005 using redundant communication controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2015 Redundant power supplies power supply failure G06F1/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3031 where the computing system component is a motherboard or an expansion card
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206

Abstract

A switch failure recovery system includes a network and a backup device that is coupled to the network. A first switch that includes a first switch memory system is also coupled to the network. The first switch stores a first switch configuration in the first switch memory system. The first switch then detects a failure issue associated with an imminent failure of the first switch and, in response, retrieves the first switch configuration from the first switch memory system, The first switch then sends the first switch configuration over the network to the backup device prior to an inability to communicate over the network due to the failure issue. The backup device may then provide the first switch configuration for application to the first switch (upon recovery) or a second switch that is coupled to the network.

Claims

1. A switch failure recovery system, comprising:

a network;

a backup device that is coupled to the network; and

a first switch that is coupled to the network, that includes a first switch volatile memory system and a first switch non-volatile memory system, and that is configured to;

copy a startup configuration that is stored in the first switch non-volatile memory system to the first switch volatile memory system;

modify the startup configuration that was copied to the first switch volatile memory system to provide a running configuration that is stored on the first switch volatile memory system and that is different than the startup configuration that is stored on the first switch non-volatile memory system;

detect a failure issue associated with an imminent failure of the first switch; and

retrieve, in response to and subsequent to detecting the failure issue, the running configuration from the first switch volatile memory system and send that running configuration over the network to the backup device.

2. The switch failure recovery system of claim 1, wherein the first switch is configured to:

receive backup device identification information for the backup device;

store the backup device identification information; and

retrieve the backup device identification information in response to detecting the failure issue associated with the imminent failure of the first switch and use the backup device identification information to send the running configuration over the network to the backup device.

3. The switch failure recovery system of claim 1, wherein the backup device is included on a second switch that is coupled to the network.

4. The switch failure recovery system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second switch that is coupled to the network, wherein the second switch is configured to;

receive the running configuration from the backup device; and

apply the running configuration to the second switch.

5. The switch failure recovery system of claim 1, wherein running configuration is sent over the network to the backup device as part of a failure package that includes failure log information, and wherein the switch failure recovery system further comprises:

at least one failure analysis subsystem that is coupled to the backup device and that is configured to perform a failure analysis for the first switch using the failure log information.

6. The switch failure recovery system of claim 1, wherein the first switch is configured to:

initialize following a failure of the first switch due to the failure issue along with a subsequent recovery of the first switch from the failure issue;

receive the running configuration over the network from the backup device; and

apply the running configuration to the first switch.

7. The switch failure recovery system of claim 1, wherein the backup device is configured to:

send the running configuration over the network to at least one of;

the first switch following a failure of the first switch due to the failure issue along with a subsequent recovery of the first switch from the failure issue; and

a second switch that is coupled to the network.

8. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:

a chassis;

a communication interface that is located in the chassis and that is configured to couple to a backup device through a network;

a processing system that is located in the chassis and that is coupled to the communication interface; and

a memory system that includes a non-volatile memory subsystem and a volatile memory subsystem and that is located in the chassis, coupled to the processing system, and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a failure detection and response engine that is configured to;

copy a first configuration of the IHS that is stored in the non-volatile memory subsystem to the volatile memory subsystem;

modify the first configuration that was copied to the volatile memory subsystem to provide a modified configuration that is stored on the volatile memory subsystem and that is different than the first configuration that is stored on the non-volatile memory subsystem;

detect a failure issue associated with an imminent failure of the IHS;

retrieve, in response to and subsequent to detecting the failure issue, the modified configuration from the volatile memory subsystem and send that modified configuration through the communication interface to the backup device.

9. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the failure detection and response engine is configured to:

receive backup device identification information for the backup device;

store the backup device identification information; and

retrieve the backup device identification information in response to detecting the failure issue associated with the imminent failure of the IHS and use the backup device identification information to send the modified configuration over the network to the backup device.

10. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the failure detection and response engine is configured to:

retrieve the modified configuration from the non-volatile memory subsystem such that the modified configuration may be sent through the communication interface to the backup device.

11. The IHS of claim 8, further comprising:

a supplemental power source that is located in the chassis and that is configured to provide power to the failure detection and response engine following a failure of the IHS due to the failure issue.

12. The IHS of claim 8, wherein failure detection and response engine is configured to:

store failure log information in the memory system;

retrieve the failure log information from the memory system in response to detecting the failure issue associated with the imminent failure of the IHS; and

send the failure log information along with the modified configuration through the communication interface to the backup device.

13. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the failure detection and response engine is configured to:

detect an initialization of the IHS following a failure of the IHS due to the failure issue along with a subsequent recovery of the IHS from the failure issue;

receive the modified configuration through the communication interface from the backup device; and

apply the modified configuration to the IHS.

14. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the failure detection and response engine is configured to:

couple to a network through the communication interface;

receive a second configuration from the backup device; and

apply the second configuration to the IHS.

15. A switch failure recovery method, comprising:

copying, by a first switch from a first switch non-volatile memory system to a first switch volatile memory system, a startup configuration;

modifying, by the first switch, the startup configuration that was copied to the first switch volatile memory system to provide a running configuration that is stored in the first switch volatile memory system and that is different than the startup configuration that is stored on the first switch non-volatile memory system;

detecting, by the first switch, a failure issue associated with an imminent failure of the first switch; and

retrieving, by the first switch from the first switch volatile memory system in response to and subsequent to detecting the failure issue, the running configuration and sending that running configuration to a backup device.

16. The switch failure recovery method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, by the first switch, backup device identification information for the backup device;

storing, by the first switch, the backup device identification information; and

retrieving, by the first switch, the backup device identification information in response to detecting the failure issue associated with the imminent failure of the first switch, and using the backup device identification information to send the running configuration over the network to the backup device.

17. The switch failure recovery method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, by a second switch, the running configuration from the backup device; and

applying, by the second switch, the running configuration to the second switch.

18. The switch failure recovery method of claim 15, further comprising:

sending, by the first switch, the running configuration over the network to the backup device as part of a failure package that includes failure log information; and

performing, by at least one failure analysis subsystem that is coupled to the backup device, a failure analysis for the first switch using the failure log information.

19. The switch failure recovery method of claim 18, further comprising:

initializing, by the first switch, following a failure of the first switch due to the failure issue along with a subsequent recovery of the first switch from the failure issue;

receiving, by the first switch, the running configuration over the network from the backup device; and

applying, by the first switch, the running configuration to the first switch.

20. The switch failure recovery method of claim 15, further comprising:

sending, by the backup device, the running configuration over the network to at least one of;

the first switch following a failure of the first switch due to the failure issue along with a subsequent recovery of the first switch from the failure issue; and

a second switch that is coupled to the backup device.