PORT POOLING

• US 20100228840A1
• Filed: 04/05/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vong, Ky Tong, Bose, Patrick Glen, Vaidya, Shrikant Jay
• Granted Patent: US 8,483,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/557 Error correction, e.g. fault recovery or fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• 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

In one embodiment, methods and systems for port pooling are described. An interface may communicate with at least one physical server. The at least one physical server may host a plurality of virtual servers and be connectable via a plurality of gateway ports to a storage area network (SAN). A virtual server manager configured to arrange the plurality of gateway ports in a plurality of port pools, define a virtual server group including a plurality of virtual servers, associate each virtual server with one or more port pools, the one or more port pools defining available gateway ports for access by the particular virtual server; and provide configuration instructions to allow the particular virtual server to communicate with the SAN through the available gateway ports.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. An apparatus comprising:

a processor-implemented interface to communicate with a physical server, the physical server hosting a plurality of virtual servers and being connectable via a plurality of gateway ports to a storage area network (SAN); and

a virtual server manager configured to allow a third party management tool to;

group the plurality of gateway ports into a plurality of port pools;

associate each virtual server from the plurality of virtual servers with a port pool from the plurality of port pools, the port pool defining an available gateway port from a plurality of available gateway ports for access by the each virtual server; and

transmit configuration instruction that allows the each virtual server to communicate with the SAN through the available gateway port.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

detect a storage configuration error.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

balance a load across the plurality of available gateway ports of the plurality of port pools, the balancing based on available bandwidth.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

define an allocation policy, defining an allocation of the plurality of available gateway ports to the plurality of port pools; and

provide the plurality of virtual servers with access to the plurality of allocated available gateway ports based on the allocation policy.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

transmit configuration instruction that allows the each virtual server to communicate with the SAN through a subset of the plurality of available gateway ports.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

unassign the physical server from a virtual server; and

reassign a new physical server to the virtual server, the virtual server being associated with a different subset of the plurality of available gateway ports.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

migrate a virtual server from a first gateway port to a second gateway port in a same port pool from the plurality of port pools.

34. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

generate a World-Wide Node Name (WWNN) for the each virtual server from the plurality of virtual servers.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the virtual server manager is further configured to:

generate a World-Wide Port Name (WWPN) associated with the WWNN;

bind the WWPN to a port pool from the plurality of port pools; and

assign the WWPN for the each virtual server associated with the port pool.

36. A method comprising:

grouping a plurality of gateway ports into a plurality of port pools, the plurality of gateway ports configured to connect a physical server to a Storage Area Network (SAN);

grouping a plurality of virtual servers into a virtual server group, the virtual servers being hosted on the physical server;

associating each virtual server from the plurality of virtual servers with a port pool from the plurality of port pools, the port pool defining an available gateway port from a plurality of available gateway ports for access by the each virtual server;

transmitting configuration instruction that allows the each virtual server to communicate with the SAN through the available gateway port; and

detecting a storage configuration error based on the plurality of port pools.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the method is performed by a third party management tool through a virtual server manager.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

balancing a load across the plurality of available gateway ports of the plurality of port pools, the balancing based on available bandwidth.

39. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

defining an allocation policy, defining an allocation of the plurality of available gateway ports to the plurality of port pools; and

providing the plurality of virtual servers with access to the plurality of allocated available gateway ports based on the allocation policy.

40. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

transmitting configuration instruction that allows the each virtual server to communicate with the SAN through a subset of the plurality of available gateway ports.

41. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

unassigning the physical server from a virtual server; and

reassigning a new physical server to the virtual server, the virtual server being associated with a different subset of the plurality of available gateway ports.

42. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

migrating a virtual server from a first gateway port to a second gateway port in a same port pool from the plurality of port pools.

43. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

generating a World-Wide Node Name (WWNN) for each virtual server from the plurality of virtual servers.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

generating a World-Wide Port Name (WWPN) associated with the WWNN;

binding the WWPN to a port pool from the plurality of port pools; and

assigning the WWPN for the each virtual server associated with the port pool.

45. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to:

group a plurality of gateway ports into a plurality of port pools, the plurality of gateway ports configured to connect a physical server to a Storage Area Network (SAN);

group a plurality of virtual servers into a virtual server group, the virtual servers being hosted on the physical server;

associate each virtual server from the plurality of virtual servers with a port pool from the plurality of port pools, the port pool defining an available gateway port from a plurality of available gateway ports for access by the each virtual server;

transmit configuration instruction that allows the each virtual server to communicate with the SAN through the available gateway port; and

detect a storage configuration error based on the plurality of port pools.