METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR A STORAGE AREA NETWORK

• US 20110289261A1
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WhipTail Technologies, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Candelaria, James
• Granted Patent: US 9,213,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/85 Active fault masking without idle spares active fault masking without idle spare hardware where processing functionality is redundant G06F11/2035
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/214 Solid state disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/263 Network storage, e.g. SAN or NAS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/314 In storage network, e.g. network attached cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0656 Data buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

In a system and method for a storage area network (SAN), a first controller receives a write request for a SAN an communicates with a first nested storage array module (NSAM), the first NSAM manages storage of data onto a shelf and presents the shelf as a logical unit, a buffer stores a portion of a write request from the first controller and aggregates data from the write request for the shelf, from a shelf with a second NSAM, the second NSAM provides a portion of data from the buffer to a third NSAM, the third NSAM manages storage of the portion of data from the buffer to a physical storage unit, and a second controller coupled to the first controller handles requests for the SAN in response to a failure of the first controller.

Claims

1. A system for a storage area network, comprising:

a first controller operable to receive a write request for the storage area network, the first controller in communication with a first nested storage array module, the first nested storage array module operable to manage storage of data onto one or more shelves, the first nested storage array module operable to present the one or more shelves as a logical unit;

a buffer operable to store a portion of a write request from the first controller, the buffer aggregating data from one or more write requests from the first controller for a shelf from the one or more shelves;

the shelf from the one or more shelves comprising a second nested storage array module, the second nested storage array module comprising one or more third nested storage array modules and operable to provide a portion of data from the buffer to the one or more third nested storage array modules, the one or more third nested storage array modules operable to manage storage of the portion of data from the buffer to one or more physical storage units; and

a second controller coupled to the first controller and operable to handle requests for the storage area network in response to a failure of the first controller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the buffer is a first buffer and further comprising:

a second buffer coupled to the one or more third nested storage array modules, wherein the second buffer stores a write request for the one or more physical storage units.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second controller is in communication with a fourth nested storage array module, the fourth nested storage array module operable to manage storage of data onto one or more shelves, and the fourth nested storage array module operable to present the one or more shelves as a logical unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first nested storage array module comprises an instance of RAID5.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second nested storage array module comprises an instance of RAID0.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the third nested storage array module comprises an instance of RAID5.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first nested storage array module supports redundant storage.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first nested storage array module comprises an instance of at least one of RAID0, RAID1, RAID3, RAID4, RAID5, RAID6, and a configuration that supports striping of data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second storage array module comprises an instance of at least one of RAID0, RAID1, RAID3, RAID4, RAID5, RAID6, and a configuration that supports striping of data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the third storage array module comprises an instance of at least one of RAID0, RAID1, RAID3, RAID4, RAID5, RAID6, and a configuration that supports striping of data.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the third nested storage array module supports redundant storage.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

exposing storage on the one or more shelves to the first controller using Advanced Technology Attachment over Ethernet.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical storage units are flash drives.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the buffer comprises software.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the buffer comprises hardware.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the hardware is a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

17. The system of claim 2, wherein the second buffer comprises hardware.

18. The system of claim 2, wherein the second buffer includes a backup battery.

19. A method for a storage area network, comprising:

receiving a write request at a first controller, the first controller in communication with a first nested storage array module, the first nested storage array module operable to manage storage of data onto one or more shelves, the first nested storage array module operable to present the one or more shelves as a logical unit;

storing a portion of data corresponding to a write request from the first controller in a buffer; and

sending a portion of the data in the buffer to a shelf from the one or more shelves, the shelf comprising a second nested storage array module, the second nested storage array module comprising one or more third nested storage array modules and operable to provide the portion of data from the buffer to one or more third nested storage array modules, the one or more third nested storage array modules operable to manage storage of the portion of the data from the buffer to one or more physical storage units.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the buffer is a first buffer and further comprising:

buffering some of the portion of data from the first buffer in a second buffer.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving a write request at a second controller, the second controller in communication with a fourth nested storage array module, the fourth nested storage array module operable to manage storage of data onto one or more shelves, and the fourth nested storage array module operable to present the one or more shelves as a logical unit.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the first nested storage array module comprises an instance of at least one of RAID0, RAID1, RAID3, RAID4, RAID5, RAID6, and a configuration that supports striping of data.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the second storage array module comprises an instance of at least one of RAID0, RAID1, RAID3, RAID4, RAID5, RAID6, and a configuration that supports striping of data.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the third storage array module comprises an instance of at least one of RAID0, RAID1, RAID3, RAID4, RAID5, RAID6, and a configuration that supports striping of data.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the third nested storage array module supports redundant storage.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

exposing storage on the one or more shelves to the first controller using Advanced Technology Attachment over Ethernet.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more physical storage units are flash drives.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the buffer comprises software.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the buffer comprises hardware.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the hardware is a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

31. The method of claim 20, wherein the second buffer comprises hardware.

32. The method of claim 20, wherein the second buffer includes a backup battery.

33. A method for a storage area network, comprising:

initializing one or more nested storage array modules of a shelf;

combining the one or more nested storage array modules into a shelf array module for the shelf, the shelf array module presenting the one or more nested storage array modules as a logical unit;

loading software to enable a linear write to the shelf;

loading software to enable use of a network protocol on the shelf, the network protocol to export the logical disk to a first controller;

loading software for the network protocol on a first controller;

combining the shelf array module with the one or more shelf array modules from one or more shelves into a first controller array module;

loading software to enable use of a network protocol on the first controller;

mounting a file system; and

loading a network interface.