Isolation of Device Namespace to Allow Duplicate/Common Names in Root Volume Group Workload Partitions

• US 20120047356A1
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Filali-Adib, Khalid, Ganesh, Perinkulam I., Mazzurana, Paul D., Shvartsman, Edward, Yook, Sungjin
• Granted Patent: US 8,607,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/11 File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots file system backup G06F11/14

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for isolation of device namespace to allow duplicate or common names in root volume group workload partitions. The mechanism creates a scratch file system that contains enough information to create an execution environment for a workload partition and information about which physical volumes to use for the root volume group file systems. The mechanism then populates the root file systems on a disk in the global space. The mechanism boots the workload partition from the scratch file system and configures the devices to be exported to the workload partition based information in the scratch file system. The mechanism then renames the logical volume names to the traditional names. The mechanism then temporarily mounts the root volume group file system onto the scratch file system.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for isolation of device namespace in a root volume group workload partition, the method comprising:

populating, by a global operating system in the data processing system, root file systems on a workload partition disk in a global namespace associated with the global operating system;

clearing, by the global operating system in the data processing system, volume group, logical volume, and file system names for the workload partition disk from the global namespace;

booting, by the global operating system in the data processing system, a workload partition from a scratch file system, wherein the scratch file system stores information for booting the workload file system;

configuring, by the global operating system in the data processing system, the workload partition disk with the root volume group;

importing, by the global operating system in the data processing system, the workload partition disk into a workload partition namespace associated with the workload partition; and

renaming, by the global operating system in the data processing system, logical volume names of the root volume group in the workload partition namespace.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

merging object data manager and device information from the scratch file system into device configuration database information residing on the workload partition disk.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the workload partition disk based on information in the scratch file system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

mounting the root volume group file system onto the scratch file system.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

merging scratch file system special files onto special files in the root volume group file system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein clearing volume group, logical volume, and file system names for the workload partition disk from the global namespace comprises varying off the root file systems of the workload partition disk.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein booting the workload partition creates the workload partition namespace.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the workload partition disk with the root volume group comprises configuring the workload partition disk using information in the scratch file system.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

populate, by a global operating system in the computing device, root file systems on a workload partition disk in a global namespace associated with the global operating system;

clear, by the global operating system in the computing device, volume group, logical volume, and file system names for the workload partition disk from the global namespace;

boot, by the global operating system in the computing device, a workload partition from a scratch file system, wherein the scratch file system stores information for booting the workload file system;

configure, by the global operating system in the computing device, the workload partition disk with the root volume group;

import, by the global operating system in the computing device, the root volume group into a workload partition namespace associated with the workload partition; and

rename, by the global operating system in the computing device, logical volume names of the root volume group in the workload partition namespace.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to merge object data manager and device information from the scratch file system into device configuration database information residing on the workload partition disk.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to identify the workload partition disk based on information in the scratch file system.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to temporarily mount the root volume group file system onto the scratch file system.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to merge scratch file system special files onto special files in the root volume group file system.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein clearing volume group, logical volume, and file system names for the workload partition disk from the global namespace comprises varying off the root file systems of the workload partition disk.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein booting the workload partition creates the workload partition namespace.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein configuring the workload partition disk with the root volume group comprises configuring the workload partition disk using information in the scratch file system.

17. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a data processing system and wherein the computer readable program was downloaded over a network from a remote data processing system.

18. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a server data processing system and wherein the computer readable program is downloaded over a network to a remote data processing system for use in a computer readable storage medium with the remote system.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to

populate, by a global operating system, root file systems on a workload partition disk in a global namespace associated with the global operating system;

clear, by the global operating system, volume group, logical volume, and file system names for the workload partition disk from the global namespace;

boot, by the global operating system, a workload partition from a scratch file system, wherein the scratch file system stores information for booting the workload file system;

configure, by the global operating system, the workload partition disk with the root volume group;

import, by the global operating system, the workload partition disk into a workload partition namespace associated with the workload partition; and

rename, by the global operating system, logical volume names of the root volume group in the workload partition narnespace.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to temporarily mount the root volume group file system onto the scratch file system.