HANDLING OF DATA TRANSFER IN A LAN-FREE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120233292A1
• Filed: 05/24/2012
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lentini, Alain, Theuwissen, Jarl
• Granted Patent: US 9,122,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]

Abstract

There is disclosed a method, system and computer readable medium for transferring data in a LAN-free environment, in particular for a tape backup or restore operation. Data of a client partition of a first server is sent to a partition of a LAN-free server through the Local Area Network (LAN). The data sent is then converted from TCP/IP protocol to Fibre Channel protocol. The converted data is sent to a Storage Area Network (SAN) through a Fibre Channel card and finally to a tape library. An advantage is thus to mutualize and virtualize resources, in particular Fibre Channel cards. Storage Area Network tape drives are shared using such host bus adapter cards. Certain embodiments avoid the reconfiguration of Storage Area Network tape drives when the client partition moves to a new hardware.

Claims

1. A method of handling data transfer, the method comprising:

sending data from at least one client partition of a first server to at least one partition of a LAN-free server through a Local Area Network (LAN) on TCP/IP protocol;

converting the sent data from the TCP/IP protocol into Fibre Channel protocol; and

sending the converted data to a tape library of a Storage Area Network (SAN) through at least one Fibre Channel card.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transfer is performed in a LAN-free environment, and wherein the LAN-free environment comprises:

the SAN having at least one tape library;

the LAN-free server having the at least one partition; and

the first server having the at least one client partition, wherein the LAN-free server further has the at least one Fibre Channel card shared with the at least one client partition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the converting is performed by a LAN-SAN Application Programming Interface (API), the API acting as a gateway.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the LAN-free environment further comprises a backup server coupled to the client partition, and wherein the backup server initiates the data transfer.

5. The method of claim 2, the method further comprising:

moving the at least one client partition from the first server to a second server.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the sending is performed in a virtual LAN of the LAN-free environment.