Job processing method, job processing unit, and storage managing system

• US 7,228,544 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Honda, Masanori, Kuroda, Takaki, Oya, Masaaki, Menjo, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): PORTKA, GARY J
• Application Number:
  US10/371,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20030200109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

In the prior art, a user bore a heavy burden on operating together different products having the same functions. A user 102 calls a job net managing function 105 via GUI/CLI 103, and defines a job net 106. A job net execution controlling function 109 interrupts a definition of the job net 106, and sequentially executes the defined jobs. The defined jobs call not real commands directly, but switchers 110 to 114 that define regularized interfaces. The switchers, referring to environment variables 101, select adaptors 115 and 116 properly to call real commands 117 and 118 corresponding thereto.

Claims

1. A job processing method for executing a plurality of jobs defined as a job net in a storage system, the storage system including a plurality of computers that are coupled to one or more disk apparatus via a storage area network, the job processing method comprising:

providing a first regularized command for a plurality of real commands of first type, the real commands of first type including a first real command for performing a first function on a first device that is associated with a first company and a second real command for performing the first function on a second device that is associated with a second company, the first and second devices being of the same device type;

providing a second regularized command for a plurality of real commands of second type, the real commands of second type including a third real command for performing a second function on the first device and a fourth real command for performing the second function on the second device;

providing a plurality of interfaces including first and second interfaces, the first interface operable to handle the first function associated with the first regularized command, the second interface operable to handle the second function associated with the second regularized command;

receiving a regularized command to perform a given function on a component within the storage system;

invoking a suitable interface from the plurality of interfaces, the suitable interface being the first interface if the given function is the first function or the second interface if the given function is the second function;

providing a plurality of functions of a plurality of storage management products. wherein the plurality of functions comprises a RAID managing function, a file system function, a database managing function, a backup function, and volume managing function;

providing a plurality of switchers that refer to environmental variables to properly select a suitable adapter from a plurality of adapters and to select the suitable adapter associated with the invoked suitable interface, wherein the environmental variables are defined outside of the job processing method, and wherein the plurality of switchers are located inside of the job processing method;

selecting the suitable adapter from a plurality of adapters associated with the invoked interface, the suitable adapter being selected according to the regularized command that has been received and by calling the plurality of adaptors located outside of the job processing method; and

calling a suitable real command using the selected adapter, wherein the suitable real command corresponds to one of the storage management products, wherein some of the adapters are related to one switcher, and wherein each of the adapters is related to at least one of the storage management products,

wherein the suitable real command being the first or third real command if the component on which the given function is to be performed is associated with the first company, or the second or fourth real command if the component on which the given function is to be performed is associated with the second company.

2. The job processing method according to claim 1, wherein the suitable interface is the switcher, the real commands being based on variables defined using environment variables of an operating system outside a job net.

8. The job processing method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a directory associated with the called suitable real command, wherein the called suitable read command is for RAID management.

3. A job processing unit for executing a plurality of jobs defined as a job net in a storage system, the storage system including a plurality of computers that are coupled to one or more disk apparatus via a storage area network, the storage system comprising:

a computer readable medium including a table, the table including

a first regularized command for a plurality of real commands of first type, the real commands of first type including a first real command for performing a first function on a first device that is associated with a first company and a second real command for performing the first function on a second device that is associated with a second company, the first and second devices being of the same device type,

a second regularized command for a plurality of real commands of second type, the real commands of second type including a third real command for performing a second function and a fourth real command for performing the second function on the second device;

a plurality of interfaces including first and second interfaces, the first interface operable to handle the first function associated with the first regularized command, the second interface operable to handle the second function associated with the second regularized command;

a plurality of functions of a plurality of storage management products, wherein the plurality of functions comprises a RAID managing function, a file system function, a database managing function, a backup function, and volume managing function;

a plurality of switchers that refer to environmental variables to properly select a suitable adapter from a plurality of adapters and to select the suitable adapter associated with the invoked suitable interface, wherein the environmental variables are defined outside of a job processing unit, and wherein the plurality of switchers are located inside of the job processing unit

a plurality of adapters that call suitable real commands corresponding to one of the storage management products, wherein some of the adapters are related to one switcher, wherein each of the adapters is related to at least one of the storage management products, wherein the plurality of adapters includes a first set of adapters that are associated with the first interface and a second set of adapters that are associated with the second interface, and wherein the plurality of adapters are located outside of the job processing unit;

means for receiving a regularized command to perform a given function on a component within the storage system;

means for invoking a suitable interface from the plurality of interfaces, the suitable interface being the first interface if the given function is the first function or the second interface if the given function is the second function;

means for selecting a suitable adapter from a plurality of adapters according to the given function and the component on which the given function is to be performed; and

means for calling a suitable real command based on the suitable adapter that has been selected.

4. The job processing unit according to claim 3 wherein means for defining a regularized interface is provided for each different function.

5. The job processing unit according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of templates for different tasks, which templates use regularized interfaces and are referred to for specific tasks.

6. The job processing unit according to claim 4, further comprising a plurality of templates for different tasks, which templates use regularized interfaces and are referred to for specific tasks.

9. The storage system according to claim 3, further comprising a directory associated with the called suitable real command, wherein the called suitable read command is for RAID management.

7. A storage system configured to store data and execute a plurality of jobs in a storage system, the storage system comprising:

a plurality of computers;

one or more disk apparatus coupled to the computers via a storage area network;

a computer readable medium including a table, the table including

a first regularized command for a plurality of real commands of first type, the real commands of first type including a first real command for performing a first function on a first device that is associated with a first company and a second real command for performing the first function on a second device that is associated with a second company, the first and second devices being of the same device type,

a second regularized command for a plurality of real commands of second type, the real commands of second type including a third real command for performing a second function on the first device and a fourth real command for performing the second function on the second device;

a plurality of interfaces including first and second interfaces, the first interface operable to handle the first function, the second interface operable to handle the second function;

a plurality of functions of a plurality of storage management products, wherein the plurality of functions comprises a RAID managing function, a file system function, a database managing function, a backup function, and volume managing function;

a plurality of switchers located within the that refer to environmental variables to properly select a suitable adapter from a plurality of adapters and to select the suitable adapter associated with the invoked suitable interface, wherein the environmental variables are defined outside of a job processing unit, and wherein the plurality of switchers are located inside of the job processing unit;

a plurality of adapters that call suitable real commands corresponding to one of the storage management products, wherein some of the adapters are related to one switcher, wherein each of the adapters is related to at least one of the storage management products, wherein the plurality of adapters includes a first set of adapters that are associated with the first interface and a second set of adapters that are associated with the second interface, and wherein the plurality of adapters are located outside of the job processing unit;

means for receiving a regularized command to perform a given function on a component within the storage system;

means for invoking a suitable interface from the plurality of interfaces, the suitable interface being the first interface if the given function corresponds to the first function or the second interface if the given function corresponds to the second function;

means for selecting a suitable adapter from a plurality of adapters according to the invoked interface and the component on which the given function is to be performed; and

means for calling a suitable real command based on the suitable adapter that has been selected.

10. The storage system according to claim 7, further comprising a directory associated with the called suitable real command, wherein the called suitable read command is for RAID management.