Method for adopting an orphan I/O port in a redundant storage controller

• US 7,558,897 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2006
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Davies, Ian Robert, Pecone, Victor Key
• Primary Examiner(s): Knoll; Clifford H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh; Kim T
• Application Number:
  US11/466,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20060282701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 710301-306, 710260-269, 711/6, 711/114, 709/217, 714/769
• US Class Current: 710/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2005 using redundant communication controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2033 switching over of hardware resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2092 Techniques of failing over between control units

Abstract

A method for adopting an orphaned I/O port of a storage controller is disclosed. The storage controller has first and second redundant field-replaceable units (FRU) for processing I/O requests and a third FRU having at least one I/O port for receiving the I/O requests from host computers coupled to it. Initially the first FRU processes the I/O requests received by the I/O port and the third FRU routes to the first FRU interrupt requests generated by the I/O port in response to receiving the I/O requests. Subsequently, the second FRU determines that the first FRU has failed and is no longer processing I/O requests received by the I/O port, and configures the third FRU to route the interrupt requests from the I/O port to the second FRU rather than the first FRU, in response to the determining that the first FRU has failed.

Claims

1. A method for adopting an orphaned I/O port of a storage controller, the method comprising:

routing interrupt requests from a third field-replaceable unit (FRU) to a first FRU, wherein the storage controller comprises the first FRU, a second FRU, and the third FRU, wherein the third FRU comprises an I/O port, wherein the I/O port generates the interrupt requests in response to receiving I/O requests from host computers, wherein the host computers are coupled to the I/O port;

processing the I/O requests received by the I/O port, wherein said processing the I/O requests received by the I/O port is performed by the first FRU in response to receiving the interrupt requests from the third FRU, wherein the I/O requests comprise requests by the host computers for the storage controller to transfer data between the host computers and one or more disk drives coupled to the storage controller;

determining that the first FRU has failed and is no longer processing I/O requests received by the I/O port, wherein said determining that the first FRU has failed and is no longer processing I/O requests received by the I/O port is performed by the second FRU; and

configuring the third FRU to route the interrupt requests from the I/O port to the second FRU rather than the first FRU, wherein said configuring the third FRU to route the interrupt requests from the I/O port to the second FRU rather than the first FRU is performed by the second FRU in response to said determining that the first FRU has failed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing, by the second FRU, in response to the interrupt requests, the I/O requests received by the I/O port, after said configuring the third FRU to route the interrupt requests to the second FRU.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input, prior to said determining, specifying whether to adopt the orphaned I/O port; and

said configuring the third FRU to route the interrupt requests from the I/O port to the second FRU rather than the first FRU only if the user input specifies to adopt the orphaned I/O port.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

preventing, by the second FRU, the first FRU from processing the I/O requests, in response to said determining, by the second FRU, that the first FRU has failed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

resetting, by the second FRU, the I/O port, in response to said determining, by the second FRU, that the first FRU has failed.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

programming, by the second FRU, the I/O port with a unique ID for communicating with the host computers, after said resetting the I/O port.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the second FRU from the first FRU, the unique ID, prior to said detecting, wherein said first FRU initially programmed the I/O port with the unique ID.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

diagnosing, by the second FRU, the I/O port to determine whether the I/O port is functioning properly, in response to said determining, by the second FRU, that the first FRU has failed; and

said configuring the third FRU to route the interrupt requests from the I/O port to the second FRU rather than the first FRU only if the I/O port is functioning properly.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said configuring comprises programming a bridge circuit of the third FRU to route the interrupt requests from the I/O port to the second FRU rather than the first FRU.