Validation of storage arrays based on information stored in global metadata

• US 9,207,868 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Grusy, Ellen J., Lovrien, Kurt A., Nielsen, Karl A., Sheppard, Jacob L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Fahmida
• Application Number:
  US13/655,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• 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 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A director node of a plurality of nodes determines a plurality of data arrays, where the plurality of data arrays have been discovered at boot time. The director node determines global metadata information, based on reading boot sectors of at least one of the plurality of data arrays discovered at boot time. A determination is made from the global metadata information as to how many data arrays had been previously configured. In response to determining that the plurality of data arrays discovered at boot time is not equal in number to the previously configured data arrays, the director node determines that all configured data arrays have not been discovered.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a director node of a plurality of nodes, a plurality of data arrays discovered at boot time;

determining, by the director node, based on reading boot sectors of at least one of the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time, global metadata information;

determining from the global metadata information how many data arrays had been previously configured; and

in response to determining that the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time is not equal in number to the previously configured data arrays, determining that all configured data arrays have not been discovered, wherein the global metadata information is stored in a primary data array, a secondary data array, and a tertiary data array, wherein the director node synchronizes the global metadata information among the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays and configures components of a computing environment based on the global metadata information, wherein a boot sector in each of the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays stores pointer records pointing to a current set of global metadata arrays comprising the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays, and wherein boot sectors of other data arrays besides the global metadata arrays do not store pointer records pointing to the current set of global metadata arrays.

4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

in response to determining that all configured data arrays have not been discovered, transmitting an indication of an error condition.

2. The method of claim the method further comprising:

in response to determining that the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time is equal in number to the previously configured data arrays, determining that all configured data arrays have been discovered.

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

in response to determining that all configured data arrays have been discovered, selecting a current set of global metadata arrays that includes metadata for system configuration and the number of previously configured data arrays.

5. A system in communication with a plurality of nodes, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor performs operations, the operations comprising;

determining a plurality of data arrays discovered at boot time;

determining, based on reading boot sectors of at least one of the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time, global metadata information;

determining from the global metadata information how many data arrays had been previously configured; and

in response to determining that the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time is not equal in number to the previously configured data arrays, determining that all configured data arrays have not been discovered, wherein the global metadata information is stored in a primary data array, a secondary data array, and a tertiary data array, wherein a director node of the plurality of nodes synchronizes the global metadata information among the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays and configures components of a computing environment based on the global metadata information, wherein a boot sector in each of the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays stores pointer records pointing to a current set of global metadata arrays comprising the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays, and wherein boot sectors of other data arrays besides the global metadata arrays do not store pointer records pointing to the current set of global metadata arrays.

6. The system of claim 5, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time is equal in number to the previously configured data arrays, determining that all configured data arrays have been discovered.

7. The system of claim 6, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that all configured data arrays have been discovered, selecting a current set of global metadata arrays that includes metadata for system configuration and the number of previously configured data arrays.

8. The system of claim 5, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that all configured data arrays have not been discovered, transmitting an indication of an error condition.

9. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code configured to perform operations, the operations comprising:

determining, by a director node of a plurality of nodes, a plurality of data arrays discovered at boot time;

determining, by the director node, based on reading boot sectors of at least one of the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time, global metadata information;

determining from the global metadata information how many data arrays had been previously configured; and

in response to determining that the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time is not equal in number to the previously configured data arrays, determining that all configured data arrays have not been discovered, wherein the global metadata information is stored in a primary data array, a secondary data array, and a tertiary data array, wherein the director node synchronizes the global metadata information among the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays and configures components of a computing environment based on the global metadata information, wherein a boot sector in each of the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays stores pointer records pointing to a current set of global metadata arrays comprising the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays, and wherein boot sectors of other data arrays besides the global metadata arrays do not store pointer records pointing to the current set of global metadata arrays.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time is equal in number to the previously configured data arrays, determining that all configured data arrays have been discovered.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that all configured data arrays have been discovered, selecting a current set of global metadata arrays that includes metadata for system configuration and the number of previously configured data arrays.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that all configured data arrays have not been discovered, transmitting an indication of an error condition.

13. A system, comprising:

a plurality of nodes including a director node including a processor; and

a plurality of data arrays in communication with the plurality of nodes, wherein the director node performs operations, the operations comprising;

determining the plurality of data arrays, based on discovery of the plurality of data arrays at boot time;

determining, based on reading boot sectors of at least one of the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time, global metadata information;

determining from the global metadata information how many data arrays had been previously configured; and

in response to determining that the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time is not equal in number to the previously configured data arrays, determining that all configured data arrays have not been discovered, wherein the global metadata information is stored in a primary data array, a secondary data array, and a tertiary data array, wherein the director node synchronizes the global metadata information among the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays and configures components of a computing environment based on the global metadata information, wherein a boot sector in each of the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays stored pointer records pointing to a current set of global metadata arrays comprising the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays, and wherein boot sectors of other data arrays besides the global metadata arrays, and wherein boot sectors of other data arrays besides the global metadata arrays do not store pointer records pointing to the current set of global metadata arrays.

14. The system of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time is equal in number to the previously configured data arrays, determining that all configured data arrays have been discovered.

15. The system of claim 14, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that all configured data arrays have been discovered, selecting a current set of global metadata arrays that includes metadata for system configuration and the number of previously configured data arrays.

16. The system of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that all configured data arrays have not been discovered, transmitting an indication of an error condition.

17. A system, comprising:

a plurality of nodes;

a plurality of adapters; and

a plurality of data arrays coupled to the plurality of nodes via the plurality of adapters, wherein the system performs operations, the operations comprising;

determining, by a director node of the plurality of nodes, the plurality of data arrays, wherein the plurality of data arrays have been discovered at boot time via the plurality of adapters;

determining, by the director node, based on reading boot sectors of at least one of the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time, global metadata information;

determining from the global metadata information how many data arrays had been previously configured; and

in response to determining that the plurality of data arrays discovered at the boot time is not equal in number to the previously configured data arrays, determining that all configured data arrays have not been discovered, wherein the global metadata information is stored in a primary data array, a secondary data array, and a tertiary data array, wherein the director node synchronizes the global metadata information among the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays and configures components of a computing environment based on the global metadata information, wherein a boot sector in each of the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays stores pointer records pointing to a current set of global metadata arrays comprising the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary data arrays, and wherein boot sectors of other data arrays besides the global metadata arrays do not store pointer records pointing to the current set of global metadata arrays.