Methods and systems for managing network attached storage (NAS) within a management subsystem

• US 9,244,502 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2007
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Lambert, Timothy M., Reuter, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): MACILWINEN, JOHN MOORE JAIN
• Application Number:
  US11/864,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,041 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/181 Enclosures for portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0658 Controller construction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• 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 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

An information handling system (IHS) comprising a chassis, a motherboard disposed within the chassis, a management controller (MC) coupled to the motherboard and a network attached storage (NAS) coupled to the MC wherein the MC provides access to the NAS. An IHS may further include and input/output (I/O) module (IOM) disposed within the chassis, at least one blade and a keyboard video mouse (KVM) module, wherein the NAS is directly accessible to the IOM, blade(s) and KVM module.

Claims

1. An information handling system (IHS) comprising:

a chassis;

a motherboard disposed within the chassis;

a management controller (MC) having communication connections, the MC coupled to the motherboard;

an input/output module (IOM) slot;

a network attached storage (NAS) supported within the chassis, the NAS coupled to the MC through a dedicated connection of the communication connections, wherein the MC provides access to the NAS across components of the chassis through the dedicated connection, wherein the NAS is shared across one or more components of the chassis, wherein the NAS provisions data for a plurality of users throughout one or more operating systems and one or more file systems, and wherein the NAS is disposed within the IOM slot;

a plurality of file server services, wherein the NAS comprises the file server services;

a plurality of network administration services, wherein the NAS comprises the network administration services;

an embedded CPU of the NAS, wherein the embedded CPU translates network traffic into storage information and manages the NAS; and

wherein the NAS is integrated on an advanced option card (AOC), the AOC connectable to the motherboard, and wherein the AOC allows for a dedicated network interface for management traffic such that the management traffic remains separate from all other network traffic.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the MC is a baseboard management controller (BMC).

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the BMC is in communication with the NAS via the dedicated connection which comprises an Ethernet interface.

4. The system of claim 2 further comprising a network switch coupled to the BMC wherein the BMC manages the network switch to selectively control access to the NAS.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the network switch is integrated on the AOC.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an input/output (I/O) module (IOM) disposed within the chassis.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising at least one blade and a keyboard video mouse (KVM) module, wherein the NAS is directly accessible to at least one of the IOM, the at least one blade and the KVM module.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the MC is a chassis management controller (CMC).

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising at least one blade and a keyboard video mouse (KVM), wherein the CMC enables the at least one blade and the IOM to access the NAS, the CMC managing access to the NAS.

10. A method for managing a network attached storage (NAS) within an IHS, the method comprising:

providing a motherboard coupled to a management controller (MC), wherein the motherboard is disposed within a chassis of the IHS;

enabling the MC to manage access to the NAS across components of the chassis through a network interface dedicated for management traffic of the MC;

sharing the NAS across one or more components of the chassis, wherein the NAS is disposed within an input/output module slot;

provisioning data, by the NAS, for a plurality of users throughout one or more operating systems and one or more file systems;

providing a plurality of file server services by the NAS;

providing a plurality of network administration services by the NAS;

translating, by an embedded CPU of the NAS, network traffic into storage information;

managing, by the embedded CPU, the NAS; and

wherein the NAS is integrated on an advanced option card (AOC), the AOC connectable to the motherboard, and wherein the AOC allows for a dedicated network interface for management traffic such that the management traffic remains separate from all other network traffic.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the MC is a baseboard management controller (BMC).

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the BMC is coupled to a network switch, the BMC managing the network switch to selectively control access to the NAS via the network interface dedicated for management traffic.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising integrating a network switch on the AOC.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the IHS comprises at least one IO module (IOM) disposed with the chassis.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the MC is a chassis management controller (CMC).

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the IHS comprises at least one blade, the CMC enabling communication between the at least one blade, the at least one IOM, and the NAS, wherein the CMC manages access to the at least one NAS.

17. A system for adding internal storage to an IHS management subsystem, the system comprising:

a chassis;

a blade disposed within the chassis;

a chassis management controller (CMC) coupled to the blade;

an input/output module (IOM) slot;

a network attached storage (NAS) coupled to the CMC, wherein the CMC manages access to the NAS across components of the chassis through a network interface dedicated for management traffic of the CMC, wherein the NAS is shared across one or more components of the chassis, wherein the NAS provisions data for a plurality of users throughout one or more operating systems and one or more file systems, and wherein the NAS is disposed within the IOM slot;

a plurality of file server services, wherein the NAS comprises the file server services;

a plurality of network administration services, wherein the NAS comprises the network administration services;

an embedded CPU of the NAS, wherein the embedded CPU translates network traffic into storage information and manages the NAS; and

wherein the NAS is integrated on an advanced option card (AOC), and wherein the AOC allows for a dedicated network interface for management traffic such that the management traffic remains separate from all other network traffic.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the network interface dedicated for management traffic of the CMC comprises an Ethernet interface.

19. The system of claim 17 further comprising an input/output (I/O) module (IOM) disposed with the chassis.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the NAS is in the same form factor as the IOM.