Virtual storage processor failover

• US 9,424,117 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Bono, Jean-Pierre, Corniquet, Frederic, de Forest, Miles A., Tummala, Himabindu, Forrester, Walter C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzo, Bryce
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehrmanesh, Elmira
• Application Number:
  US13/838,540
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2092 Techniques of failing over between control units
• 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: G06F 3/06 Digital input from, or digital output to, record carriers , e.g. RAID, emulated record carriers or networked record carriers

Abstract

A technique performs virtual storage processor (VSP) failover. The technique involves accessing, by a first physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, a VSP to create an operating environment for a host file system from the first physical storage processor. The technique further involves, after accessing the VSP to create the operating environment for the host file system from the first physical storage processor, detecting a failure of the first physical storage processor. The technique further involves accessing, in response to detecting the failure of the first physical storage processor and by a second physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor.

Claims

1. In a data storage apparatus, a method of performing virtual storage processor failover, the method comprising:

accessing, by a first physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, a virtual storage processor (VSP) to create an operating environment for a host file system from the first physical storage processor;

after accessing the VSP to create the operating environment for the host file system from the first physical storage processor, detecting a failure of the first physical storage processor; and

in response to detecting the failure of the first physical storage processor, accessing, by a second physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor;

wherein accessing the VSP to create the operating environment for the host file system includes processing a first set of commands from a host computer to write host data into a set of storage locations of a set of storage devices; and

wherein accessing the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system includes processing a second set of commands from the host computer to read the host data from the same set of storage locations of the same set of storage devices.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the VSP includes a VSP configuration file system which stores data defining the operating environment for the host file system;

and

wherein accessing the VSP by the first physical storage processor further includes controlling a root file system of the VSP and mounting the VSP configuration file system and the host file system to the root file system of the VSP by the first physical storage processor to access the VSP configuration file system and the host file system from the first physical storage processor.

3. A method as in claim 2 wherein accessing the VSP by the second physical storage processor further includes:

controlling the root file system of the VSP and mounting the VSP configuration file system and the host file system to the root file system of the VSP by the second physical storage processor to access the VSP configuration file system and the host file system from the second physical storage processor.

4. A method as in claim 3 wherein accessing the VSP by the first physical storage processor further includes processing, by the first physical storage processor, host input/output (I/O) requests on the host file system;

and

wherein accessing the VSP by the second physical storage processor further includes processing, by the second physical storage processor, host I/O requests on the host file system.

5. A method as in claim 2 wherein the first physical storage processor is considered a primary owner of the VSP within the data storage apparatus;

and wherein accessing the VSP by the second physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus further includes;

providing the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor while the first physical storage processor remains considered the primary owner of the VSP.

6. A method as in claim 5 wherein the data storage apparatus includes a configuration database containing a set of records which indicate that the first physical storage processor is considered the primary owner of the VSP;

and wherein providing the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor includes;

maintaining the set of records contained within the configuration database to continue to indicate that the first physical storage processor is considered the primary owner of the VSP while the second physical storage processor accesses the VSP.

7. A method as in claim 2, further comprising:

after the second physical storage processor accesses the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor, detecting restored availability of the first physical storage processor, and

after detecting restored availability of the first physical storage processor, performing a failback operation to re-access the VSP, by the first physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, to re-create the operating environment for the host file system from the first physical storage processor.

8. A method as in claim 7 wherein performing the failback operation is carried out in response to a user entered command to failback the VSP from the second physical storage processor to the first physical storage processor.

9. A method as in claim 7 wherein performing the failback operation is carried out automatically upon detection of restored availability of the first physical storage processor.

10. A method as in claim 7 wherein performing the failback operation includes:

relinquishing control of the root file system of the VSP and un-mounting the VSP configuration file system and the host file system from the root file system of the VSP by the second physical storage processor, and

subsequently obtaining control of the root file system of the VSP and re-mounting the VSP configuration file system and the host file system to the root file system of the VSP by the first physical storage processor.

11. A method as in claim 10, further comprising:

after the failback operation has been completed, re-accessing the VSP by the first physical storage processor to process host I/O requests on the host file system by the first physical storage processor.

12. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the detected failure of the first physical storage processor, trespassing, by the second physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, a set of block-based data objects to the second physical storage processor to concurrently failover file-based host data access and block-based host data access from the first physical storage processor to the second physical storage processor.

13. A method as in claim 1 wherein processing the first set of commands includes operating the VSP on the first physical storage processor;

wherein processing the second set of commands includes operating the VSP on the second physical storage processor; and

wherein the first second physical storage processor has a first network address, the second physical storage processor has a second network address, and the VSP has a third network address that is different from the first and second network addresses to provide host access to multiple source data objects via the third network address.

14. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions to perform virtual storage processor (VSP) failover, the set of instructions, when carried out by computerized circuitry, causing the computerized circuitry to perform a method of:

accessing, by a first physical storage processor of the computerized circuitry, a VSP to create an operating environment for a host file system from the first physical storage processor;

after accessing the VSP to create the operating environment for the host file system from the first physical storage processor, detecting a failure of the first physical storage processor; and

in response to detecting the failure of the first physical storage processor, accessing, by a second physical storage processor of the computerized circuitry, the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor;

wherein accessing the VSP to create the operating environment for the host file system includes processing a first set of commands from a host computer to write host data into a set of storage locations of a set of storage devices; and

wherein accessing the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system includes processing a second set of commands from the host computer to read the host data from the same set of storage locations of the same set of storage devices.

15. A computer program product as in claim 14 wherein the VSP includes a VSP configuration file system which stores data defining the operating environment for the host file system;

and

wherein accessing the VSP by the first physical storage processor further includes controlling a root file system of the VSP and mounting the VSP configuration file system and the host file system to the root file system of the VSP by the first physical storage processor to access the VSP configuration file system and the host file system from the first physical storage processor.

16. A computer program product as in claim 15 wherein accessing the VSP by the second physical storage processor further includes:

controlling the root file system of the VSP and mounting the VSP configuration file system and the host file system to the root file system of the VSP by the second physical storage processor to access the VSP configuration file system and the host file system from the second physical storage processor.

17. A computer program product as in claim 15 wherein the first physical storage processor is considered a primary owner of the VSP;

and wherein accessing the VSP by the second physical storage processor further includes;

providing the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor while the first physical storage processor remains considered the primary owner of the VSP.

18. A computer program product as in claim 15 wherein the method further comprises:

after the second physical storage processor accesses the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor, detecting restored availability of the first physical storage processor, and

after detecting restored availability of the first physical storage processor, performing a failback operation to re-access the VSP, by the first physical storage processor, to re-create the operating environment for the host file system from the first physical storage processor.

19. A computer program product as in claim 18 wherein the method further comprises:

in response to the detected failure of the first physical storage processor, trespassing, by the second physical storage processor, a set of block-based data objects to the second physical storage processor to concurrently failover file-based host data access and block-based host data access from the first physical storage processor to the second physical storage processor.

20. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

memory; and

a set of physical storage processors coupled to the memory, the memory storing instructions which, when carried out by the set of physical storage processors, cause the set of physical storage processors to;

access, by a first physical storage processor, a virtual storage processor (VSP) to create an operating environment for a host file system from the first physical storage processor,

after accessing the VSP to create the operating environment for the host file system from the first physical storage processor, detect a failure of the first physical storage processor, and

in response to detecting the failure of the first physical storage processor, access, by a second physical storage processor of the data storage apparatus, the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system from the second physical storage processor;

wherein the set of physical storage processors, when accessing the VSP to create the operating environment for the host file system, is constructed and arranged to process a first set of commands from a host computer to write host data into a set of storage locations of a set of storage devices; and

wherein the set of physical storage processors, when accessing the VSP to re-create the operating environment for the host file system, is constructed and arranged to process a second set of commands from the host computer to read the host data from the same set of storage locations of the same set of storage devices.