Profile-based lifecycle management for data storage servers

• US 9,684,450 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Soundararajan, Gokul, Bairavasundaram, Lakshmi Narayanan, Kenchammana-hosekote, Deepak, Labiaga, Ricardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Conaway, James
• Application Number:
  US14/489,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20150081836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0662 Virtualisation aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• 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 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30

Abstract

Technology is described for a profile-based lifecycle management for data storage servers. The technology can receive a profile, monitor events emitted by devices of the data storage system, determine based on the monitored events that a device of the storage system matches the indicated condition, and perform the action corresponding to the indicated condition, wherein the action includes managing data stored by the data storage system. The received profile can indicate a condition and an action corresponding to the condition.

Claims

1. A method performed by a data storage system, comprising:

receiving a plurality of profiles for a plurality of applications using the data storage system having a plurality of devices for storing data, wherein each received profile for an application indicates a condition associated with the plurality of devices impacting performance of the application and an action corresponding to the condition;

monitoring events emitted by the plurality of devices of the data storage system for life cycle management of the plurality of devices for upgrading, decommissioning and adding devices;

determining based on the monitored events that a first device of the data storage system matches a first indicated condition and a second device of the data storage system matches a second indicated condition associated with an application profile;

comparing a priority of the first indicated condition with a priority of the second indicated condition to determine a higher priority indicated condition based on performance impact on an application associated with the application profile;

performing an action corresponding to the higher priority indicated condition by invoking an application programming interface executed by a device associated with the action, wherein the corresponding action includes managing data stored by the data storage system; and

wherein for managing the life cycle of the plurality of devices, in an event the action is to add a device, identifying a device from an inventory of available devices;

assigning the identified device to a data storage server; and

configuring the assigned device to operate with the data storage server;

predicting based on the plurality of profiles and monitored events future need for one or more devices; and

updating the inventory of available devices, based on the prediction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition specifies one or more attributes of the storage system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the specified one or more attributes is one or more of capacity, performance, or deployment time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in an event the identified device is operating with a different data storage server, transferring, prior to the configuring, data stored at the device to a different device configured to operate with the different data storage server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in an event the action is to decommission a device, the method further comprising:

causing data stored at the device to be transferred to other devices of a data storage server; and

disabling additional data from being stored at the device to be decommissioned.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising deleting data stored at the device to be decommissioned.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising placing the decommissioned device into an inventory of available devices.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising configuring the device to be no longer assigned to a data storage server with which the device is presently associated.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor and memory;

a component configured to receive a plurality of profiles for a plurality of applications using the data storage system having a plurality of devices for storing data, wherein each received profile of an application indicates a condition associated with the plurality of devices impacting performance of the application and an action corresponding to the condition;

a monitoring component configured to

monitor events emitted by the plurality of devices of the data storage system for life cycle management of the plurality of devices for upgrading, decommissioning and adding devices;

determine, based on the monitored events, that a first device of the data storage system matches a first indicated condition and a second device of the data storage system matches a second indicated condition associated with an application profile;

compare a priority of the first indicated condition with a priority of the second indicated condition to determine a higher priority indicated condition based on performance impact on an application associated with the application profile;

perform an action corresponding to the higher priority indicated condition by invoking an application programming interface executed by a device associated with the action, wherein the corresponding action includes managing data stored by the data storage system; and

wherein for managing the life cycle of the plurality of devices, in an event the action is to add a device, identify a device from an inventory of available devices;

assign the identified device to a data storage server; and

configure the assigned device to operate with the data storage server;

predict based on the plurality of profiles and monitored events future need for one or more devices; and

update the inventory of available devices, based on the prediction.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

an inventory of available devices, wherein when the monitoring component performs an action to add a device, the monitoring system selects a device indicated by the inventory as available.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the condition specifies one or more attributes of the storage system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the specified one or more attributes is one or more of capacity, performance, or deployment time.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a component configured to transfer, prior to configuring the assigned device, data stored at the device to a different device configured to operate with the different data storage server, in an event the identified device is operating with a different data storage server.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein in an event the action is to decommission a device, the system further comprising:

a component configured to cause data stored at the device to be transferred to other devices of a data storage server, and to disable additional data from being stored at the device to be decommissioned.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a component configured to delete data stored at the device to be decommissioned.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising a component configured to place the decommissioned device into an inventory of available devices.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a component configured to remove the device from assignment to a data storage server with which the device is presently associated.

18. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, comprising:

instructions for receiving a plurality of profiles for a plurality of applications using the data storage system having a plurality of devices for storing data, wherein each received profile for an application indicates a condition associated with the plurality of devices impacting performance of the application and an action corresponding to the condition;

instructions for monitoring events emitted by the plurality of devices of the data storage system for life cycle management of the plurality of devices for upgrading, decommissioning and adding devices;

instructions for determining based on the monitored events that a first device of the storage system matches a first indicated condition and a second device of the storage system matches a second indicated condition;

instructions for comparing a priority of the first indicated condition with a priority of the second indicated condition to determine a higher priority indicated condition based on performance impact on an application associated with the application profile; and

instructions for performing an action corresponding to the higher priority indicated condition by invoking an application programming interface executed by a device associated with the action, wherein the corresponding action includes managing data stored by the data storage system;

wherein for managing the life cycle of the plurality of devices, in an event the action is to add a device, instructions for identifying a device from an inventory of available devices;

instructions for assigning the identified device to a data storage server; and

instructions for configuring the assigned device to operate with the data storage server;

instructions for predicting based on the plurality of profiles and monitored events future need for one or more devices; and

instructions for updating the inventory of available devices, based on the prediction.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 18, wherein in an event the action is to decommission a device, further comprising, instructions for causing data stored at the device to be transferred to other devices of a data storage server;

and disabling additional data from being stored at the device to be decommissioned.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 19, further comprising deleting data stored at the device to be decommissioned.