Enabling a first virtual storage director running in a container maintained by a hypervisor to achieve direct memory access to memory of a second virtual storage director running in a different container

• US 9,715,460 B1
• Filed: 12/08/2015
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Krasner, Jonathan, McClure, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, HONG CHONG
• Application Number:
  US14/962,052
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 718 1, 711 6, 711170, 711173, 711203, 711202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/109 for multiple virtual address spaces, e.g. segmentation G06F12/1036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• 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 2212/657 Virtual address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/526 Mutual exclusion algorithms

Abstract

A driver enables a first virtual storage director running in a container maintained by a hypervisor to achieve direct memory access to memory of a second virtual storage director running in a different container. An address space is made available to the first virtual storage director. A first portion of the address space is associated with memory allocated to the first virtual storage director by the container. A second portion of the address space is mapped to memory allocated to the second virtual storage director.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computing node comprising;

at least one processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable memory;

a first virtual storage director;

a second virtual storage director;

a hypervisor that maintains;

a first container that allocates a first portion of the memory to the first virtual storage director; and

a second container that allocates a second portion of the memory to the second virtual storage director; and

a driver program that;

maps address space that is available to the first virtual storage director to the second portion of the memory; and

maps address space that is available to the second virtual storage director to the first portion of the memory.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first virtual storage director utilizes the driver program to directly access the second portion of the memory allocated to the second virtual storage director.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first virtual storage director locks locations in the second portion of the memory allocated to the second virtual storage director by locking locations of the available address space mapped to the second portion of the memory.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first virtual storage director locks locations in the first portion of the memory allocated to the first virtual storage director by locking locations of available address space associated with the first portion of the memory.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first virtual storage director writes to the locked locations in the second portion of the memory allocated to the second virtual storage director by writing to the locked locations of the available address space mapped to the second portion of the memory.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the first virtual storage director writes to the locked locations in the first portion of the memory allocated to the first virtual storage director by writing to the locked locations of available address space associated with the first portion of the memory.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first virtual storage director releases locks on the locked locations in the second portion of the memory allocated to the second virtual storage director by releasing locks on the locked locations of the available address space mapped to the second portion of the memory.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first virtual storage director releases locks on the locked locations in the first portion of the memory allocated to the first virtual storage director by releasing locks on the locked locations of available address space associated with the first portion of the memory.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and second virtual storage directors each comprise a virtual processor and a virtual backend adapter interfaced with a data storage device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising multiple ones of the computing node in a first data center and multiple ones of the computing node in a second data center.

11. A method comprising:

in a computing node comprising;

at least one processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable memory;

a first virtual storage director;

a second virtual storage director;

a hypervisor; and

a driver program;

the hypervisor maintaining a first container that allocates a first portion of the memory to the first virtual storage director;

the hypervisor maintaining a second container that allocates a second portion of the memory to the second virtual storage director;

the driver mapping address space that is available to the first virtual storage director to the second portion of the memory; and

the driver mapping address space that is available to the second virtual storage director to the first portion of the memory.

12. The method of claim 11 comprising the first virtual storage director utilizing the driver program to directly access the second portion of the memory allocated to the second virtual storage director.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising the first virtual storage director locking locations in the second portion of the memory allocated to the second virtual storage director by locking locations of the available address space mapped to the second portion of the memory.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising the first virtual storage director locking locations in the first portion of the memory allocated to the first virtual storage director by locking locations of available address space associated with the first portion of the memory.

15. The method of claim 14 comprising the first virtual storage director writing to the locked locations in the second portion of the memory allocated to the second virtual storage director by writing to the locked locations of the available address space mapped to the second portion of the memory.

16. The method of claim 15 comprising the first virtual storage director writing to the locked locations in the first portion of the memory allocated to the first virtual storage director by writing to the locked locations of available address space associated with the first portion of the memory.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising the first virtual storage director releasing locks on the locked locations in the second portion of the memory allocated to the second virtual storage director by releasing locks on the locked locations of the available address space mapped to the second portion of the memory.

18. The method of claim 17 comprising the first virtual storage director releasing locks on the locked locations in the first portion of the memory allocated to the first virtual storage director by releasing locks on the locked locations of available address space associated with the first portion of the memory.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first and second virtual storage directors each comprise a virtual processor and a virtual backend adapter interfaced with a data storage device.

20. The method of claim 19 comprising multiple ones of the computing node in a first data center and multiple ones of the computing node in a second data center.