Determining a storage network path utilizing log data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10756952-B2
Application number	US-201815993433-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2018
Priority date	May 30, 2018
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

A computer-implemented method according to one embodiment includes receiving log data from a component of a network, processing the log data to create processed log data, creating a component object, utilizing the processed log data, receiving an identification of a device connected to the network, determining a path within the network that is associated with the device, utilizing the component object, and returning the path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving log data from a component of a network;
processing the log data to create processed log data, including parsing the log data utilizing a vendor-specific process in response to determining that the log data is associated with the vendor;
creating a component object, utilizing the processed log data;
adding the component object to a representation of the network;
receiving an identification of a device connected to the network;
determining a path within the network that is associated with the device, utilizing the representation of the network including the component object; and
returning the path.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of components are processed to create a plurality of component objects, the plurality of components including:
a network switch,
a storage virtualization controller, and
a storage device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the component object is stored in association with:
an identifier of the network, and
additional component objects.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the log data includes timestamp data and an amount of data able to be sent by the component of the network at a predetermined period in time.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the network includes a fiber-channel storage area network (SAN).

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein processing the log data further includes:
determining whether the log data is compressed,
determining a type of compression used to compress the log data, in response to determining that the log data is compressed, and
decompressing compressed log data to obtain decompressed log data, in response to determining that the log data is compressed.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the log data includes:
details of hardware, software, and network issues experienced by the component, including error statistics and an identification of an inability to send data to another component,
an indication of all devices connected to the component within the network,
an indication of all ports that the devices are on,
an indication of one or more problems with one or more ports, and
an amount of data able to be sent by the component at a predetermined period of time.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein processing the log data further includes:
identifying all details stored within the log data,
formatting all the details stored within the log data to create formatted details, and
storing all the formatted details associated with the log data.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the component object is created during the processing of the log data, and the component object stores the processed log data.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising creating the representation of the network, and storing the component object and the representation of the network.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the representation of the network stores component objects for each component within the network, where the component objects include processed data from the log data of an associated component.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the device includes a host connected to the network that accesses one or more storage devices via the network.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the path within the network includes a path between a host and a storage device within the network.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
analyzing stored component objects to identify all interconnections between components within the network; and
determining an end-to-end path within the network between a host and a storage device, utilizing the interconnections.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the path is presented visually as a series of linked nodes between a host node and one or more storage device nodes.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising visually identifying all nodes within the path having component objects without processed log data.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising determining one or more issues within the path, and resolving the one or more issues, utilizing stored component objects for components within the path.

18. A computer program product for determining a storage network path utilizing log data, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
receiving log data from a component of a network, utilizing the processor;
processing the log data to create processed log data, including parsing the log data utilizing a vendor-specific process in response to determining that the log data is associated with the vendor, utilizing the processor;
creating, utilizing the processor, a component object, utilizing the processed log data;
adding, utilizing the processor, the component object to a representation of the network;
receiving an identification of a device connected to the network, utilizing the processor;
determining, utilizing the processor, a path within the network that is associated with the device, utilizing the representation of the network including the component object; and
returning the path, utilizing the processor.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein the component of the network is selected from a group consisting of:
a network switch,
a storage virtualization controller, and
a storage device.

20. A system, comprising:
a processor; and
logic integrated with the processor, executable by the processor, or integrated with and executable by the processor, the logic being configured to:
receive log data from a component of a network;
process the log data to create processed log data, including parsing the log data utilizing a vendor-specific process in response to determining that the log data is associated with the vendor;
create a component object, utilizing the processed log data;
add the component object to a representation of the network;
receive an identification of a device connected to the network;
determine a path within the network that is associated with the device, utilizing the representation of the network including the component object; and
return the path.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Green David M
• Sullivan Ryan
• Blue Jr James E

Classifications

• H04L41/122

  of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV] · CPC title

• H04L41/0654 Primary

  using network fault recovery (ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437) · CPC title

• H04L41/0853 Primary

  by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information · CPC title

• H04L41/065

  involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies · CPC title

• H04L43/045

  for graphical visualisation of monitoring data · CPC title