Non-disruptive controller replacement in a cross-cluster redundancy configuration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11422908-B2
Application number	US-201916353120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2019
Priority date	Nov 13, 2014
Publication date	Aug 23, 2022
Grant date	Aug 23, 2022

Abstract

During a storage redundancy giveback from a first node to a second node following a storage redundancy takeover from the second node by the first node, the second node is initialized in part by receiving a node identification indicator from the second node. The node identification indicator is included in a node advertisement message sent by the second node during a giveback wait phase of the storage redundancy giveback. The node identification indicator includes an intra-cluster node connectivity identifier that is used by the first node to determine whether the second node is an intra-cluster takeover partner. In response to determining that the second node is an intra-cluster takeover partner, the first node completes the giveback of storage resources to the second node.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
during a startup boot process of a first node, initializing connectivity interfaces of the first node with a network, wherein during the initializing, the first node obtains a first switch identifier uniquely identifying a switch connecting the first node to the network;
transmitting, by the first node, a node advertisement comprising the first switch identifier over the network to nodes of a cross-cluster configuration associated with the first node;
comparing the first switch identifier of the switch connected to the first node with a second switch identifier within intra-cluster connectivity information of a second node of the nodes to determine whether the first switch identifier is a same hardware switch identifier as the second switch identifier or whether the first switch identifier is a different hardware switch identifier than the second switch identifier;
in response to a result of the comparison indicating that the first switch identifier of the switch connected to the first node matches the second switch identifier within intra-cluster connectivity information of the second node, triggering a giveback of storage resources from the second node to the first node; and
completing, by the first node, the startup boot process to online the first node as part of the cross-cluster configuration with access to the storage resources.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first switch identifier is a world wide node name identifying the switch.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first switch identifier is a serial number identifying the switch.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
transmitting the node advertisement through a multi-cast transmission to the second node, wherein the second node determines whether the first switch identifier corresponds to the intra-cluster connectivity information of the second node.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first node and the second node are determined to be paired partner nodes based upon the first switch identifier corresponding to the intra-cluster connectivity information of the second node.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first node receives control of the storage resources comprising a storage device and connections within the network that the first node is to manage during normal operation from the second node based upon a determination that the first node and the second node are paired partner nodes based upon the first switch identifier corresponding to the intra-cluster connectivity information of the second node.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a node system identifier of the first node is modified based upon a storage controller of the first node being a replacement storage controller of a prior storage controller of the first node, wherein the node system identifier is used to identify controller hardware.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a node configuration identifier of the first node remains the same after the prior storage controller is replaced with the storage controller, wherein the node configuration identifier is a code identifying functionality, connectivity, and mutual relations of the first node with other nodes in the cross-cluster configuration.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the node configuration identifier is stored in a mailbox root disk inaccessible to the first node upon initialization of the first node, wherein the mailbox root disk corresponds to a storage device whose control is reassigned from the second node to the first node.

10. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon program code, which when executed by machine, causes the machine to:
during a startup boot process of a first node, initialize connectivity interfaces of the first node with a network, wherein during the initializing, the first node obtains a first switch identifier uniquely identifying a switch connecting the first node to the network;
transmit, by the first node, a node advertisement comprising the first switch identifier over the network to nodes of a cross-cluster configuration associated with the first node;
compare the first switch identifier of the switch connected to the first node with a second switch identifier within intra-cluster connectivity information of a second node of the nodes to determine whether the first switch identifier is a same hardware switch identifier as the second switch identifier or whether the first switch identifier is a different hardware switch identifier than the second switch identifier;
in response to a result of the comparison indicating that the first switch identifier of the switch connected to the first node matches the second switch identifier within intra-cluster connectivity information of the second node, trigger a giveback of storage resources from the second node to the first node; and
complete, by the first node, the startup boot process to online the first node as part of the cross-cluster configuration with access to the storage resources.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the first switch identifier is a world wide node name identifying the switch.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the first switch identifier is a serial number identifying the switch.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the program code causes the machine to:
transmit the node advertisement through a multi-cast transmission to the second node, wherein the second node determines whether the first switch identifier corresponds to the intra-cluster connectivity information of the second node.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the first node and the second node are determined to be paired partner nodes based upon the first switch identifier corresponding to the intra-cluster connectivity information of the second node.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first node receives control of the storage resources comprising a storage device and connections within the network that the first node is to manage during normal operation from the second node based upon a determination that the first node and the second node are paired partner nodes based upon the first switch identifier corresponding to the intra-cluster connectivity information of the second node.

16. A computing device comprising:
a memory having stored thereon instructions; and
a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the processor to:
during a startup boot process of a first node, initialize connectivity interfaces of the first node with a network, wherein during the initializing, the first node obtains a first switch identifier uniquely identifying a switch connecting the first node to the network;
transmit, by the first node, a node advertisement comprising the first switch identifier over the network to nodes of a cross-cluster configuration associated with the first node;
compare the first switch identifier of the switch connected to the first node with a second switch identifier within intra-cluster connectivity information of a second node of the nodes to determine whether the first switch identifier is a same hardware switch identifier as the second switch identifier or whether the first switch identifier is a different hardware switch identifier than the second switch identifier;
in response to a result of the comparison indicating that the first switch identifier of the switch connected to the first node matches the second switch identifier wi

Assignees

• Netapp Inc

Inventors

• Panara Amit V
• Patel Chaitanya V
• Keremane Hrishikesh
• Majmudar Pankti Vinay
• Unnikrishnan Santhosh
• Elpula Sravan Kumar
• Coatney Susan M

Classifications

• G06F3/0653

  Monitoring storage devices or systems · CPC title

• G06F3/067

  Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• G06F11/2097

  maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated (initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups) · CPC title

• G06F11/2017

  where memory access, memory control or I/O control functionality is redundant (redundant communication control functionality G06F11/2005; redundant storage control functionality G06F11/2089) · CPC title

• G06F11/2092 Primary

  Techniques of failing over between control units · CPC title