Determining a storage network path utilizing log data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019372829-A1
Application number	US-201815993433-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 30, 2018
Priority date	May 30, 2018
Publication date	Dec 5, 2019
Grant date	—

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; 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.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the component of the network is selected from a group consisting of:
a network switch, a storage virtualization controller, and a storage device.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the log data includes details about the component of the network, and details of one or more hardware, software, and network issues experienced by the component of the network.

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 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 processing the log data includes:
determining an entity associated with the log data, the entity including a vendor associated with a creation of the log data, and processing the log data utilizing one or more routines specific to the entity.

8 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein processing the log data 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 a representation of the network, associating the component object with 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 a single network representation 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, utilizing the processor; creating, utilizing the processor, a component object, utilizing the processed log data; 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 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; create a component object, utilizing the processed log data; receive an identification of a device connected to the network; determine a path within the network that is associated with the device, utilizing the component object; and return the path.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H04L67/1097

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• H04L41/065

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

• H04L41/12

  Discovery or management of network topologies · CPC title

• H04L41/064

  involving time analysis · CPC title

• H03M7/30

  Compression (speech analysis-synthesis for redundancy reduction G10L19/00; for image communication H04N); Expansion; Suppression of unnecessary data, e.g. redundancy reduction · CPC title