Asymmetric logical unit access path distribution system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021126862-A1
Application number	US-201916715001-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2019
Priority date	Oct 25, 2019
Publication date	Apr 29, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An ALUA path distribution system includes host devices coupled to storage subsystems by aggregated networking devices. A first aggregated networking device snoops communications between the host devices and the storage subsystems to identify first snooped information, receives second snooped information identified by a second aggregated networking device, and uses the snooped information to build a path distribution table identifying each active-optimized path provided by the aggregated networking devices between the host devices and respective LUNs on the storage subsystems. The first aggregated networking device then determines that a first active-optimized path that it provides should be redistributed to the second aggregated networking device and, in response, causes a first host device that utilizes the first active-optimized path to communicate with a first storage subsystem to remap a first LUN accessed via the first active-optimized path such that that first active-optimized path is provided by the second aggregated networking device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An Asymmetric Logical Unit Access (ALUA) path distribution system, comprising:
a plurality of host devices; a plurality of storage subsystems; a management server device; a second aggregated networking device that is coupled to the management server device and that couples the plurality of host devices to the plurality of storage subsystems; and a first aggregated networking device that is coupled to the management server device and that couples the plurality of host devices to the plurality of storage subsystems, wherein the first aggregated networking device is configured to:
snoop communications between the plurality of host devices and the plurality of storage subsystems to identify first snooped information;
recieve, from the management server device, second snooped information identified by the second aggregated networking device;
build, using the first snooped information and the second snooped information, a path distribution table that identifies:
each active-optimized path provided by the first aggregated networking device and the second aggregated networking device between the plurality of host devices and respective Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs) included on the plurality of storage subsystems; and

determine, using the path distribution table, that a first active-optimized path should be redistributed from being provided by the first aggregated networking device to being provided by the second aggregated networking device and, in response, cause a first host device that utilizes the first active-optimized path to communicate with a first storage subsystem to remap a first LUN accessed via the first active-optimized path such that that first active-optimized path is provided by the second aggregated networking device.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein snooped communications between the plurality of host devices and the plurality of storage subsystems include LUN-specific inquiry communications and Report Target Port Group (RTPG) communications.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the causing the first host device that utilizes the first active-optimized path to communicate with the first storage subsystem to remap the first LUN accessed via the first active-optimized path such that that first active optimized path is provided by the second aggregated networking device includes:
transmitting, to the host device, a LUN identifier for the first LUN along with an instruction to cause storage controller ownership of the first LUN to be changed.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first aggregated networking device is configured to:
identify that a second active-optimized path is the only path available between a second host device and a second LUN and, in response, determine that the second active-optimized path should not be redistributed from being provided by the first aggregated networking device to being provided by the second aggregated networking device.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the first active-optimized path should be redistributed from being provided by the first aggregated networking device to being provided by the second aggregated networking device includes:
determining, using the path distribution table, that the first aggregated networking device provides at least two more active-optimized paths than the second aggregated networking device.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first aggregated networking device is configured to:
build, using the first snooped information and the second snooped information, the path distribution table that identifies:
each active-non-optimized path provided by the first aggregated networking device and the second aggregated networking device between one of the plurality of host devices and respective Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs) included on the plurality of storage subsystems.

7 . An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:
a processing system; and a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a path distribution engine that is configured to:
snoop communications between a plurality of host devices and a plurality of storage subsystems to identify first snooped information;
recieve, from a management server device that is coupled to the processing system, second snooped information identified by an aggregated networking device that is coupled to the management server device;
build, using the first snooped information and the second snooped information, a path distribution table that identifies:
each active-optimized path provided by the processing system and the second aggregated networking device between the plurality of host devices and respective Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs) included on the plurality of storage subsystems; and

determine, using the path distribution table, that a first active-optimized path should be redistributed from being provided by the processing system to the being provided by aggregated networking device and, in response, cause a first host device that utilizes the first active-optimized path to communicate with a first storage subsystem to remap a first LUN accessed via the first active-optimized path such that that first active optimized path is provided by the aggregated networking device.

8 . The IHS of claim 7 , wherein snooped communications between the plurality of host devices and the plurality of storage subsystems include LUN-specific inquiry communications and Report Target Port Group (RTPG) communications.

9 . The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the causing the first host device that utilizes the first active-optimized path to communicate with the first storage subsystem to remap the first LUN accessed via the first active-optimized path such that that first active optimized path is provided by the aggregated networking device includes:
transmitting, to the host device, a LUN identifier for the first LUN along with an instruction to cause storage controller ownership of the first LUN to be changed.

10 . The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the path distribution engine is configured to:
identify that a second active-optimized path is the only path available between a second host device and a second LUN and, in response, determine that the second active-optimized path should not be redistributed from being provided by the processing system to being provided by the aggregated networking device.

11 . The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the determining that the first active-optimized path should be redistributed from being provided by the processing system to being provided by the aggregated networking device includes:
determining, using the path distribution table, that the processing system provides at least two more active-optimized paths than the aggregated networking device.

12 . The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the path distribution engine is configured to:
build, using the first snooped information and the second snooped information, the path distribution table that identifies:
each active-non-optimized path provided by the processing system and the aggregated networking device between one of the plurality of host devices and respective Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs) included on the plurality of storage subsystems.

13 . The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the determining that the first active-optimized path should be redistributed from being provided by the processing system to the being provided by aggregated networking device includes:
displaying information associated with each active-optimized path provided by the processing system and the agg

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Subbiah Ramesh Kumar
• Varghese Vibin

Classifications

• H04L45/745 Primary

  Address table lookup; Address filtering · CPC title

• H04L41/0213 Primary

  Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP] · CPC title

• 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

• H04L43/02

  Capturing of monitoring data · CPC title

• H04L45/02

  Topology update or discovery · CPC title