Systems and methods to simulate storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9239776-B2
Application number	US-201313762922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2013
Priority date	Feb 9, 2012
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

The embodiments described herein include a host that includes an operating system and a storage simulation module in communication with the host. The storage simulation module includes a pseudo-adapter configured to emulate a storage adapter and a pseudo-storage device coupled to the pseudo-adapter, wherein the pseudo-storage device is configured to emulate a storage device. The storage simulation module is configured to simulate an error event for the pseudo-adapter and/or the pseudo-storage device upon receipt of an operation from the operating system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A physical computer system comprising:
a processor; and
a storage simulation module in communication with an operating system, wherein said storage simulation module comprises:
a pseudo-adapter, when executed by the processor, emulates a storage adapter; and
a pseudo-storage device coupled to said pseudo-adapter, said pseudo-storage device, when executed by the processor, emulates a storage device,
wherein said storage simulation module, when executed by the processor, stages an error event on at least one of said pseudo-adapter and said pseudo-storage device, the staged error event being simulated on the at least one of said pseudo-adapter and said pseudo-storage device upon receipt, from the operating system, of an operation that triggers the staged error event
and wherein said storage simulation module is configured to emulate the staged error event by one of said pseudo-adapter and said pseudo-storage device responding to the operation with the staged error event upon determining that the staged error event is appropriate for manifestation by checking for a particular type of I/0 operation or a particular condition.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operation is error free and includes one or more of the following: an input operation and an output operation that is provided to said pseudo-storage device from said pseudo-adapter.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said pseudo-adapter is further configured to emulate a plurality of storage adapters.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said pseudo-adapter is further configured to emulate one or more fiber channel adapters.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said pseudo-storage device is further configured to emulate a plurality of storage devices.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said storage simulation module further comprises an interface module that is configured to receive configuration commands for said storage simulation module.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said pseudo-storage device is further configured to provide storage using one or more of a ram disk, a null disk, and a physical storage device.

8. A method of simulating storage using a computer system including an operating system, the method comprising:
presenting, to the operating system, a pseudo-adapter configured to emulate a storage adapter;
presenting, to the operating system, a pseudo-storage device configured to emulate a storage device;
staging an error event on at least one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device;
simulating the staged error event on at least one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device upon receipt, from the operating system, of an operation that triggers the staged error event; and
receiving, from one of the first pseudo-adapter and the second pseudo-storage device, a response to the staged error event upon determining that the staged error event is appropriate for manifestation by checking for a particular type of I/0 operation or a particular condition.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the operation includes one or more of the following: an input operation and an output operation that is provided to the pseudo-storage device from the pseudo-adapter.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving a configuration command for one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device; and
altering one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device based at least in part on the configuration command.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising presenting, to the operating system, an additional pseudo-adapter that is configured to emulate a type of storage adapter distinct from the storage adapter.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising presenting, to the operating system, an additional pseudo-storage device configured to emulate a type of storage device distinct from the storage device.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein presenting, to the operating system, a pseudo-adapter further comprises presenting, to the operating system, a pseudo-adapter configured to emulate a fiber channel adapter.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising providing storage associated with the pseudo-storage device, wherein the storage includes one or more of a ram disk, a null disk, and a physical storage.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein, when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:
present, to an operating system, a pseudo-adapter configured to emulate a first type of storage adapter;
present, to the operating system, a pseudo-storage device configured to emulate a first type of storage device;
stage an error event on at least one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device;
simulate the staged error event on at least one of the pseudo-adapter and the first pseudo-storage device upon receipt, from the operating system, of an operation that triggers the staged error event; and
receive, from one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device, a response to the staged error event upon the one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device determining that the staged error event is appropriate for manifestation by checking for a particular type of I/0 operation or a particular condition by checking for a particular type of I/0 operation or a particular condition.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the operation request includes one or more of the following: an input operation and an output operation that is provided to the pseudo-storage device from the pseudo-adapter.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
receive a configuration command for one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device; and
alter one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device based at least in part on the configuration command.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to receive, from one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device, a response to the staged error event upon the one of the pseudo-adapter and the pseudo-storage device determining that the staged error event is appropriate for manifestation.

Assignees

• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Xue Lan
• Sathyanarayana Sreevathsa
• Jensen Thor Donbaek
• Lorimer Erik
• Truong James

Classifications

• G06F11/3696

  Methods or tools to render software testable · CPC title

• G06F11/3672 Primary

  Test management · CPC title

• G06F11/3688 Primary

  for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites · CPC title