Computer system and data input/output method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9323468-B2
Application number	US-201213574929-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2012
Priority date	Feb 6, 2012
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

A storage apparatus includes multiple ports communicable with a server, multiple processor cores and multiple LUs (Logical Units). For each port, a port responsible core, which is a processor core to accept an I/O request received by the port, is specified. For each LU, an LU responsible core, which is a processor core responsible for I/O, is specified. The LU responsible core may be dynamically changed. The server periodically acquires identification information about the LU responsible cores from the storage apparatus. When transmitting an I/O request, the server selects a non-cross call path, which is such a path that the LU responsible core and the port responsible core are the same processor core, from among multiple paths to an I/O destination LU, which is an LU specified by the transmission target I/O request, and transmits the transmission target I/O request via the selected path.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer system comprising:
a storage apparatus; and
a server configured to transmit an I/O (Input/Output) request to the storage apparatus,
wherein the storage apparatus comprises multiple ports communicable with the server, multiple processor cores and multiple LUs (Logical Units),
wherein, for each port, a port responsible core, which is a processor core to accept an I/O request received by the port, is specified,
wherein, for each LU, an LU responsible core, which is a processor core responsible for I/O, is specified,
wherein the storage apparatus is configured to judge whether or not it is necessary to change the LU responsible core, and if a result of the judgment is positive, perform a responsible core changing process, which is a process for changing the LU responsible core, at a first time interval,
wherein the server comprises one or more communication interface devices, a storage device, and a control device coupled therewith,
wherein the storage device is configured to store path information which includes, for each path, information about the path from the communication interface device to an LU and LU responsible core information which includes, for each LU, identification information about an LU responsible core,
wherein the path information includes, for each path, identification information about a port responsible core responsible for a port through which the path passes,
wherein the control device is configured to, by transmitting a responsible core notification request, which is a request for identification information about LU responsible cores responsible for the LUs, acquire the identification information about the LU responsible cores from the storage apparatus at a second time interval, and include the identification information into the LU responsible core information,
wherein the control device is configured to, when transmitting an I/O request:
(A) select a non-cross call path, which is such a path that the LU responsible core and the port responsible core are the same processor core, from among multiple paths to an I/O destination LU, which is an LU specified by the transmission target I/O request, on the basis of the path information and the LU responsible core information; and
(B) transmit the transmission target I/O request via the path selected at the step (A).

2. A computer system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the storage apparatus comprises multiple processors each of which comprises the two or more processor cores, and
wherein the control device is configured to:
(a1) if the non-cross call path is included in the multiple paths to the I/O destination LU, select the non-cross call path;
(a2) if the non-cross call path is not included in the multiple paths to the I/O destination LU, and a core cross call path, which is such a path that the LU responsible core and the port responsible core are in the same processor, is included, select the core cross call path; and
(a3) if neither the non-cross call path nor the core cross call path is included in the multiple paths to the I/O destination LU, select a processor cross call path, which is such a path that the LU responsible core and the port responsible core are in different processors,

in the step (A).

3. A computer system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the control device is configured to transmit an inquiry request for acquiring information about an LU, to the storage apparatus,

in the case of transmitting the inquiry request, if the processor cross call path is included in paths to the LU specified by the inquiry request, select the processor cross call path, if the core cross call path is included though the processor cross call path does not exist, select the core cross call path,
and transmit the inquiry request via the selected path.

4. A computer system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the second time interval is longer than the first time interval.

5. A computer system according to claim 4 ,
wherein the second time interval is an integral multiple of the first time interval.

6. A computer system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the control device is configured to, if the second time interval is changed, change the first time interval on the basis of the changed second time interval.

7. A computer system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the responsible core notification request for a certain LU is transmitted via a path to non-responsible core among paths to the certain LU, and
wherein the path to non-responsible core is a path to a processor core different from an LU responsible core of the certain LU identified on the basis of the LU responsible core information.

8. A computer system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control device is configured to transmit an inquiry request for acquiring information about an LU, to the storage apparatus, and
wherein if a cross call path, which is such a path that the LU responsible core and the port responsible core are different from each other, is included in paths to the LU specified by the inquiry request in the case of transmitting the inquiry request, select the cross call path, and transmit the inquiry request via the selected path.

9. A server configured to transmit an I/O (Input/Output) request to a storage apparatus, comprising:
one or more communication interface devices;
a storage device; and
a control device coupled therewith,
wherein the storage apparatus comprises multiple ports communicable with the server, multiple processor cores and multiple LUs (Logical Units),
wherein, for each port, a port responsible core, which is a processor core to accept an I/O request received by the port, is specified,
wherein, for each LU, an LU responsible core, which is a processor core responsible for I/O, is specified,
wherein the storage apparatus is configured to judge whether or not it is necessary to change the LU responsible core, and if a result of the judgment is positive, perform a responsible core changing process, which is a process for changing the LU responsible core, at a first time interval,
wherein the storage device is configured to store path information which includes, for each path, information about the path from the communication interface device to an LU and LU responsible core information which includes, for each LU, identification information about an LU responsible core,
wherein the path information includes, for each path, identification information about a port responsible core responsible for a port through which the path passes,
wherein the control device is configured to, by transmitting a responsible core notification request, which is a request for identification information about LU responsible cores responsible for the LUs, acquire the identification information about the LU responsible cores from the storage apparatus at a second time interval, and include the identification information into the LU responsible core information,
wherein, the control device is configured to, when transmitting an I/O request:
(A) select a non-cross call path, which is such a path that the LU responsible core and the port responsible core are the same processor core, from among multiple paths to an I/O destination LU, which is an LU specified by the transmission target I/O request, on the basis of the path information and the LU responsible core information; and
(B) transmit the transmission target I/O request via the path selected at the step (A).

10. A server according to claim 9 ,
wherein the second time interval is longer than the first time interval.

11. A server according to claim 9 ,
wherein the control device is configured to, if the second ti

Assignees

• Oyama Kazuhiro
• Yokouchi Hiroshi
• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Oyama Kazuhiro
• Yokouchi Hiroshi

Classifications

• G06F3/0635 Primary

  by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration · CPC title

• G06F3/067

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

• G06F3/0658

  Controller construction arrangements · CPC title

• G06F3/061

  Improving I/O performance · CPC title

• G06F3/0653

  Monitoring storage devices or systems · CPC title