Maintaining computer system operability

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9632884-B2
Application number	US-201414291305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2014
Priority date	Jun 28, 2013
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

Maintaining operability of a network-connected data processing apparatus is provided. In response to a requirement for failover from a first resource to a second resource, one or more processors tests an availability of the second resource, wherein the first and second resources are redundant resources of a network-connected data processing apparatus that is communicatively coupled to at least one host computer. In response to a positive determination of the availability of the second resource, one or more processors initiates the failover; and in response to a negative determination of the availability of the second resource, one or more processors provides an indication of unavailability.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
in response to a requirement for failover from a first resource to a second resource, testing, by one or more processors, an availability of the second resource, wherein the first and second resources are redundant resources of a network-connected data processing apparatus that is communicatively coupled to at least one host computer;
in response to a positive determination of the availability of the second resource, initiating, by one or more processors, the failover; and
in response to a negative determination of the availability of the second resource, providing, by one or more processors, an indication of unavailability, wherein the network-connected data processing apparatus is communicatively coupled to at least one host computer,
wherein a first failover is performed from the second resource to the first resource in response to a requirement to take the second resource out of operational service, the method further comprising:
in response to a requirement for a second failover from a first resource to a second resource, testing the availability of the second resource;
in response to a positive determination of the availability of the second resource, initiating the second failover; and
in response to a negative determination of the availability of the second resource, providing an indication of unavailability of the second resource.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein testing availability of the second resource comprises verifying, by one or more processors, the ability of the at least one host computer to failover to the second resource.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the requirement for failover from the first resource is determined automatically in response to a request to take one of more resources out of operational service to carry out one or more resource updates.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the one or more resource updates include updates to be performed as a sequence to update a plurality of resources, wherein an update of the first resource follows a verification of the ability to failover from the first resource to the second resource, and wherein an update of the second resource follows a verification of the ability to failover from the second resource to the first resource.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein testing the availability of the second resource comprises an update controller component requesting that the at least one host computer sends input/output commands via the second resource, and wherein the at least one host computer replies to the update controller component.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second resources are data storage systems or components of a data storage system.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the components of a data storage system comprise storage system controllers or communication ports of a storage system.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
in response to a requirement for failover from a first resource to a second resource, testing, by one or more processors, an availability of the second resource, wherein the first and second resources are redundant resources of a network-connected data processing apparatus that is communicatively coupled to at least one host computer;
in response to a positive determination of the availability of the second resource, initiating the failover; and
in response to a negative determination of the availability of the second resource, providing an indication of unavailability,
wherein testing the availability of the second resource comprises an update controller component requesting that the at least one host computer sends input/output commands via the second resource, and wherein the at least one host computer replies to the update controller component.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein testing availability of the second resource comprises verifying the ability of the at least one host computer to failover to the second resource.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the requirement for failover from the first resource is determined automatically in response to a request to take one of more resources out of operational service to carry out one or more resource updates.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the one or more resource updates include updates to be performed as a sequence to update a plurality of resources, wherein an update of the first resource follows a verification of the ability to failover from the first resource to the second resource, and wherein an update of the second resource follows a verification of the ability to failover from the second resource to the first resource.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the first and second resources are data storage systems or components of a data storage system.

13. A computer system comprising:
a memory; and
a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the computer system is configured to perform a method, the method comprising:
in response to a requirement for failover from a first resource to a second resource, testing, by one or more processors, an availability of the second resource, wherein the first and second resources are redundant resources of a network-connected data processing apparatus that is communicatively coupled to at least one host computer;
in response to a positive determination of the availability of the second resource, initiating the failover; and
in response to a negative determination of the availability of the second resource, providing an indication of unavailability,
wherein the requirement for failover from the first resource is determined automatically in response to a request to take one of more resources out of operational service to carry out one or more resource updates.

14. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein testing availability of the second resource comprises verifying the ability of the at least one host computer to failover to the second resource.

15. The computer system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more resource updates include updates to be performed as a sequence to update a plurality of resources, wherein an update of the first resource follows a verification of the ability to failover from the first resource to the second resource, and wherein an update of the second resource follows a verification of the ability to failover from the second resource to the first resource.

16. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein testing the availability of the second resource comprises an update controller component requesting that the at least one host computer sends input/output commands via the second resource, and wherein the at least one host computer replies to the update controller component.

17. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the first and second resources are data storage systems or components of a data storage system.

Assignees

• IBM
• Globalfoundries Inc

Inventors

• Bittles William
• Martin Andrew D
• Mccarthy Timothy F

Classifications

• G06F11/2023

  Failover techniques · CPC title

• G06F11/2028

  eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare · CPC title

• G06F11/2094

  Redundant storage or storage space (G06F11/2056 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F8/65

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F11/2007 Primary

  using redundant communication media · CPC title