Techniques for automated capture of configuration data for simulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9871889-B1
Application number	US-201414217738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 18, 2014
Priority date	Mar 18, 2014
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

Described are techniques for processing command requests. A plurality of requests are issued from a client to a server. The server has a current configuration. Each of the plurality of requests requests a portion of current configuration information describing the current configuration of the server. Response are sent from the server to the client. Each response includes a portion of the current configuration information describing the current configuration of the server. A first set of configuration files is determined in accordance with portions of the current configuration information included in the responses. The client services a second plurality of command requests using a simulator by processing the second set of command requests in accordance with a simulation mode and the first set of one or more configuration files.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for processing command requests comprising:
issuing, from a client to a server, a plurality of command requests, wherein said server has a current configuration and each of the plurality of command requests is a request for a portion of current configuration information describing the current configuration of the server, wherein each of the plurality of command requests is associated with a unique request identifier that uniquely identifies and distinguishes said each command request from other command requests of the plurality of command requests;
sending, from the server to the client, a plurality of responses responsive to receiving said plurality of command requests, wherein each of the plurality of responses includes a portion of the current configuration information describing the current configuration of the server and wherein each of the plurality of responses is sent in response to a corresponding one of the plurality of command requests and said each response includes the unique request identifier of the corresponding one of the plurality of command requests;
responsive to receiving each of the plurality of responses at the client, invoking a callback routine of the client to determine said corresponding one of the plurality of command requests having a same unique request identifier as said each response;
identifying a set of pending command requests including each command request of the plurality that has been issued by said issuing and wherein said each command request has also not been matched, by the callback routine, with a corresponding response in the plurality of responses received;
determining, in accordance with portions of the current configuration information included in the plurality of responses, a first set of one or more configuration files; and
servicing, by the client, a second plurality of command requests using a simulator by processing the second set of command requests in accordance with a simulation mode and the first set of one or more configuration files.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of command requests includes a first portion of command requests for generic configuration information applicable to any supported type of server.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of command requests includes a second portion of command requests for server specific information dependent on a particular type of server.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the server is a data storage system and the current configuration information is stored on the server and describes a current data storage configuration of the data storage system.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the current configuration information stored on the server includes a first set of objects representing a first set of physical and logical entities in the current data storage system configuration and the first set of one or more configuration files also includes the first set of objects representing the first set of physical and logical entities in the current data storage system configuration.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first set of objects includes an object representing any of a logical storage device having storage provisioned on one or more physical devices, a disk, a RAID group, a fan, a power supply, a physical disk enclosure, and a processor.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when the client is servicing the second plurality of command requests using a simulator, the client is not connected to the server.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein servicing a first command request of the second plurality of command requests includes reading a first set of configuration data describing a first simulated configuration of the server, and the method includes:
retrieving, by the simulator, the first set of configuration data from the first set of one or more configuration files of the client.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein servicing a second command request of the second plurality of command requests includes modifying at least some configuration information stored in the first set of one or more configuration files, and the method includes:
updating, by the simulator, said at least some configuration data to simulate modification of the simulated configuration of the server.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code stored thereon that processes command requests, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code that, when executed, performs a method comprising:
issuing, from a client to a server, a plurality of command requests, wherein said server has a current configuration and each of the plurality of command requests is a request for a portion of current configuration information describing the current configuration of the server, wherein each of the plurality of command requests is associated with a unique request identifier that uniquely identifies and distinguishes said each command request from other command requests of the plurality of command requests;
sending, from the server to the client, a plurality of responses responsive to receiving said plurality of command requests, wherein each of the plurality of responses includes a portion of the current configuration information describing the current configuration of the server and wherein each of the plurality of responses is sent in response to a corresponding one of the plurality of command requests and said each response includes the unique request identifier of the corresponding one of the plurality of command requests;
responsive to receiving each of the plurality of responses at the client, invoking a callback routine of the client to determine said corresponding one of the plurality of command requests having a same unique request identifier as said each response;
identifying a set of pending command requests including each command request of the plurality that has been issued by said issuing and wherein said each command request has also not been matched, by the callback routine, with a corresponding response in the plurality of responses received;
determining, in accordance with portions of the current configuration information included in the plurality of responses, a first set of one or more configuration files; and
servicing, by the client, a second plurality of command requests using a simulator by processing the second set of command requests in accordance with a simulation mode and the first set of one or more configuration files.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of command requests includes a first portion of command requests for generic configuration information applicable to any supported type of server.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of command requests includes a second portion of command requests for server specific information dependent on a particular type of server.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the server is a data storage system and the current configuration information is stored on the server and describes a current data storage configuration of the data storage system.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the current configuration information stored on the server includes a first set of objects representing a first set of physical and logical entities in the current data storage system configuration and the first set of one or more configuration files also includes the first set of objects representing the first set of physical and logical entities in the current data storage system config

Assignees

• Emc Corp
• EMC IP Holing Company LLC

Inventors

• Daruwalla Gev F

Classifications

• H04L67/42 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• H04L67/01

  Protocols · CPC title

• H04L67/34 Primary

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title