Smart selection of a storage module to be excluded

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9898378-B2
Application number	US-201514936936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2015
Priority date	Nov 10, 2015
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

Provided are a computer program product, computer system, and method for smart selection of a storage module to be excluded when a connection between two storage modules is broken. An indication is received from a first storage module that a connection between the first storage module and a second storage module is broken. In response to determining that the second storage module is accessible, values of exclusion criteria for the first storage module are determined and summed to identify a first exclusion total. Then, values of exclusion criteria for the second storage module are determined and summed to identify a second exclusion total. In response to determining that the first exclusion total exceeds the second exclusion total, the second storage node is excluded from the cluster. In response to determining that the second exclusion total exceeds the first exclusion total, the first storage node is excluded from the cluster.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein that executes to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving an indication from a first storage module in a cluster that a connection between the first storage module and a second storage module in the cluster is broken; and
in response to determining that the second storage module is accessible,
determining values of first exclusion criteria for the first storage module, wherein the first exclusion criteria comprises battery backup unit availability and capacity of the first storage module, data path latency of the first storage module, vault device availability of the first storage module, an ability of the first storage module to backup data on an emergency shutdown, and host adapter availability of the first storage module;
summing up values of the first exclusion criteria to identify a first exclusion total;
determining values of second exclusion criteria for the second storage module wherein the second exclusion criteria comprises battery backup unit availability and capacity of the second storage module, data path latency of the second storage module, vault device availability of the second storage module, an ability of the second storage module to backup data on an emergency shutdown, and host adapter availability of the second storage module;
summing up values of the second exclusion criteria to identify a second exclusion total;
in response to determining that the first exclusion total exceeds the second exclusion total, excluding the second storage module from the cluster; and
in response to determining that the second exclusion total exceeds the first exclusion total, excluding the first storage module from the cluster.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the first storage module and the second storage module are adjacent in a mesh cluster of storage modules.

3. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
in response to determining that the second storage module is not accessible, excluding the second storage module from the cluster.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein weights are associated with each of the first exclusion criteria and each of the second exclusion criteria.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein weights are associated with the first storage module and the second storage module.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
in response to determining that the first exclusion total and the second exclusion total are equal, excluding the first storage module from the cluster.

7. A computer system, comprising:
a cluster of storage modules, wherein each of the storage modules includes a processor and a computer readable storage medium having program code; and
wherein the program code, when executed on at least one of the storage modules in the cluster of storage modules, performs operations, the operations comprising:
receiving an indication from a first storage module in the cluster that a connection between the first storage module and a second storage module in the cluster is broken; and
in response to determining that the second storage module is accessible,
determining values of first exclusion criteria for the first storage module, wherein the first exclusion criteria comprises battery backup unit availability and capacity of the first storage module, data path latency of the first storage module, vault device availability of the first storage module, an ability of the first storage module to backup data on an emergency shutdown, and host adapter availability of the first storage module;
summing up values of the first exclusion criteria to identify a first exclusion total;
determining values of second exclusion criteria for the second storage module, wherein the second exclusion criteria comprises battery backup unit availability and capacity of the second storage module, data path latency of the second storage module, vault device availability of the second storage module, an ability of the second storage module to backup data on an emergency shutdown, and host adapter availability of the second storage module;
summing up values of the second exclusion criteria to identify a second exclusion total;
in response to determining that the first exclusion total exceeds the second exclusion total, excluding the second storage module from the cluster; and
in response to determining that the second exclusion total exceeds the first exclusion total, excluding the first storage module from the cluster.

8. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein the first storage module and the second storage module are adjacent in a mesh cluster of storage modules.

9. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
in response to determining that the second storage module is not accessible, excluding the second storage module from the cluster.

10. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein weights are associated with each of the first exclusion criteria and each of the second exclusion criteria.

11. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein weights are associated with the first storage module and the second storage module.

12. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
in response to determining that the first exclusion total and the second exclusion total are equal, excluding the first storage module from the cluster.

13. A method, comprising:
receiving an indication from a first storage module in a cluster that a connection between the first storage module and a second storage module in the cluster is broken; and
in response to determining that the second storage module is accessible,
determining values of first exclusion criteria for the first storage module, wherein the first exclusion criteria comprises battery backup unit availability and capacity of the first storage module, data path latency of the first storage module, vault device availability of the first storage module, an ability of the first storage module to backup data on an emergency shutdown, and host adapter availability of the first storage module;
summing up values of the first exclusion criteria to identify a first exclusion total;
determining values of second exclusion criteria for the second storage module, wherein the second exclusion criteria comprises battery backup unit availability and capacity of the second storage module, data path latency of the second storage module, vault device availability of the second storage module, an ability of the second storage module to backup data on an emergency shutdown, and host adapter availability of the second storage module;
summing values of the second exclusion criteria to identify a second exclusion total;
in response to determining that the first exclusion total exceeds the second exclusion total, excluding the second storage module from the cluster; and
in response to determining that the second exclusion total exceeds the first exclusion total, excluding the first storage module from the cluster.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first storage module and the second storage module are adjacent in a mesh cluster of storage modules.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the second storage module is not accessible, excluding the second storage module from the cluster.

16. The method of claim 13 , whe

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Keller Michael
• Leneman Ofer
• Shasha Osnat
• Shlomov Lior
• Waizel Ariel

Classifications

• G06F11/1425 Primary

  by reconfiguration of node membership · CPC title

• G06F2201/805

  Real-time · CPC title

• G06F2201/85

  Active fault masking without idle spares · CPC title

• G06F11/2094 Primary

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