Storage path management host view

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9965200-B1
Application number	US-201514644446-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 11, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2011
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

In large complex multi-path storage environments, knowing there is a problem is extremely valuable. Example embodiments of the present invention include a management framework that provides an easy to use and read graphical perspective that allows analysis of faults in a multi-path storage environment. The architecture is not only responsive, scalable, and robust, but also provides “middleware” services to a broad spectrum of enterprise management applications whose domains may extend beyond storage path management. The management framework includes a consolidator that, along with an agent on the hosts, supports an administrator in: collecting storage path information from hosts; summarizing, aggregating, filtering, and reformatting storage path information to serve enterprise management needs and policies; forwarding an alert regarding storage path information to interested managers; routing storage path management commands from managers to hosts; and reporting command completion status from the host back to the requesting manager.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving host path state information indicative of an accessibility state of LUNs, a responsive state of hosts, and a communicative state of paths in a multi-pathing environment, wherein receiving host path state information comprises receiving an indication of whether the host path experiences a fault;
receiving host path setup state information indicative of a multi-pathing failover policy configuration for the hosts and LUNs in the multi-pathing environment, wherein receiving host path setup state information comprises receiving an indication of whether the host path is multi-pathed properly and whether a load balancing policy for the host path is optimal according to the multipathing license for the host;
analyzing the received host path state information and the received host path setup state information wherein analyzing the received host path state information and the received host path setup state information comprises:
determining a host path setup state for each host in a group of at least one host; and
setting a group path setup state for the group of at least one host according to the determined host path setup state for each host in the group of at least one host; and

providing an indication regarding a host path state for the hosts, indicative of availability of the hosts, the paths, or the LUNs, and a host path setup state for the hosts, indicative of configuration of the hosts, the paths, or the LUNs, according to the analyzed host path state information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising grouping at least one host according to an attribute common to the at least one host.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing the received host path state information and the received host path setup state information comprises:
determining a host path state for each host in a group of at least one host; and
setting a group path state for the group of at least one host according to the determined host path state for each host in the group of at least one host.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein determining a host path state for each host in a group of at least one host comprises:
setting the host path state to a first host path state if one or more LUNs are not accessible;
setting the host path state to a second host path state if no LUN information is available or no path information is available;
setting the host path state to a third host path state if all LUNs are accessible but there is degraded LUN I/O access, one or more paths are dead or no LUNs are configured; and
setting the host path state to a fourth host path state if the host is responding, all LUNs are accessible and all paths are alive.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein setting a group path state for the group of at least one host according to the determined host path state for each host in the group of at least one host comprises:
setting the group path state to a first group path state if one or more hosts are in the first host path state only;
setting the group path state to a second group path state if one or more hosts are in the second host path state and no hosts are in the first host path state;
setting the group path state to a third group path state if one or more hosts are in the third host path state, no hosts are in the first host path state and no hosts are in the second host path state; and
setting the group path state to a fourth group path state if all hosts are in the fourth host path state.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a host path setup state for each host in a group of at least one host comprises:
setting the host path setup state to a first host path setup state if the host has an expired license, the host does not have a license, the host is improperly licensed, only one path is configured to the LUN or only one path of a plurality of configured paths is accessible to one or more LUNs;
setting the host path setup state to a second host path setup state if the host is not responding to connection requests;
setting the host path setup state to a third host path setup state if the host has a license set scheduled to expire within a predetermine period of time or no LUNs are configured; and
setting the host path setup state to a fourth host path setup state if the host has a valid license, the host is connected to a management application, a heartbeat is received from the host, the host is running an optimal load-balancing policy or all paths are configuration-compliant.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein setting a group path setup state for the group of at least one host according to the determined host path setup state for each host in the group of at least one host comprises:
setting the group path setup state to a first group path setup state if one or more hosts are in the first host path setup state;
setting the group path setup state to a second group path setup state if one or more hosts are in the second host path setup state and no hosts are in the first host path setup state;
setting the group path setup state to a third group path setup state if one or more hosts are in the third host path setup state, no hosts are in the first host path setup state and no hosts are in the second host path setup state; and
setting the group path setup state to a fourth group path setup state if all hosts are in the fourth host path setup state.

8. An apparatus comprising:
a receiver module configured to receive host path state information indicative of an accessibility state of LUNs, a responsive state of hosts, and a communicative state of paths and host path setup state information indicative of a multi-pathing failover policy configuration for the hosts and LUNs in a multi-pathing environment, wherein receiving host path state information comprises receiving an indication of whether the host path experiences a fault and wherein receiving host path setup state information comprises receiving an indication of whether the host path is multi-pathed properly and whether a load balancing policy for the host path is optimal according to the multipathing license for the host,
an analyzer module configured to analyze the received host path state information and the received host path setup state information, wherein analyzing the received host path state information and the received host path setup state information comprises determining a host path setup state for each host in a group of at least one host and setting a group path setup state for the group of at least one host according to the determined host path setup state for each host in the group of at least one host; and
an indicator module configured to provide an indication regarding a host path state for the hosts, indicative of availability of the hosts, the paths, or the LUNs, and a host path setup state for the hosts, indicative of configuration of one the hosts, the paths, or the LUNs, according to the analyzed host path state information.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the receiver module is further configured to receive an indication of whether the host path experiences a fault and receive an indication of whether the host path is multi-pathed properly and whether a load balancing policy for the host path is optimal according to the multi-pathing license for the host.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the analyzer module is further configured to group at least one host according to an attribute common to the at least one host.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the analyzer module is further configured to determine a host path setup state for each host in a group of at least one host and set a group path setup state for the group of at least on

Assignees

• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc

Inventors

• Gill Todd R
• Perreault James A
• Neil John S
• Sachdev Vinay S
• Sandstrom Harold M
• Chitre Reshma P
• Covino Eric A
• Bowlin Bradley A

Classifications

• G06F3/0617 Primary

  in relation to availability · CPC title

• G06F11/3034

  where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based (digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097) · CPC title

• G06F11/0727

  in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system (drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097) · CPC title

• G06F11/2289

  by configuration test · CPC title

• G06F3/0635

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