Redundant cable routing management in storage systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9983970-B2
Application number	US-201615091721-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2016
Priority date	Apr 6, 2016
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

Utilities (e.g., methods, systems, apparatuses, etc.) for use in automatically identifying improper physical connections in storage networks and recommending particular actions (e.g., changes to existing physical connections) that seek to ensure symmetric and redundant connections from a data host through all associated storage enclosures and reduce the likelihood that single failures prevent access to storage system data.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for use in a storage system, comprising:
receiving, at a host computer that is interconnected to a string of storage enclosures, connection information from each of a plurality of components of the string of storage enclosures;
generating, by a processor of the host computer with the received connection information, a topological map of the storage system that logically represents physically cabled connections between components of the host computer and/or the string of storage enclosures, wherein each cabled connection in the topological map is represented by connection information of two components;
analyzing, by the processor, the physically cabled connections in the generated topological map by analyzing at least the connection information for at least one of the two components, wherein the analyzing includes applying a set of rules to at least the connection information for the at least one of the two components, wherein the set of rules queries whether the physically cabled connection follows at least one standard or guideline, and wherein the set of rules makes at least one of the following queries:
whether a communication path from the at least one of the two components to the host computer skips an expected component;
whether a communication path from the at least one of the two components to the host computer is connected to an unexpected component;
whether only a single communication path from the at least one of the two components back to the host computer can be found;
whether first and second different communication paths from the at least one of the two components to a host bus adapter of the host computer are found;
whether a port of a host bus adapter of the host computer is unused;
whether a number of physically cabled connections to a storage enclosure of the string of storage enclosures is greater than a threshold number of physically cabled connections;
whether a type of one of the storage enclosures in the string of storage enclosures is different than a type of another of the storage enclosures in the string of storage enclosures;

whether a type of one of the storage enclosures in the string of storage enclosures is unsupported by the host computer;
whether an expected expander of one of the storage enclosures in the string of storage enclosures is missing; or
whether the number of storage enclosures in the string of storage enclosures is greater than a threshold number of storage enclosures; and

providing, by the processor, an output based on a result of the analyzing.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the applying includes:
applying, by the processor, the set of rules to the connection information for at least one of the two components for each of the plurality of physically cabled connections.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein applying includes:
recursively applying, by the processor, the set of rules to the connection information for the at least one of the two components to successive ones of the plurality of physically cabled connections.

4. The method of claim 1 , further including:
determining, by the processor, a recommended change to the storage system based on a result of the application of at least one of the set of rules, wherein the provided output is the recommended change.

5. The method of claim 1 , further including:
sensing, by the processor, a change to the topological map of the storage system;
discontinuing, by the processor, the analyzing of the physically cabled connections in the topological map for a period of time; and
commencing, by the processor after the period of time, the analyzing of the physically cabled connections in the topological map.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the sensing includes:
receiving, at the host computer, new connection information from at least one component of the string of storage enclosures.

7. The method of claim 6 , further including:
updating, by the processor, the topological map with the new connection information.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the connection information includes one or more addresses of the component in the storage system.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more addresses are World Wide Names.

10. A storage system, comprising:
a string of interconnected storage enclosures that are electrically connected together by a plurality of physical connections; and
at least a first host server electrically connected to the string of interconnected storage enclosures by a plurality of physical connections, wherein the first host server includes:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer readable memory including a set of computer readable instructions that are executable by the processor to:
determine whether the plurality of physical connections between the adjacent ones of the interconnected storage enclosures and between the first host server and the string of interconnected storage enclosures complies with at least one standard or guideline for ensuring dual path routing between each storage enclosure and the first host to server; and
generate one or more changes to the plurality of physical connections based on the determining;

wherein each adjacent pair of storage enclosures of the string of interconnected storage enclosures is independently electrically connected together by first and second physical connections, wherein the first physical connections of all of the adjacent pairs of storage enclosures collectively define a first communication chain interconnecting the first host server to the string of interconnected storage enclosures, and wherein the second physical connections of all of the adjacent pairs of storage enclosures collectively define an independent second communication chain interconnecting the first host server to the string of interconnected storage enclosures.

11. The storage system of claim 10 , wherein the set of computer readable instructions are executable by the processor to determine by way of:
receiving a plurality of addresses of a plurality of ports of each of the plurality of storage enclosures; and
analyzing the plurality of received port addresses in view of the at least one standard or guideline.

12. The storage system of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of physically connections is defined by at least first and second port addresses corresponding to first and second ends of the physical connection.

13. The storage system of claim 12 , wherein the set of computer readable instructions are further executable by the processor to determine by way of:
generating, with the received plurality of addresses, a map of the storage system that represents the plurality of physical connections, wherein the analyzing includes recursively applying a plurality of rules to successive ones of the plurality of physical connections, wherein the plurality of rules query whether the plurality of physical connections comply with the at least one standard or guideline.

14. The storage system of claim 10 , wherein the first host server includes at least first and second host bus adapters (HBAs), wherein a first of the plurality of physical connections electrically connects the first HBA to a first of the string of interconnected storage enclosures, and wherein a second of the plurality of physical connections electrically connects the second HBA to a last of the string of interconnected storage enclosures.

15. The storage system of claim 11 , wherein the receiving includes receiving a first local address of a first of the ports and a first remote address of the first port that identifies another of the ports, and rec

Assignees

• Oracle Int Corp

Inventors

• Brooks Stephen
• Gibson Gavin
• Verma Sudha
• Zhang Yidong
• Johnston Robert
• Mckenney Todd
• Ledru Pascal
• Horne Christopher
• Hanson Stephen

Classifications

• G06F2201/81

  Threshold · CPC title

• G06F11/201

  between storage system components · CPC title

• G06F11/3006

  where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems (multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50) · 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

• G06F11/3089

  Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in sensing the monitored data, e.g. interfaces, connectors, sensors, probes, agents (software debugging using additional hardware using a specific debug interface G06F11/3656; performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring G06F11/3466) · CPC title