International Business Machines Corporation

Gary William Batchelor

Todd Charles Sorenson

Enrique Q Garcia

Trung Ngoc Nguyen

Carl Evan Jones

Brian Anthony Rinaldi

Michael T Benhase

Jay T Kirch

John Charles Elliott

Ronald David Martens

Matthew D Carson

Robert Earl Medlin

Forrest Lee Wade

Veronica S Davila

Gregg Steven Lucas

Robert Akira Kubo

Larry Juarez

Juan Antonio Yanes

Robin Han

Ronald James Chapman

Heidi Lynn McCook

Brent Cameron Beardsley

Brian James Cagno

Tony Leung

Seamus Burke

Jiwu Duan

Belayneh Tafesse

Matthew J Kalos

Joseph S Hyde, Ii

Kenneth Wayne Todd

Cheng-Chung Song

Micah Robison

Louis Alonso Rasor

Herve G P Andre

Scott A Brewer

Trung Le

Ya-Huey Juan

Jack Harvey Derenburger

Michael L Harper

Keith Geoffrey Morrison

Russell Lee Ellison

Maoyun Tang

Dell Patrick Leabo

Daniel I Ibanez

Renee S LaMar

A method is disclosed for maintaining a current operating state of an enclosure when a controller card of the enclosure is repaired and/or replaced. In one embodiment, such a method maintains, within a controller card of an enclosure, operating parameters used to establish an operating state of the enclosure. The method further offloads, from the controller card while the controller card is installed in the enclosure, the operating parameters to a location external to the controller card. Upon removal of the controller card from the enclosure, the method maintains the operating state of the enclosure using the operating parameters stored in the external location. Upon reinstalling the controller card in the enclosure, the method optionally retrieves the operating parameters from the external location and initializes the controller card with the operating parameters. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Non-disruptive repair of enclosure controller components

A method for protecting data in a storage system is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes detecting, by a first hardware management console, first battery-on status associated with a first uninterruptible power supply. The method further detects, by a second hardware management console, second battery-on status associated with a second uninterruptible power supply. The method communicates, from the first hardware management console to the second hardware management console, the first battery-on status. The method then triggers, by the second hardware management console, a dump of modified data from memory to more persistent storage upon detecting both the first battery-on status and the second battery-on status. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Hardware-management-console-initiated data protection

A method for protecting data in a storage system is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes detecting, by a first rack power controller, first battery-on status associated with a first uninterruptible power supply. The method further detects, by a second rack power controller, second battery-on status associated with a second uninterruptible power supply. The method communicates, from the first rack power controller to the second rack power controller, the first battery-on status. The method then triggers, by the second rack power controller, a dump of modified data from memory to more persistent storage upon detecting both the first battery-on status and the second battery-on status. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Rack-power-controller-initiated data protection

A method is disclosed to identify a port that is associated with a faulty cable. In one embodiment, such a method identifies a cable to replace. The cable provides a path between a first port, residing on a first component, and a second port, residing on a second component. The method further identifies whether an alternative path, bypassing the first cable, exists between the first component and the second component. In the event the alternative path exists, the method sends, over the alternative path, from the first component to the second component, a command to activate an indicator on the second port. This command is received and executed by the second component to activate the indicator. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also disclosed.

Indicator activation over an alternative cable path

A method to ensure that a hardware management console powers up after a storage system loses external AC power is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes detecting loss of external AC power to a storage system. The loss of external AC power causes the storage system to operate on battery power. The method further initiates, in response to the loss, shutdown of a hardware management console associated with the storage system. The method starts a timer in response to initiation of the shutdown. When the timer expires, the method power cycles the hardware management console, thereby causing the hardware management console to power up and restart. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Ensuring hardware-management-console powerup after external AC power loss

Provided are techniques for concurrent Input/Output (I/O) enclosure firmware/Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) update in a multi-node environment. First notifications are sent to each I/O enclosure management engine on each of a plurality of server nodes that code activation for a first set of I/O enclosures is starting. An update image is distributed to the first set of I/O enclosures. The update image on the first set of I/O enclosures is activated by sending an activate reset command to each of the first set of I/O enclosures, wherein a reset is not propagated to other devices within each I/O enclosure in the first set of I/O enclosures in response to determining that the reset is an activate reset. In response to the activate reset command completing, second notifications are sent to each I/O enclosure management engine that code activation for the first set of I/O enclosures has completed.

Concurrent I/O enclosure firmware/field-programmable gate array (FPGA) update in a multi-node environment

Provided are techniques for detecting a type of storage adapter connected to an Input/Output (I/O) bay and miscabling of a microbay housing the storage adapter. Under control of an Input/Ouput (I/O) bay, cable sidebands are driven high for a predetermined period of time. It is determined whether a cable sidebands response has been detected that indicates that the cable sidebands have been driven low. In response to determining that the cable sidebands response has been detected, it is determined that the I/O bay is connected to a first storage adapter supporting a first protocol for the cable sidebands. In response to determining that the cable sidebands response has not been detected, it is determined that the I/O bay is connected to a second storage adapter supporting a second protocol for the cable sidebands. Moreover, I/O bay and port numbers stored by the microbay are used to determine miscabling.

Detecting a type of storage adapter connected and miscabling of a microbay housing the storage adapter

Link speed recovery in a data storage system in accordance with the present description includes, in one aspect of the present description, repeating performance of a main loop of sequential link speed recovery commands a predetermined maximum number of times. In one embodiment, main loop performance of link speed recovery commands includes repeating performance of a subloop of sequential link speed recovery commands within each main loop performance a predetermined maximum number of times. As a result of repeating performance of a subloop of sequential link speed recovery commands within each main loop performance, and repeating performance of a main loop of sequential link speed recovery commands in accordance with one embodiment, reliability of link speed recovery to full link speed may be improved. Other aspects and advantages may be realized, depending upon the particular application.

Link speed recovery in a data storage system

Methods and systems for the adaptive selection of an isolation ground for a differential interface are provided. A system for adaptively selecting an isolation ground for a differential interface includes a first body having a first ground reference. The system additionally includes a second body having a second ground reference. Further, the system includes a differential interface through which the first body communicates electrical signals with the second body. Also, the system includes a common ground connection shared between the first body and second. Moreover, the system includes an adaptive isolation connection that adaptively connects the common ground connection to one of the first ground reference and the second ground reference.

Adaptive selection of isolation ground for differential interface

In one aspect, multiple data path error collection is provided in a storage management system. In one embodiment, an error condition in a main data path between the storage controller and at least one of a host and a storage unit is detected, and in response, a sequence of error data collection operations to collect error data through a main path is initiated. In response to a failure to collect error data at a level of the sequential error data collection operations, error data is collected through an alternate data path as a function of the error data collection level at which the failure occurred. Other aspects are described.

Multiple path error data collection in a storage management system

A storage controller determines a presence of an indication from an Input/Output (I/O) enclosure that the I/O enclosure will be powered off after a predetermined amount of time. The storage controller quiesces all I/O adapters of the I/O enclosure, in response to receiving the indication. The storage controller quiesces the I/O enclosure, in response to completion of quiescing of all of the I/O adapters of the I/O enclosure.

Method, system, and computer program product for taking an I/O enclosure offline

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Gary William Batchelor