International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Gregory John Knight

David Lynn Merbach

William Roy Yonker

Duane Mark Baldwin

Allen Robert Heitman

Gregory John Tevis

James P Allen

Daniel Graham Douglas

Robert G Kovacs

Michael L Lamb

Raymond M Swank

Gary Thomas Axberg

Igor Chirashnya

Zhengwen He

Douglas Paul Dunham

David W Groves

Paul Lawrence Bradshaw

Nancy Lott Hobbs

Raymond M Li

Vinh-Thuan Nguyen-Phuc

Vincent Jomartin Hoang

Kirill Shoikhet

Lisa Anne Huston

Roman David Druker

Alireza Razzaghi Daryan

Barbara J Camacho

Ron H Clark

Amir Nakhforoush

Novel storage area networks (SANs) and methods of operation thereof utilize a plurality of hosts coupled via an interconnect with one or more storage units. A manager device, process or other functionality in communication with a plurality of agent processes, devices or other functionality, each of which is associated with a host. The agents identify attributes of (i) their associated hosts, (ii) interconnect to which that host is coupled, and/or (iii) storage units to which that host is coupled via the interconnect. The manager responds to these attributes identified by the agents to manage the SAN. The manager can be implemented on a first digital data processor and the hosts on further digital data processors. These digital data processors can be coupled via a first network, e.g., an IP or other network, to support communications between the manager and the agents. A second network, e.g., SCSI and/or fiber channel based fabric, separate from the first network, can be utilized as the interconnect between the hosts and the storage devices.

Storage area network methods and apparatus with centralized management

An improved storage area network has a manager digital data processor that includes a first element that maintains a first representation of the SAN, and a second element that maintains a second representation of the SAN. The first element generates notifications of events in the SAN, e.g., addition or removal of components or relationships between components. The second element responds to such notifications by accessing the first representation (e.g., via the first element) and updating the second representation. In the event of a discrepancy between the event notification and either representation, the second element selectively disregards the event notification or rebuilds (recovers) the second representation by copying one or more attributes of the first representation.

Storage area network methods  with event notification conflict resolution

A storage area network (SAN) management and configuration method and apparatus are provided via enabling in-band communications. In the storage area network (SAN) management and configuration method, a SAN management application is utilized for communicating with a device driver. A pass through is provided by the device driver to a host bus adapter (HBA) for passing communications to a device in the storage area network from the SAN management application. The storage area network (SAN) management and configuration apparatus via enabling in-band communications includes a storage area network (SAN) management application for communicating with at least one SAN-connected host system. Each SAN connected host system includes a management application agent for communicating with a host bus adapter (HBA) device driver. The HBA device driver is provided for communicating with a device in the storage area network. The HBA device driver includes at least one pass through service for passing a plurality of commands to the device in the storage area network. The management application agent provides predefined protocol functions for communicating with the device in the storage area network. The predefined protocol functions include a common transport (CT) protocol function and an extended link service (ELS) protocol function.

Storage area network management and configuration method and apparatus via enabling in-band communications

A computer implemented management domain for controlling the production of low volume advanced technology articles of manufacture is provided. The management domain includes an information library, an integrated manufacturing intelligence, and an interrogation network which includes a plurality of analyzers. The information library includes a plurality of databases, each of which include objects of an object schema. Objects of the object schema of any one database are linked or linkable to dependent objects of objects of an object schema of another of the databases. The integrated manufacturing intelligence includes a plurality of processors for processing data of the databases. Each analyzer of the plurality of analyzers executable with regard to an advanced technology article of manufacture and/or any object of the objects of said object schema of the databases. Each analyzer implicates at least a single select processor of the plurality of processors, the at least a single select processor of the plurality of processors accessing the information library in furtherance of conducting a select analysis with regard to the advanced technology article of manufacture and/or components thereof.

Computer implemented management domain and method

An storage area network (SAN) has a manager digital data processor that includes a first element that maintains a first representation of the SAN and a second element that maintains a second representation of the SAN. The first element generates notifications of events in the SAN, e.g., addition or removal of components or relationships between components, and includes with them data pertaining to the event. The second element responds to such notifications and data by updating the second representation. That data is preferably sufficient for the second element to update the second representation without further reference to information contained in the representation.

Storage area network methods and apparatus using event notifications with data

A digital data processor of the type used, e.g., in management of a storage area network (SAN), executes a process (a 'manager' process) to maintain a representation of the SAN topology or at least an attribute thereof. A graphical output device displays the SAN representation. A further process (a 'user interface' process) controls the output device for purposes of displaying that representation. An interface element effects retrieval of the SAN representation, for example, in response to a request from the user interface process. It transmits that representation to the user interface process for display on the graphical output device.

User interface architecture for storage area network

A storage area network has a plurality of components, such as host digital data processors and storage devices. A store, e.g., resident on a manager digital data processor, contains one or more objects (or other data constructs) that represent information gathered from the hosts, i.e., scans. Further such objects represent components in the SAN and/or relationships between and among those components. A discover engine or other functionality executing on the manager digital data processor validates information gathered from a selected host concerning a selected component or relationship based on a scan object, if any, that is associated with a component object or relationship object, respectively, corresponding to the selected component or relationship.

Storage area network methods and apparatus for validating data from multiple sources

Method, program product, and system for the probabilistic determination of storage device enclosure-to-storage device relationships in a storage system, when the exact relationship is unknown. A table is built at storage system startup representing the initial storage device enclosure to storage device relationship. For efficiency, as topology changes occur within the storage system, the table is not updated to reflect the topology change. When a user wishes to access a specific storage device enclosure, the table is opened, and the most recently added storage device entry for the selected enclosure is chosen. The chosen storage device is queried for its current physical location. If the storage device still resides within the selected enclosure, the user access the enclosure via the chosen storage device. If the chosen storage device does not reside within the disclosure, the storage device entry is moved to the enclosure entry where it now resides, and the next most recently added storage device within the selected enclosure entry is chosen. The storage device select/query process is repeated until a storage device referenced by the chosen storage device entry is determined to reside within the selected enclosure. If the list of storage devices for the selected enclosure entry is exhausted, the table is rebuilt.

Method and apparatus for determining unknown relationships between storage devices and storage device enclosures

Growing community of inventors

Brooklyn Park, MN, United States of America

Gregory John Knight