Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Seagate Technology Incorporated

Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

James Edwin Pherson

Michael D Walker

Stephen J Sicola

Susan Gaye Elkington

Paul D Guttormson

Roger Oakey

Diana Shen

Jesse L Yandell

Timothy E Arnson

Method and apparatus for reducing a likelihood of a cascade failure in a multi-device array. The array preferably comprises a controller and a plurality of storage devices to define a memory space across which data are stored in accordance with a selected RAID configuration. The controller operates to sever an operational connection between the storage devices and a host device in relation to a detected temperature of at least one storage device of the array. Preferably, when a selected device reaches a first threshold temperature level, the controller arms for a potential shutdown. When a selected device reaches a second higher threshold temperature, the controller preferably powers down all of the devices and executes a self-reboot operation. The controller preferably monitors a temperature of the array while the devices remain powered down, after which the storage devices are powered up and data reconstruction operations take place as required.

Temperature control to reduce cascade failures in a multi-device array

A method for implementing security management in a storage area network by controlling access to network resources. Initially, a resource provider communicates with potential resource users, such as host computers, servers, and workstations, to allow the users to discover the resources available on the storage area network. Resource users that have not previously logged in to a particular resource supply identification information to the resource provider, which places the information in a 'not yet approved entity' table. The 'not yet approved entity' table is made available to a management station. An administrator, using the management station, then determines whether to authorize use of resources. If access to the requested resource is allowed, the resource user identification information is stored in an &#x2018;approved entity&#x2019; table. A login is then allowed by the resource user to the selected resource. Once a resource user has initially logged in, connection information is maintained in the &#x2018;approved entity&#x2019; table facilitating subsequent log-in attempts by the resource user.

File security management

A data replication system having a redundant configuration including dual Fiber Channel fabric links interconnecting each of the components of two data storage sites, wherein each site comprises a host computer and associated data storage array, with redundant array controllers and adapters. The system employs the grouping of logical units into 'association sets', for logging and failover purposes. The concept of association sets allows the system provides for proper ordering of I/O operations during logging across multiple volumes. In addition, association sets are employed by system to provide failure consistency by causing the group of logical units/volumes to all fail at the same time, ensuring a point in time consistency on the remote site.

Controller-based remote copy system with logical unit grouping

System for controlling access to resources in a storage area network

A system which provides a completely redundant configuration including dual Fibre Channel fabric links interconnecting each of the components of two data storage sites, wherein each site comprises a host computer and associated data storage array, with redundant array controllers and adapters. The array controllers perform a command and data logging function which stores all host write commands and data 'missed' by the backup storage array during a situation wherein the links between the sites are down, the remote site is down, or where a site failover to the remote site has occurred. Log units are used to store, in order, all commands and data for every transaction which was 'missed' by the backup storage array when one of the above system error conditions has occurred. The system provides rapid and accurate recovery of backup data at the remote site by sending all logged commands and data from the logging site over the link to the backup site in order, while avoiding the overhead of a full copy operation.

Controller-based transaction logging system for data recovery in a storage area network

A system for generating a virtual point-in-time copy of a selected subset (e.g., a selected volume or logical unit) of a storage system. The present system operates by using a bitmap in storage system controller cache memory to indicate blocks of memory in the selected volume that have been overwritten since the snapshot was initiated. When a write to the selected volume is requested, the cache bitmap is checked to determine whether the original data (in the area to be overwritten) has already been copied from the selected volume to a temporary volume. If the original data was previously copied, then the write proceeds to the selected volume. If, however, the original data would be overwritten by the presently requested write operation, then an area containing the original data is copied from the selected volume to a temporary volume. Reads from the temporary volume first check the bitmap to determine if the requested data has already been copied from the selected volume to the temporary volume. If so, the data is read from the temporary volume, otherwise, the data is read from the selected volume.

System for generating a point-in-time copy of data in a data storage system

A storage system capable of selectively presenting logical units to one or more host computing systems. The storage system comprises one or more persistent storage devices arranged as logical units; an array controller controlling and coordinating the operations of the persistent storage devices; a memory accessible by the array controller; and a configuration table stored in the memory, the configuration table containing one or more entries governing the interactions between the logical units and the one or more host computing systems. The configuration table contains an entry for each logical unit which the array controller accesses to determine if a particular logical unit should communicate with a particular one of the host computing systems, an entry for each logical unit which the array controller accesses to determine if a particular logical unit should communicate with a particular one of the host computing systems using an internal offset for a logical unit number, and an entry for each logical unit which the array controller accesses to determine if a particular logical unit should communicate with a particular one of the host computing systems using a predetermined host mode.

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Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

James Edwin Pherson