International Business Machines Corporation

John Edward Hickman

Michael Nghiem Nguyen

Steven Richard Van Gundy

Roland J Bunten, Iii

An apparatus, system, and method are provided for facilitating management of logical nodes through a single management module. The present invention includes a communication module that selectively communicates a management command from a single management module to one or more logical nodes. A translation module translates the management command into one or more functionally equivalent software-layer commands recognized by one of the software layers of the one or more logical nodes. The software-layer commands are compatible with each logical node. A direction module directs the one or more software-layer commands to an appropriate one of the software layers according to a management command scope. The present invention can address management commands to a plurality of logical nodes having disparate operating systems and executing applications.

Apparatus, system, and method for facilitating management of logical nodes through a single management module

A method and apparatus for managing computer storage devices and updating code in a computing system. An example of the method begins by mirroring at least one logical volume in an original volume group across a first storage device and a second storage device, and then ceasing mirroring the at least one logical volume on the second storage device. The first storage device is kept on-line with the computing system, and information is copied from the first storage device to the second storage device to clone the information from the first storage device. Code is then updated in an alternate volume group on the second storage device, while the computing system is operated with the original volume group on the first storage device. The computing system is then booted from the alternate volume group on the second storage device.

Method and apparatus for managing computer storage devices for improved operational availability

A switching arrangement is disclosed which permits storage devices to be shared by two separate controllers, each controller in turn receives commands and transfers the stored data to a different data processing system. The arrangement involves a plurality of subchannels, each of which comprises at least one addressable storage device and two addressable interlocked port switches, each of which functions to connect one side of the subchannel and the device to one of the controllers. The subchannel switching arrangement is characterized by each switch being addressable as if it were another device, which permits the port switches to be implemented with minimal changes to either the controller or the device.

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Salinas, CA, United States of America

John Edward Hickman