International Business Machines Corporation

Nicholas Michael O'Rourke

Dominic Tomkins

William James Scales

Timothy A Moran

Warren Hawkins

Barry Douglas Whyte

Eric John Bartlett

Alastair Cooper

Sivan Tal

Bernard John Grainger

Gemma Izen

Christopher Canto

Carlos Francisco Fuente

Robert Bruce Nicholson

Lee Jason Sanders

Matthew John Fairhurst

Mark Keith Elliott

Ian Frederick Godwin

Howard Charles Rankin

Daniel Paul Dent

A method comprises: installing the target software version on a first node of the storage appliance; restarting the first node of the storage appliance while also running the current software version on other nodes of the storage system; subsequent to said installing the target software version and said restarting of the first node, determining if all hosts of the storage system have discovered paths to volumes on the first node; responsive to determining that all hosts of the storage system have discovered paths to volumes on the first node, permitting the CCU of the nodes to continue to upgrade one of the other nodes of the storage system from the current software version to the target software version; and responsive to determining that not all hosts of the storage system have discovered paths to volumes on the first node, preventing the CCU of the nodes from continuing.

Concurrent code upgrade

Provided are a method, system, and computer program product in which a storage volume is configured to be maintained in a replicated relationship between two storage systems. A reversing is performed of a switch of a direction of replication for a replicated storage volume, in response to determining that host activity does not sufficiently match a pre-switch host activity, where the host activity does not sufficiently match the pre-switch host activity if a predetermined set of criteria is not met.

Switching of replication relationship between storage systems

Communication between target devices using protocol commands being carried out by a target device includes accessing a key for mapping of a plurality of defined patterns of stimuli and defined patterns of resultant protocol commands to a plurality of messages. A defined pattern of stimuli is sent from a target device to an initiator device to prompt a resultant defined pattern of protocol commands to be sent from the initiator device to all target devices that identify as the same device. The protocol commands including Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) specification compliant commands. A selected pattern of protocol command stimuli is sent from a first target device to the initiator device to prompt a resultant pattern of protocol commands from the initiator device to all target devices that identify as the same device thereby communicating the mapped message to other target devices.

Electronic communication between devices using a protocol

Method and system are provided for dynamic rebuild capability in redundant array of independent disks (RAID) arrays using compressing drives. The method includes providing an array including a physical rebuild area for the multiple drives of the array and dynamically adjusting a number of allocated rebuild zones available within the rebuild area, wherein each allocated rebuild zone has capacity to store a drive rebuild based on a current physical usage of the multiple drives of the array.

Dynamic rebuild capability in redundant array of independent disks (RAID) arrays using compressing drives

A computer-implemented method for performing garbage collection in a data storage system having a RAID configuration according to one embodiment includes determining on which geometry addressable region of the RAID configuration extents of data are stored. The RAID configuration includes an old geometry addressable region and a new geometry addressable region. The method further includes determining an order for performing garbage collection on the extents of data. Extents of data determined to be stored on the old geometry addressable region are assigned a higher priority within the order than extents of data determined to be stored on the new geometry addressable region. Moreover, the method includes performing garbage collection on the data storage system according to the order for performing garbage collection.

Selective use of garbage collection during expansion of geometry addressable regions of a redundant array of independent drive (RAID) configuration

A resource system comprises a plurality of resource elements and a resource controller connected to the resource elements and operating the resource elements according to a predefined set of operational goals. A method of operating the resource system comprises the steps of identifying error recovery procedures that could be executed by the resource elements, categorizing each identified error recovery procedure in relation to the predefined set of operational goals, detecting that an error recovery procedure is to be performed on a specific resource element, deploying one or more actions in relation to the resource elements according to the categorization of the detected error recovery procedure, and performing the detected error recovery procedure on the specific resource element.

Resource system management

Managing a networked storage system having a host operable to connect through a network fabric to storage apparatus comprises: a configuration component for inputting a configuration change into the networked storage system responsive to change instructions; a monitoring component operable in communication with the host and the network fabric to monitor I/O activity associated with elements of the networked storage system; an activity data storage component responsive to the monitoring component for storing a record of a monitored I/O activity; an analysis component, responsive to the configuration component for inputting configuration changes, for analyzing the record of a monitored I/O activity for a recent activity; and an alert component, responsive to the analysis component detecting a recent activity, for alerting the configuration component.

Managing a networked storage configuration

Managing a networked storage system having a host operable to connect through a network fabric to storage apparatus comprises: a configuration component for inputting a configuration change into the networked storage system responsive to change instructions; a monitoring component operable in communication with the host and the network fabric to monitor I/O activity associated with elements of the networked storage system; an activity data storage component responsive to the monitoring component for storing a record of a monitored I/O activity; an analysis component, responsive to the configuration component for inputting configuration changes, for analysing the record of a monitored I/O activity for a recent activity; and an alert component, responsive to the analysis component detecting a recent activity, for alerting the configuration component.

A method and apparatus for detecting and preemptively ameliorating potential logic unit thrashing in a storage system having multiple I/O requesters is disclosed. In response to detecting that each of two requesters has usable access to both of the active-passive pair of controllers, one of the active-passive pair of controllers is selected to be designated as an active resource controller. In response to detecting that one of the two requesters has usable access to only one of the active-passive pair of controllers, only one of the active-passive pair of controllers is selected to be designated as an active resource controller. In response to detecting that each of the two requesters has usable access only to different ones of the active-passive pair of controllers, one of the active-passive pair of controllers is selected to be designated as an active resource controller.

Method and apparatus for detecting and preemptively ameliorating potential logic unit thrashing in a storage system having multiple requesters

An apparatus for real-time performance management of a virtualized storage system operable in a network having managed physical storage and virtual storage presented by an in-band virtualization controller comprises: a monitoring component operable in communication with the network for acquiring performance data from the managed physical storage and the virtual storage; and a cache controller component responsive to the monitoring component for adjusting cache parameters for the virtual storage. The apparatus may further comprise a queue controller component responsive to the monitoring component for adjusting queue parameters for the managed physical storage. The monitoring component, the cache controller component and the queue controller component may be configured to operate periodically during operation of the virtualized storage system.

Virtualized storage performance controller

A method and apparatus are provided for controlling access to logical units, a logical unit being an addressable entity that accept commands. A plurality of logical units are accessible by one or more ports, a port being an addressable entity that sends commands. A communication means which may be a storage area network (SAN) () provides access to the plurality of logical units by the one or more ports. One or more ports that require access to the same logical units are grouped in a named set () in a first location. The named set () is associated () in a subsequent location with selected logical units () thereby controlling the access to the logical units. Identification information for the ports in a named set is extracted at the subsequent location by referencing the named set. The sets can be physically defined, for example, by switch zoning, or logically defined by logically grouping port names.

Method and apparatus for controlling access to logical units

A system, method and computer program for acquiring analyzed device control support information in a field population of distributed devices operable to be connected in a network to a virtualizer has an aggregator adapted to be coupled to said virtualizer. The virtualizer is adapted to be coupled to at least one device in the field population and operable to query device control support data from the device and forward the device control support data to the aggregator; and the aggregator is operable to aggregate device control support data and forward aggregated data. A host is arranged to receive the aggregated data across the network and to analyze the aggregated data to provide analyzed device control support information for the field population of distributed devices.

Device control support information acquisition

The present invention relates to an apparatus having a memory operable with a virtualised RAID controller to determine an optimum I/O configuration by testing performance characteristics of a plurality of I/O operations.

Growing community of inventors

Southampton, United Kingdom

Nicholas Michael O'Rourke