Netapp, Inc.

Network Appliance, Inc.

Pradeep Kumar Kalra

Mark W Insley

Peter Snyder

Thomas Holland

Michael Eric Powers

Brian M Hackworth

Kiran Kamity

Brad A Reger

Steven D Yee

Rod Bagg

Muthukumar Ratty

Eric Gumtow

Joseph A Thomson

Yee-Peng Wang

Richard L Ehrhart

James M Korntved

Diptish Datta

Curtis Anderson

Larry Lancaster

Huynh Duc Mai

Chaitanya Nulkar

Johnny Kang-Wing Chan

Chih-Yi Chen

Mitalee Gujar

Dan H Gilson, Iii

Joshua Liu

Sam Varghese

Ganesh Ragavan Narayanan

Dan Gilson

Michael Rubin

Ka Wai Leung

Min Eig Lee

Michael A Sebrée

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for collecting forensics associated with a failure of a storage controller. For example, a storage node, of a cluster environment, may comprise a service processor and a storage controller. The storage controller may manage a storage device accessible, through the storage controller, to one or more client devices. The service processor may manage the storage controller (e.g., collect operational statistics of the storage controller, perform software and/or firmware updates for the storage controller, etc.). The service processor may obtain forensics associated with a failure of the storage controller, and may provide the forensics to a cluster health monitor notwithstanding the storage controller being in an inoperable state (e.g., the service processor may send the forensics through a network interface controller of the storage node, over a non-client storage management network, to the cluster health monitor).

Forensics collection for failed storage controllers

The present invention includes an apparatus connected to a processing system including a data collector to gather and store data regarding operation of the processing system, a device relationship manager to send data regarding the operation of the processing system to a remote administrative console, and a security policy manager to control the sending of data regarding the operation of the processing system by the device relationship manager to the remote administrative console based on a security policy.

Method and apparatus for management and troubleshooting of a processing system

A remote management module receives a command from a support server in response to the remote management module initiating a first secure, authenticated connection with the support server, wherein the remote management module is integrated with, and monitors a condition of, a processing system. The remote management module executes the command to generate a result that provides diagnostic data about the processing system. The remote management module reports the result to the support server upon the remote management module initiating a second secure, authenticated connection with the support server.

Remote support automation for a storage server

Various techniques and hardware are described for retrieving information in a processing system. In one embodiment, a method is provided for retrieving information in a processing system that includes a central processing unit and a service processor. Here, the service processor retrieves central processing unit information from the central processing unit and resets the processing system after the retrieval of the central processing unit information.

Use of service processor to retrieve hardware information

A processing system includes control circuitry to control the processing system, a remote management module to enable remote management of the processing system via a network, and an agent to operate as an intermediary between the remote management module and the control circuitry. The agent and the remote management module are configured to cooperatively implement an abstraction layer through which the agent and the remote management module communicate.

Method and apparatus for communicating between an agent and a remote management module in a processing system

A system and method enables remote execution of a program, such as a debugger, using a remote management module. A packet daemon executing on the remote management module packetizes data received from a client and forwards it to a packet daemon executing on a computer, which receives the packet and forwards data contained therein to the program. Data from the program is packetized by the packet daemon executing on the computer and transmitted to the packet daemon executing on the remote management module, which forwards the data to a program specific daemon on the remote management module for forwarding to the client.

System and method for remote execution of a debugging utility using a remote management module

A remote management module (RMM) can be configured, in one embodiment, via the processing system that the RMM is monitoring. In one embodiment, the present invention includes allowing a user access to a processing system being monitored by a RMM, and configuring the RMM without the user accessing the RMM.

Configuring a remote management module in a processing system

A core file that may be generated when a data storage system encounters a problem can be automatically and securely sent to a remote (e.g., offsite) support enterprise. Moreover, given the size of such files and the additional requirements associated with sending such files securely, the transmission of the core file may be monitored such that, if a problem occurs during the transmission, the pieces of the file that have been successfully transmitted are not resent, but merely those pieces that still need to be (successfully) transmitted. In this manner, the time and resources required to securely transmit such large files are more efficiently utilized.

Core file transfer

According to an embodiment of the invention, a remote management device is integrated into a processing system, such as a filer or other storage server, and the remote management device and administrative data (such as console data) generated by the processing system are accessible even if the processing system becomes inoperable. The processing system includes a console port that outputs administrative data in the form of administrative data during system operation. The remote management device is accessible remotely, for example through a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or a combination of networks. The remote management device intercepts the administrative data output by the console port and stores the data into memory on the remote management device.

Storage of administrative data on a remote management device

Provided is a method and system for protecting data transactions transmitted on an integrated circuit bus. Specifically, by transmitting data along with the complement of the data from one component to another component that are connected by the integrated circuit bus, the data and complemented data can be compared for errors. Exemplary errors include bit flips. Comparisons include logical operations, such as XOR, that determine if an error has occurred during the transmission of the data or complemented data on the integrated circuit bus.

Protecting data transactions on an integrated circuit bus

An IBM PC compatible processing system typically has a BIOS installed as system firmware. During a boot process of the processing system, the BIOS loads a boot loader from one of the boot media, i.e., hard drives, floppy disks, CDs, USB flash memories, taps, etc. and passes control of the boot loader, the boot loader then loads an OS from the boot media. The present invention takes advantage of the higher reliability and availability provided by the system flash memory and stores a boot loader as system firmware in the system flash memory. Further, it provides changes in the BIOS boot process to load the boot loader from system memory, the ROM, for example, without relying on boot media. With this new process, the boot loader can be loaded even when the boot media is corrupt, defective or un-initialized.

Method and system of embedding a boot loader as system firmware

A system is provided including a host processing system and a remote management module coupled to it. The host processing system includes a boot storage device storing a plurality of boot images to allow the remote management module to remotely select a boot image from the plurality of boot images and to remotely cause the host processing system to boot utilizing the selected boot image.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Pradeep Kumar Kalra