Emc IP Holding Company LLC

Emc Corporation

Shobhan Chinnam

Robert L Fair

Hendrik Tanto

Terry Gene Hahn

George Mathew

Keyur B Desai

Shefali Gautam

Jerrold Heyman

Karunakara Rao Seelam

Chris Beauchamp

Embodiments are directed to a load balancer process for use in a deduplication backup process implemented in a cluster system that provides ideal placement of the Mtrees on the expanded capacity by monitoring the available capacity and providing recommendations on the best node to place newly created Mtrees. Continuous monitoring of the capacity and activity level of the nodes helps identify the appropriate node to place a new Mtree. The monitoring of existing node in the cluster and balancing capacity by recommending migration of files from heavily-utilized nodes to under-utilized nodes produces an overall increase in cluster performance.

Scale out capacity load-balancing for backup appliances

One embodiment is related to a method for implementing a reentrant Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) target, comprising: associating each configuration operation for the SCSI target with a namespace identifier; for each namespace identifier, applying a lock preventing simultaneous execution to configuration operations associated with the same namespace identifier; and permitting simultaneous execution in parallel of configuration operations associated with different namespace identifiers.

SCSI target re-entrant protocol

Embodiments for managing access to Mtrees using a mechanism through the use of net groups that contain a pool of IP addresses with configuration information that is automatically propagated to new nodes as they are added to a defined net group to facilitate zero configuration when scaling a network. Using net groups, access to an Mtree across nodes in a data center or similar network can be managed with a group of IP addresses spread across all the nodes in the cluster as a single net group entity. The net group provides flexibility to create multiple net groups that can be used to manage the appliance in management, diagnostic, data, and interconnect domains. It allows flexibility to manage the access to Mtree from different networks and security domains, and allows a user to configure the network attributes of all the IP addresses as a single entity.

Network configuration method to allow access to the backup and restores to Mtrees on a clustered backup appliance

A system for a storage controller configuration system of a storage server comprises an input interface and a storage controller request creator. The input interface is for receiving one or more commands to instantiate a set of virtual storage devices. The storage controller request creator for: 1) providing instantiation instructions for the set of virtual storage devices for storage in a cache and 2) in the event a request is received to create a mapping between a virtual storage device of the set of storage devices, a LUN, a port, and a client initiator: providing an instantiation indication to instantiate the set of virtual storage devices and providing a storing indication to store the mapping in a LUN table.

Batch configuration of virtual data storage devices

Embodiments are described for systems and methods that facilitate dynamic configuration of NPIV virtual ports in a Fiber Channel network environment. SCSI target endpoints are virtualized through NPIV mapping mechanisms. The assignment of many virtual ports to one or more base ports through the NPIV mapping allows data storage systems to be reconfigured dynamically or on-the-fly while the system is up and running. This also allows movement of virtual ports among physical ports, or even among different systems in the network. In a highly available system, such as critical data recovery systems, the ability to migrate data on-the-fly by moving endpoints port-to-port or system-to-system greatly facilitates the ability for data to be maintained and protected in a non-disruptive manner.

Dynamic configuration of NPIV virtual ports in a fibre channel network

Systems and methods are disclosed that advertise and expose a SCSI disk device type to a client computer or virtual machine, the disk device type acting as a transport for SCSI commands to/from a storage appliance over a Fiber Channel network. Each SCSI command is transported in one or more Fiber Channel frames. A virtual machine can write data to the storage appliance using through a disk opened with the disk device type. Data written through the disk can be deduplicated and/or compressed before storage on the storage appliance. The SCSI disk device type can support SCSI pass-through mode, virtual RDM, or physical RDM.

Method for efficient storage and backup of data via SCSI transport

Embodiments are described for systems and methods of reconfiguring logical units (LUN) in a network of SCSI target endpoints by defining a first bitmap associated with each LUN of a plurality of LUNs in the network, wherein each bit of the first bitmap represents an endpoint utilizing a corresponding LUN so that a bit pattern of the first bitmap represents a first set of endpoints utilizing the corresponding LUN, applying a lock to block I/O operations to the plurality of LUNs, updating the first bitmap to generate a second bitmap representing a second set of endpoints utilizing the corresponding LUN, and releasing the lock to update a LUN to endpoint mapping for the plurality of LUNS and the endpoints in a single update operation.

Configuring logical unit number mapping for multiple SCSI target endpoints

Embodiments are described for systems and methods that transparently virtualize SCSI transport endpoints for management purposes between Fiber Channel base nodes and virtual nodes. An N_Port ID Virtualization mapping component maps multiple endpoints to a single physical port. The endpoints are abstract objects that have attributes can be moved around the system. This allows virtual port management (e.g., port migration, moving ports, removing ports, adding ports, etc.) to be performed on many virtual ports in a unified manner. This allows storage area network to be configured with virtual endpoints that span both base and virtual ports.

Transparent virtualization of SCSI transport endpoints between base and virtual fibre channel ports

A computer-implemented method to reduce slow or stuck SCSI commands at a SCSI target is disclosed. The method starts with initiating a first request to acquire an exclusive lock for a first service daemon of a SCSI target to shut down a first service, where the SCSI target offers a plurality of services, and where each service corresponds to a service daemon. The first service daemon receives a first rejection of the exclusive lock for the first request as the exclusive lock is currently held by a second service daemon corresponding to a second service. Then the first service daemon initiates a second request to acquire the exclusive lock in an attempt to shut down the first service again after a delay period. In response to a second rejection, execution of SCSI commands associated with the second service currently possessing the exclusive lock is terminated.

Method and apparatus for reducing slow or stuck SCSI commands in a multi-service environment at a SCSI target

A computer-implemented method to recover from slow or stuck SCSI commands is disclosed. The method starts with monitoring execution time of an operation by a small computer system interface (SCSI) target processor within a SCSI target, where the SCSI target is communicatively coupled with a SCSI initiator through a set of communication links, where the operation is associated with a service offered by the SCSI target, and where the operation is performed for executing SCSI commands associated with the service. When the execution time of the operation exceeds a first threshold, the method proceeds with performing a first escalating action to reduce workload of the SCSI target processor. When the execution time of the operation exceeds a second threshold, the method further proceeds with performing a second escalating action that is different from the first escalating action to reduce workload of the SCSI target processor.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Shobhan Chinnam