Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer data addressing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-27
2004-02-24
Geckil, Mehmet B. (Department: 2142)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer data addressing
C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06697875
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer systems and networks, and more particularly to computer data storage networks including multiple data storage devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Two or more devices or systems are often linked together to form a network. Well known types of computer networks include local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs). Devices or systems that allocate resources for a network are called servers.
A storage area network (SAN) is a network of data storage devices (i.e., storage devices). Examples of storage devices include hard disk drives, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) drives, and tape drives. A SAN may be coupled to another network such as a LAN or WAN. In this case, the SAN is typically configured such that all storage devices are available to all servers on the LAN or WAN, and the servers act as pathways between end users and stored data.
The small computer system interface (SCSI) is a popular parallel interface standard used by many different types of computer systems for interfacing to peripheral devices (e.g., storage devices). Multiple devices can be connected to a single SCSI port.
Fibre Channel is a serial data transfer architecture standardized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The most prominent Fibre Channel standard is the Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL). FC-AL was designed for mass storage devices and other peripheral devices that require relatively high data bandwidth.
Fibre Channel supports its own as well as other higher level protocols including the SCSI protocol. Due to the popularity of the SCSI protocol, it is currently common practice to use fibre channel technology to convey established SCSI commands via the fibre channel protocol for SCSI standard (ANSI X3.269-1996). Employing FC-AL loop technology to convey SCSI command packets allows the command packets to be transmitted at higher speeds while minimizing required modifications to existing SCSI-based driver software.
Fibre Channel fabrics allow for millions of devices to be connected to one or more computer systems. In the case of a SAN including a relatively large number of storage devices, a problem arises in that locating a faulty storage device can be a difficult task. SAN storage devices are typically positioned within enclosures housing multiple storage devices. These enclosures are typically distributed about a facility (e.g., near end users). In addition, the physical locations of storage devices within enclosures, and the enclosures themselves, tend to change over time. As a result, knowledge of the physical locations of individual storage devices, and even enclosures, is often lost.
Further, a particular storage device is typically accessed using an address of the storage device. The address of the storage device may change when the enclosure housing the storage device is relocated, or when the storage device is moved from one enclosure to another. Without knowledge of the current address of a faulty storage device, the faulty storage device becomes inaccessible for remote shutdown and/or troubleshooting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Several methods are described for building and using a network device database. The network includes multiple enclosures, and each enclosure houses at least one device (e.g., a data storage device). The network may be, for example, a storage area network.
One embodiment of a method for deriving the addresses of all devices of the network includes repeating the following steps for each enclosure of the network. A command is issued to the enclosure requesting information comprising device identifications (IDs) of all devices within the enclosure. A portion of an address of the enclosure is concatenated with each device ID to form the addresses of all devices within the enclosure.
The network may include one or more Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loops (FC-ALs). In this case, the addresses of the enclosures and the devices coupled FC-ALs are fabric addresses.
Each enclosure may include a small computer system interface (SCSI) enclosure services (SES) unit. In this case, the issuing step may include issuing a command to the SES unit of an enclosure requesting a page of information including device IDs of all devices within the enclosure. The page may be an SES-defined element descriptor page. Such an element descriptor page includes an element descriptor for each device within the enclosure, and each element descriptor includes the device ID of a corresponding device within the enclosure. The above method may thus include extracting the device IDs of all devices in the enclosure from the information.
The address of the enclosure may be the address of the SES unit of the enclosure. In this case, the concatenating step may include concatenating a loop address of the SES unit of the enclosure with the device ID of each device within the enclosure to form the addresses of all devices within the enclosure. The loop address of the SES unit of the enclosure may include the two most significant bytes of an address of the SES unit. The concatenating is accomplished such that the loop address of the SES unit of the enclosure forms a higher order portion of the address of a given device, and the device ID of the device forms a lower ordered portion of the address of the given device.
The above method may be used to build a device database by storing the addresses of all devices within each enclosure of the network. The storing may include repeating the following steps for each device within each enclosure of the network. An entry is allocated in a table (e.g., in a device table of the database). A device number is generated and associated with the device. The device number is stored in a device number column of the entry, and the address of the device is stored in an address column of the entry. A different device number is preferably generated for each device within the enclosure. An enclosure number assigned to the enclosure housing the device may be stored in an enclosure number column of the entry.
One embodiment of a method for handling a fault condition within a device of the above described network includes building a database including addresses of all enclosures and devices of the network. A device ID of a device with a fault condition is received. A portion of an address of an enclosure housing the device is concatenated with the device ID to form the address of the device with the fault condition. The database is accessed using the address of the device to obtain information regarding the physical location of the enclosure housing the device with the fault condition. The method may also include presenting the information regarding the physical location of the enclosure housing the device with the fault condition to a user.
Where each enclosure includes an SES unit, the address of the enclosure may be the address of the SES unit of the enclosure. In this case, the concatenating may include concatenating the loop address of the SES unit of the enclosure with the device ID of the device with the failure to form the address of the device with the fault condition. The concatenating is accomplished such that the loop address of the SES unit of the enclosure forms a higher order portion of the address of the device with the fault condition, and the device ID of the device with the fault condition forms a lower ordered portion of the address of the device with the fault condition.
The method may also include using the address of the device to issue one or more commands to the device with the fault condition. The one or more commands may include a shutdown command and/or a command which causes the device with the fault condition to flash a light on a display panel of the enclosure.
The database may include an enclosure table and a device table. The enclosure table may include the addresses of all enclosures of the network, and the device table may include the addresses of all devices of the network.
The enclosure table may also include information regardi
Geckil Mehmet B.
Kivlin B. Noëel
Meyertons Hood Kivlin Kowert & Goetzel P.C.
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