Storage network element discovery method and apparatus

A storage network element discovery method, applied to a storage network element, wherein the storage network element is in communication with at least one control network element, wherein the storage network element comprises at least one storage medium, wherein the storage network element is coupled to the at least one storage medium using a Nonvolatile Memory Express (NVMe) interface, and wherein the storage network element discovery method comprises:

• receiving, by the storage network element, a heartbeat message broadcast or multicast by the at least one control network element, wherein the heartbeat message comprises address information of the at least one control network element;
• returning, by the storage network element, a response message to the at least one control network element according to the heartbeat message such that the at least one control network element determines that the storage network element is an accessible storage network element, wherein the response message comprises network parameter information of the storage network element, wherein the network parameter information comprises a network address of the storage network element and address information of the at least one storage medium in the storage network element obtained by the storage network element using the NVMe interface, wherein the response message is returned to the at least one control network element by returning, by the storage element to the at least one control network element according to the heartbeat message, a response message that carries link status information such that the at least one control network element determines a link status of the storage network element according to the link status information, and wherein the link status information indicates that a link to a storage medium in the storage network element is decoupled;
• receiving, by the storage network element, a link repair processing request from the at least one control network element after returning the response message to the at least one control network element according to the heartbeat message;
• and
• performing, by the storage network element, link repair according to the link repair processing request.

A control network element, wherein the control network element is in communication with at least one storage network element, wherein each storage network element comprises at least one storage medium, wherein the at least one storage network element is coupled to the at least one storage medium using a Nonvolatile Memory Express (NVMe) interface, and wherein the control network element comprises:

• a memory comprising instructions;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the instructions cause the processor to be configured to:
• broadcast or multicast a heartbeat message to the at least one storage network element, wherein the heartbeat message comprises address information of the control network element;
• receive a response message returned by the at least one storage network element according to the heartbeat message;
• determine, according to the response message, that the at least one storage network element is an accessible storage network element, wherein the response message comprises network parameter information of the corresponding storage network element, wherein the network parameter information comprises network address information of the corresponding storage network element and address information of the at least one storage medium, wherein the address information of the at least one storage medium is obtained by the corresponding storage network element using the NVMe interface between the corresponding storage network element and the at least one storage medium, and wherein the network parameter information returned by the accessible storage network element comprises link status information;
• determine a link status of the accessible storage network element according to the link status information, wherein the accessible storage network element is any storage network element in the at least one storage network element;
• determine, according to the link status information, that a link to a storage medium in the accessible storage network element is decoupled;
• and
• send a link repair processing request to the accessible storage network element.

A storage network element, wherein the storage network element is in communication with at least one control network element, wherein the storage network element comprises at least one storage medium, wherein the storage network element is coupled to the at least one storage medium using a Nonvolatile Memory Express (NVMe) interface, and wherein the storage network element comprises:

• a memory comprising instructions;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the instructions cause the processor to be configured to:
• receive a heartbeat message broadcast or multicast by the at least one control network element, wherein the heartbeat message comprises address information of the at least one control network element;
• return a response message to the at least one control network element according to the heartbeat message such that the at least one control network element determines that the storage network element is an accessible storage network element, wherein the response message comprises network parameter information of the storage network element, and wherein the network parameter information comprises a network address of the storage network element, and address information of the at least one storage medium in the storage network element obtained by the storage network element using the NVMe interface;
• return, to the at least one control network element according to the heartbeat message, a response message that carries link status information such that the at least one control network element determines a link status of the storage network element according to the link status information;
• receive a link repair processing request from the at least one control network element;
• and
• perform link repair according to the link repair processing request.