Identifying performance-degrading hardware components in computer storage systems

A computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage device and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage device, the program instructions comprising:
• program instructions to detect a timed-out input/output (I/O) operation;
• program instructions to identify each hardware component of a plurality of hardware components involved with the timed-out I/O operation, wherein the hardware components include a plurality of types of hardware components comprising a central electronic complex (CEC) hardware component type, a storage bay hardware component type, a host adapter hardware component type, a device adapter hardware component type, and a storage enclosure hardware component type;
• program instructions to increase involve counts of each of the identified hardware components;
• program instructions to identify a plurality of suspicious hardware components based, at least in part, on a hardware hierarchy including one or more of the types of hardware components, wherein:
• each type of hardware component represents a respective hierarchical level of the hardware hierarchy based, at least in part, on how delays in receipt of instructions are propagated between the plurality of types of hardware components such that:
• the storage enclosure hardware component type is lower than both the host adapter hardware component type and the device adapter hardware component type in the hardware hierarchy,
• both the host adapter hardware component type and the device adapter hardware component type are lower than the storage bay hardware component type in the hardware hierarchy, and
• the storage bay hardware component type is lower than the CEC hardware component type in the hardware hierarchy;
• each hierarchical level of the hardware hierarchy includes no more than one suspicious hardware component;
• and
• a suspicious component is a hardware component having a highest involve count within the respective hierarchical level of the hardware hierarchy;
• and
• program instruction to identify a performance-degrading hardware component from among the plurality of suspicious hardware components based, at least in part, on the involve counts and the hardware hierarchy, wherein the performance-degrading hardware component is in a layer of the hardware hierarchy that is lower than all other layers that include suspicious hardware components.

A computer system comprising:

• one or more computer processors;
• one or more computer readable storage devices;
• program instructions stored on the computer readable storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising:
• program instructions to detect a timed-out input/output (I/O) operation;
• program instructions to identify each hardware component of a plurality of hardware components involved with the timed-out I/O operation, wherein the hardware components include a plurality of types of hardware components comprising a central electronic complex (CEC) hardware component type, a storage bay hardware component type, a host adapter hardware component type, a device adapter hardware component type, and a storage enclosure hardware component type;
• program instructions to increase involve counts of each of the identified hardware components;
• program instructions to identify a plurality of suspicious hardware components based, at least in part, on a hardware hierarchy including one or more of the types of hardware components, wherein:
• each type of hardware component represents a respective hierarchical level of the hardware hierarchy based, at least in part, on how delays in receipt of instructions are propagated between the plurality of types of hardware components such that:
• the storage enclosure hardware component type is lower than both the host adapter hardware component type and the device adapter hardware component type in the hardware hierarchy,
• both the host adapter hardware component type and the device adapter hardware component type are lower than the storage bay hardware component type in the hardware hierarchy, and
• the storage bay hardware component type is lower than the CEC hardware component type in the hardware hierarchy;
• each hierarchical level of the hardware hierarchy includes no more than one suspicious hardware component;
• and
• a suspicious component is a hardware component having a highest involve count within the respective hierarchical level of the hardware hierarchy;
• and
• program instruction to identify a performance-degrading hardware component from among the plurality of suspicious hardware components based, at least in part, on the involve counts and the hardware hierarchy, wherein the performance-degrading hardware component is in a layer of the hardware hierarchy that is lower than all other layers that include suspicious hardware components.