Method and system for determining and displaying the topology of a storage array network having multiple hosts and computer readable medium for generating the topology
AssigneeLSI Logic Corporation
InventorRodney Allen DeKoning
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for dynamically generating the topology of a storage array network by linking information concerning hosts and clusters along with information about host port adapters. Namely, each host identifies itself to all controllers and provides information in a command that allows the controller to know which host and cluster, if applicable, is associated with the host port adapter through which the command was issued. In addition, the topology is automatically updated anytime there is a change on the network such as a new device was added or a host port adapter was replaced.
Claims21
A method of transmitting information from which a topology of a storage array network having multiple hosts, with at east one host having a plurality of host port adapters, may be determined, the method comprising:
- generating a command from a host wherein the command includes a unique host identifier and a unique host port adapter identifier wherein the unique host identifier is linked to the unique host port adapter identifier;
- and
- transmitting the command from the host to a controller of the storage array network through a first path coupling the host port adapter to the controller.
A storage array network comprising:
- a plurality of hosts;
- a storage array having multiple volumes;
- a storage array controller operatively coupled to the storage array;
- and
- a bus operatively coupling each host to the storage array controller, wherein each of the plurality of hosts transmits to the storage array controller a command that includes a unique host identifier and a unique host port adapter identifier.
A computer readable medium containing a program for generating a topology of a storage array network, the program comprising:
- code that accesses topology information from at least one storage array controller and that creates a table of unique identifiers of a plurality of hosts and unique identifiers of a plurality of host port adapters associated with each of the plurality of hosts;
- and
- code that utilizes the table to generate a display of the topology of the network.
A system for determining a topology of a storage array network having multiple hosts with at least one host having a plurality of host port adapters, the system comprising:
- a general purpose computing device;
- and
- a computer program comprising two or more program modules executable by the computing device;
- wherein the program modules comprise a table module that accesses at least one storage array controller and retrieves information that associates a host and its host port adapter with the controller via a path and a topology module that utilizes the table module to generate a topology of the network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.