End-to-end checksumming for database environments

A method for detecting a data error associated with a data operation comprising:

• issuing, by an application, a request for a data operation in connection with a device;
• determining if said data operation is a write operation having checksumming enabled for a file associated with said write operation;
• forming a data packet that includes a checksum and an associated data command if said data operation is a write operation having checksumming enabled;
• receiving said data packet at a target location;
• performing, at said target location, a checksum data validation using said checksum and data included in said data packet prior to performing said write operation;
• upon determining an error in said checksum data validation, notifying an issuing host;
• and
• forming said checksum from one or more checksum values corresponding to data included in said data packet, wherein said forming said checksum is performed by a lower filter driver, said data included in said data packet corresponds to a fragment of said original data buffer associated with said data operation, and the method further comprising:
• forming a plurality of fragments of said original data buffer by a file system, said fragment being one of said plurality of fragments, each of said plurality of fragments having a fragment identifier.

A computer system comprising:

• a host computer comprising:
• an upper filter driver that includes machine executable code for:
• determining if a received write request has checksumming enabled;
• determining one or more checksum values corresponding to data of said write request;
• and
• communicating to a lower filter driver said one or more checksum values and an identifier associated with said data if checksumming is enabled;
• a file system processing said write request and dividing said data into one or more portions each having a corresponding fragment I/O request and a corresponding fragment identifier;
• a lower filter driver comprising machine executable code for:
• receiving a first fragment I/O request;
• determining, using said fragment identifier and said identifier from said upper filter driver, whether checksumming is enabled for said first fragment I/O request;
• upon determining that checksumming is enabled, determining a checksum corresponding to a data portion of said first fragment I/O request, and forming a data packet that includes a special checksum function code and said checksum;
• and
• a data storage location comprising machine executable code for:
• performing a checksum data validation using said checksum and data included in said data packet prior to performing a write operation.

A method for detecting a data error associated with a data operation comprising:

• issuing a request for a data operation in connection with a target location;
• determining if said data operation is associated with an output area of said target location having checksumming enabled;
• obtaining a checksum value at a first point in an upper portion of a calling chain of drivers if said checksumming is enabled;
• notifying a lower filter driver at a point below said first point that checksumming is enabled for said data operation and said associated output area, said notifying including performing a first call included in said calling chain to communicate said checksum value for use by said lower filter driver at a second later point in the calling chain;
• and
• forming a command data block in connection with said data operation, said forming including a second call in said calling chain to said lower filter driver, said second call being different than said first call, and as part of processing of said second call, said lower filter driver including in said command data block a vendor-unique command in accordance with a first protocol and including a checksum value from said first call in accordance with data associated with said data operation.

A method for detecting a data error associated with a data operation comprising:

• issuing a request for a data operation in connection with a target location;
• determining if said data operation is associated with an output area of said target location having checksumming enabled;
• obtaining a checksum value at a first point in an upper portion of a calling chain of drivers if said checksumming is enabled;
• notifying a lower filter driver at a point below said first point that checksumming is enabled for said data operation and said associated output area;
• forming a command data block in connection with said data operation by said lower filter driver, said command data block including a vendor-unique command in accordance with a first protocol and including a checksum value in accordance with data associated with said data operation;
• and
• modifying a standard command included in said command data block to said vendor-unique command, said standard command being in accordance with said first protocol and not having an associated checksum value.

A computer program product for detecting a data error associated with a data operation comprising machine executable code included on a computer readable medium, said computer program product including machine executable code for:

• issuing, by an application, a request for a data operation in connection with a device;
• determining if said data operation is a write operation having checksumming enabled for a file associated with said write operation;
• and
• forming a data packet that includes a checksum and an associated data command if said data operation is a write operation having checksumming enabled, said data packet being formed by communicating said request through a calling chain, said calling chain including calls made using drivers and a file system, said drivers including a first driver and a second driver, a first call being made from said first driver to communicate said checksum for use by said second driver, a second call, different from said first call, being made to said second driver after said file system has been invoked in said calling chain, said second call using said checksum from said first call to include said checksum in said data packet;
• receiving said data packet at a target location;
• performing, at said target location, a checksum data validation using said checksum and data included in said data packet prior to performing said write operation;
• and
• upon determining an error in said checksum data validation, notifying an issuing host.

A computer program product for detecting a data error associated with a data operation comprising machine executable code included on a computer readable medium, said computer program product including machine executable code for:

• issuing, by an application, a request for a data operation in connection with a device;
• determining if said data operation is a write operation having checksumming enabled for a file associated with said write operation;
• and
• forming a data packet that includes a checksum and an associated data command if said data operation is a write operation having checksumming enabled;
• receiving said data packet at a target location;
• performing, at said target location, a checksum data validation using said checksum and data included in said data packet prior to performing said write operation;
• upon determining an error in said checksum data validation, notifying an issuing host;
• and
• forming said checksum from one or more checksum values corresponding to data included in said data packet, wherein said machine executable code forming said checksum is included in a lower filter driver, said data included in said data packet corresponds to a fragment of said original data buffer associated with said data operation, and the computer program product further comprising machine executable code for:
• forming a plurality of fragments of said original data buffer by a file system, said fragment being one of said plurality of fragments, each of said plurality of fragments having a fragment identifier.

A computer program product for detecting a data error associated with a data operation comprising machine executable code included on a computer readable medium, said computer program product including machine executable code for:

• issuing a request for a data operation in connection with a target location;
• determining if said data operation is associated with an output area of said target location having checksumming enabled;
• obtaining a checksum value at a first point in an upper portion of a calling chain of drivers if said checksumming is enabled;
• notifying a lower filter driver at a point below said first point that checksumming is enabled for said data operation and said associated output area, said notifying including performing a first call included in said calling chain to communicate said checksum value for use by said lower filter driver at a second later point in the calling chain;
• and
• forming a command data block in connection with said data operation, said forming including a second call in said calling chain to said lower filter driver, said second call being different than said first call, and as part of processing of said second call, said lower filter driver including in said command data block a vendor-unique command in accordance with a first protocol and including a checksum value from said first call in accordance with data associated with said data operation.

A computer program product for detecting a data error associated with a data operation comprising machine executable code included on a computer readable medium, said computer program product including machine executable code for:

• issuing a request for a data operation in connection with a target location;
• determining if said data operation is associated with an output area of said target location having checksumming enabled;
• obtaining a checksum value at a first point in an upper portion of a calling chain of drivers if said checksumming is enabled;
• notifying a lower filter driver at a point below said first point that checksumming is enabled for said data operation and said associated output area;
• forming a command data block in connection with said data operation by said lower filter driver, said command data block including a vendor-unique command in accordance with a first protocol and including a checksum value in accordance with data associated with said data operation;
• and
• modifying a standard command included in said command data block to said vendor-unique command, said standard command being in accordance with said first protocol and not having an associated checksum value.