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US 7,890,810 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for deterministic fault injection of storage shelves in a storage subsystem
AssigneeNetwork Appliance, Inc.
InventorsDouglas W. Coatney, Wayne A. Booth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for injecting a deterministic fault into storage shelves in a storage subsystem. The method comprises injecting a known fault condition on demand into a hardware component in a storage shelf to cause a failure of the storage shelf. The hardware component incorporates a circuit that is configurable to select between a normal operating condition and a faulty condition of the hardware component. The method further comprises verifying that a reported failure is consistent with the known fault condition.
Claims16
A method comprising:
- injecting a known fault condition on demand into a hardware component in a storage shelf to cause a failure of the storage shelf, the hardware component incorporating a circuit that is configurable to select between a normal operating condition and a faulty condition of the hardware component;
- verifying that a failure caused by injecting the known fault condition is consistent with the known fault condition;
- and
- reporting, by an enclosure services processor in the storage shelf, the failure to a storage server.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- receiving, at a programmable logic device in a storage shelf, a bit pattern that uniquely selects one of known fault conditions for a hardware component in the storage shelf of a networked storage environment;
- and
- in response to the bit pattern, establishing a connection between an input port of the hardware component and a signal source to cause the selected one known fault condition to occur in the hardware component, wherein establishing a connection comprises one of holding a reset line of the hardware component enabled and grounding a clock line of the hardware component.
A system comprising:
- a storage server;
- and a storage shelf coupled to the storage server, the storage shelf including a plurality of hardware modules and a mass storage device, one or more of the hardware modules including a programmable circuit to establish, in response to an input to the programmable circuit, a connection between a hardware component in the storage shelf and a faulty signal source that induces a known fault condition, wherein the hardware modules further include an enclosure services processor to report a failure to the storage server, the failure to be verified with the known fault condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.