Offloading storage operations to storage hardware using a third party server
AssigneeVMware, Inc.
InventorSatyam B. Vaghani
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a computer system with a disk array that has physical storage devices arranged as logical storage units and is capable of carrying out hardware storage operations on a per logical storage unit basis, a third party server is provided to offload storage operations from a file system to storage hardware. The third party server transfers configuration information associated with composite storage operations to the physical storage devices through an out-of-band path to enable composite storage operations to be executed without involving the file system.
Claims21
In a computer system including a host computer and a separate server, each connected to a storage system, a method of offloading storage operations from the host computer to the separate server, said method performed at the separate server and comprising:
- receiving a command to manage a file stored in the storage system for the host computer, wherein the command comprises copying at least a portion of the file to a second location in the storage system;
- transmitting a plurality of LUN block operations to the storage system, wherein the plurality of LUN block operations corresponds to execution of the copying by the storage system;
- and
- transmitting metadata to the storage system, wherein the metadata establishes a correspondence between the file and data copied by the storage device to the second location during execution by the storage system of the plurality of LUN block operations, whereby, upon receiving subsequent operations relating to the file for the host computer, the storage system accesses the metadata and performs corresponding operations determined based on the subsequent operations and the metadata for the copied data in the second location in the storage system.
A computer system comprising:
- a host computer configured to provide a file system that maintains location information for files;
- a storage system, connected to the host computer, having storage devices that store the files and are presented to the host computer as one or more logical unit numbers (LUNs);
- and
- a separate server that is coupled between the host computer and the storage system and configured to receive a composite storage operation for the storage system, obtain location information from the file system for a file that is stored on the storage devices, and generate configuration information associated with the composite storage operation at the separate server and supply the configuration information and the location information to the storage system,
- wherein the storage system upon receiving subsequent operations relating to the file for the host computer, the storage system accesses the configuration information and performs corresponding operations determined based on the subsequent operations and the metadata for the file using the location information in the storage system.
A computer readable storage medium storing instructions for offloading storage operations from a host computer to a separate server, each connected to a storage system, performing at the separate server the steps of:
- receiving a command to manage a file stored in the storage system for the host computer, wherein the command comprises copying at least a portion of the file to a second location in the storage system;
- transmitting a plurality of LUN block operations to the storage system, wherein the plurality of LUN block operations corresponds to execution of the copying by the storage system;
- and
- transmitting metadata to the storage system, wherein the metadata establishes a correspondence between the file and data copied by the storage device to the second location during execution by the storage system of the plurality of LUN block operations, whereby, upon receiving subsequent operations relating to the file for the host computer, the storage system accesses the metadata and performs corresponding operations determined based on the subsequent operations and the metadata for the copied data in the second location in the storage system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.