End-to-end mapping from operating system running on virtual machine to storage volume of storage-array network (SAN)

A method for determining an end-to-end mapping from a file system of an operating system running on a virtual machine to a storage volume of a storage-array or storage-area network (SAN), comprising:

• determining a virtual machine file system portion of the end-to-end mapping, the virtual machine file system portion comprising identification of the file system of the operating system running on the virtual machine;
• determining a virtual machine storage device portion of the end-to-end mapping and a virtual machine storage device definition portion of the end-to-end mapping to provide the virtual machine storage device portion and the virtual machine storage definition portion of the end-to-end mapping, the virtual machine storage device portion comprising identification of a virtual machine storage device defined within the file system of the operating system running on the virtual machine, the virtual machine storage device definition portion comprising a definition of the virtual machine storage device as provided by and storage at a management component managing the virtual machine, the definition of the virtual machine storage device indicating a particular storage device that implements the virtual machine storage device via a particular file system and indicating a particular storage volume that implements the particular storage device;
• determining a physical computing device file system portion of the end-to-end mapping and a physical computing device storage device portion of the end-to-end mapping to provide the physical computing device file system portion and the physical computing device storage portion of the end-to-end mapping, the physical computing device file system portion comprising a file system of a physical computing device on which the virtual machine is running, the physical computing device storage device portion comprising identification of a storage device defined within the file system of the physical computing device on which the virtual machine is running;
• and,
• determining a SAN storage volume portion of the end-to-end mapping to provide the SAN storage volume portion of the end-to-end mapping, the SAN storage volume portion comprising identification of a storage volume of a SAN that implements the storage device defined within the file system of the physical computing device on which the virtual machine is running,
• wherein determining the virtual machine storage device portion and the virtual machine storage device definition portion of the end-to-end mapping comprises mapping a storage device as reported by the operating system running on the virtual machine to a definition of a virtual storage device as provided by and stored at the management component, the definition of the virtual storage device indicating a particular storage device that implements the virtual storage device via a particular file system and indicating a particular storage volume that implements the particular storage device, and
• wherein mapping the storage device as reported by the operating system running on the virtual machine to the definition of the virtual storage device as provided by the management component comprises using a storage interface controller number and a storage interface target identifier (ID) of the virtual storage device to correlate the storage device as reported by the operating system to the definition of the virtual storage device as provided by the management component,
• wherein the storage interface controller number and the storage interface ID are normally dynamic.

A computer-readable medium having one or more computer programs stored thereon for execution by one or more processors, wherein execution of the computer programs by the processors results in performance of a method for determining an end-to-end mapping from an operating system running on a virtual machine to a storage volume of a storage-array or storage-area network (SAN), comprising:

• mapping the virtual machine as reported by an operating system running on the virtual machine to a definition of the virtual machine as provided by and stored at a management component managing the virtual machine, the definition of the virtual machine indicating a type of operating system and a type of file system running on the virtual machine;
• mapping a storage device as reported by the operating system running on the virtual machine to a definition of a virtual storage device as provided by and stored at the management component managing the virtual machine, by using a storage interface controller number and a storage interface target identifier (ID) of the virtual storage device to correlate the storage device as reported by the operating system to the definition of the virtual storage device as provided by the management component, the definition of the virtual storage device indicating a particular storage device that implements the virtual storage device via a particular file system and indicating a particular storage volume that implements the particular storage device;
• mapping the definition of the virtual storage device to a storage device on a physical computing device on which the management component and the virtual machine are running;
• and,
• mapping the storage device on the physical computing device to the storage volume of the SAN,
• wherein the storage interface controller number and the storage interface ID are normally dynamic.

A system comprising:

• a physical computing device having a file system, the file system defining a storage device;
• a storage-area or storage-array network (SAN) having a SAN storage volume to implement the storage device defined by the file system of the physical computing device;
• a virtual machine to run on the physical computing device, the virtual machine having an operating system and a virtual machine file system, the virtual machine file system having a virtual machine storage device, the virtual machine storage device implemented by the storage device defined by the file system of the physical computing device;
• a management component to run on the physical computing device to manage the virtual machine, the management component to maintain, store, and provide a virtual machine storage device definition of the virtual machine storage device, the virtual machine storage device definition indicating a particular storage device that implements the virtual machine storage device via a particular file system and indicating a particular storage volume that implements the particular storage device;
• and,
• a mechanism to determine an end-to-end mapping from the file system of the operating system running on the virtual machine to the SAN storage volume of the SAN, by:
• mapping the virtual machine as reported by the operating system running on the virtual machine to the definition of the virtual machine as provided by and stored at the management component, the definition of the virtual machine indicating a type of operating system and a type of file system running on the virtual machine;
• mapping a storage device as reported by the operating system running on the virtual machine to the virtual machine storage device definition, by using a storage interface controller number and a storage interface target identifier (ID) of the virtual storage device to correlate the storage device as reported by the operating system to the definition of the virtual storage device as provided by the management component the definition of the virtual storage device indicating a particular storage device that implements the virtual storage device via a particular file system and indicating a particular storage volume that implements the particular storage device;
• mapping the virtual machine storage device definition to the storage device;
• and
• mapping the storage device to the SAN storage volume,
• wherein the storage interface controller number and the storage interface ID are normally dynamic.

A system comprising:

• a physical computing device having a file system, the file system defining a storage device;
• a storage-area or storage-array network (SAN) having a SAN storage volume to implement the storage device defined by the file system of the physical computing device;
• a virtual machine to run on the physical computing device, the virtual machine having an operating system and a virtual machine file system, the virtual machine file system having a virtual machine storage device, the virtual machine storage device implemented by the storage device defined by the file system of the physical computing device;
• a management component to run on the physical computing device to manage the virtual machine, the management component to maintain, store, and provide a virtual machine storage device definition of the virtual machine storage device, the virtual machine storage device definition indicating a particular storage device that implements the virtual machine storage device via a particular file system and indicating a particular storage volume that implements the particular storage device;
• and,
• means for determining an end-to-end mapping from the file system of the operating system running on the virtual machine to the SAN storage volume of the SAN, by:
• mapping the virtual machine as reported by the operating system running on the virtual machine to the definition of the virtual machine as provided by and stored at the management component, the definition of the virtual machine indicating a type of operating system and a type of file system running on the virtual machine;
• mapping a storage device as reported by the operating system running on the virtual machine to the virtual machine storage device definition, by using a storage interface controller number and a storage interface target identifier (ID) of the virtual storage device to correlate the storage device as reported by the operating system to the definition of the virtual storage device as provided by the management component the definition of the virtual storage device indicating a particular storage device that implements the virtual storage device via a particular file system and indicating a particular storage volume that implements the particular storage device;
• mapping the virtual machine storage device definition to the storage device;
• and
• mapping the storage device to the SAN storage volume,
• wherein the storage interface controller number and the storage interface ID are normally dynamic.