# US 9,438,674 B2 · Appliance interconnection architecture > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,438,674 B2 - Document ID: US9438674B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/912,351 - Filed: 2013-06-07 - Published: 2014-12-11 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-06-07 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Sanjeev Kumar; Jayrama S. Praturi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438674B2 ## CPC - H04L 67/1097: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] - H04L 12/2801: {Broadband local area networks} - H04L 41/0893: Assignment of logical groups to network elements - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract An appliance interconnection system and method. The system includes a high speed private local area network (LAN) and a logical cluster of appliances comprising a plurality of physical sub-clusters of appliance nodes. Each node of the appliance nodes includes a different generation node. The plurality of sub-clusters are interconnected via the high speed private LAN. A sub-cluster (N) of the plurality of physical sub-clusters comprises a first plurality of nodes of the appliance nodes. The sub-cluster (N) is associated with a plurality of (M) generation appliances of the logical cluster of appliances. Each appliance of the plurality of (M) generation appliances comprises a same type of appliance. (N) comprises a first cluster number and (M) comprises a first generation number of a first generation. The plurality of sub-clusters, in combination, form a single logical cluster. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a high speed private local area network (LAN); and a logical cluster of appliances comprising a plurality of physical sub-clusters of appliance nodes, wherein each node of said appliance nodes comprises a different generation node, wherein said plurality of sub-clusters are interconnected via said high speed private LAN, wherein a sub-cluster (N) of said plurality of physical sub-clusters comprises a first plurality of nodes of said appliance nodes, wherein said first plurality of nodes comprises an appliance node, wherein said appliance node comprises a virtualization node, a tape volume cache (TVC), a hierarchal storage node, and a library manager, wherein said virtualization node comprises a watchdog timer enabling said virtualization node to be restarted during a malfunction, wherein said TVC caches data read from an associated logical volume, wherein said hierarchal storage node uses tokens to determine which of said first plurality of nodes comprises a current data copy, wherein said library manager comprises a plurality of physical tape drives and a robotic accessor for transferring magnetic tape to said plurality of physical tape drives, wherein said sub-cluster (N) is associated with a plurality of (M) generation appliances of said logical cluster of appliances, wherein each appliance of said plurality of (M) generation appliances comprises a same type, category, and family of appliance, wherein (N) comprises a first cluster number, wherein (M) comprises a first generation number of a first generation comprising a first development configuration of appliances, wherein said plurality of sub-clusters, in combination, form a single logical cluster, wherein said sub-cluster (N) is connected to a sub-cluster (P) of said plurality of physical sub-clusters, wherein said sub-cluster (P) is associated with a plurality of (Q) generation appliances of said logical cluster of appliances, wherein each appliance of said plurality of (Q) generation appliances comprises a same type, category, and family of appliance, wherein (P) comprises a second cluster number, wherein (Q) comprises a second generation number of a second generation comprising a new development configuration of appliances with respect to said first generation, and wherein said first generation differs from said second generation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The appliance cluster of claim 1, wherein said sub-cluster (N) comprises first data tables comprising high performance and scalability capabilities, and wherein said sub-cluster (P) further comprises aggregate tables and cubes. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein a candidate application for deployment on said logical cluster of appliances is configured as a logical grouping of independent application components of a package, wherein said package is configured for deployment on different appliance sub-clusters such that said candidate application, comprising a group of packages, comprises a single logical entity. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein said plurality of physical sub-clusters are configured to perform independent tasks such that first packages of said packages performing heavy duty workloads are deployed on higher capacity sub-clusters than second packages of said packages performing less demanding workloads than said heavy duty workloads, wherein said second packages are deployed on lower capacity sub-clusters such an output of said single logical cluster is maximized. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein communication between said packages is established using an interconnection between said plurality of physical sub-clusters such said interconnection is transparent to application users. ### Claim 6 A method comprising: providing, a logical cluster of appliances interconnected via a high speed private local area network (LAN), wherein said logical cluster of appliances comprises a plurality of physical sub-clusters of appliance nodes; determining, by a computer processor, that each node of said appliance nodes comprises a different generation node, wherein said plurality of sub-clusters are interconnected via said high speed private LAN; determining, by said computer processor, that a sub-cluster (N) of said plurality of physical sub-clusters comprises a first plurality of nodes of said appliance nodes, wherein said first plurality of nodes comprises an appliance node, wherein said appliance node comprises a virtualization node, a tape volume cache (TVC), a hierarchal storage node, and a library manager, wherein said virtualization node comprises a watchdog timer enabling said virtualization node to be restarted during a malfunction, wherein said TVC caches data read from an associated logical volume, wherein said hierarchal storage node uses tokens to determine which of said first plurality of nodes comprises a current data copy, wherein said library manager comprises a plurality of physical tape drives and a robotic accessor for transferring magnetic tape to said plurality of physical tape drives; determining, by said computer processor, that said sub-cluster (N) is associated with a plurality of (M) generation appliances of said logical cluster of appliances, wherein each appliance of said plurality of (M) generation appliances comprises a same type category, and family of appliance, wherein (N) comprises a first cluster number, and wherein (M) comprises a first generation number of a first generation comprising a first development configuration of appliances, wherein said sub-cluster (N) is connected to a sub-cluster (P) of said plurality of physical sub-clusters, wherein said sub-cluster (P) is associated with a plurality of (Q) generation appliances of said logical cluster of appliances, wherein each appliance of said plurality of (Q) generation appliances comprises a same type, category, and family of appliance, wherein (P) comprises a second cluster number, wherein (Q) comprises a second generation number of a second generation comprising a new development configuration of appliances with respect to said first generation, and wherein said first generation differs from said second generation; and forming, by said computer processor, a single logical cluster from a combination of said plurality of sub-clusters. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein said sub-cluster (N) comprises first data tables comprising high performance and scalability capabilities, and wherein said sub-cluster (P) further comprises aggregate tables and cubes. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: configuring, by said computer processor, a candidate application for deployment on said logical cluster of appliances as a logical grouping of independent application components of a package; and configuring, by said computer processor, said package for deployment on different appliance sub-clusters such that said candidate application, comprising a group of packages, comprises a single logical entity. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: configuring, by said computer processor, said plurality of physical sub-clusters to perform independent tasks such that first packages of said packages performing heavy duty workloads are deployed on higher capacity sub-clusters than second packages of said packages performing less demanding workloads than said heavy duty workloads; and deploying, by said computer processor, said second packages on lower capacity sub-clusters such an output of said single logical cluster is maximized. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein communication between said packages is established using an interconnection between said plurality of physical sub-clusters such that said interconnection is transparent to application users. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable program code in a computing system, wherein the program code in combination with said computing system is configured to implement the method of claim 6. ### Claim 12 A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device storing a computer readable program code, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm that when executed by a computer processor of a computer system implements a method, said method comprising: determining, by a computer processor, that each node of appliance nodes comprises a different generation node, wherein a logical cluster of appliances are interconnected via a high speed private local area network (LAN), wherein said logical cluster of appliances comprises a plurality of physical sub-clusters of said appliance nodes, and wherein said plurality of sub-clusters are interconnected via said high speed private LAN; determining, by said computer processor, that a sub-cluster (N) of said plurality of physical sub-clusters comprises a first plurality of nodes of said appliance nodes, wherein said first plurality of nodes comprises an appliance node, wherein said appliance node comprises a virtualization node, a tape volume cache (TVC), a hierarchal storage node, and a library manager, wherein said virtualization node comprises a watchdog timer enabling said virtualization node to be restarted during a malfunction, wherein said TVC caches data read from an associated logical volume, wherein said hierarchal storage node uses tokens to determine which of said first plurality of nodes comprises a current data copy, wherein said library manager comprises a plurality of physical tape drives and a robotic accessor for transferring magnetic tape to said plurality of physical tape drives; determining, by said computer processor, that a sub-cluster (N) of said plurality of physical sub-clusters comprises a first plurality of nodes of said appliance nodes; determining, by said computer processor, that said sub-cluster (N) is associated with a plurality of (M) generation appliances of said logical cluster of appliances, wherein each appliance of said plurality of (M) generation appliances comprises a same type category, and family of appliance, wherein (N) comprises a first cluster number, and wherein (M) comprises a first generation number of a first generation comprising a first development configuration of appliances, wherein said sub-cluster (N) is connected to a sub-cluster (P) of said plurality of physical sub-clusters, wherein said sub-cluster (P) is associated with a plurality of (Q) generation appliances of said logical cluster of appliances, wherein each appliance of said plurality of (Q) generation appliances comprises a same type, category, and family of appliance, wherein (P) comprises a second cluster number, wherein (Q) comprises a second generation number of a second generation comprising a new development configuration of appliances with respect to said first generation, and wherein said first generation differs from said second generation; and forming, by said computer processor, a single logical cluster from a combination of said plurality of sub-clusters.