Providing redundancy for a device within a network
View Patent ↗A storage device has partitions that are separately addressed by distinct IP addresses. This allows direct access of the partitions, on a peer-to-peer basis, by any other device that can communicate using IP. Preferred storage devices support spanning between or among partitions of the same device, as well as between or among different storage devices. Both multicast and proxy spanning are contemplated. Combinations of the inventive storage devices with each other, and with prior art storage devices are contemplated, in all manner of mirroring and other arrangements. In still other aspects of the invention, a given storage device can include one or more types of media, including any combination of rotating and non-rotating media, magnetic and optical, and so forth.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a network interface configured to communicatively couple the apparatus to a network;
a first element coupled to the network interface to access the network, the first element associated with a first internet protocol (IP) address and configured to receive a packet, from a peer via the network interface, addressed to the first IP address and having a first command; and
a second element coupled to the network interface to access the network, the second element associated with the first IP address to allow more than one element to be addressed with the first IP address, and also associated with a second IP address, which is distinct from the first IP address, wherein the second element is configured to receive a second command, which is duplicative of the first command.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second element is also associated with the first IP address.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second element is configured to receive the second command directly from the network interface.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein both the first and the second elements are capable of responding to the first and second commands, respectively, and the first element is further configured to determine that the second element has responded and to refrain from responding based at least in part on said determining.
5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first element and the second element respectively receive the first and second commands as a multicast transmission.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second element is further configured to receive the second command from the first element.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first element corresponds to a partition of a storage medium.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the second element corresponds to a partition of another storage medium.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein both the first element and the second element are also associated with a third IP address.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a bus to couple the first and second elements to the network interface.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first element and the second element are configured to operate independently of an operating system.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the packet comprises a universal datagram protocol (UDP) transport layer.
13. A method comprising:
receiving, at a network interface, a packet having a first internet protocol (IP) address and a first command;
providing the packet to a first element associated with the first IP address; and providing a second command, which is duplicative of the first command, to a second element associated with the first IP address to allow more than one element to be addressed with the first IP address, and also associated with a second IP address, which is distinct from the first IP address.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
translating, at the first element, the packet to determine the first command and a block of the first element to which the first command pertains.
15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
providing the second command to the second element directly from the network interface.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein both the first element and the second element are capable of responding to the first and second commands, respectively, and the method further comprises:
responding, by the second element, to the second command;
determining, by the first element, that the second element responded to the second command; and
refraining from responding to the first command based at least in part on said determining.
17. A storage apparatus comprising:
a network interface configured to communicatively couple the storage apparatus to a network;
one or more storage media; and
one or more storage elements coupled to the network interface and the one or more storage media and configured
to assign a plurality of unique network addresses to a respective plurality of partitions of the one or more storage media, and
to assign at least one partition of the plurality of partitions an additional network address to allow more than one partition to be addressed with the additional network address.
18. The storage apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of unique network addresses and the additional network address enable an incoming packet, received by the network interface, to address selected ones of the plurality of partitions.
19. The storage apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least one partition includes two or more partitions and the additional network address is a multicast spanning address.
20. The storage apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least one partition includes only one partition and the additional network address is a proxy spanning address.
21. A method comprising:
assigning a plurality of unique network addresses to a respective plurality of partitions, the plurality of partitions being of first and second storage media;
assigning an additional network address to at least one partition of the plurality of partitions;
receiving, at a network interface, a packet addressed to the additional network address;
providing a first command to the at least one partition based at least in part on the packet; and
providing a second command, duplicative of the first command, to another partition of the plurality of partitions.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the at least one partition includes two or more partitions and the additional network address is a multicast spanning address.
23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the at least one partition includes only one partition and the additional network address is a proxy spanning address.