Communication with multiple storage processors using network infrastructure
View Patent ↗A system that provides efficient expansion capability of a storage unit under test including multiple storage processors and reduces a number of required Ethernet ports on a client device and a reduced number of physical connections on the client device. A first processor and a peer processor of a storage processor system may be coupled to counterpart processors on one or more other storage processor systems using direct port-to-port connections and/or using a network infrastructure. A command from the client device may be passed among first processors and peer processors of the multiple storage processor systems until the correct destination processor for the command is reached, and data packets may be passed from a source processor of a storage processor system through processors of other storage processor systems until the client device is reached.
1. A system for communicating with multiple storage systems, comprising:
a first storage processor system;
a second storage processor system, wherein each of the first storage processor system and the second storage processor system includes a first processor and a peer processor; and
a client device coupled to the first storage processor system and the second storage processor system via a network infrastructure, wherein a port of the client device is connected to the network infrastructure, wherein a port of at least one of the first processor and the peer processor of the first storage processor system is connected to the network infrastructure, and wherein a port of at least one of the first processor and the peer processor of the second storage processor system is connected to the network infrastructure, wherein the first processor of the first storage processor system assesses a command that is received from the client device, wherein assessing the command includes determining if the first processor of the first storage processor system is a correct destination processor to process the command, the first processor being the correct destination processor if the command corresponds to a storage array that is controlled by the first processor of the first storage processor system, and wherein, if the first processor of the first storage processor system determines that the first processor is not the correct destination processor to process the command, the first processor of the first storage processor system passes the command to a different processor.
2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein a port of the first processor of the first storage processor system, a port of the peer processor of the first storage processor system, a port of the first processor of the second storage processor system and a port of the peer processor of the second storage processor system are all connected to the network infrastructure.
3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first storage processor system, the second storage processor system and the client device are on the same network and each have different IP addresses.
4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein, if the first processor of the first storage processor system determines that the first processor is not a correct destination processor to process the command, the first processor of the first storage processor system passes the command to the first processor of the second storage processor system via the network infrastructure.
5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein, if the first processor of the first storage processor system determines that the first processor is not the correct destination processor to process the command, the first processor of the first storage processor system passes the command to the peer processor of the first storage processor system.
6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the peer processor of the first storage processor system assesses the command received from the first processor of the first storage processor system, and, if the peer processor of the first storage processor system determines that the peer processor is not a correct destination processor to process the command, the peer processor of the first storage processor system passes the command to the peer processor of the second storage processor system via the network infrastructure.
7. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the first processor of the first storage system passes the command to the peer processor of the first storage system via the network infrastructure.
8. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the first processor of the first storage system passes the command to the peer processor of the first storage system via a direct connection.
9. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one additional storage processor system coupled to the network infrastructure, wherein the at least one additional storage processor system includes a first processor and a peer processor, and wherein a port of at least one of the first processor and the peer processor of the additional storage processor system is connected to the network infrastructure.
10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein, if the command is received at the first processor of the second storage processor system and the first processor of the second storage processor system is determined to not be the correct destination processor, then the command is passed to the first processor of the at least one additional storage processor system via the network infrastructure.
11. The system according to claim 9 , wherein, if the command is received at the peer processor of the second storage processor system and the peer processor of the second storage processor system is determined to not be the correct destination processor, then the command is passed to the peer processor of the at least one additional storage processor system via the network infrastructure.