IP Library Granted Patent US 10,353,613
Granted Patent B2
US 10,353,613 · App. 15/506,967 · Granted Jul 16, 2019

Computer system and control method therefor for handling path failure

Inventors: Akihiko Araki (Tokyo, JP); Yusuke Nonaka (Tokyo, JP); Masanori Takada (Tokyo, JP); Naoya Okada (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
G06F3/064G06F3/0634G06F3/0635G06F11/20G06F11/2007G06F11/2017
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,353,613
App. No.
15/506,967
Granted
Jul 16, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

When mounting hardware which is coupled to another portion by a plurality of paths with different applications, despite the hardware being a single device, and a failure occurs in any of the paths, there is a risk that the failure may propagate to other components unless the other paths are also blocked. In order to solve the problem described above, in a storage apparatus to which a device coupled by a plurality of coupling paths with different applications can be mounted, the present invention determines a block range at the time of an occurrence of a failure to be a device and a plurality of coupling paths coupled to the device, manages the block range, and upon an occurrence of a failure, executes failure handling which involves blocking an appropriate block range determined in advance by referring to the information.

Claims (44)

1. A computer system comprising a control unit, a storage unit, and at least one module coupled to the control unit, wherein

the at least one module is coupled to the control unit by a plurality of paths having different applications,

the storage unit has block range information which defines a block range when a failure occurs on each of the paths or in the module, and

the control unit is configured to, upon detection of a failure on the paths, implement blocking of the module coupled to the path in which the failure has occurred and other ones of the plurality of paths coupled to the module based on block management information

wherein the storage unit is configured to manage block range information for each module type, and

the control unit is configured to generate, based on information on coupling between the module and the path, a relationship among the path, the module coupled to the path, and the path and the module which need to be blocked when a failure occurs in any of the paths and the module, and to store the relationship as the block range information.

2. The computer system according to claim 1 , wherein

the control unit includes a plurality of processing units which execute a process related to the at least one module, and

the at least one module is coupled to each of the plurality of processing units by a different path.

3. The computer system according to claim 1 , wherein

when a failure is detected in the module,

the module and the plurality of paths coupled to the module are blocked.

4. The computer system according to claim 3 , wherein

the computer system is a storage system including a block interface and a file interface,

the at least one module is a file interface,

a first processing unit among the processing units is a file I/O processing unit which is configured to control the file interface through the path being coupled thereto, and a second processing unit among the processing units is a block I/O processing unit which is configured to control I/O to and from a storage of data exchanged with a host via the file interface.

5. The computer system according to claim 4 , wherein

the blocking is executed according to an instruction from the block I/O processing unit.

6. The computer system according to claim 4 , wherein

when a failure occurs in the block interface or on a path coupled to the block interface,

blocking is executed on the block interface and the path coupled to the block interface.

7. A computer system control method executed in a computer system including a control unit, a storage unit, and at least one module coupled to the control unit,

the at least one module being coupled to another portion by a plurality of paths having different applications,

the computer system control method comprising:

detecting a failure on the paths;

referring to block management information which manages block range information when a failure occurs in each of the paths or in the module; and

blocking the module coupled to the path on which the failure has occurred and other ones of the plurality of paths coupled to the module;

wherein the storage unit is configured to manage block range information for each module type, and

the control unit is configured to generate, based on information on coupling between the module and the path, a relationship among the path, the module coupled to the path, and the path and the module which need to be blocked when a failure occurs in any of the paths and the module, and to store the relationship as the block range information.

8. The computer system control method according to claim 7 , wherein

the control unit of the computer system includes a plurality of processing units which execute a process related to the at least one module, and the at least one module is coupled to each of the plurality of processing units by a different path.

9. The computer system control method according to claim 8 , wherein

when a failure is detected in the module,

the module and the plurality of paths coupled to the module are blocked.

10. The computer system control method according to claim 8 , wherein

the computer system comprises a plurality of control units inclusive of the control unit;

the computer system is a storage system including a block interface and a file interface,

the at least one module is a file interface,

a first control unit among the plurality of control units is a file I/O processing unit which controls the file interface through the path being coupled thereto, and a second control unit among the plurality of control units is a block I/O processing unit which controls I/O to and from a storage of data exchanged with a host via the file interface.

11. The computer system control method according to claim 10 , wherein

the blocking is executed according to an instruction from the block I/O processing unit.

12. The computer system control method according to claim 10 , wherein

when a failure occurs in the block interface or on a path coupled to the block interface,

blocking is executed on the block interface and the path coupled to the block interface.

Assignments (2)
COMPANY SPLIT Recorded Aug 20, 2024
From: HITACHI, LTD.
To: HITACHI VANTARA, LTD.
Reel/Frame 069518/0761 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 27, 2017
From: ARAKI, AKIHIKO; NONAKA, YUSUKE; TAKADA, MASANORI; OKADA, NAOYA
To: HITACHI, LTD.
Reel/Frame 041383/0888 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170277914A1 · Sep 28, 2017