IP Library Granted Patent US 11,093,171
Granted Patent B2
US 11,093,171 · App. 16/525,293 · Granted Aug 17, 2021

System and method for networkless peer communication for dual storage processor virtual storage appliances

Inventors: Dmitry V. Krivenok (St. Petersburg, RU); Wai C. Yim (Merrimack, NH)
Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company, LLC
G06F3/0659G06F3/0604G06F3/0664G06F9/45558G06F2009/45583
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,093,171
App. No.
16/525,293
Granted
Aug 17, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method, computer program product, and computer system for accessing, by a first storage processor (SP) of a virtual storage appliance, a storage device, wherein the storage device may be accessed by the first SP while all internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down. A second SP of the virtual storage appliance may access the storage device, wherein the storage device is shared between the first SP and the second SP and includes state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP, and wherein the storage device may be accessed by the second SP while all the internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down. One or more clustering decisions associated with one of the first SP and the second SP may be executed based upon, at least in part, the state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP accessed while all the internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down.

Claims (29)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing, by a first storage processor (SP) of a virtual storage appliance, a storage device, wherein the storage device is accessed by the first SP while all internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down;

accessing, by a second SP of the virtual storage appliance, the storage device, wherein the storage device is shared between the first SP and the second SP and includes state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP, and wherein the storage device is accessed by the second SP while all the internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down; and

executing one or more clustering decisions associated with one of the first SP and the second SP based upon, at least in part, the state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP accessed while all the internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down, such that a storage backend of the virtual storage appliance transports the state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP via the storage device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP is located in a shared partition of the storage device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein access of the storage device by the first SP and the second SP is single sector communication.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein accessing the storage device includes one of reading and writing a message, wherein the message includes one of a state information message, a fence request message, and a fence response message.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the message is assigned a unique identifier.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the message includes a job type of a plurality of job types.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein each job type uses a specific sector with a unique offset in the message.

8. A computer program product residing on a computer readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed across one or more processors, causes at least a portion of the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

accessing, by a first storage processor (SP) of a virtual storage appliance, a storage device, wherein the storage device is accessed by the first SP while all internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down;

accessing, by a second SP of the virtual storage appliance, the storage device, wherein the storage device is shared between the first SP and the second SP and includes state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP, and wherein the storage device is accessed by the second SP while all the internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down; and

executing one or more clustering decisions associated with one of the first SP and the second SP based upon, at least in part, the state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP accessed while all the internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down, such that the state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP is transported via the storage device.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP is located in a shared partition of the storage device.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein access of the storage device by the first SP and the second SP is single sector communication.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein accessing the storage device includes one of reading and writing a message, wherein the message includes one of a state information message, a fence request message, and a fence response message.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the message is assigned a unique identifier.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the message includes a job type of a plurality of job types.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein each job type uses a specific sector with a unique offset in the message.

15. A computing system including one or more processors and one or more memories configured to perform operations comprising:

accessing, by a first storage processor (SP) of a virtual storage appliance, a storage device, wherein the storage device is accessed by the first SP while all internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down;

accessing, by a second SP of the virtual storage appliance, the storage device, wherein the storage device is shared between the first SP and the second SP and includes state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP, and wherein the storage device is accessed by the second SP while all the internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down; and

executing one or more clustering decisions associated with one of the first SP and the second SP based upon, at least in part, the state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP accessed while all the internal networks associated with the virtual storage appliance are down, such that the state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP is transported via the storage device.

16. The computing system of claim 15 wherein the state information associated with one of the first SP and the second SP is located in a shared partition of the storage device.

17. The computing system of claim 15 wherein access of the storage device by the first SP and the second SP is single sector communication.

18. The computing system of claim 15 wherein accessing the storage device includes one of reading and writing a message, wherein the message includes one of a state information message, a fence request message, and a fence response message.

19. The computing system of claim 18 wherein the message is assigned a unique identifier.

20. The computing system of claim 18 wherein the message includes a job type of a plurality of job types, and wherein each job type uses a specific sector with a unique offset in the message.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053311/0169) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060438/0742 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (050724/0571) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060436/0088 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 050406 FRAME 421 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058213/0825 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0169 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Oct 15, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 050724/0571 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 17, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 050406/0421 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 29, 2019
From: KRIVENOK, DMITRY V.; YIM, WAI C.
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY, LLC
Reel/Frame 049893/0189 →