HK1056923B - System and method for configuring a storage area network - Google Patents

Description

System and method for configuring storage area network

Technical Field

The present invention relates to electronic systems, and more particularly, to a system and method for configuring a Storage Area Network (SAN).

Background

The complexity of SAN configuration, setup and operation has to be faced while benefiting from Storage Area Network (SAN) technology, which is a significant embarrassment for the SAN industry. Information technology departments running SANs are often plagued by complex SAN topologies and configurations, which in turn results in increased management costs. Second, the information technology department also lacks high-quality talents that can quickly configure SANs. In addition, ongoing SAN operations are also affected by IT environments, often due to the flow of human resources caused by industry competition, and as a result, when an employee hops from an organization, the organization often loses significant technical knowledge resources.

An organization that employs a SAN may face a number of challenges, including: designing the SAN, enabling communication of SAN design and related parts, installing the SAN, and managing SAN changes after installation. First, the most complex step in setting up a SAN is typically to determine an appropriate design and configuration based on the needs of the user. The complexity of a SAN typically involves: how a SAN cooperates with a storage system, how the SAN is compatible with each individual storage unit, and how the overall topology of the SAN is designed. SANs are typically designed with pencils and paper, but this approach is not feasible for more complex SAN configurations, which can result in errors and miscalculations. Also, users often encounter the challenge of what components are needed for a new or just-adjusted SAN? How these components are configured enables them to be compatible with existing components and cables.

Once a SAN configuration is determined, the requirements and advantages of providing the configuration should be passed on to others, and this association ensures that acquisition, management and implementation of the SAN can proceed efficiently. However, this connection is often lacking, affecting the operation and real-time management of the SAN.

The lack of communication also often affects the initial installation and setup of a SAN, causing problems in verifying whether all necessary components have been received and the SAN components have been installed correctly. Installation is further complicated if, according to conventional practice, a group of distributed professionals are allowed to install a storage area system, and another problem is that lack of knowledge of SAN configuration often leads to many problems that need to be reworked to solve problems that arise during operation.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to a system and method for designing and configuring a SAN;

it is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for communicating SAN configuration information to facilitate the installation of a SAN.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for generating and communicating SAN topology information for operation and maintenance of a SAN.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a computer system for configuring a storage area network, comprising: a plurality of selectable SAN units; a design module operable to graphically configure the selected SAN cells; a rule base having SAN configuration rules, said SAN configuration rules including clustering rules and partitioning rules; and a reviewer operable to apply at least one SAN configuration rule from the rule base to dynamically review the configuration of the selected SAN unit.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a SAN configuration tool comprising: a plurality of selectable SAN units; a design module operable to graphically configure the selected SAN cells; a rule base having SAN configuration rules, said SAN configuration rules including clustering rules and partitioning rules; and a reviewer operable to apply at least one SAN configuration rule from the rule base to dynamically review the configuration of the selected SAN elements.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of designing a storage area network, comprising: selecting a plurality of SAN units; combining the selected SAN cells in a design module; and applying at least one SAN configuration rule from the rule base to review the combination of selected SAN elements.

A system and method for configuring a SAN is described in accordance with the present invention. In one aspect, the system includes a plurality of user selectable SAN elements and a design module in which the selected elements can be graphically configured. The system further includes an auditor for dynamically auditing selected SAN elements, and in particular includes a reporter for generating configuration reports for selected SAN configurations, the reporter being capable of generating SAN topology reports, SAN inventory reports, and SAN cable configuration reports. These reports may serve as dynamic installation profiles that guide the user how to install and configure the SAN through the SAN configuration topology.

In another aspect, the present invention also provides a method for designing a SAN, the method comprising: selecting one or more SAN units and placing the selected SAN units in a design module combination, the method further comprising reviewing the selected SAN unit combination, the method comprising, inter alia, generating a report of the selected SAN unit configuration.

In one embodiment, the system presents a graphical user interface based tool for graphically displaying selected SAN elements as depicted on paper, which provides for topology design by drag and drop, allowing a user to add components to the SAN that can be subjected to real-time rule review when a new component is selected. The selected and reviewed SAN configuration may then be printed or teletyped. The method and system facilitate smooth and efficient communication between SAN designers, future users, consultants (such as an outside consultant responsible for installing the SAN), and sales representatives.

The present invention has several important technical advantages, one of which is that it provides a design module for configuring selected SAN cells and an auditor for auditing selected SAN configurations, the design module and auditor providing an advanced system and method for designing and configuring SANs.

Another technical advantage is that it includes a reporter that generates topology reports, inventory reports, and cable configuration reports. The reporter provides a convenient platform for transferring SAN configuration and topology information, facilitating installation, maintenance and real-time operation of the SAN.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention and the advantages thereof are more fully understood by the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like features, and in which

FIG. 1 shows a user interface of a SAN configuration tool according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a user interface of a configuration tool according to the present invention including a representation of a selected SAN configuration and a cluster profiling tool;

FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface showing a SAN configuration tool including a cable tool according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a SAN configuration report in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a SAN configuration tool according to the present invention;

figure 6 shows a flow chart for running a SAN configuration tool according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

The preferred embodiments of the present invention and its advantages are best understood by referring to figures 1 through 6 of the drawings, like numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings.

As shown in fig. 1, a SAN configuration tool according to the present invention is shown generally at 10 and includes a plurality of optional SAN units 12 and design modules 14. The design module 14 may illustrate the selected SAN unit 12 to be graphically configured, and may select the SAN unit 12 using an interface tool such as a mouse or keyboard (not shown). In this embodiment, the optional SAN unit 12 includes a branch 16, a server 18, a connector 20, a switch 22, a SAN device 24, an IP mirroring SAN device 26, a disk array 28, and a tape library 30. The SAN unit 12 may also include other SAN units or network devices suitable for incorporation into a SAN.

Branch 16 may include a preconfigured SAN for selection, modification, or adoption by the user. The branches 16 provide a good starting point for users as they begin to design their SAN. The server 18 includes alternative server elements arranged by manufacturer and model, as may connectors 20, switches 22, SAN devices 24, IP-mirrored SAN devices 26, disk arrays 28, and tape libraries 30.

In one embodiment, the design module is further divided into three regions: a server area, a storage area, and an interconnect area. For example, the server 18 is placed in the server zone because the SAN configuration tool does not allow the server 18 to be placed in a storage or interconnect zone. Likewise, storage components are placed in storage areas and interconnect components, such as switches 22, connectors 20, and SAN devices 24, are placed in interconnect areas, which allows the overall SAN topology in the design module to look and feel consistent and uncluttered.

In this embodiment, after a SAN unit 12 is selected, the SAN unit 12 can be briefly described by a profiling program 32, which can also be treated as a profile wizard and manipulated by a profiler as described in FIG. 5. The profile 32 generally includes an area 34 to accommodate and display the attributes of the unit and an area 36 to display the Host Bus Adapter (HBA) of the network unit.

The unit property region includes: a manufacturer zone 38, a model zone 40, an operating system zone 41 to list the operations on selected units, a tape backup system zone 42, and a SAN description zone 44. The contents of the manufacturer zone 38 and model zone 40 are automatically generated based on the selected cells, and the operating system zone 41, tape backup system zone 42, and SAN description zone 44 may be selected by the user, and in particular the cell attribute description zone 44 allows the user to name or give a unique identification to the selected SAN cells. Aggregating the graphical box information allows the system designer to easily communicate configuration content to sales representatives and consultants during the design process.

In one particular embodiment, the profiler may query the user for a network transmission type, such as a copper or fiber optic host bus adapter transmission type.

The SAN configuration tool user interface 10 in this embodiment includes a toolbar 50, which may also include a new file button 52, an open file button 54, a store file button 56, and a print button 58. The new file button 52 allows the user to open a new file, the open file button 54 allows the user to access an existing file for viewing and modification, the store file button 56 allows the user to store a design file, and the print button 58 allows the user to print a design file on an attached printer (not shown). Toolbar 50 may further include an audit button 60 that allows the user to audit the entire SAN configuration displayed in the design module in view of their cluster and partition relationships as they contact each component in SAN 14.

The save button 62 allows the user to save the report in an appropriate format (e.g., rtf format), the file button 64 allows the user to access online files, and the cable button 66 allows the user to create a cable object to connect SAN elements, and the cable button 66 allows the user to select and place one SAN component 12 into the design module 14, then select another SAN component in the design module, and then connect the SAN components together with the appropriate cable. A cable guide may also be activated to guide the user in entering specific aspects such as connection type (e.g., a port of a switch), SAN fabric type (e.g., 1G or 2G bytes), and cable length.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a user interface 10 of a configuration tool according to the present invention includes a selected SAN configuration, partition profile, and a cluster profile. The configuration tool user interface 10 includes an optional SAN device 12 that may be graphically selected in the design module 14 using drag-and-drop techniques. In this embodiment, the selected SAN configuration shown in the design module 14 includes a selected server 72 and a selected switch 74, the selected server 72 connected to the selected switch 74 by a cable 70, the selected SAN configuration further including a connector 76, a selected SAN device 78, a selected disk array, and a selected tape library 82, all connected by a cable 70.

A cluster refers to a group of multiple servers that are a single unit from the perspective of a user's computer on the network. Clustering techniques are often used to increase network capacity, provide hot-backup in the event of a failure of one server in a cluster, and improve data security. The cluster profile 83 identifies and obtains profile information for the cluster in the selected SAN configuration. The cluster profile 83 includes a cluster name, a color for displaying the selected cluster, and a list of selected SAN units in the selected and configured cluster.

A zone refers to a group of multiple SAN components that are grouped in a manner that allows them to appear as a single organization (Fabric) within the SAN Fabric. Partitioning is a common technique used to separate primary and backup paths to accommodate path failures, and aims to achieve high reliability. There may also be a partition profile similar to the cluster profile that identifies and selects SAN components in the partition.

Figure 3 is a user interface of a SAN configuration tool according to the present invention, the user interface 10 of the SAN configuration tool including alternative SAN units 12 and design modules 14. In this embodiment, the design module 14 includes a selected SAN configuration including servers 72, switches 74, SAN devices 78, disk arrays 80, and tape libraries 82, which are connected by cables 70.

The user interface 10 of the configuration tool further comprises an optional cable unit 89, and the optional cable unit 89 in turn comprises a new cable unit 90 and an existing cable unit 92. The new cable elements 90 are optional cable elements for connecting SAN elements in the selected SAN configuration that are not currently available to the user or designer. The existing cable unit 92 (shown in phantom for convenience) then includes an optional cable unit that the user or designer may now use. New cable units 90 and existing cable units 92 are provided so that the user or purchaser can utilize the existing cable units and the new cable units that the user needs to obtain to build the desired SAN design.

As shown in fig. 4, a SAN configuration report according to the present invention is shown at 100. SAN configuration report 100 includes a SAN unit inventory report 102 and a cable configuration report 104. SAN configuration report 100 also includes SAN cable inventory report 116.

SAN unit inventory report 102 includes a device directory 106 listing the devices included in the selected SAN configuration, SAN unit inventory report 102 also includes the total number 108 of SAN units of the selected SAN configuration for each model, total number 108 further includes the existing 110 and new 112 quantities of SAN units of each model, the lists of existing 110 and new 112 quantities provide the SAN designer with useful information about the SAN units necessary to install and set a desired SAN configuration, SAN unit inventory report 102 allows a user (e.g., a salesperson or installer) to determine whether all new devices have been obtained and further determine which existing device to use.

SAN cable inventory report 118 includes a model directory of cables in the selected SAN configuration. Also included in SAN configuration report 100 are the SAN's cable color 120, length 122, and total number of cables 124 in the selected SAN configuration, which may be arranged in an existing amount 126 and a new amount 128 of cables desired for the desired SAN configuration.

Cable configuration report 104 describes the cables dedicated to each unit of the SAN configuration, cable configuration report 104 further includes a list of connected devices dedicated to each SAN unit 130, and cable configuration report 104 also includes descriptions of each SAN unit and the connections between the units.

Figure 5 is a block diagram of a SAN configuration tool 120 according to the present invention, the SAN configuration tool 120 including optional cells 122 that can be connected to a design module 124, and a user can graphically place the optional cells 122 into the design module 124 using a drag-and-drop method.

Optional cables 123 may also be connected to the design module 124, the optional cables 123 being selectable by a user for connection to selected SAN units 122 in the design module 124, the design module 124 also being connected to the reviewer 126, the profiler 128, and the reporter 130. In addition, the reviewer is connected to a rules repository 132. In the present embodiment, the reviewer 126 includes a unit review module 134, a cluster review module 136, a partition review module 145, and a main review module 138.

Reporter 130 further includes a topology report generator 140, a catalog report generator 132, and a cable configuration report generator 144. Cable configuration report generator 144 and topology report generator are capable of generating installation documents detailing the cables associated with the various components in the SAN. The installation document also includes a detailed description of the cables associated with the various ports of the various SAN components. The inventory report generator 132 also generates a report listing brief information about each SAN component, and in one embodiment, includes a description of the service level associated with each SAN component.

As mentioned earlier, elements are selected from the selectable elements 122 and placed in the design module 124, and after each selected SAN element is selected and placed in the design module, the profiler 128 generates a user interface (e.g., a window) that requests the user to enter profile information for the selected SAN element. The profiler 128 obtains a portion of profile information, such as the model and manufacturer of the selected component, based on the characteristics of the selected unit. In addition, the profiler may automatically enter input information regarding the selected SAN cell type and store it in a memory (not shown) that it has access to.

The profiler also obtains SAN cell profile information, such as the type of operating system running on the selected cell and a unique identification of the given SAN cell, via user input. In a preferred embodiment, the profiler 128 compares the information provided by the user regarding the selected SAN cell with stored information regarding the characteristics of the SAN cells, and if a discrepancy is found by the comparison, the profiler also generates an error message. For example, if the user enters a disk array having a storage capacity that is higher than the known capacity of the selected model of disk array, the profiler 128 may generate a corresponding error message. Also, if the user enters a unique identifier for one unit, but the identifier is the same as the identifier of another unit, the profiler will also generate a corresponding error message. .

Then, after the optional units are connected by the cables 123 in the design module 124 and the selected units 122 are connected by the cables 123, the unit review module 134 in the reviewer 126 reviews the relationship of the connected units with respect to each other. When a cable is selected, the user clicks and drags it to connect the two units, and the selected cable and its connected components are reviewed.

The SAN configuration tool may interactively alert the user that a component may not be connected in the intended way and that such alerts or error messages that occur at the beginning of the process may avoid rework during installation and operation. In a preferred embodiment, if an error is detected, not only an error message but also a recommended problem solution is displayed.

When enough units are placed into the design module, the user can choose to build a cluster in the design module, and in one embodiment, the user can select a cluster dialog box and select a color for the cluster to help distinguish between clusters in the SAN. Then, the user can select the unit to be automatically added to the cluster color group, and after the unit in one cluster is determined, the examiner 126 examines the selected cluster in the design module 124 through the cluster module 136 and using the cluster rule in the rule base 132, and the cluster examination module also examines the connection relationship among the cluster server, the switch, and the storage, and the structure according to the cluster rule in the database 132.

Also, the user may select a zone dialog box and select a color to assist the user in determining and resolving the zones in the SAN. The user may then select SAN cells and add those SAN cells to the zone color groups, and after the cells in a zone are determined, the zone audit module 145 may audit the relationships between the zone components as meeting the zone rules.

After a SAN configuration is established in the design module 124, the reviewer 126 reviews the selected SAN using the master review module 138. The master review module 138 may be used to review the SAN configuration for compliance with the rules in the rules repository 132. In a preferred embodiment, the master audit module 138 is activated by selecting a button on the toolbar (as shown in FIG. 1), and the rules contained in the rule base 132 and programmed into the auditor 126 include basic core rules for the entire SAN (which are individual objects) and rules specific to each object, including interconnection relationships, configuration rules, clustering rules, partitioning rules, and master rules set for the entire SAN design.

In one embodiment, the master review first reviews each component in a component rule table in order to ensure that the component itself is configured correctly. Component connection scrutiny is then performed which verifies that each component is properly connected to its upstream and downstream components, and which also scrutinizes the type, length, and type of cable used to connect the components together with the terminal connectors of the respective components. Next, a cluster rule review is performed, which cross-references the cluster rules to verify that the components connected to the cluster servers conform to the cluster rules. And finally, checking the partition according to the partition rule, wherein the partition is checked to be configured correctly in the step, and the connection relation among the cluster server, the component and the component to which the cluster server belongs is correct. As shown in fig. 6, a flow chart for using the SAN configuration tool is shown at 160. The use of the SAN configuration tool begins at 162 with one SAN cell being selected 164, then the SAN cell is profiled by a profiler (as shown in fig. 5), next it is determined if there are more SAN cells to select 168, if there are more cells to select, the cell is selected 164, but if the cell selection has been completed, the cable is selected 170, and after selecting and establishing the cable model to which the SAN cell is to be connected, the relationship between the connected cells is examined 172, which in one embodiment is performed by a cell examination module, as shown in fig. 5.

After the connected units are inspected, the user may choose to set up the cluster 171 in the SAN configuration, and then the cluster is defined and inspected 174. in one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the cluster inspection step is accomplished by a cluster inspection module. It should be noted that a user may also choose not to establish a cluster in a given SAN, but rather multiple clusters. Once one or more clusters are established and examined, the SAN may be partitioned 182 to distinguish between cluster servers, operating system based hosts, or backup configurations. The user may create a zone 184 by selecting a zone program, selecting a color to uniquely identify the zone, and selecting the SAN unit associated with the zone. The SAN elements 186 may be selected while the partitions are being examined in real time and if a SAN element is determined to be invalid, that element cannot be used in a partition. After one or more partitions are created, the SAN configuration as a whole is reviewed 176, which may also be considered a master review step, which may be accomplished by a master review module in one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5. After a master audit 176 of a SAN configuration, a report is generated, which in a preferred embodiment also includes a topology report, a cable configuration report, and a SAN inventory report.

In one embodiment, these SAN configuration topologies are hosted in the file with the extension of sto, which is stored in an optimal format of no more than 30K bytes, which allows for file reduction to facilitate sharing of information about the SAN configuration over a network (e.g., the Internet or email). After the SAN is inspected, a report file in rtf format is generated.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, many modifications, substitutions, and alterations can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (29)

1. A computer system for configuring a storage area network, comprising:

a plurality of selectable SAN units;

a design module operable to graphically configure the selected SAN cells; and

a reviewer operable to dynamically review a configuration of the selected SAN cells, wherein the reviewer includes at least one cell review module and a group review module corresponding to a group of cells, in which configuration the cell review module is applied prior to the group review module during review.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the group review module comprises a fleet review module and a partition review module.

3. The computer system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the reviewer further comprises a master review module.

4. The computer system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising an auditor operable to provide dynamic auditing of the selected SAN design.

5. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a database containing the censoring rules, the database being connected to the censorer for operating the censoring module.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the rules include object independent rules and object non-independent rules.

7. The computer system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a reporter operable to provide a configuration report for the selected SAN.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the configuration report further comprises:

a SAN topology report;

a SAN inventory report; and

a SAN cable configuration report.

9. The computer system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the optional SAN unit further comprises:

at least one server unit;

at least one switching unit; and

at least one memory cell.

10. The computer system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the optional SAN unit further comprises at least one preconfigured SAN design.

11. The computer system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the optional SAN unit further comprises a plurality of optional connection units. .

12. The computer system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the system further comprises a profiler that profiles characteristics of each selected SAN cell. .

13. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the configuration report further comprises an installation file for the selected SAN unit.

14. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the design module can accept drag-and-drop type user input.

15. A SAN configuration tool comprising:

a plurality of selectable SAN units;

a design module operable to graphically configure the selected SAN cells; and

a reviewer operable to dynamically review a configuration of the selected SAN cells, wherein the reviewer includes at least one cell review module and a group review module corresponding to a group of cells, in which configuration the cell review module is applied prior to the group review module during review.

16. The SAN configuration tool of claim 15, further comprising a graphical user interface for accepting user input.

17. The SAN configuration tool of claim 15 or 16, wherein the optional SAN unit further comprises:

at least one server unit;

at least one switching unit; and

at least one memory cell.

18. The SAN configuration tool of claim 15 or 16, wherein the selectable SAN elements include at least one existing SAN element.

19. The SAN configuration tool of claim 15 or 16, wherein the group review module comprises a cluster review module and a partition review module.

20. The computer system of claim 15 or 16, wherein the reviewer further comprises a master review module.

21. A computer system as claimed in claim 15 or 16, further comprising a database containing the censoring rules, the database being connected to the censorer for operating the censoring module.

22. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the rules include object independent rules and object non-independent rules.

23. The SAN configuration tool of claim 15 or 16, further comprising a reporter operable to provide a configuration report for each selected SAN cell.

24. A method of designing a storage area network, comprising:

selecting a plurality of SAN units;

combining the selected SAN cells in a design module; and

the selected SAN cell combination is inspected, including a cell inspection step prior to the group inspection step.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising generating a configuration report for a selected SAN unit combination.

26. The method of claim 24 or 25, further comprising communicating the censored SAN unit combination over a network.

27. A method as claimed in claim 24 or 25, wherein the group review comprises cluster review prior to partition review.

28. The method of claim 24 or 25, wherein the review comprises a master review after a fleet review and a partition review.

29. A method as claimed in claim 24 or 25, wherein the censorship rules are stored in a database.