METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FIRMWARE ROLLBACK OF A STORAGE DEVICE IN A STORAGE VIRTUALIZATION ENVIRONMENT

A method and controller device for upgrading the firmware in a virtualized storage environment having a first storage controller and a second storage controller, wherein each storage controller includes a first virtual machine, at least one second virtual machine and a storage device. The method includes upgrading the current firmware of the first virtual machine in the first storage controller to a new firmware version, upgrading the current firmware of the second virtual machine in the first storage controller to a new firmware version, upgrading the current firmware of the first virtual machine in the second storage controller, upgrading the current firmware of the second virtual machine in the second storage controller, and rolling back the firmware version of all virtual machines in the first and second storage controllers if the firmware upgrade of any of the virtual machines in the first and second storage controllers is not successful. 1. A method for upgrading firmware in a virtualized storage environment having a first storage controller and a second storage controller , wherein each storage controller includes a first virtual machine , at least one second virtual machine and a storage device , the method comprising:upgrading the current firmware of the first virtual machine in the first storage controller to a new firmware version;upgrading the current firmware of the second virtual machine in the first storage controller to a new firmware version;upgrading the current firmware of the first virtual machine in the second storage controller to a new firmware version;upgrading the current firmware of the second virtual machine in the second storage controller to a new firmware version; androlling back the firmware version of all virtual machines in the first storage controller and all virtual machines in the second storage controller from the new firmware version of the respective virtual machine to the current firmware version of the respective virtual ...

Method and system for reducing power loss to backup io start time of a storage device in a storage virtualization environment

A method and controller device for supplying battery power to a virtualized storage environment having a storage controller with a virtual machine manager and a second virtual machine. In response to a battery engaged event, the first virtual machine manager enables the image of the second virtual machine to be shared with a new instance of the second virtual machine so that the image does not have to be loaded therein. The first virtual machine manager then creates the new virtual machine. The old virtual machine shuts down non-necessary hardware devices and sets necessary hardware devices to low power mode. During this time, the new virtual machine executes a backup specific start-of-day (SOD) initialization sequence. The method also synchronizes the new and old virtual machines. The method also initiates a cache memory backup operation upon synchronization of the new and old virtual machines and then shuts down the old virtual machine.

DATA ACCESS REQUEST MONITORING TO REDUCE SYSTEM RESOURCE USE FOR BACKGROUND OPERATIONS

An I/O processing stack includes a proxy that can provide processing services for access requests to initialized and uninitialized storage regions. For a write request, the proxy stores write information in a write metadata repository. If the write is requested for an address in an initialized storage region of the storage system, the proxy performs a write to the initialized region based on region information in the write I/O access request. If the write is requested for an address in an uninitialized storage region of the storage system, the proxy performs an on-demand initialization of the storage region and then performs a write to the storage region based on region information provided by the proxy. 1. A method for data access in a storage system:receiving an I/O (input/output) access request by a proxy layer of an I/O processing stack in a storage server of the storage system having initialized storage space and uninitialized storage space;storing host write information for a write I/O access request in a host write metadata repository managed by the proxy layer;determining if an address of the write I/O access request corresponds to an initialized storage region of the storage system or an uninitialized storage region of the storage system; andwhen the address corresponds to an uninitialized storage region, performing an on-demand initialization of the storage region, and performing a write of the write I/O access request based on region information provided by the proxy layer.2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the host write metadata repository comprises a delta log.3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the I/O access request further comprises determining if the I/O access request is a read I/O access request or a write I/O access request.4. The method of claim 3 , wherein in response to determining that the I/O access request is a read I/O access request claim 3 , determining if an address of the read I/O request corresponds to an initialized storage ...

Optimized reconstruction and copyback methodology for a failed drive in the presence of a global hot spare disc

The present invention is a system for optimizing the reconstruction and copyback of data contained on a failed disk in a multi-disk mass storage system. A system in accordance with the present invention may comprise the following: a processing unit requiring mass-storage; one or more disks configured as a RAID system; an associated global hot spare disk; and interconnections linking the processing unit, the RAID and the global hot spare disk. In a further aspect of the present invention, a method for the reconstruction and copyback of a failed disk volume utilizing a global hot spare disk is disclosed. The method includes: detecting the failure of a RAID component disk; reconstructing a portion of the data contained on the failed RAID component disk to a global hot spare disk; replacing the failed RAID component disk; reconstructing any data on the failed RAID disk not already reconstructed to the global hot spare disk to the replacement disk; and copying any reconstructed data from the global hot spare disk back to the replacement RAID component disk.

Adaptive dispatch table based on templates

The present invention is directed to a method of an adaptive procedure table which is capable of providing default behaviors for each procedure if a corresponding procedure is not defined or has been removed from a software build. The default behaviors for each procedure may be defined in a template file provided by a developer before a compile time of software. The present invention may permit a module that defines the implementation of a procedure to be removed from the software build without requiring source code changes. As such, the developer may be allowed to remove or add certain features from a compiled program without introducing compile time or link time errors.

Optimized reconstruction and copyback methodology for a disconnected drive in the presence of a global hot spare disk

The present invention is a system for optimizing the reconstruction and copyback of data contained on a failed disk in a multi-disk mass storage system. A system in accordance with the present invention may comprise the following: a processing unit requiring mass-storage; one or more disks configured as a RAID system; an associated global hot spare disk; and interconnections linking the processing unit, the RAID and the global hot spare disk. In a further aspect of the present invention, a method for the reconstruction and copyback of a disconnected RAID disk utilizing a global hot spare disk is disclosed. The method includes: disconnecting a RAID component disk; reconstructing data from the disconnected RAID disk onto a global hot spare disk; reconnecting the disconnected RAID component disk; and copying the reconstructed data from the global hot spare disk back to the reconnected RAID component disk.

Optimized reconstruction and copyback methodology for a disconnected drive in the presence of a global hot spare disk

Managing storage array operations that cause loss of access to mirrored data

Storage array operations, such as code downloads and other operations of the type that cause loss of access to portions of the storage array, are managed in a manner that preserves access to other portions of the storage array so that other storage array operations, such as data synchronization, can continue.