Dual-controller storage system cancelling SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) interconnection

Abstract

The invention discloses a dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection, which comprises a first controller, a first HAC module, a second controller and a second HAC module, the first HAC module is electrically connected with the first controller, the second HAC module is electrically connected with the second controller, and the first HAC module is in communication connection with the second HAC module; wherein the first controller or the second controller is used for identifying the interruption or hot plug information of the storage expansion cabinet and the hard disk on the storage expansion cabinet, and sending the interruption or hot plug information to the first HAC module or the second HAC module; and after the first HAC module or the second HAC module receives the interrupt or hot plug information, the interrupt or hot plug information is sent to the second controller or the first controller through the second HAC module or the first HAC module. According to the invention, the Expander between the two controllers is canceled, and the hard disk information synchronization between the two controllers is realized through the HAC module, so that the performance of the whole storage is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of data storage, and in particular to a dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection. Background Art

[0002] Since the beginning of the 21st century, with the rise of the Internet of Things and big data, today's society is entering the era of information technology and big data. While the era of information technology and big data has brought convenience to mankind, it has also brought many challenges. In the field of data storage, how to ensure the security and efficiency of data storage is a common problem faced by the storage industry. At present, the common underlying storage control system architecture is mainly composed of controllers and disk frames. The data interaction path between the controller and the disk determines the data transmission capacity of the storage system to a certain extent. A reliable IO interaction path can maximize the IO transmission rate while ensuring the stability of IO transmission.

[0003] In most storage systems, dual controllers are often used to improve reliability and prevent data loss caused by storage controller failure during IO data transmission. That is, the corresponding storage service is completed through redundant data interaction between the two controllers. The two controllers of the dual-controller storage system jointly hold the right to use the storage disks on the storage control cabinet. Currently, most common storage disks are SAS or SATA type disks. The SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) network supports both SAS and SATA types of disks, so the transmission network between the storage controller and the storage device is usually implemented using a SAS network. In order to increase the capacity of the storage device connected to the controller, a SAS Expander (storage expansion cabinet) is usually used to expand the number of storage devices in the storage system to form a transmission network between the controller, Expander, and storage device.

[0004] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2, the controller and disk cabinet of the dual-controller storage system are connected through SAS Expander (disk output expander). Each controller is connected to an output Expander. The controller and Expander, and Expander and disk control cabinet are connected through SAS cables. SAS Expander can be regarded as a hard disk switch. Many hard disks can be connected together through Expander. SAS Expander is divided into fan-out expander and edge expander. Among them, fan-out expander can connect edge expander with topology expander. Expander and device exchange data through transmission port. Transmission port is divided into wide port and narrow port. A single wide port contains multiple phy implementations. Narrow port is composed of a single phy. Phy is a differential signal pair composed of a transmitter and a receiver. Each phy has a SAS address and a unique PHYID. The phys in the same transmission port have the same SAS address. The transmission rate of the wide port is obtained by superimposing the rates of each phy in the port. The channel between Expander and disk is a narrow channel, and the connection channel between Expanders is a wide channel. The bandwidth and stability of the transmission channel determine the performance of IO delivery.

[0005] The SAS Expander device used on the existing dual-control motherboard is LSI35x48, which can be interconnected. For example, when a hard disk is removed from the chassis, the controller will receive an insertion interrupt and recognize the hard disk. The other controller will also receive an insertion interrupt from the Expander at the same time, so that the two controllers can recognize the hard disk at the same time, ensuring data synchronization.

[0006] However, SAS Expander is a chip added to the backplane, which is used to expand limited input to more output. For example, the motherboard, raid card or HBA card can only support 8 SAS / SATA hard disks at most. After the backplane is expanded, the server can support 24 SAS / SATA hard disks. However, Expander will also cause performance loss, because Expander will add a layer of software processing and routing processing, an extra layer of hardware forwarding and software processing; and most of the SAS Expanders with good performance are foreign brands, which are not suitable for defense, military industry and other industries with high information security. Summary of the invention

[0007] To this end, the present application provides a dual-controller storage system that eliminates SAS interconnection, so as to solve the problem that the existing dual-controller storage system causes performance loss when connecting two controllers through a SAS Expander.

[0008] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0009] A dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection, comprising a first controller, a first HAC module, a second controller and a second HAC module, wherein the first HAC module is electrically connected to the first controller, the second HAC module is electrically connected to the second controller, and the first HAC module is in communication connection with the second HAC module;

[0010] The first controller is used to identify the interruption or hot-plugging information of the storage expansion cabinet and the hard disk on the storage expansion cabinet, and send it to the first HAC module. After receiving the interruption or hot-plugging information, the first HAC module sends the interruption or hot-plugging information to the second controller through the second HAC module; or the second controller is used to identify the interruption or hot-plugging information of the storage expansion cabinet and the hard disk on the storage expansion cabinet, and send it to the second HAC module. After receiving the interruption or hot-plugging information, the second HAC module sends the interruption or hot-plugging information to the first controller through the first HAC module.

[0011] Preferably, it also includes a first LVM module and a second LVM module, the first LVM module is electrically connected to the first HAC module, the second LVM module is electrically connected to the second HAC module, the first LVM module and the second LVM module are communicatively connected, and the first LVM module and the second LVM module are used to send scsi commands to the hard disk.

[0012] Preferably, it also includes a first GUI interface module and a second GUI interface module, the first GUI interface module is electrically connected to the first LVM module, the second GUI interface module is electrically connected to the second LVM module, and the first GUI interface module and the second GUI interface module are used to display the storage expansion cabinet and the hard disk information on the storage expansion cabinet on the interface.

[0013] Preferably, the first HAC module and the second HAC module are capable of setting the status of the hard disk to OFFLINE, HAC_ONLINE or ONLINE.

[0014] Preferably, when the first controller successfully sends IO to the hard disk, the hard disk status of the first controller is set to ONLINE through the first HAC module; or when the second controller successfully sends IO to the hard disk, the hard disk status of the second controller is set to ONLINE through the second HAC module.

[0015] Preferably, when the first controller fails to send IO to the hard disk, the hard disk status of the first controller is set to OFFLINE through the first HAC module, and the hard disk status of the second controller is set to HAC_ONLINE; or when the second controller fails to send IO to the hard disk, the hard disk status of the second controller is set to OFFLINE through the second HAC module, and the hard disk status of the first controller is set to HAC_ONLINE.

[0016] Preferably, the first controller or the second controller sets the hard disk to a damaged state after failing to send IO to the hard disk.

[0017] Preferably, the first controller or the second controller deletes the hard disk information after detecting that the hard disk is unplugged.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, this application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0019] The present application provides a dual-controller storage system that cancels SAS interconnection, including a first controller, a first HAC module, a second controller and a second HAC module, wherein the first HAC module is electrically connected to the first controller, the second HAC module is electrically connected to the second controller, and the first HAC module and the second HAC module are communicatively connected; wherein the first controller is used to identify the interruption or hot-plugging information of the storage expansion cabinet and the hard disk on the storage expansion cabinet, and send it to the first HAC module, and the first HAC module sends the interruption or hot-plugging information to the second controller through the second HAC module after receiving the interruption or hot-plugging information; or the second controller is used to identify the interruption or hot-plugging information of the storage expansion cabinet and the hard disk on the storage expansion cabinet, and send it to the second HAC module, and the second HAC module sends the interruption or hot-plugging information to the first controller through the first HAC module after receiving the interruption or hot-plugging information. The present application cancels the Expander between the two controllers in the existing dual-controller storage system, realizes the synchronization of hard disk information between the two controllers through the software module HAC, improves the performance of the entire storage, and reduces the production cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more intuitively illustrate the prior art and the present application, exemplary drawings are given below. It should be understood that the specific shapes and structures shown in the drawings should not generally be regarded as limiting conditions for implementing the present application; for example, those skilled in the art are capable of easily making conventional adjustments or further optimizations to the addition / reduction / attribution division, specific shapes, positional relationships, connection methods, dimensional ratios, etc. of certain units (components) based on the technical concepts and exemplary drawings disclosed in the present application.

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an existing dual-controller storage system;

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the hard disk expansion structure of an existing dual-controller storage system;

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection provided by the present application;

[0024] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a dual-controller storage system and hard disk connection without SAS interconnection provided in this application;

[0025] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of hard disk status setting in a dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection provided in the present application.

[0026] Description of reference numerals:

[0027] 1. First controller; 2. First HAC module; 3. First LVM module; 4. First GUI interface module; 5. Second controller; 6. Second HAC module; 7. Second LVM module; 8. Second GUI interface module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present application is further described below in detail through specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0029] In the description of this application: unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more. The terms "first", "second", "third", etc. in this application are intended to distinguish the objects referred to, and do not have special meanings in terms of technical connotations (for example, they should not be understood as emphasizing the importance or order, etc.). Expressions such as "including", "comprising", "having", etc. also mean "not limited to" (certain units, components, materials, steps, etc.).

[0030] The terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "middle", etc. cited in this application are usually used to indicate the general relative position relationship for the purpose of intuitive understanding by referring to the drawings, and are not absolute limitations on the position relationship in the actual product.

[0031] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4 The present application provides a dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection, including a first controller 1, a first HAC module 2, a second controller 5 and a second HAC module 6, wherein the first HAC module 2 is electrically connected to the first controller 1, the second HAC module 6 is electrically connected to the second controller 5, and the first HAC module 2 and the second HAC module 6 are in communication connection, wherein the first controller 1 and the second controller 5 are ITS (Initiator Transport Subsystem) layers, and the first HAC module 2 and the second HAC module 6 are HAC (High Available control) layers.

[0032] The first controller 1 is used to identify the interruption or hot-plugging information of the storage expansion cabinet (Just a Bunch OfDisks, JBOD) and the hard disk on the storage expansion cabinet, and send it to the first HAC module 2. After receiving the interruption or hot-plugging information, the first HAC module 2 sends the interruption or hot-plugging information to the second controller 5 through the second HAC module 6; or the second controller 5 is used to identify the interruption or hot-plugging information of the storage expansion cabinet and the hard disk on the storage expansion cabinet, and send it to the second HAC module 6. After receiving the interruption or hot-plugging information, the second HAC module 6 sends the interruption or hot-plugging information to the first controller 1 through the first HAC module 2.

[0033] The dual-controller storage system provided by the present application that eliminates SAS interconnection also includes a first LVM module 3 and a second LVM module 7. The first LVM module 3 is electrically connected to the first HAC module 2, the second LVM module 7 is electrically connected to the second HAC module 6, and the first LVM module 3 and the second LVM module 7 are communicatively connected; the first LVM module 3 and the second LVM module 7 are LVM (logical volume manager) layers, which are the key to the hard disk being identified on the interface, and the first LVM module 3 and the second LVM module 7 are used to send scsi commands to the hard disk.

[0034] A dual-controller storage system that eliminates SAS interconnection provided in the present application also includes a first GUI interface module 4 and a second GUI interface module 8, the first GUI interface module 4 is electrically connected to the first LVM module 3, and the second GUI interface module 8 is electrically connected to the second LVM module 7; the first GUI interface module 4 and the second GUI interface module 8 are GUI (Graphics User Interface) layers, and the first GUI interface module 4 and the second GUI interface module 8 are used to display storage expansion cabinets and hard disk information on the storage expansion cabinets on the interface.

[0035] See also Figure 5In the present application, the first HAC module 2 and the second HAC module 6 can set the status of the hard disk to OFFLINE, HAC_ONLINE or ONLINE, where OFFLINE, HAC_ONLINE and ONLINE respectively represent offline (PLUGOUT), a single controller can see the disk (DAMAGED) and both controllers can see the disk (PLUGIN); when a controller receives an insertion interrupt reported by the hard disk, it needs to tell the other controller through dual-control communication so that the status of the hard disk is online. If one of the dual-controllers is damaged, then only the interrupt information of one hard disk is received, and it can also be displayed as online; if it is a dual-control environment, after the controller receives the hard disk insertion interrupt, the other controller does not receive the synchronization message, then the status of this hard disk is HAC_ONLINE, which is a degraded state.

[0036] Specifically, when the first controller 1 successfully sends IO to the hard disk, the first HAC module 2 sets the hard disk status of the first controller 1 to ONLINE; or when the second controller 5 successfully sends IO to the hard disk, the second HAC module 6 sets the hard disk status of the second controller 5 to ONLINE. In other words, in this application, when one of the first controller 1 and the second controller 5 recognizes the JBOD or the hard disk on the JBOD, it will notify the other controller, and the hard disk status will be set to ONLINE only after both controllers recognize it.

[0037] When the first controller 1 fails to send IO to the hard disk, the hard disk status of the first controller 1 is set to OFFLINE through the first HAC module 2, and the hard disk status of the second controller 5 is set to HAC_ONLINE; or when the second controller 5 fails to send IO to the hard disk, the hard disk status of the second controller 5 is set to OFFLINE through the second HAC module 6, and the hard disk status of the first controller 1 is set to HAC_ONLINE.

[0038] In other words, when the IO sent by the storage controller to the hard disk has no response or fails to return, and still fails after 10 retries, the SCSI IO command is reinitialized. At this time, it cannot be sent to the other end through the Expander. Therefore, the hard disk of this controller needs to be set to OFFLINE through the HAC module. In addition, the status of the controller hard disk is set to HAC_ONLINE. The controller needs to re-send IO to the controller whose hard disk is displayed as HAC_ONLINE. This can improve the fault tolerance of the system and prevent single point failures.

[0039] In the present application, when the first controller 1 or the second controller 5 fails to send IO to the hard disk, the hard disk will be set to a damaged state. When the first controller 1 or the second controller 5 detects that the hard disk is unplugged, the hard disk information will be deleted.

[0040] The two controllers of the existing dual-controller storage system are interconnected through Expander. This application cancels SASExpander and realizes the synchronization of hard disk information between the two controllers through the software module HAC, which improves the performance of the entire storage and reduces costs. For the dual-controller storage system, if the IO delivery between the current controller and the storage disk fails, it can be delivered to the opposite controller through the HAC module of dual-controller communication.

[0041] Specifically, when a hard disk is inserted, the original logic is that both the first controller 1 and the second controller 5 can receive interrupt information through the Expander at the same time, and the hard disk can be considered online at this time. However, in this application, the Expander between the first controller 1 and the second controller 5 has been disconnected, and the second controller 5 cannot connect to the first controller 1 through the Expander, which results in the second controller 5 being unable to receive the interrupt information of the hard disk from the first controller 1. At this time, it is necessary to send the hard disk insertion information to another controller through dual-control communication at the virtual HAC (High Available Control) layer at the software level.

[0042] The dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection provided in the present application eliminates the Expander hardware, reduces the cost of dual-controller storage, and when one of the controllers fails to send hard disk IO, the data can be transmitted and sent through the HAC module, which can improve the performance of the entire storage and enhance the competitiveness of the product. It can also adapt to localization and has great advantages for industries such as military industry with high requirements for localization.

[0043] The technical features of the above embodiments may be arbitrarily combined (as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features). To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described; these embodiments that are not explicitly written should also be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

Claims

1. A dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection, characterized in that: It includes a first controller, a first HAC module, a second controller and a second HAC module, wherein the first HAC module is electrically connected to the first controller, the second HAC module is electrically connected to the second controller, and the first HAC module is in communication connection with the second HAC module; The first controller is used to identify the interruption or hot-plugging information of the storage expansion cabinet and the hard disk on the storage expansion cabinet, and send it to the first HAC module. After receiving the interruption or hot-plugging information, the first HAC module sends the interruption or hot-plugging information to the second controller through the second HAC module; or the second controller is used to identify the interruption or hot-plugging information of the storage expansion cabinet and the hard disk on the storage expansion cabinet, and send it to the second HAC module. After receiving the interruption or hot-plugging information, the second HAC module sends the interruption or hot-plugging information to the first controller through the first HAC module.

2. The dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first LVM module and a second LVM module, the first LVM module is electrically connected to the first HAC module, the second LVM module is electrically connected to the second HAC module, the first LVM module and the second LVM module are communicatively connected, and the first LVM module and the second LVM module are used to send scsi commands to the hard disk.

3. The dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a first GUI interface module and a second GUI interface module, the first GUI interface module is electrically connected to the first LVM module, the second GUI interface module is electrically connected to the second LVM module, and the first GUI interface module and the second GUI interface module are used to display the storage expansion cabinet and the hard disk information on the storage expansion cabinet on the interface.

4. The dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first HAC module and the second HAC module can set the status of the hard disk to OFFLINE, HAC_ONLINE or ONLINE.

5. The dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the first controller successfully sends IO to the hard disk, the first HAC module sets the hard disk state of the first controller to ONLINE; or when the second controller successfully sends IO to the hard disk, the second HAC module sets the hard disk state of the second controller to ONLINE.

6. The dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the first controller fails to send IO to the hard disk, the hard disk state of the first controller is set to OFFLINE through the first HAC module, and the hard disk state of the second controller is set to HAC_ONLINE; or when the second controller fails to send IO to the hard disk, the hard disk state of the second controller is set to OFFLINE through the second HAC module, and the hard disk state of the first controller is set to HAC_ONLINE.

7. The dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first controller or the second controller sets the hard disk to a damaged state after failing to send an IO to the hard disk.

8. The dual-controller storage system without SAS interconnection according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first controller or the second controller will delete the hard disk information after detecting that the hard disk is pulled out.

Images