Link Handover in Storage Systems via Multi-Controller Port Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage systems face service interruptions when a single point of failure occurs, such as a faulty controller, leading to disconnection of all physical links and loss of redundancy.
Innovation Solution
A link handover method is implemented in a storage system with multiple controllers, where a bound port group is preconfigured to include ports from different controllers, allowing for automatic detection of faulty links and seamless service transfer to available ports within the group, ensuring continuous service even in case of controller or interface card failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If link aggregation is implemented using LACP with ports bound to a single controller, then link redundancy is improved, but the system remains vulnerable to controller single point of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bound port group across multiple controllers rather than binding all ports to a single controller. Each controller manages a subset of ports in the bound port group, so that when one controller fails, its associated ports are automatically removed from the bound port group and services are redistributed to remaining controllers. This segmentation eliminates the single point of failure at the controller level while maintaining link aggregation redundancy.
2Ease of operation
If all ports in a bound port group are bound to one controller, then configuration and management is simplified, but service continuity is compromised when the controller fails
Solution Approach 1:
The bound port group is segmented across multiple controllers, with each controller managing a portion of the ports. The system automatically detects controller failures and redistributes the failed controller's ports to remaining controllers, maintaining service continuity without requiring manual reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automatic failure detection and port redistribution without human intervention. When a controller fails, the remaining controllers automatically detect the failure, identify ports that were bound to the failed controller, and redistribute those ports to maintain the bound port group functionality, ensuring service continuity.
3Productivity
If a single controller manages all ports in a bound port group, then resource utilization is optimized, but the system lacks fault tolerance at the controller level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bound port group across multiple controllers, distributing ports and associated services across different controller resources. This segmentation maintains efficient resource utilization by keeping ports bound to the bound port group while adding fault tolerance through multi-controller distribution. When one controller fails, its resources are automatically redistributed to remaining controllers.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system including a first controller and a second controller, where the first controller and the second controller each coupled to at least one interface card, and each interface card includes at least one port. A bound port group is preconfigured in the storage system, and the bound port group includes ports from the first controller and the second controller. A link handover method includes when the first controller detects that a link of a first port in the bound port group is faulty, marking a status of the first port as unavailable in the bound port group, selecting a second port in an available state from the bound port group, and handing over a service carried on the link of the first port to a link of the second port.