Storage Emulation Device for High-Bandwidth SAN Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for testing Fibre Channel devices in storage area networks are costly and time-consuming, lacking reliable error and fault testing capabilities and controllable environment variables, and are limited by the need for physical disk drives which restrict scalability and bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
A storage emulation device that provides high-performance, non-volatile virtual disk media, allowing for remote configuration and error injection, and capable of emulating multiple disk drives without requiring initiator-side software changes, enabling full bandwidth testing across multiple ports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical disk drives are used for testing, then testing can be performed with real hardware, but the cost and time to set up and reconfigure test environments increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of physical disk drives through software emulation. The virtual disk drive simulator generates synthetic disk responses and error conditions without requiring actual physical drives, thereby eliminating setup and reconfiguration time while maintaining testing capability through accurate simulation of disk behavior and failure modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state of disk drives from physical hardware to virtual software entities. By transforming the disk drive representation from tangible objects to programmable simulations, the system enables rapid configuration changes through software parameters rather than physical assembly and disassembly operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple physical disk drives are acquired for testing different scenarios, then comprehensive testing can be performed, but the cost of maintaining an inventory of drives increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual disk drive simulator serves multiple testing functions through a single software platform. It can emulate various disk drive types, configurations, and failure modes without requiring separate physical drives for each scenario, thereby providing universal testing capability that reduces the quantity of physical hardware needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of acquiring multiple physical disk drives to represent different scenarios, the system creates virtual copies that can be programmatically configured to represent any disk drive type or failure condition. This eliminates the need to maintain an inventory of diverse physical drives while preserving comprehensive scenario coverage.
3Reliability
If physical disk drives are used, then real hardware behavior can be tested, but the ability to inject specific errors and control environment variables is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual representations of disk drives that replicate hardware behavior through software modeling. These virtual copies enable precise control over error conditions and environment variables through programming, while maintaining accurate simulation of real hardware responses and failure modes without the limitations of physical drive manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms disk drive behavior from fixed physical characteristics to programmable parameters. This enables dynamic adjustment of error conditions, failure modes, and environment variables through software control, providing ease of operation for error injection while maintaining accurate hardware behavior simulation through realistic parameter modeling.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is a method of testing a storage network that includes a method of handling data at the port and bus level. The method includes emulating targets in computer memory, receiving data from initiators, and passing to computer memory only a portion of the data received. Bandwidth of internal memory and paths to memory are de-coupled from devices under test attached to ports, such that full bandwidth testing is possible at all test clients simultaneously. Data passed on a wire is returned or discarded at the port or bus level. The invention is useful for testing networks that have high bandwidths, and for testing large storage area networks.