JP2018018272A - Control apparatus and information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To update an OS of a system at a high speed.SOLUTION: A storage unit 11 stores update status of an operating system in each of a plurality of electronic devices. A processing unit 12 executes processing of updating operating systems of a first type sequentially in each of the electronic devices, on the basis of the update status stored in the storage unit 11. The processing unit 12 executes processing of updating operating systems of a second type, which require longer start-up time than the operating systems of the first type, simultaneously in the electronic devices, after the operating systems of the first type in the electronic devices have been updated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device and an information processing system.

  In the field of information processing, virtualization technology is used to operate multiple virtual computers (sometimes called virtual machines or logical hosts) on electronic devices (sometimes called physical machines or physical hosts). ing. On each virtual machine, software such as an operating system (OS) can be executed. A physical machine that uses a virtualization technology executes software for managing a plurality of virtual machines. For example, software called a hypervisor may allocate a processing capacity of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage area of a RAM (Random Access Memory) to a plurality of virtual machines as computing resources.

  Virtualization technology can be used in various systems. An example is unified storage. Unified storage is storage that can accept both block access and file access. In the unified storage, both access may be made possible by executing a block access OS and a file access OS in parallel using a virtualization technique.

  By the way, an OS program (including a firmware program) for controlling an electronic device may be updated to improve functions and performance. The update often involves restarting the OS. The business can be interrupted while the OS is restarted. Therefore, a method for updating a program in an electronic device has been considered.

  For example, in a storage control device having a cluster configuration, there is a proposal of a microprogram replacement method that shortens the input / output interruption time. In this proposal, the storage controller takes the cluster A plane offline and replaces the micro program on the A plane, and then takes the cluster B plane offline and brings the cluster A plane online. Thereafter, the micro program on the cluster B surface is exchanged to bring the cluster B surface online.

  In addition, when the host computer detects a storage control device that is being restarted for control program update, there is also a proposal to switch the access destination to access the logical storage device via a storage control device other than the storage device. is there.

  There is also a proposal to prevent malfunctions caused by firmware held in the replaced device after the disk array control unit or the input / output device of the disk array device is replaced. In this proposal, the disk array device selects and executes firmware that has been operating before, among the firmware recorded in the disk array control unit and the input / output device, at the time of startup.

JP-A-9-160773 JP 2009-42932 A JP 2001-282464 A

  In a system including a plurality of electronic devices capable of executing a plurality of types of OSs in parallel, the time required for OS update becomes a problem. For example, it is conceivable to update all the OSs of all the electronic devices at once. However, when a certain type of OS is started all at once, extra time is required due to waiting for mutual communication for cooperation with the same type of OS on other electronic devices, and the time until the entire system is restarted is excessive. There is a risk.

  On the other hand, it is also conceivable to update a plurality of types of OSs one by one in order. However, in the latter method, when there is another type of OS having a relatively long restart time, the OS update of the next electronic device cannot proceed until the restart of the OS is completed, and the system is not updated. There is a possibility that it takes time to complete the update of all the OSs.

  In one aspect, the present invention aims to speed up the OS update of the system.

  In one aspect, a control device is provided that controls a plurality of electronic devices capable of executing a plurality of types of operating systems in parallel. The control device includes a storage unit and a processing unit. The storage unit stores update statuses of operating systems in a plurality of electronic devices. The processing unit causes the update of the first type of operating system to be executed sequentially for each electronic device based on the update status stored in the storage unit, and the first type of operating system of the plurality of electronic devices is updated. After the update is completed, a process of causing the plurality of electronic devices to execute the update of the second type operating system having a longer startup time than the first type operating system is performed.

  In one aspect, an information processing system is provided. This information processing system includes a plurality of electronic devices and a control device. The electronic device can execute a plurality of types of operating systems in parallel. The control device sequentially updates the first type of operating system one by one, and after the update of the first type of operating system of the plurality of electronic devices is completed, the first type of operating system is updated. The second type operating system having a longer startup time than the system is updated at the same time for a plurality of electronic devices.

  In one aspect, the OS update of the system can be accelerated.

It is a figure which shows the information processing system of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the storage system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware example of CM. It is a figure which shows the hardware example of a business server. It is a figure which shows the example of data access of unified storage. It is a figure which shows the example of grouping of CM. It is a figure which shows the function example of CM. It is a figure which shows the example of a management table. It is a flowchart which shows the example of OS update. It is a figure which shows the specific example of OS update.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 illustrates an information processing system according to the first embodiment. The information processing system 1 is a system including a plurality of electronic devices. The electronic apparatus can execute a plurality of types of OSs in parallel (operates with multiple OSs). The electronic device may be a storage control device that controls data access to a storage including, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The electronic apparatus may realize unified storage that can accept block access and file access by a multi-OS. Further, the electronic device may be an information processing device that provides various business services to the user by a multi-OS.

  The information processing system 1 includes a control device 10 and subsystems 20, 30, and 40. The control device 10 controls updating of a plurality of types of OS executed by each electronic device included in the information processing system 1. Subsystems 20, 30, and 40 each include two electronic devices. The subsystem 20 includes electronic devices 21 and 22. The subsystem 30 includes electronic devices 31 and 32. The subsystem 40 includes electronic devices 41 and 42. Two electronic devices in one subsystem are made redundant, and even if one electronic device is stopped or restarted, business can be continued using the other electronic device. Here, as will be described later, the control device 10 may be a device built in any electronic device (for example, the electronic device 21).

  The control device 10 includes a storage unit 11 and a processing unit 12. The storage unit 11 may be a volatile storage device such as a RAM or a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory. The processing unit 12 may include a CPU, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and the like. The processing unit 12 may be a processor that executes a program. The processor may also include a set of multiple processors (multiprocessor).

  Further, the electronic device 21 includes a storage unit 21a and a processing unit 21b. Similar to the storage unit 11, the storage unit 21 a includes a volatile storage device such as a RAM and a nonvolatile storage device such as a flash memory. The storage unit 21 a stores a first type OS program and a second type OS program in the electronic device 21.

  Similar to the processing unit 12, the processing unit 21 b includes a processor that executes a program. The processing unit 21b causes the first type OS and the second type OS to operate in parallel on the electronic device 21 by executing each program stored in the storage unit 21a. Here, in the electronic device 21, in order to update the OS, an updated program is stored in the storage unit 21a, and various OSs are restarted using the stored program. Similarly to the electronic device 21, the electronic devices 22, 31, 32, 41 and 42 also have a storage unit and a processing unit.

  Here, the first type OS has a function of supporting cooperation between electronic devices. For this reason, the first type OS includes a process of mutually communicating with the first type OS on another electronic device at the time of startup. In this case, if a plurality of first-type OSs are simultaneously activated on a plurality of electronic devices, a lot of mutual communication waits occur, communication between the electronic devices is delayed, and the first-type OS is used. It may take some time before it becomes possible. This delay increases with the number of electronic devices in the system. Depending on the system, the first type OS may be monitored for life and death using a monitoring device (not shown), and the use of the first type OS cannot be started in time for the response time limit for life and death monitoring. In addition, the electronic device may be erroneously determined to be unavailable on the system. Note that, unlike the first type OS, the second type OS has no role of cooperation support between electronic devices.

  In addition, there is a difference in startup time (sometimes referred to as startup time) between the first type OS and the second type OS. The startup time of the first type OS is a. The startup time of the second type OS is b. The activation time b is longer than the activation time a (b> a). That is, the activation time a is shorter than the activation time b. For example, in the case of unified storage, the first type of OS corresponds to an OS for block access, and the second type of OS corresponds to an OS for file access. In this case, the activation time a is about several seconds to ten seconds, whereas the activation time b is about several tens of seconds to several minutes, and the difference between the activation times a and b may be very large.

  In the information processing system 1, the control device 10 controls the update of a plurality of OSs in each electronic device as follows. First, the processing unit 12 groups the six electronic devices in the subsystems 20, 30, and 40 as follows. The processing unit 12 sets the electronic devices 21, 31, and 41 as the first group. The processing unit 12 sets the electronic devices 22, 32, and 42 to the second group. This is because even if the electronic device belonging to one group is updating the OS, the business can be continued by each electronic device belonging to the other group.

  Hereinafter, a procedure for updating each OS of the electronic devices 21, 31, and 41 belonging to the first group will be described. However, the procedure for updating each OS of the electronic devices 22, 32, and 42 belonging to the second group is the same as the procedure for the first group. Here, the first type OS and the second type OS in the electronic devices 21, 31, and 41 are distinguished by reference numerals as follows. The electronic device 21 includes a first type OSx1 and a second type OSy1. The electronic device 31 includes a first type OSx2 and a second type OSy2. The electronic device 41 includes a first type OSx3 and a second type OSy3.

  The storage unit 11 stores the update status of each OS in the electronic devices 21, 31, and 41. The update status includes update progress information of the first type OS x1, x2, x3 in the electronic devices 21, 31, 41. In addition, the storage unit 11 stores information indicating the first electronic device and the second electronic device belonging to one subsystem in the subsystems 20, 30, and 40. For example, in the case of the subsystem 20, the storage unit 11 stores the identification information of the electronic devices 21 and 22 in association with the identification information of the subsystem 20.

  The processing unit 12 causes the update of the first type OSx1, x2, and x3 to be sequentially executed for each electronic device based on the update status stored in the storage unit 11. For example, the processing unit 12 updates the first type OSx1 of the electronic device 21 (step S1). The processing unit 12 updates the first type OSx2 of the electronic device 31 (step S2). The processing unit 12 updates the first type OSx3 of the electronic device 41 (step S3). In steps S1, S2, and S3, it can be said that the processing unit 12 updates the first type of OS x1, x2, and x3 individually and sequentially by the electronic devices 21, 31, and 41, respectively.

  Here, as described above, the update of the OS is performed by storing the updated program in the storage unit included in the electronic devices 21, 31, and 41, and using the updated program in the electronic devices 21, 31, and 41. It is done by restarting. The processing unit 12 controls the electronic devices 21, 31, and 41 so that the storage of the updated OS program in the storage unit included in the corresponding electronic device and the restart of the corresponding OS are executed for each step. May be. Alternatively, the processing unit 12 stores the updated OS program in each storage unit of the electronic devices 21, 31, 41 before step S1, and in steps S1, S2, S3, the first type OSx1, The electronic devices 21, 31, and 41 may be controlled so as to perform only restart of x2 and x3.

  After completing the update of the first type OS of the plurality of electronic devices, the processing unit 12 updates the plurality of electronic devices with the update of the second type OS having a longer startup time than the first type OS. Run against all at once. Specifically, the processing unit 12 updates the second type of OSy1, y2, and y3 after the update of the first type of OSx1, x2, and x3 of the electronic devices 21, 31, and 41 is completed. The process is executed simultaneously for the devices 21, 31, 41 (step S4). In step S4, it can be said that the processing unit 12 simultaneously updates the second type of OSy1, y2, and y3 by the electronic devices 21, 31, and 41.

  The processing unit 12 stores the updated OS program in each storage unit included in the electronic devices 21, 31, 41, and restarts the corresponding OS in step S4. 31 and 41 may be controlled. Alternatively, the processing unit 12 stores the updated OS program in each storage unit of the electronic devices 21, 31, 41 before step S4. In step S4, the processing unit 12 stores the second type of OSy1, y2, y3. The electronic devices 21, 31, 41 may be controlled so as to perform only restart.

  In this way, the processing unit 12 updates the first type OS with a relatively short startup time one by one, and updates the second type OS with a relatively long startup time all at once. By doing so, the update of a plurality of OSs in the electronic devices 21, 31, 41 can be accelerated. Specifically, the first type OSs x1, x2, and x3 can be updated one by one in order, thereby avoiding simultaneous activation of the first type OS and waiting for communication between electronic devices. Can reduce processing delay. Further, the second type of OSy1, y2, and y3 can be updated all at once, so that the time required for updating can be shortened compared to updating one by one.

  The processing unit 12 updates the OS in the order of the first group and the second group based on the correspondence relationship between the subsystem stored in the storage unit 11 and the electronic devices belonging to the subsystem. That is, the processing unit 12 performs the second group after the update of the first type OSx1, x2, x3 and the second type OSy1, y2, y3 in the electronic devices 21, 31, 41 is completed. The OS update of the electronic devices 22, 32, and 42 belonging to is performed in the same manner. The processing unit 12 continues the business with the electronic devices 21, 31, 41 belonging to the first group, and the first type OS and the second type of the electronic devices 22, 32, 42 belonging to the second group. Can be updated. Also in this case, the processing unit 12 can update each OS of the electronic devices 22, 32, and 42 at high speed. In this way, the control device 10 can speed up the update of each OS in each electronic device of the information processing system 1.

  Note that the control device 10 may be incorporated in any of the electronic devices as described above. For example, when the electronic device 21 includes the control device 10, the electronic device 21 can exhibit the function of the control device 10. Alternatively, the processing unit 21b may perform the function of the processing unit 12.

Next, a storage system is taken as an example of the information processing system 1, and functions by the control device 10 will be described in more detail.
[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 2 illustrates a storage system according to the second embodiment. The storage system of the second embodiment includes storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn (n is a positive integer). That is, the storage system according to the second embodiment includes n + 1 storage devices. The business servers 300 and 400 are server computers that access data stored in the storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn and execute user business processing.

  The storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn and the business server 300 are connected to a SAN (Storage Area Network) 50. The storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn and the business server 400 are connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) 60.

  The storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn include a plurality of HDDs, and store data used by the business servers 300 and 400 for business processing using the plurality of HDDs. The storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn may include other types of storage devices such as an SSD instead of the HDD or in combination with the HDD.

  The storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn are unified storages that can accept both block access via the SAN 50 and file access via the LAN 60. In the following description, the storage apparatus N0 is mainly exemplified and described, but the storage apparatuses N1,..., Nn also have the same elements as the storage apparatus N0.

  The storage device N0 includes controller modules (CM) 100 and 100a and drive enclosures (DE) 200 and 200a. The CMs 100 and 100a are housed in one housing. One housing that houses the CMs 100 and 100a may be referred to as a controller enclosure (CE). That is, it can be said that the storage apparatus N0 has one CE. One CE may be considered as an example of one subsystem of the first embodiment. The CMs 100 and 100a are examples of the electronic devices 21 and 22 according to the first embodiment. Further, the CMs 100 and 100a include the function of the control device 10 according to the first embodiment.

  The CMs 100 and 100a are storage control devices that control data access to the HDDs stored in the DEs 200 and 200a. The DEs 200 and 200a are housings for housing a plurality of HDDs. For example, in the storage apparatus N0, the CMs 100 and 100a and the DEs 200 and 200a can be configured redundantly, and the operation can be continued even when any failure occurs.

  The business server 300 accesses the data stored in the storage devices N0, N1,. The business server 300 performs block access to the storage apparatuses N0, N1,..., Nn via the SAN 50, for example.

  The business server 400 accesses data stored in the storage devices N0, N1,. The business server 400 performs file access to the storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn via the LAN 60, for example.

  Here, the CM 100 creates a logical volume by using a RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) technique by combining a plurality of HDDs mounted in the DE 200 (or DE 200a). A logical volume is a unit of storage area that the CM 100 provides to the business servers 300 and 400. A logical unit number (LUN: Logical Unit Number) for identifying the logical volume is assigned to the logical volume. The business server 300 can directly specify a block address (LBA: Logical Block Address) in the LUN and logical volume to access the storage apparatus N0. On the other hand, the business server 400 can access the data stored in the logical volume of the storage device N0 via the file system of the business server 400 and the storage device N0.

  For this reason, in the storage apparatus N0, one logical volume can be used as a logical volume for block access by the business server 300, and another logical volume can be used as a logical volume for file access by the business server 400. In the latter case, the storage apparatus N0 can be used as NAS (Network Attached Storage), for example, and can function as a file server for the business server 400. The storage apparatus N0 can use, for example, NFS (Network File System), CIFS (Common Internet File System) or the like as a protocol for file sharing.

Similarly to the storage device N0, the storage devices N1,..., Nn also accept block access of the business server 300 and file access of the business server 400.
In the storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn, both the block access OS and the file access OS are executed in parallel to realize unified storage. The storage apparatuses N0, N1,..., Nn provide a function for efficiently performing the update when both OSs are updated.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of CM hardware. The CM 100 includes a processor 101, a RAM 102, an NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM) 103, a CA (Channel Adapter) 104, an NA (Network Adapter) 105, a DI (Drive Interface) 106, a CM-IF (InterFace) 107, and a medium reader 108. Have. Each unit is connected to the CM 100 bus. The CM 100a can also be realized by the same hardware as the CM 100.

  The processor 101 controls information processing of the CM 100. The processor 101 may be a multiprocessor. The processor 101 is, for example, a CPU, DSP, ASIC, or FPGA. The processor 101 may be a combination of two or more elements of CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, and the like.

  The RAM 102 is a main storage device of the CM 100. The RAM 102 temporarily stores at least a part of an OS program to be executed by the processor 101. The RAM 102 stores various data used for processing by the processor 101.

  The NVRAM 103 is an auxiliary storage device for the CM 100. The NVRAM 103 is, for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory. The NVRAM 103 stores an OS (including firmware) program and various data.

  The CA 104 is a communication interface for communicating with the business server 300 via the SAN 50. For example, an interface such as iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface) or Fiber Channel (FC) can be used as the CA 104.

  The NA 105 is a communication interface for communicating with the business server 400 via the LAN 60. For example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface can be used as the NA 105.

  The DI 106 is an interface for communicating with the DEs 200 and 200a. For example, an interface such as SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) can be used as the DI 106.

  The CM-IF 107 is an interface for connecting to the CM 100a. The CM-IF 107 is also used for communication with CMs (not shown) of other storage apparatuses. Here, the CM 100 can perform data access using the CM-IF 107 in cooperation with the CM 100a. For example, the CM 100 may be the active system and the CM 100a may be the standby system. Alternatively, both CMs 100 and 100a may be used as active systems and data access may be distributed. In either case, data access can be taken over by the other in the event of a failure, and the user's business can be prevented from being stopped.

  The medium reader 108 is a device that reads a program and data recorded on a portable recording medium 91. As the recording medium 91, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory can be used. For example, the medium reader 108 can store the program and data read from the recording medium 91 in the RAM 102 and the NVRAM 103 in accordance with an instruction from the processor 101.

  The DE 200 has a plurality of HDDs. For example, the DE 200 includes HDDs 201, 202203, 204, 205, and 206. A logical volume created using each HDD is used as a shared area. The type of access accepted for the shared area differs for each logical volume. For example, the first logical volume created by the HDDs 201, 202, and 203 provides a shared area for block access. On the other hand, the second logical volume created by the HDDs 204, 205, and 206 provides a shared area for file access. Note that the DE 200 includes a plurality of HDDs in the same manner as the DE 200a. As described above, the DEs 200 and 200a may include other storage devices such as an SSD instead of the HDD or in combination with the HDD.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware example of the business server. The business server 300 includes a processor 301, a RAM 302, an HDD 303, an image signal processing unit 304, an input signal processing unit 305, a medium reader 306, and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter) 307. Each unit is connected to the bus of the business server 300. The business server 400 can also be realized using the same unit as the business server 300.

  The processor 301 controls information processing of the business server 300. The processor 301 may be a multiprocessor. The processor 301 is, for example, a CPU, DSP, ASIC, or FPGA. The processor 301 may be a combination of two or more elements among CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, and the like.

  The RAM 302 is a main storage device of the business server 300. The RAM 302 temporarily stores at least part of an OS program and application programs to be executed by the processor 301. The RAM 302 stores various data used for processing by the processor 301.

  The HDD 303 is an auxiliary storage device of the business server 300. The HDD 303 magnetically writes and reads data to and from the built-in magnetic disk. The HDD 303 stores an OS program, application programs, and various data. The business server 300 may include other types of auxiliary storage devices such as flash memory and SSD, and may include a plurality of auxiliary storage devices.

  The image signal processing unit 304 outputs an image to the display 92 connected to the business server 300 in accordance with an instruction from the processor 301. As the display 92, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, a liquid crystal display, or the like can be used.

  The input signal processing unit 305 acquires an input signal from the input device 93 connected to the business server 300 and outputs it to the processor 301. As the input device 93, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse or a touch panel, a keyboard, or the like can be used.

  The medium reader 306 is a device that reads a program and data recorded on the recording medium 94. As the recording medium 94, for example, a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk (FD) or HDD, an optical disk such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a magneto-optical disk (MO). Can be used. Further, as the recording medium 94, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory card can be used. For example, the medium reader 306 stores a program or data read from the recording medium 94 in the RAM 302 or the HDD 303 in accordance with an instruction from the processor 301.

The HBA 307 is a communication interface that communicates with the storage apparatuses N0, N1,..., Nn via the SAN 50.
The business server 300 may further include a communication interface that connects to the LAN 60. Further, the business server 400 includes a communication interface connected to the LAN 60 instead of the HBA 307.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of data access in the unified storage. As described above, the business server 300 performs block access to the storage apparatus N0. Since the block access is access via the SAN 50, it is represented as SAN I / O (Input / Output) in FIG. On the other hand, the business server 400 performs file access to the storage apparatus N0. Since file access is access to the NAS function of the storage apparatus N0, it is represented as NAS I / O in FIG. In order to accept both types of access, the CM 100 operates with a multi-OS.

  In order to realize a multi-OS, the CM 100 executes the hypervisor 110. The hypervisor 110 allocates the calculation resources (such as the processor 101 and the RAM 102) of the CM 100 to a plurality of virtual machines (VMs), and operates the plurality of VMs on the CM 100. The hypervisor 110 controls start / stop of a plurality of VMs on the CM 100. The plurality of VMs include a SAN VM 120 and a NAS VM 130.

  The SAN VM 120 executes a predetermined OS for block access (SAN OS) and processes block access (SAN I / O) by the business server 300. That is, the SAN VM 120 accepts block access by the business server 300 and accesses data stored in the SAN volume V1 in the DEs 200 and 200a. Here, the SAN volume V1 is a logical volume for storing data used for processing of the business server 300. The SAN VM 120 returns the access result to the business server 300.

  The SAN VM 120 also processes block access by the NAS VM 130. The SAN VM 120 accepts block access by the NAS VM 130 and accesses data stored in the NAS volume V2 in the DEs 200 and 200a. Here, the NAS volume V2 is a logical volume for storing data used for processing of the business server 400. The SAN VM 120 returns the access result to the NAS VM 130.

  The NAS VM 130 executes a predetermined OS for file access (NAS OS) and processes file access (NAS I / O) by the business server 400. That is, the NAS VM 130 receives file access by the business server 400, converts the file access to block access, and requests the SAN VM 120 for block access. The NAS VM 130 receives the access result from the SAN VM 120 and responds to the business server 400. As described above, the file access by the NAS VM 130 is based on the assumption that the SAN VM 120 is operating (that is, the OS of the SAN VM 120 is operating). Also in the OS update, the OS VM 120 and the NAS VM 130 are updated in this order in order to allow the SAN VM 120 and the NAS VM 130 to cooperate appropriately.

Similarly to the CM 100, the CMs included in the CM 100a and the storage devices N1,..., Nn process block access and file access.
Here, the CMs of the storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn are grouped into two groups. This is because the OS in each CM can be updated without interrupting the user's work.

  The startup time of the SAN VM 120 and the startup time of the NAS VM 130 depend on the OS executed on each VM. Normally, the startup time of the NAS VM 130 (ie, the NAS OS) is significantly longer than the startup time of the SAN VM 120 (ie, the SAN OS). For example, the startup time of the SAN VM 120 is about several seconds to ten seconds, whereas the startup time of the NAS VM 130 is about several tens of seconds to several minutes.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of CM grouping. Here, the storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn are identified by identification information called device numbers. The device number of the storage device N0 is “0”. The device number of the storage device N1 is “1”. The device number of the storage device Nn is “n”.

  Also, two CMs included in one storage device are identified by identification information called CM numbers. The CM number of the first CM is “0”. The CM number of the second CM is “1”.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the CM number of the CM 100 of the storage apparatus N0 is “0”. The CM number of the CM 100a of the storage device N0 is “1”. Further, the CM number of the CM 100b of the storage apparatus N1 is “0”. The CM number of the CM 100c of the storage device N1 is “1”. The CM number of the CM 100x of the storage apparatus Nn is “0”. Further, the CM number of the CM 100y of the storage apparatus Nn is “1”.

  Therefore, among the CMs included in the storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn, the CM group (CM100, 100b,..., 100x) with the CM number “0” is the first group G1 (first group). And Further, a CM group (CMs 100a, 100c,..., 100y) having a CM number “1” is defined as a second group G2 (second group).

  The business servers 300 and 400 are connected to the storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn through two paths P1 and P2. The path P1 is a communication path connected to the CMs 100, 100b,..., 100x belonging to the first group G1. The path P2 is a communication path connected to the CMs 100a, 100c, ..., 100y belonging to the second group G2.

  In this case, even if the CMs 100, 100b,..., 100x belonging to the first group G1 are restarting for OS update, the business servers 300 and 400 enter the second group G2 via the path P2. Data access can be performed by the CMs 100a, 100c,. Alternatively, the business servers 300 and 400 belong to the first group G1 via the path P1 even if the CMs 100a, 100c,..., 100y belonging to the second group G2 are restarting for OS update. Data access can be performed by CMs 100, 100b,.

  Here, in the second embodiment, one of the CMs 100 and 100a included in the storage apparatus N0 serves as a master and controls the order of OS update of each CM. The CMs 100 and 100a can switch the role of the master to each other.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of CM functions. The CM 100 includes a storage unit 140 in addition to the SAN VM 120 and the NAS VM 130. The storage unit 140 is a storage area secured in the RAM 102 or the NVRAM 103. The storage unit 140 stores a management table for managing information on the group to which each CM belongs as exemplified in FIG. 6 and OS update progress information in each CM.

The SAN VM 120 includes a SAN OS 121 and a master processing unit 122.
The SAN OS 121 is a real time OS (RTOS) that processes block access. An example of the SAN OS 121 is VxWorks (registered trademark). Here, the SAN OS 121 performs communication for mutual cooperation with the SAN OS in other CMs at the time of startup. When the SAN OSs are simultaneously activated by a plurality of CMs, the time until the start of use of any of the SAN OSs may be prolonged because each SAN OS waits for the communication.

  By the way, the SAN OS of each CM is responsible for communication for alive monitoring. In other words, the SAN OS of each CM is also responsible for responding to life and death monitoring communications by a monitoring device such as a switch device belonging to the business server 300 or the SAN 50. For this reason, if the above waiting time is prolonged, the response time for communication for life and death monitoring is not in time for the time limit for life and death monitoring (corresponding to the time limit for the time required for restart), and the corresponding CM cannot be used. If there is, there is a risk of misjudgment by the monitoring device. Therefore, the SAN OS 121 is required to restart within the time limit even when updating the OS.

  The master processing unit 122 controls the update order of each OS of the storage devices N0, N1,..., Nn based on the management table stored in the storage unit 140. Specifically, the master processing unit 122 first updates the SAN OSs of the current update target group one by one, and when all the SAN OSs of the group are updated, the NAS OSs of the group are updated. Update all at once. The master processing unit 122 records the update progress in the management table.

The NAS VM 130 includes a NAS OS 131 and a slave processing unit 132.
The NAS OS 131 is an OS that processes file access. One example of the NAS OS 131 is Linux (registered trademark).

The slave processing unit 132 updates the NAS OS 131 in accordance with the OS update instruction from the master processing unit 122.
The CM 100a includes a SAN VM 120a, a NAS VM 130a, and a storage unit 140a. The storage unit 140a is a storage area secured in the RAM or NVRAM included in the CM 100a. Similar to the storage unit 140, the storage unit 140a stores a management table.

  The SAN VM 120a includes a SAN OS 121a and a slave processing unit 122a. Similar to the SAN OS 121, the SAN OS 121a is an RTOS that processes block access.

  The slave processing unit 122 a updates the SAN OS 121 a in accordance with the OS update instruction from the master processing unit 122. Here, as will be described later, the SAN VM 120 a may temporarily execute the function of the master processing unit 122. At this time, the SAN VM 120 executes the function of the slave processing unit 122 a and updates the SAN OS 121. For example, the storage units 140 and 140a store information for identifying which of the CMs 100 and 100a is executing the function of the master processing unit 122. This is because it is possible to determine which CM was operating as a master at the time of a failure during a series of OS updates, and to be able to restart the OS update from the point of failure.

The NAS VM 130a includes a NAS OS 131a and a slave processing unit 132a.
The NAS OS 131a is an OS that processes file access, similar to the NAS OS 131. The slave processing unit 132 a updates the NAS OS 131 a in accordance with the OS update instruction from the master processing unit 122.

  Note that the SAN OS and NAS OS can also be referred to as firmware of each CM. Therefore, the OS update of the SAN OS can also be referred to as the firmware update of the SAN firmware. The OS update of the NAS OS can also be referred to as the firmware update of the NAS firmware.

Each CM other than the CMs 100 and 100a does not have the function of the master processing unit, but has the function of the slave processing unit.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management table. The management table D1 is stored in the storage units 140 and 140a. However, the management table D <b> 1 only needs to be held in at least the CM that functions as the master processing unit 122. The management table D1 includes items of a device number, a CM number, and a SAN OS update flag.

  In the device number item, a device number which is identification information of the storage device is registered. In the CM number item, a CM number as CM identification information is registered. A flag (update flag) indicating whether or not the SAN OS has been updated is registered in the SAN OS update flag item. For example, the update flag “true” indicates updated. The update flag “false” indicates no update.

  For example, information that the device number is “0”, the CM number is “0”, and the SAN OS update flag is “true” is registered in the management table D1. This indicates that in the storage device N0 indicated by the device number “0”, the SAN OS 121 of the CM 100 indicated by the CM number “0” has been updated.

  In the management table D1, information that the device number is “0”, the CM number is “1”, and the SAN OS update flag is “false” is registered. This indicates that the SAN OS 121a of the CM 100a indicated by the CM number “1” is not updated in the storage device N0 indicated by the device number “0”.

Next, an OS update procedure in the storage system according to the second embodiment will be exemplified.
Here, the updated program for the SAN OS and the updated program for the NAS OS are distributed in advance to the CMs of the storage apparatuses N0, N1,. Each CM stores the distributed program in the NVRAM included in each CM. For example, the storage area for the NVRAM OS program has a two-sided structure. Each CM can store the current version OS program on the first side and the new version OS program on the second side (if the update to the new version fails, the current version can be restored. For). Therefore, in order to update the OS in the storage apparatuses N0, N1,..., Nn, the SAN OS and NAS OS operating in each CM may be restarted with the new version of the program. It will be.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an OS update example. In the following, the process illustrated in FIG. 9 will be described in order of step number.
(S11) The master processing unit 122 receives an OS program update instruction from the user. The master processing unit 122 sets the first CM (CM 100a) of the second group G2 as a master. The master processing unit 122 sets the update flag of each CM in the management table D1 stored in the storage unit 140 to “false”, and provides the management table D1 to the CM 100a. In the CM 100a, the management table D1 is stored in the storage unit 140a. As a result, the role of the master is switched to the CM 100a, and the CM 100 executes a function corresponding to the slave processing unit until the role of the master returns.

  (S12) The master processing unit of the CM 100a executes the process of disconnecting the NAS OS 131 of the first CM (CM 100) of the first group G1. The disconnection process means that the corresponding NAS OS is shut down. That is, the master processing unit of the CM 100a instructs the CM 100 to shut down the NAS OS 131. The CM 100 shuts down the NAS OS 131 according to the instruction.

  (S13) The master processing unit of the CM 100a updates the SAN OS 121 of the first CM (CM 100) of the first group G1. Specifically, the master processing unit of the CM 100a instructs the CM 100 to restart the SAN OS 121 using a new version of the program. In response to the instruction, the slave processing unit of the CM 100 restarts the SAN OS 121 with the new version of the program. The master processing unit of the CM 100a updates the management table D1 (sets the SAN OS 121 of the CM 100 to updated (update flag “true”)).

  (S14) The master processing unit of the CM 100a switches the master to the first CM (CM 100) of the first group G1. The master processing unit of the CM 100a provides the management table D1 to the CM 100. In the CM 100, the management table D1 is stored in the storage unit 140. As a result, the OS update control entity returns to the master processing unit 122 of the CM 100. The CM 100a finishes its role as a master processing unit, and thereafter, the processing by the slave processing unit 122a is mainly performed.

  (S15) The master processing unit 122 executes the processing for detaching the NAS OS for the next CM in the first group G1. Specifically, the master processing unit 122 instructs the corresponding CM to shut down the NAS OS. Upon receiving the instruction, the CM slave processing unit shuts down the NAS OS in accordance with the instruction. Here, the master processing unit 122 updates the NAS OS in the ascending order of the device numbers of the storage devices. Therefore, the “next CM” is included in the storage device corresponding to the device number obtained by adding 1 to the device number of the storage device that has just updated the NAS OS among the CMs belonging to the first group G1. CM.

  (S16) The master processing unit 122 updates the SAN OS of the CM for which the NAS OS disconnection process has been performed in step S15. Specifically, the master processing unit 122 instructs the corresponding CM to restart the SAN OS using the new version of the program. In response to the instruction, the CM slave processing unit that has received the instruction restarts the SAN OS with the new version of the program. The master processing unit 122 sets the SAN OS of the corresponding CM to updated in the management table D1.

  (S17) The master processing unit 122 refers to the management table D1 and determines whether all the SAN OSs of the first group G1 have been updated. If all have been updated, the process proceeds to step S18. If not all have been updated, the process proceeds to step S15.

  (S18) The master processing unit 122 updates the NAS OSs of all CMs (CMs 100, 100b,..., 100x) in the first group G1 all at once. Thereby, the update of each OS included in the first group G1 is completed.

  (S19) The master processing unit 122 executes the processing for detaching the NAS OS for the next CM in the second group G2. Specifically, the master processing unit 122 instructs the corresponding CM to shut down the NAS OS. Upon receiving the instruction, the CM slave processing unit shuts down the NAS OS in accordance with the instruction. Here, the “next CM” is included in the storage device corresponding to the device number obtained by adding 1 to the device number of the storage device that has just updated the NAS OS among the CMs belonging to the second group G2. CM. When step S19 is executed first, the “next CM” is the CM 100a.

  (S20) The master processing unit 122 updates the SAN OS of the CM for which the NAS OS disconnection process has been performed in step S19. Specifically, the master processing unit 122 instructs the corresponding CM to restart the SAN OS using the new version of the program. In response to the instruction, the CM slave processing unit that has received the instruction restarts the SAN OS with the new version of the program. The master processing unit 122 sets the SAN OS of the corresponding CM to updated in the management table D1.

  (S21) The master processing unit 122 refers to the management table D1 and determines whether or not all the SAN OSs in the second group G2 have been updated. If all have been updated, the process proceeds to step S22. If not all have been updated, the process proceeds to step S19.

  (S22) The master processing unit 122 updates the NAS OSs of all CMs (CMs 100a, 100c,..., 100y) of the second group G2 all at once. Thereby, the update of each OS included in the second group G2 is completed.

  In this manner, in the SAN OS update phase, the CM 100 stops the NAS OS of the target CM and then restarts the CM's SAN OS with the new version of the first program. Therefore, at the stage where the SAN OS update phase is completed, the NAS OS is stopped in each CM belonging to the corresponding group. In the NAS OS update phase, the CM 100 simultaneously activates the plurality of NAS OSs for the CM using a new version of the second program.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of OS update. FIG. 10A shows an example in which the OS of each CM is updated by the procedure of FIG. FIG. 10B shows an example in which CMs are sequentially selected one by one, and both the SAN OS and the NAS OS are updated in parallel. Here, in FIG. 10, the direction from the left to the right is the positive direction of the time axis. In FIG. 10, the update of the SAN OS (specifically, the OS restart with the new version) is represented by a rectangle with the character string “SAN”. Further, the update of the NAS OS (specifically, the OS restart with the new version) is represented by a rectangle with the character string “NAS”. The length in the time axis direction of each square with the character string “SAN” or “NAS” indicates the time required for updating (restarting).

  In the example of FIG. 10A, the OS update is performed on the first group G1 in the first half and the second group G2 in the second half. The storage device N0 as the master starts OS update at time T0. First, the storage apparatus N0 sequentially updates the SAN OS for n CMs (CM100, 100b,..., 100x) in the first group G1 according to the procedure of FIG. Next, the storage apparatus N0 simultaneously updates the NAS OS for n CMs (CM100, 100b,..., 100x) in the first group G1. In this case, the storage device N0 completes the update of all the OSs in the first group G1 at time T1. Thereafter, the storage apparatus N0 updates the OS of the second group G2 in the latter half in the same manner as the update of the first group G1.

  Also in the example of FIG. 10B, the OS update of the first group G1 in the first half and the second group G2 in the second half is performed with the time T0 as the OS update start time. Since the startup time of the NAS OS is longer than the startup time of the SAN OS, in the method shown in FIG. 10B, the time required for updating the OS for each CM is determined by the startup time of the NAS OS. Then, until the update of the NAS OS is completed in a certain CM, it is not possible to proceed to the update of the next CM.

  For this reason, the time required to complete the SAN OS and the NAS OS for all the CMs belonging to the first group G1 is longer than that in the method of FIG. In the method of FIG. 10B, it is assumed that the update of all OSs in the first group G1 is completed at time T2. Time T2 is later than time T1. That is, the OS update method in FIG. 10A can complete the OS update earlier than ΔT = T2-T1 than the OS update method in FIG. 10B.

  Considering the latter half, the OS update method of FIG. 10A is approximately more than the OS update method of FIG. 10B until all OSs of all CMs belonging to the storage system are completed. The OS update can be completed as early as 2 × ΔT.

  In this way, the storage device N0 sequentially updates the SAN OSs with relatively short startup times one by one, and updates the NAS OSs with relatively long startup times all at once. The update of each OS can be speeded up. Specifically, by updating the SAN OS one by one in sequence, simultaneous startup of the SAN OS in each CM can be avoided, and processing delay due to waiting for communication between CMs can be reduced. For this reason, the restart of the SAN OS can be made in time for the life and death monitoring communication, and it is not erroneously determined that the corresponding CM cannot be used. Also, the NAS OS can be updated all at once, so that the time required for updating can be shortened compared to updating one by one.

  The information processing according to the first embodiment can be realized by causing the processing unit 12 (or the processing unit 21b) to execute a program. The information processing according to the second embodiment can be realized by causing a processor (for example, the processor 101) included in the CMs 100 and 100a to execute a program. The program can be recorded on computer-readable recording media 91 and 94. Here, each CM including the CMs 100 and 100a may be considered to include a computer including a processor and a memory.

  For example, the program can be distributed by distributing the recording media 91 and 94 on which the program is recorded. Further, the program recorded in the recording media 91 and 94 may be stored in another computer (for example, the business server 300 or 400 or another computer), and the program may be distributed via a network. The computer included in the CM can store, for example, a program recorded in the recording media 91 and 94 or a program received from another computer in a storage device such as the RAM 102 or the NVRAM 103 (installation). The CM processor may read and execute the program from the storage device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing system 10 Control apparatus 11, 21a Storage part 12, 21b Processing part 20, 30, 40 Subsystem 21, 22, 31, 32, 41, 42 Electronic device x1, x2, x3 1st kind OS
y1, y2, y3 Second type OS

Claims (5)

A control device that controls a plurality of electronic devices capable of executing a plurality of types of operating systems in parallel,
A storage unit for storing an operating system update status in each of the plurality of electronic devices;
Update of the first type of operating system is executed sequentially for each electronic device based on the update status stored in the storage unit, and the first type of operating system of the plurality of electronic devices is updated. A processing unit for performing a process of simultaneously executing updates of the second type operating system having a startup time longer than that of the first type operating system to the plurality of electronic devices after the update is completed;
Control device. The control device controls a first electronic device and a second electronic device belonging to a plurality of subsystems, respectively.
The storage unit stores information indicating a first electronic device and a second electronic device respectively belonging to the plurality of subsystems;
The processing unit causes the first electronic device of each of the plurality of subsystems to update the first type and the second type of operating system based on the information. Performing a process of updating the first type and the second type of operating system for each second electronic device of the plurality of subsystems;
The control device according to claim 1.   In the update of the first type of operating system, the processing unit stops the second type of operating system of the electronic device and then updates the first type of operating system of the electronic device to a new version. The second program is restarted by the first program, and the second type operating system of the plurality of electronic devices is simultaneously started by the new version of the second program in updating the second type operating system. The control device according to claim 1 or 2, which performs processing. The first type operating system is used for block access to the storage device, and the second type operating system is used for file access to the storage device.
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Multiple electronic devices capable of running multiple types of operating systems in parallel;
The first type of operating system is updated after the first type of operating system is updated one by one in order and the updating of the first type of operating system of the plurality of electronic devices is completed. A control device for performing a process of simultaneously executing updates of the second type operating system having a longer startup time than the plurality of electronic devices;
An information processing system having

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