CN113742142A

CN113742142A - Method for managing SATA hard disk by storage system and storage system

Info

Publication number: CN113742142A
Application number: CN202010464053.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 谢仁峰; 戚龙江
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-05-27
Filing date: 2020-05-27
Publication date: 2021-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 2040-05-27
Also published as: WO2021238579A1; CN113742142B

Abstract

The application discloses a method for managing SATA hard disks by a storage system and the storage system, relates to the field of storage, and solves the problem that standby equipment can access the SATA hard disks without using a port selector under the condition of fault transfer. When the second controller monitors that the first controller fails, the second controller sends a first control message to a first hard disk expansion board connected with the first controller, and the first hard disk expansion board is instructed to disconnect a path with the first controller. At this time, the second controller is accessed to the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk connected to the first hard disk expansion board, so that the second controller operates the service of the first controller to access the SATA hard disk connected to the first hard disk expansion board. Before the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk connected with the first hard disk expansion board are accessed into the second controller, the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk connected with the first hard disk expansion board are accessed into the first controller.

Description

Method for managing SATA hard disk by storage system and storage system

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of storage, and in particular, to a method for managing SATA hard disks in a storage system and a storage system.

Background

Currently, Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disks are one of the mainstream data storage devices. The host is connected with a plurality of SATA hard disks through a hard disk expansion board (expander) to access the plurality of SATA hard disks. When the host fails, in order to ensure that the service is not affected, the system supports a failover (failover) mechanism, that is, a standby device is used to run the service of the host and access a plurality of SATA hard disks.

As shown in fig. 1, the controller 101 is a master device and the controller 102 is a standby device. The controller 101 is connected to a hard disk expansion board 103, the controller 102 is connected to a hard disk expansion board 104, the hard disk expansion board 103 is connected to a port selector (port selector)105 and a port selector 106, the hard disk expansion board 104 is connected to the port selector 105 and the port selector 106, the port selector 105 is connected to a SATA hard disk 107, and the port selector 106 is connected to a SATA hard disk 108. Generally, ports between the port selector 105 and the port selector 106 and the hard disk expansion board 103 are gated, and ports between the port selector 105 and the port selector 106 and the hard disk expansion board 104 are disconnected. At this time, the SATA hard disk 107 and the SATA hard disk 108 are accessed to the controller 101, and the controller 101 runs a service, accesses the SATA hard disk 107 through the hard disk expansion board 103 and the port selector 105, and accesses the SATA hard disk 108 through the hard disk expansion board 103 and the port selector 106.

As shown in fig. 2, when the controller 101 fails, the controller 102 controls port gating between the port selector 105 and the port selector 106, respectively, and the hard disk expansion board 104. At this time, the SATA hard disk 107 and the SATA hard disk 108 are accessed to the controller 102, and the controller 102 runs a service, accesses the SATA hard disk 107 through the hard disk expansion board 104 and the port selector 105, and accesses the SATA hard disk 108 through the hard disk expansion board 104 and the port selector 106.

It can be seen that, in order to support the failover mechanism, each SATA hard disk is connected to the main control device and the standby device through the port selector, which results in an increase in system cost. Therefore, how to access the SATA hard disk by using a standby device without using a port selector is an urgent problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method for managing an SATA hard disk by a storage system and the storage system, which solve the problem that a standby device accesses the SATA hard disk without using a port selector under the condition of fault transfer.

In order to achieve the purpose, the technical scheme is as follows:

in a first aspect, the present application provides a method for managing SATA hard disks in a storage system, where the storage system includes a first controller, a second controller, a first hard disk expansion board and SATA hard disks, where the first controller is connected to the first hard disk expansion board, the first hard disk expansion board is connected to the SATA hard disks, and the first hard disk expansion board is connected to the second controller; the method comprises the following steps: when the second controller monitors that the first controller fails, the second controller sends a first control message to a first hard disk expansion board connected with the first controller, and the first hard disk expansion board is instructed to disconnect a path with the first controller. At this time, the second controller accesses the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk, so that the second controller operates the service of the first controller to access the SATA hard disk, that is, the second controller performs read operation and write operation on the SATA hard disk connected to the first hard disk expansion board. It should be noted that, before the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk are accessed to the second controller, the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk are accessed to the first controller. Understandably, when the first controller runs the service, the first controller can access the SATA hard disk through the first hard disk expansion board.

According to the method for managing the SATA hard disk by the storage system, under the condition that a port selector is not used, the second controller controls the first hard disk expansion board to disconnect the access with the failed first controller through the first hard disk expansion board by using the control instruction, and accesses the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk into the second controller, so that when the first controller fails, the second controller takes over the work of the first controller, and when the service of the first controller is operated, the SATA hard disk of the default attributive first controller is accessed, and therefore the system cost is effectively reduced.

In one possible design, the second controller sends a first control message through the out-of-band channel, where the first control message is an out-of-band message, so as to instruct the first hard disk expansion board to disconnect a path from the failed first controller through the out-of-band message, isolate the first hard disk expansion board from the first controller, and avoid the second controller from accessing the SATA hard disk connected to the first hard disk expansion board and colliding with the first controller.

In another possible design, the storage system further includes a second hard disk expansion board, the second controller is connected to the second hard disk expansion board, the second hard disk expansion board is connected to the first hard disk expansion board, and the second controller runs the service of the first controller and accesses the SATA hard disk through the second hard disk expansion board.

In addition, the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk accessed by the second controller may be pre-configured by the second controller; alternatively, the second controller may receive a response message indication from the first hard disk expansion board.

And when the second controller monitors that the first controller is recovered from the fault, the second controller cancels the access right to the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk and sends a second control message to the first hard disk expansion board, wherein the second control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to gate the access with the first controller.

In one possible design, the second controller sends the second control message over an out-of-band channel, the second control message being an out-of-band message. Therefore, the out-of-band message indicates the first hard disk expansion board to gate the path of the first controller with fault recovery, so that the first controller can conveniently access the SATA hard disk connected with the first hard disk expansion board when running services.

Optionally, the second controller receives a notification message from the first controller, where the notification message instructs the first controller to recover from the failure, so that the second controller instructs the first hard disk expansion board to gate the path with the first controller.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for managing SATA hard disks in a storage system, where the storage system includes a first controller, a second controller, a first hard disk expansion board and SATA hard disks, where the first controller is connected to the first hard disk expansion board, the first hard disk expansion board is connected to the SATA hard disks, and the first hard disk expansion board is connected to the second controller; the method comprises the following steps: when the first controller fails, the first hard disk expansion board receives a first control message from the second controller, and the first hard disk expansion board disconnects a path with the first controller. The first control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to disconnect a path with the first controller.

According to the method for managing the SATA hard disk by the storage system, under the condition that a port selector is not used, the first hard disk expansion board receives a control instruction from the second controller, a channel with a failed first controller is disconnected, the second controller enables the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk to be connected into the second controller, the second controller replaces the first controller when the first controller fails, the SATA hard disk of the default attributive first controller is accessed when the first controller runs the service, and therefore system cost is effectively reduced.

Optionally, after the first hard disk expansion board receives the first control message from the second controller, the method further includes: and the first hard disk expansion board sends a response message to the second controller, wherein the response message comprises the port number of the first hard disk expansion board and the number of the SATA hard disks connected with the first hard disk expansion board.

Furthermore, when the first controller is recovered from the fault, the first hard disk expansion board receives a second control message from the second controller, and gates a path with the first controller. Wherein, the second control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to gate the path with the first controller

In a third aspect, the present application further provides a storage system, and for beneficial effects, reference may be made to the description of the first aspect, which is not described herein again. The storage system has a function of implementing the behavior of the second controller in the method example of the first aspect described above. The functions can be realized by hardware, and the functions can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions. In one possible design, the storage system includes a first controller, a second controller, a first hard disk expansion board and an SATA hard disk, where the first controller is connected to the first hard disk expansion board, the first hard disk expansion board is connected to the SATA hard disk, the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk are accessed to the first controller, and the first hard disk expansion board is connected to the second controller; when the second controller monitors that the first controller fails, the second controller is used for sending a first control message to the first hard disk expansion board, and the first control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to disconnect a path with the first controller; the second controller is also used for accessing the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk, operating the service of the first controller and accessing the SATA hard disk. The units may perform corresponding functions in the method example of the first aspect, for specific reference, detailed description of the method example is given, and details are not repeated here.

In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a storage system, and for beneficial effects, reference may be made to the description of the second aspect, which is not described herein again. The storage system has a function of implementing the behavior of the first hard disk expansion board in the method example of the second aspect. The functions can be realized by hardware, and the functions can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions. In one possible design, the storage system includes a first controller, a second controller, a first hard disk expansion board and an SATA hard disk, the first controller is connected to the first hard disk expansion board, the first hard disk expansion board is connected to the SATA hard disk, the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk are connected to the first controller, and the first hard disk expansion board is connected to the second controller; when the first controller fails, the first hard disk expansion board is used for receiving a first control message from the second controller, and the first control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to disconnect a path with the first controller; the first hard disk expansion board is also used for disconnecting the access with the first controller. The units may perform corresponding functions in the method example of the first aspect, for specific reference, detailed description of the method example is given, and details are not repeated here.

In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a terminal device, including a storage system, where the storage system is configured to store a computer program and instructions, a second controller in the storage system is configured to call the computer program and instructions to execute the method according to the first aspect, and a first hard disk expansion board in the storage system is configured to call the computer program and instructions to execute the method according to the second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when executed, causes the method performed by the second controller in the above-described first aspect to be performed.

In a seventh aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product, comprising: computer program code which, when executed, causes the method performed by the first hard disk expansion board of the second aspect described above to be performed.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, where the chip system includes a processor, and is configured to implement the function of the second controller in the method of the first aspect. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and/or data. The chip system may be formed by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, where the chip system includes a processor, and is configured to implement the function of the first hard disk expansion board in the method of the second aspect. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and/or data. The chip system may be formed by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed, implements the method of the first aspect described above as being performed by the second controller.

In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed, implements the method performed by the first hard disk expansion board in the second aspect.

In the present application, the names of the controller, the hard disk expansion board terminal device, and the storage system do not limit the devices themselves, and in actual implementation, the devices may appear by other names. Provided that the function of each device is similar to that of the present application, and that the devices are within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a memory system according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a memory system according to the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a memory system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4-6 are schematic diagrams illustrating a process of managing SATA hard disks by a storage system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart of a method for managing SATA hard disks in a storage system according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 is a schematic composition diagram of a hard disk expansion board according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. in the description and claims of this application and the above-described drawings are used for distinguishing between different objects and not for limiting a particular order.

In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "e.g.," is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present concepts related in a concrete fashion.

For clarity and conciseness of the following descriptions of the various embodiments, a brief introduction to the related art is first given:

in computer terminology, failover (failover) may refer to the rapid enablement of a redundant or standby server, system, hardware, or network to take over the operation of a failed device to continue running an active service or application when the service or application terminates unexpectedly.

For servers, systems, hardware or networks that require high availability and high stability, system designers often design failover functionality.

At the server level, automatic failover typically uses one "heartbeat" line to connect two servers. The standby server will not be active as long as there is no interruption in the pulse or "heartbeat" between the primary and standby servers. A third server may also be on standby with a standby component for hot-swapping and to prevent service interruption. After the heartbeat alarm of the main server is detected, the standby server can be connected with the service.

Failover (failback) is the restoration of a server, system, hardware, or network to a pre-failure configuration.

Because the SATA hard disk does not support multi-host access, in order to support a failover mechanism, the traditional technology is connected with a main controller and a standby controller through a port selector, and when the main controller fails, a channel between the port selector and the standby controller is gated, so that the standby controller takes over the work of the main controller. Reference is made in particular to the description of fig. 1 and 2.

Because each SATA hard disk is connected with the port selector, the controller accesses the SATA hard disk through the hard disk expansion board and the port selector, the system cost is increased, and in order to solve the problem, the embodiment of the application provides a method for managing the SATA hard disk by using a storage system. The storage system comprises a first controller, a second controller, a first hard disk expansion board and an SATA hard disk, wherein the first controller is connected with the first hard disk expansion board, the first hard disk expansion board is connected with the SATA hard disk, and the first hard disk expansion board is connected with the second controller. The method comprises the following steps: when the second controller monitors that the first controller fails, the second controller sends a first control message to a first hard disk expansion board connected with the first controller, and the first hard disk expansion board is instructed to disconnect a path with the first controller. At this time, the second controller is accessed to the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk connected to the first hard disk expansion board, so that the second controller operates the service of the first controller to access the SATA hard disk. It should be noted that, before the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk are accessed to the second controller, the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk are accessed to the first controller. Understandably, when the first controller runs the service, the first controller can access the SATA hard disk through the first hard disk expansion board.

According to the method for managing the SATA hard disk by the storage system, under the condition that a port selector is not used, the second controller controls the first hard disk expansion board to disconnect a channel with the failed first controller through the first hard disk expansion board by using the control instruction, and accesses the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk into the second controller, so that when the first controller fails, the second controller takes over the work of the first controller, and when the service of the first controller is operated, the SATA hard disk which is acquiescent to the first controller is accessed, and therefore the system cost is effectively reduced.

Embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a memory system according to an embodiment of the present application. The memory system 300 includes a first controller 301 and a second controller 302. The first controller 301 is connected to a first hard disk expansion board 303, and the first hard disk expansion board 303 is connected to a SATA hard disk 305. The second controller 302 is connected to a second hard disk expansion board 304, and the second hard disk expansion board 304 is connected to a SATA hard disk 306. The first hard disk expansion board 303 is connected to the second hard disk expansion board 304. The first controller 301 is connected to the second hard disk expansion board 304. The second controller 302 is connected to the first hard disk expansion board 303.

Data are transmitted among the first controller 301, the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305 according to the SATA protocol.

Data is transmitted among the second controller 302, the second hard disk expansion board 304, and the SATA hard disk 306 according to the SATA protocol.

Data is transmitted between the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the second hard disk expansion board 304 through the SATA protocol.

Data is transmitted between the first controller 301 and the second hard disk expansion board 304 through an out-of-band channel. Data is transmitted between the second controller 302 and the first hard disk expansion board 303 through an out-of-band channel.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram, and the embodiment of the application does not limit the number of hard disk expansion boards and SATA hard disks included in the storage system 300. In practical applications, the system may further include more hard disk expansion boards and SATA hard disks, which are not shown in fig. 3.

Compared with the prior art that the hard disk expansion board is connected with the SATA hard disks through the port selector, and the two hard disk expansion boards are connected with the same SATA hard disks, in the storage system provided by the embodiment of the application, the hard disk expansion board does not need to be connected with the SATA hard disks through the port selector, the hard disk expansion board is connected with the SATA hard disks with different numbers according to requirements, and more SATA hard disks can be connected in the system under the condition that the same number of hard disk expansion boards are used, so that the storage capacity of the system is improved.

It can be understood that after the controllers in the storage System 300 are powered on, the controllers enter an initial state, and each controller sends a message according to a Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (SAS) protocol to scan all the hard disk expansion boards and SATA hard disks in the System. And then, handshake (handshake) is carried out between the controllers, and the controllers recognize that the current state is an initial state, access the default hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk and enter the running state.

Typically, after the communication circuit is established, the devices handshake before the information transfer starts. Handshaking is used to achieve parameters such as information transfer rate, alphabet, parity, interrupt process, and other protocol characteristics.

In telecommunication and microprocessor systems, handshaking is also known as handshaking. In data communications, sequences of events, managed by hardware or software, agree on the state of the mode of operation before exchanging information.

In the operating state, the controller accesses the SATA hard disk connected to the hard disk expansion board through the hard disk expansion board connected to the controller. In a fault state, the hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk connected with the controller are accessed into other controllers connected with the hard disk expansion board, so that other equipment can access the SATA hard disk connected with the fault controller under the condition of controller fault transfer. For example, in a state where both the first controller 301 and the second controller 302 operate normally, the first controller 301 and the second controller 302 may be two independent devices. When the first controller 301 fails, the second controller 302 takes over the operation of the first controller 301, runs the service of the first controller 301, and accesses the SATA hard disk 305. When the second controller 302 fails, the first controller 301 takes over the work of the second controller 302, runs the service of the second controller 302, and accesses the SATA hard disk 306.

Next, with reference to fig. 4 to 6, a process of managing the SATA hard disk by the storage system will be described by taking a failure of the first controller 301 as an example.

As shown in fig. 4, after the first controller 301 is powered on, the first controller 301 enters an initial state. The first controller 301 sends messages according to the SAS protocol to scan a first hard disk expansion board 303 and SATA hard disk 305 associated with the first controller 301 and a second hard disk expansion board 304 and SATA hard disk 306 associated with the second controller 302.

Similarly, after the second controller 302 is powered on, the second controller 302 enters the initial state. The second controller 302 sends a message according to the SAS protocol to scan the second hard disk expansion board 304 and SATA hard disk 306 associated with the second controller 302, and the first hard disk expansion board 303 and SATA hard disk 305 associated with the first controller 301.

At this time, the first controller 301 and the second controller 302 do not access the scanned hard disk expansion board and SATA hard disk. The first controller 301 and the second controller 302 perform handshake first, and recognize that the current state is the initial state. The first controller 301 accesses the default first hard disk expansion board 303 and SATA hard disk 305, and enters an operating state. The second controller 302 accesses the default second hard disk expansion board 304 and SATA hard disk 306, and enters an operating state.

In some embodiments, the Application layer of the first controller 301 calls an Application Programming Interface (API) to register the SATA hard disk 305 on the default first hard disk expansion board 303 to the block device. Herein, the registration may mean that the first controller 301 controls the SATA hard disk 305 on the first hard disk expansion board 303 to access to an Operating System (OS) of the first controller 301, so that the processor in the first controller 301 accesses the SATA hard disk 305 through the first hard disk expansion board 303.

Similarly, the application layer of the second controller 302 calls the API to register the SATA hard disk 306 on the default second hard disk expansion board 304 to the block device. Herein, the registration may mean that the second controller 302 controls the SATA hard disk 306 on the second hard disk expansion board 304 to be accessed into the OS of the second controller 302, so that the processor in the second controller 302 accesses the SATA hard disk 306 through the second hard disk expansion board 304.

Optionally, the first controller 301 and the second controller 302 are both configured with a hard disk expansion board and a SATA hard disk connected by default. The relationship between the hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk connected by default to the controller and the controller may be presented in the form of a table. Illustratively, as shown in table 1, the default information table includes the relationship between the controller and the hard disk expansion board and SATA hard disk connected by default.

TABLE 1

Device	Hard disk expansion board	SATA hard disk
			First controller 301	First hard disk expansion board 303	SATA hard disk 305
Second controller 302	Second hard disk expansion board 304	SATA hard disk 306

As can be seen from table 1, the first controller 301 defaults to the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305 connected thereto. Second controller 302 defaults to a second hard disk expansion board 304 and SATA hard disk 306 connected. First controller 301 may access first hard disk expansion board 303 and SATA hard disk 305 by consulting table 1. Second controller 302 can access second hard disk expansion board 304 and SATA hard disk 306 by querying table 1.

It should be noted that table 1 only shows a storage form of a relationship between the controller and the hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk connected by default in the storage device in a table form, and does not limit the storage form of the relationship in the storage device.

In the operating state, the first controller 301 and the second controller 302 periodically send packets to each other via the "heartbeat" to monitor the "heartbeat" of the other. In some embodiments, the first controller 301 and the second controller 302 are both configured with a fault detection network card (commonly referred to as "heartbeat card"), and the first controller 301 and the second controller 302 monitor the heartbeat of each other by sending data packets to each other through the fault detection network card.

If the "heartbeat" of the first controller 301 is not interrupted, it is determined that the first controller 301 is in an operational state and the first controller 301 is not malfunctioning. If the "heartbeat" of the second controller 302 is not interrupted, it is determined that the second controller 302 is in an operational state and the second controller 302 is not malfunctioning.

If the first controller 301 fails, the first controller 301 stops sending data packets to the second controller 302, and then the second controller 302 does not receive the data packets from the first controller 301 within a preset time period, and the second controller 302 determines that the "heartbeat" of the first controller 301 is interrupted. It will be appreciated that a "heartbeat" interrupt to the first controller 301 indicates a failure of the first controller 301 and the first controller 301 enters a failed state.

As shown in fig. 5, when the second controller 302 monitors that the first controller 301 has failed, the second controller 302 sends a first control message to the first hard disk expansion board 303, instructing the first hard disk expansion board 303 to disconnect the path from the first controller 301. The first hard disk expansion board 303 receives the first control message from the second controller 302, and disconnects the first controller 301. The first control message is used to instruct the first hard disk expansion board 303 to disconnect the path from the first controller 301.

In one possible design, the second controller 302 sends the first control message over an out-of-band channel, the first control message being an out-of-band message. The out-of-band message instructs the first hard disk expansion board 303 to disconnect the path from the failed first controller 301, so as to isolate the first hard disk expansion board 303 from the first controller 301, and prevent the second controller 302 from accessing the SATA hard disk 305 and colliding with the first controller 301. The out-of-band channel, i.e. using a separate control link, control information and data transmission are controlled by different processes.

Further, the second controller 302 accesses the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305. Understandably, the second controller 302 controls the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305 to access to the operating system of the second controller 302, so that the processor in the second controller 302 accesses the SATA hard disk 305 through the second hard disk expansion board 304 and the first hard disk expansion board 303.

In some embodiments, in the initial state, second controller 302 prescans first hard disk expansion board 303 and SATA hard disk 305. After the second controller 302 determines that the first controller 301 has failed, the lookup table 1 accesses the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305. It is understood that the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305 are preconfigured, that is, the first controller 301 connects the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305 by default.

In other embodiments, after the second controller 302 sends the first control message to the first hard disk expansion board 303, the first hard disk expansion board 303 sends a response message to the second controller 302, where the response message includes the number of ports of the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the number of SATA hard disks 305 connected to the first hard disk expansion board 303. After receiving the response message from the first hard disk expansion board 303, the second controller 302 accesses the number of ports of the first hard disk expansion board 303 indicated by the response message and the number of SATA hard disks 305 connected to the first hard disk expansion board 303. It should be noted that the number of ports of the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the number of SATA hard disks 305 connected to the first hard disk expansion board 303 indicated by the response message are real-time data, and may be greater than or less than the default number of ports of the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the default number of SATA hard disks 305 connected to the first hard disk expansion board 303.

Further, the second controller 302 executes the service of the first controller 301, and accesses the SATA hard disk 305, that is, performs read and write operations on the SATA hard disk 305.

Specifically, the second controller 302 performs data interaction with the SATA hard disk 305 on the first hard disk expansion board 305 through the second hard disk expansion board 304 according to the SATA protocol, and performs read operation and write operation on the SATA hard disk 305.

Optionally, the second controller 302 runs the service of the second controller 302, and accesses the SATA hard disk 306, that is, performs read operation and write operation on the SATA hard disk 306.

As shown in fig. 6, when the second controller 302 monitors that the first controller 301 has failed back, the access right to the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305 is revoked, and it can be understood that the registration information of the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305 is deleted from the operating system of the second controller 302. Further, the second controller 302 sends a second control message to the first hard disk expansion board 303, instructing the first hard disk expansion board 303 to gate the path with the first controller 301.

In one possible design, the second controller 302 sends the second control message over an out-of-band channel, and the first control message is an out-of-band message. Therefore, the out-of-band message instructs the first hard disk expansion board 303 to gate the path with the failure recovery first controller 301, so that the first controller 301 accesses the SATA hard disk 305 connected to the first hard disk expansion board 303 when running a service.

The first hard disk expansion board 303 receives the second control message from the second controller 302, and gates the path with the first controller 301. After the failure of the first controller 301 is recovered, the first controller 301 does not access any hard disk expansion board and SATA hard disk. At this time, the first controller 301 accesses the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305 by referring to table 1. The first controller 301 executes the service of the first controller 301, and accesses the SATA hard disk 305, that is, performs read and write operations on the SATA hard disk 305.

Optionally, after receiving the notification message from the first controller 301, the second controller 302 sends a second control message to the first hard disk expansion board 303, instructing the first hard disk expansion board 303 to gate a path with the first controller 301. Wherein the notification message indicates that the first controller 301 has failed back.

It should be noted that, the first controller 301 may notify the second controller 302 of the information related to the running service by referring to a method in the prior art, and specifically refer to the description in the prior art, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a method for managing SATA hard disks in a storage system according to an embodiment of the present application. Here, the first controller 301, the second controller 302, and the first hard disk expansion board 303 in the storage system 300 are explained as an example. Assume that the first controller 301 fails. The method comprises the following steps.

When the second controller monitors that the first controller is out of order, S701 is performed.

S701, the second controller 302 sends a first control message to the first hard disk expansion board 303.

The first control message is used to instruct the first hard disk expansion board 303 to disconnect the path from the first controller 301.

S702, the first hard disk expansion board 303 receives the first control message from the second controller 302.

S703, the first hard disk expansion board 303 disconnects the path to the first controller 301.

S704, the second controller 302 accesses the first hard disk expansion board 303 and the SATA hard disk 305.

S705, the second controller 302 operates the service of the first controller 301 to access the SATA hard disk 305.

For specific implementation of S701 to S705, reference is made to the description of the above embodiments, and details are not repeated.

It is understood that, in order to implement the functions of the above embodiments, the controller and the hard disk expansion board include corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and method steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the particular application scenario and design constraints imposed on the solution.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The controller may be configured to implement the function of the second controller in the above method embodiment, and thus, the beneficial effects of the above method embodiment can also be achieved. In an embodiment of the present application, the controller may be the second controller 302 as shown in fig. 3 to 6.

As shown in fig. 8, the controller 800 includes a first processing unit 810 and a second processing unit 820. The first processing unit 810 runs a status monitoring program and an underlying protocol program. The second processing unit 820 runs a baseboard management program. The second processing unit 820 may be a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC). The first processing unit 810 employs an in-band (in-band) management scheme. The second processing unit 820 adopts an out-of-band (out-of-band) management manner.

The core idea of so-called in-band management is that management control information and data information are transmitted using a unified physical channel. The core idea of out-of-band management is to transmit management control information and data information through different physical channels, which are completely independent and do not affect each other. For example, the computer room network equipment (routers, switches, firewalls, etc.), server equipment (minicomputers, servers, workstations) and computer room power system are centrally integrated and managed through dedicated management channels independent of the data network.

The controller 800 is used to implement the functionality of the second controller 302 in the method embodiment described above and illustrated in fig. 7.

When the controller 800 is used to implement the functionality of the second controller 302 in the method embodiment shown in fig. 7: the first processing unit 810 is configured to execute S704 and S705; the second processing unit 820 is configured to execute S701.

Optionally, the controller 800 may further include a memory 830 for storing instructions executed by the first processing unit 810 and the second processing unit 820, or storing input data required by the first processing unit 810 and the second processing unit 820 to execute the instructions, or storing data generated after the first processing unit 810 and the second processing unit 820 execute the instructions.

More detailed descriptions about the first processing unit 810 and the second processing unit 820 can be directly obtained by referring to the related descriptions of the second controller 302 in fig. 3 to fig. 6, which are not repeated herein.

As shown in fig. 9, the hard disk expansion board 900 includes a processor 910 and an interface circuit 920. The processor 910 and the interface circuit 920 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 920 may be an input-output interface. The hard disk expansion board 900 may be connected to the SATA hard disk through the interface circuit 920. Optionally, the hard disk expansion board 900 may further include a memory 930 for storing instructions executed by the processor 910 or for storing input data required by the processor 910 to execute the instructions or for storing data generated by the processor 910 after executing the instructions.

When the hard disk expansion board 900 is used to implement the functions of the first hard disk expansion board 303 in the method embodiment shown in fig. 7: the processor 910 is configured to execute S703; the interface circuit 920 is configured to execute S702.

More detailed descriptions about the processor 910 and the interface circuit 920 can be directly obtained by referring to the related descriptions of the first hard disk expansion board 303 in fig. 3 to fig. 6, which are not repeated herein.

It is understood that the Processor in the embodiments of the present Application may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), other general purpose Processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other Programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but may be any conventional processor.

The method steps in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by software instructions executed by a processor. The software instructions may be comprised of corresponding software modules that may be stored in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash Memory, Read-Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC may reside in a network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a network device or a terminal device.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, a network appliance, a user device, or other programmable apparatus. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer program or instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire or wirelessly. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that integrates one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; or optical media such as Digital Video Disks (DVDs); it may also be a semiconductor medium, such as a Solid State Drive (SSD).

In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or conflicting with respect to logic, the terms and/or descriptions in different embodiments have consistency and may be mutually cited, and technical features in different embodiments may be combined to form a new embodiment according to their inherent logic relationship.

In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, meaning that there may be three relationships, e.g., a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. In the description of the text of the present application, the character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character "/" indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in a relationship of "division".

It is to be understood that the various numerical references referred to in the embodiments of the present application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A method for managing serial high-technology attachment SATA hard disks by a storage system is characterized in that the storage system comprises a first controller, a second controller, a first hard disk expansion board and SATA hard disks, wherein the first controller is connected with the first hard disk expansion board, the first hard disk expansion board is connected with the SATA hard disks, the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disks are connected into the first controller, and the first hard disk expansion board is connected with the second controller; the method comprises the following steps:

when the second controller monitors that the first controller fails, the second controller sends a first control message to the first hard disk expansion board, wherein the first control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to disconnect a path with the first controller;

the second controller is accessed to the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk;

and the second controller operates the service of the first controller to access the SATA hard disk.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage system further comprises a second hard disk expansion board, the second controller is connected to the second hard disk expansion board, the second hard disk expansion board is connected to the first hard disk expansion board, and the second controller runs the service of the first controller to access the SATA hard disk, and the method comprises:

and the second controller accesses the SATA hard disk through the second hard disk expansion board.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the second controller accessing the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk comprises:

the second controller is accessed to the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk which are pre-configured by the second controller.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein after the second controller sends the first control message to the first hard disk expansion board, the method further comprises:

and the second controller receives a response message from the first hard disk expansion board, wherein the response message comprises the port number of the first hard disk expansion board and the number of SATA hard disks connected with the first hard disk expansion board.

5. The method according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the first control message is an out-of-band message.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, further comprising:

when the second controller monitors that the first controller is recovered from the fault, the second controller cancels the access authority of the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk;

and the second controller sends a second control message to the first hard disk expansion board, wherein the second control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to gate a channel with the first controller.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

the second controller receives a notification message from the first controller, the notification message indicating that the first controller failed back.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the second control message is an out-of-band message.

9. A method for managing serial high-technology attachment SATA hard disks by a storage system is characterized in that the storage system comprises a first controller, a second controller, a first hard disk expansion board and SATA hard disks, wherein the first controller is connected with the first hard disk expansion board, the first hard disk expansion board is connected with the SATA hard disks, the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disks are connected into the first controller, and the first hard disk expansion board is connected with the second controller; the method comprises the following steps:

when the first controller fails, the first hard disk expansion board receives a first control message from the second controller, wherein the first control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to disconnect a path with the first controller;

the first hard disk expansion board is disconnected from the first controller.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein after the first hard disk expansion board receives the first control message from the second controller, the method further comprises:

and the first hard disk expansion board sends a response message to the second controller, wherein the response message comprises the port number of the first hard disk expansion board and the number of SATA hard disks connected with the first hard disk expansion board.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the method further comprises:

when the first controller is recovered from the fault, the first hard disk expansion board receives a second control message from the second controller, wherein the second control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to gate a path with the first controller;

and the first hard disk expansion board gates a passage with the first controller.

12. A storage system is characterized by comprising a first controller, a second controller, a first hard disk expansion board and a serial high-technology attachment SATA hard disk, wherein the first controller is connected with the first hard disk expansion board which is connected with the SATA hard disk, the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk are connected into the first controller, and the first hard disk expansion board is connected with the second controller; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

when the second controller monitors that the first controller fails, the second controller is used for sending a first control message to the first hard disk expansion board, wherein the first control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to disconnect a path with the first controller;

the second controller is also used for accessing the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk;

the second controller is also used for operating the service of the first controller and accessing the SATA hard disk.

13. The storage system of claim 12, further comprising a second hard disk expansion board, wherein the second controller is connected to the second hard disk expansion board, wherein the second hard disk expansion board is connected to the first hard disk expansion board,

the second controller is specifically configured to access the SATA hard disk through the second hard disk expansion board.

14. The storage system according to claim 12 or 13,

the second controller is specifically configured to access the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk, which are pre-configured by the second controller.

15. The storage system according to claim 12 or 13,

the second controller is further configured to receive a response message from the first hard disk expansion board, where the response message includes the number of ports of the first hard disk expansion board and the number of SATA hard disks connected to the first hard disk expansion board.

16. The storage system according to any of claims 12-15, wherein the first control message is an out-of-band message.

17. The storage system according to any one of claims 12 to 16,

when the second controller monitors that the first controller is recovered from the fault, the second controller is further used for revoking the access authority of the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk;

the second controller is further configured to send a second control message to the first hard disk expansion board, where the second control message is used to instruct the first hard disk expansion board to gate a path with the first controller.

18. The storage system of claim 17,

the second controller is further configured to receive a notification message from the first controller, the notification message indicating that the first controller failed to recover.

19. The storage system according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the second control message is an out-of-band message.

20. A storage system is characterized by comprising a first controller, a second controller, a first hard disk expansion board and a serial high-technology attachment SATA hard disk, wherein the first controller is connected with the first hard disk expansion board which is connected with the SATA hard disk, the first hard disk expansion board and the SATA hard disk are connected into the first controller, and the first hard disk expansion board is connected with the second controller; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

when the first controller fails, the first hard disk expansion board is used for receiving a first control message from the second controller, and the first control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to disconnect a path with the first controller;

the first hard disk expansion board is also used for disconnecting the access with the first controller.

21. The storage system of claim 20,

the first hard disk expansion board is further configured to send a response message to the second controller, where the response message includes the number of ports of the first hard disk expansion board and the number of SATA hard disks connected to the first hard disk expansion board.

22. The storage system according to claim 20 or 21,

when the first controller is recovered from the fault, the first hard disk expansion board is further used for receiving a second control message from the second controller, wherein the second control message is used for indicating the first hard disk expansion board to gate a path with the first controller;

the first hard disk expansion board is also used for gating a passage with the first controller.

23. A terminal device comprising a storage system for storing a computer program and instructions, a second controller in the storage system for invoking the computer program and instructions to perform the method of any of claims 1-8, and a first hard disk expansion board in the storage system for invoking the computer program and instructions to perform the method of any of claims 9-11.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instructions are stored which, when executed by a storage system, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instructions are stored which, when executed by a storage system, implement the method of any one of claims 9 to 11.