WO1998028686B1 - Storage subsystem load balancing - Google Patents
Storage subsystem load balancingInfo
- Publication number
- WO1998028686B1 WO1998028686B1 PCT/US1997/023083 US9723083W WO9828686B1 WO 1998028686 B1 WO1998028686 B1 WO 1998028686B1 US 9723083 W US9723083 W US 9723083W WO 9828686 B1 WO9828686 B1 WO 9828686B1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- controller
- request
- completion information
- host system
- controllers
- Prior art date
Links
Abstract
Methods and associated apparatus for balancing the I/O request processing load within a plurality of controllers (102, 104) in a storage subsystem (100). The methods of the present invention are operable within interconnected controllers of a storage subsystem (100) to shift the processing of received I/O requests to less loaded controllers and to do so in a manner transparent to legacy attached host systems (122, 124). In a first embodiment of the present invention referred to as back-end load balancing, I/O requests are transferred from a first controller (102), to which the I/O request was directed by the attached host system (122, 124), to a second controller (104) for further processing. In this back-end load balancing embodiment, all write data associated with a write request as well as returned information including status or read data, is exchanged between the first (102) and second controllers (104) such that the first controller (102) performs all communication with the attached host system. In a second embodiment referred to as front-end load balancing, the first controller (102) receives an I/O request and transfers the request of a second controller (104). The second controller (104) then completes the I/O request including any requisite communication with the attached host system (222) to receive write data from the host system (222) or to return status or read data to the host system (222). The second controller (104) uses a false ID value, or otherwise substitutes itself for the first controller (102), in communicating with the attached host system (222) such that the attached host system (222) is fooled to believe that all communication is with first controller (102).
Claims
1. In a storage subsystem having a plurality of controllers, a method for balancing the I/O request processing load over said plurality of controllers comprising the steps of: receiving an I/O request from an attached host system within a first controller of said plurality of controllers; determining that a second controller of said plurality of controllers is less loaded than said first controller; transferring control of said I/O request to said second controller for further processing in response to the determination that said second controller is less loaded than said first controller; generating completion information within said second controller in response to said further processing of said I/O request; and returning said completion information to said attached host system.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: transmitting said completion information from said second controller to said first controller; and transmitting said completion information from said first controller to said attached host system.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein said I/O request is a write request having write data associated therewith and wherein said method further comprises the steps of: transmitting said write data from said host system to said first controller; and transmitting said write data from said first controller to said second controller. 31
4. The method of claim 2 wherein said I/O request is a read request and wherein said completion information includes read data requested by said read request.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: substituting said second controller for said first controller in communicating with said attached host system for purposes of further processing of said I/O request; and transmitting said completion information from said second controller to said attached host system wherein said first controller appears to said attached host system to be the source of said completion information.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein said completion information includes an ID field to identify the source of said completion information and wherein said method further comprises the step of: transmitting said completion information from said second controller to said attached host system, wherein said ID field identifies said first controller as the source of said completion information.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein said I/O request is a write request having write data associated therewith and wherein said method further comprises the step of: transmitting said write data from said attached host system to said second controller.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein said I/O request is a read request and wherein said completion information includes read data requested by said read request.
9. In a storage subsystem having a plurality of controllers commonly attached to storage devices within the storage subsystem, a back-end write load balancing method comprising the steps of: receiving, within a first controller of said plurality of controllers, an I/O write request from said host system; receiving, within said first controller, write data associated with said I/O write request from said host system; determining that a second controller of said plurality of controllers is less loaded than said first controller; transferring said I/O write request and said write data to said second controller for further processing in response to the determination that said second controller is less loaded than said first controller; generating completion information within said second controller in response to said further processing of said I/O write request; transferring said completion information from said second controller to said first controller; and returning said completion information from said first controller to said host system.
10. In a storage subsystem having a plurality of controllers commonly attached to storage devices within the storage subsystem, a back-end read load balancing method comprising the steps of: receiving, within a first controller of said plurality of controllers, an I/O read request from said host system; determining that a second controller of said plurality of controllers is less loaded than said first controller; transferring said I/O read request to said second controller for further processing in response to the determination that said second controller is less loaded than said first controller; generating completion information within said second controller in response to said further processing of said I/O read request; 33
transferring said completion information from said second controller to said first controller; and returning said completion information from said first controller to said host system.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein said completion information includes read data requested by said I/O read request.
12. In a storage subsystem having a plurality of controllers commonly attached to a host system and commonly attached to storage devices within the storage subsystem, a front-end write load balancing method comprising the steps of: receiving, within a first controller of said plurality of controllers, an I/O write request from said host system; determining that a second controller of said plurality of controllers is less loaded than said first controller; transferring said I/O write request to said second controller for further processing in response to the determination that said second controller is less loaded than said first controller; and receiving, within said second controller from said host system, write data associated with said I/O write request.
13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of: generating completion information within said second controller in response to said further processing of said I/O write request; and returning said completion information from said second controller to said host system.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of returning said completion information includes the steps of: 34
substituting said second controller for said first controller in communicating with said host system for purposes of further processing of said I/O request; and transmitting said completion information from said second controller to said host system wherein said first controller appears to said host system to be the source of said completion information.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein said completion information includes an ID field to identify the source of said completion information and wherein the step of returning said completion data includes the step of: transmitting said completion information from said second controller to said host system wherein said ID field identifies said first controller as the source of said completion information.
16. In a storage subsystem having a plurality of controllers commonly attached to a host system and commonly attached to storage devices within the storage subsystem, a front-end read load balancing method comprising the steps of: receiving, within a first controller of said plurality of controllers, an I/O read request from said host system; determining that a second controller of said plurality of controllers is less loaded than said first controller; transferring said I/O read request to said second controller for further processing in response to the determination that said second controller is less loaded than said first controller; generating completion information within said second controller in response to said further processing of said I/O read request; and returning said completion information from said second controller to said host system. 35
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said completion information includes read data requested by said I/O read request.
18. A program storage device readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program or instructions executable by computers in a plurality of controllers connecting a plurality of attached host systems to a common storage subsystem to perform the method steps for balancing the I/O request processing load over said plurality of controllers, said method steps comprising: receiving an I/O request from an attached host system within a first controller of said plurality of controllers; determining that a second controller of said plurality of controllers is less loaded than said first controller; and transferring control of said I/O request to said second controller for further processing in response to the determination that said second controller is less loaded than said first controller.
19. The program storage device of claim 18 wherein the method further comprises the steps of: generating completion information within said second controller in response to said further processing of said I/O request; and returning said completion information to said attached host system.
20. The program storage device of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises the steps of: transmitting said completion information from said second controller to said first controller; and transmitting said completion information from said first controller to said attached host system. 36
21. The program storage device of claim 20 wherein said I/O request is a write request having write data associated therewith and wherein the method further comprises the steps of: transmitting said write data from said host system to said first controller; and transmitting said write data from said first controller to said second controller.
22. The program storage device of claim 20 wherein said I/O request is a read request and wherein said completion information includes read data requested by said read request.
23. The program storage device of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises the steps of: substituting said second controller for said first controller in communicating with said attached host system for purposes of further processing of said I/O request; and transmitting said completion information from said second controller to said attached host system wherein said first controller appears to said attached host system to be the source of said completion information.
24. The program storage device of claim 23 wherein said completion information includes an ID field to identify the source of said completion information and wherein the method further comprises the step of: transmitting said completion information from said second controller to said attached host system, wherein said ID field identifies said first controller as the source of said completion information.
25. The program storage device of claim 24 wherein said I/O request is a write request having write data associated therewith and wherein the method further comprises the step of: 37
transmitting said write data from said attached host system to said second controller.
26. The program storage device of claim 24 wherein said I/O request is a read request and wherein said completion information includes read data requested by said read request.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU56047/98A AU5604798A (en) | 1996-12-23 | 1997-12-15 | Storage subsystem load balancing |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US08/772,618 US6108684A (en) | 1996-12-23 | 1996-12-23 | Methods and apparatus for balancing loads on a storage subsystem among a plurality of controllers |
| US08/772,618 | 1996-12-23 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO1998028686A1 WO1998028686A1 (en) | 1998-07-02 |
| WO1998028686B1 true WO1998028686B1 (en) | 1998-09-03 |
Family
ID=25095667
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US1997/023083 WO1998028686A1 (en) | 1996-12-23 | 1997-12-15 | Storage subsystem load balancing |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US6108684A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU5604798A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1998028686A1 (en) |
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1996
- 1996-12-23 US US08/772,618 patent/US6108684A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1997
- 1997-12-15 AU AU56047/98A patent/AU5604798A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1997-12-15 WO PCT/US1997/023083 patent/WO1998028686A1/en active Application Filing
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