Mechanism for reliable update of virtual disk device mappings without corrupting data
US6161191A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 12, 1998 |
| Grant date | Dec 12, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 12, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2201/815
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A cluster implements a virtual disk system that provides each node of the cluster access to each storage device of the cluster. The virtual disk system provides high availability such that a storage device may be accessed and data access requests are reliably completed even in the presence of a failure. To ensure consistent mapping and file permission data among the nodes, data are stored in a highly available cluster database. Because the cluster database provides consistent data to the nodes even in the presence of a failure, each node will have consistent mapping and file permission data. A cluster transport interface is provided that establishes links between the nodes and manages the links. Messages received by the cluster transports interface are conveyed to the destination node via one or more links. The configuration of a cluster may be modified during operation. Prior to modifying the configuration, a reconfiguration procedure suspends data access requests and waits for pending data access requests to complete. The reconfiguration is performed and the mapping is modified to reflect the new configuration. The node then updates the internal representation of the mapping and …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.