Patent ID: 12223212

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, calculate, determine, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, communicate, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer (e.g., desktop or laptop), tablet computer, mobile device (e.g., personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone), server (e.g., blade server or rack server), a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, touchscreen and/or a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.

In one embodiment, IHS100,FIG.1, includes a processor102, which is connected to a bus104. Bus104serves as a connection between processor102and other components of IHS100. An input device106is coupled to processor102to provide input to processor102. Examples of input devices may include keyboards, touchscreens, pointing devices such as mouses, trackballs, and trackpads, and/or a variety of other input devices known in the art. Programs and data are stored on a mass storage device108, which is coupled to processor102. Examples of mass storage devices may include hard discs, optical disks, magneto-optical discs, solid-state storage devices, and/or a variety of other mass storage devices known in the art. IHS100further includes a display110, which is coupled to processor102by a video controller112. A system memory114is coupled to processor102to provide the processor with fast storage to facilitate execution of computer programs by processor102. Examples of system memory may include random access memory (RAM) devices such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), solid state memory devices, and/or a variety of other memory devices known in the art. In an embodiment, a chassis116houses some or all of the components of IHS100. It should be understood that other buses and intermediate circuits can be deployed between the components described above and processor102to facilitate interconnection between the components and the processor102.

Referring now toFIG.2, an embodiment of a computing device200is illustrated that may provide the software RAID/management communication system of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the computing device200may be provided by the IHS100discussed above with reference toFIG.1and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS100, and in specific examples may be provided by a server device. However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by a server device, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the functionality of the computing device200discussed below may be provided by other devices that are configured to operate similarly as the computing device200discussed below. In the illustrated embodiment, the computing device200includes a chassis201that houses the components of the computing device200, only some of which are illustrated and described below.

In the embodiments illustrated and described below, the chassis201houses a plurality of storage devices202a,202b, and up to202c. However, while a plurality of storage devices202a-202care illustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how embodiments in which a single storage device is provided in the computing device200will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well. In a specific example, the storage devices202a-202cmay be provided by Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe) storage devices, although one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how other types of storage devices (and/or other types of devices with memory subsystem similar to the storage device memory subsystems described below) may allow for the software RAID/management communication functionality described below, and thus will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

The chassis201may also house a processing system (not illustrated, but which may include the processor102(e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU)) discussed above with reference toFIG.1) and a memory system (not illustrated, but which may include the memory114(e.g., Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)) discussed above with reference toFIG.1) that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a software RAID engine204that is configured to perform the functionality of the software RAID engines, software RAID subsystems, and/or computing devices discussed below. As illustrated, the software RAID engine204is coupled to each of the storage devices202a-202c(e.g., via a coupling between the processing system and the storage devices202a-202c).

To provide a specific example, the software RAID engine204may be provided by dedicated hardware in the computing device200(e.g., a software RAID processing system and software RAID memory system) and may be configured to provide data storage virtualization technology and perform any of a variety of RAID operations that combine physical storage device(s) (e.g., the storage devices202a-202c) into logical storage device(s) for the purposes of data redundancy, perform improvements, and/or other RAID services that would be apparent to one of skill in the art. However, the inventors of the present disclosure are developing a software RAID engine that may be included in an operating system provided in a computing device, and thus software RAID engines integrated into an operating system provided by a CPU and DRAM in the computing device200are envisioned as falling within the scope of the present disclosure as well. However, while a specific software RAID engine and software RAID functionality has been described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the software RAID engine of the present disclosure may be provided in a variety of manners to perform a variety of software RAID functionality while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

The chassis201may also house a management subsystem that, in the illustrated embodiment, is provided by a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) device206such as, for example, an integrated DELL® Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) device that is included in server devices available from DELL® Inc. of Round Rock, Texas, United States, and that is configured to provide an out-of-band management platform that utilizes resources that are primarily separate from the resources of the server device, and may provide a browser-based interface and/or Command Line Interface (CLI) for managing and monitoring hardware in the server device. As illustrated, the BMC device206is coupled to each of the storage devices202a-202c. However, while a specific management subsystem is illustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how other management subsystems will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well. Furthermore, while a specific computing device200has been illustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that computing devices (or other devices operating according to the teachings of the present disclosure in a manner similar to that described below for the computing device200) may include a variety of components and/or component configurations for providing conventional computing device functionality, as well as the software RAID/management communication functionality discussed below, while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

Referring now toFIG.3, an embodiment of a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) device300is illustrated that may provide the BMC device206discussed above with reference toFIG.2. As such, the BMC device300may be provided by the IHS100discussed above with reference toFIG.1and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS100, and in specific example, may be provided by the iDRAC device described above. Furthermore, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by a BMC device/iDRAC device, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the functionality of the BMC device300discussed below may be provided by other management subsystems that are configured to operate similarly as the BMC device300discussed below. In the illustrated embodiment, the BMC device300includes a chassis302that supports the components of the BMC device300, only some of which are illustrated and described below. For example, the chassis302may support a BMC processing system (not illustrated, but which may be similar to the processor102discussed above with reference toFIG.1) and a BMC memory system (not illustrated, but which may be similar to the memory114discussed above with reference toFIG.1) that is coupled to the BMC processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the BMC processing system, cause the BMC processing system to provide a BMC engine304that is configured to perform the functionality of the BMC engines, management subsystems, and/or BMC devices discussed below.

The chassis302may also house a storage system (not illustrated, but which may include the storage108discussed above with reference toFIG.1) that is coupled to the BMC engine304(e.g., via a coupling between the storage system and the processing system) and that includes a BMC database306that is configured to store any of the information utilized by the BMC engine304discussed below. The chassis302may also house a communication system308that is coupled to the BMC engine304(e.g., via a coupling between the communication system308and the BMC processing system) and that may be provided by a Network Interface Controller (NIC), wireless communication systems (e.g., BLUETOOTH®, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, WiFi components, etc.), and/or any other communication components that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure. However, while a specific BMC device300has been illustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that management subsystems (or other devices operating according to the teachings of the present disclosure in a manner similar to that described below for the BMC device300) may include a variety of components and/or component configurations for providing conventional management device functionality, as well as the software RAID/management communication functionality discussed below, while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

Referring now toFIG.4, an embodiment of a storage device400is illustrated that may provide any or each of the storage devices202a-202cdiscussed above with reference toFIG.2. As such, the storage device400may be provided by an NVMe storage device in specific examples. However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by an NVMe storage device, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the functionality of the storage device400discussed below may be provided by other types of devices that are configured to operate similarly as the storage device400discussed below in order to allow for the software RAID/management communication functionality described below. In the illustrated embodiment, the storage device400includes a chassis402that houses the components of the storage device400, only some of which are illustrated and described below.

For example, the chassis402may house a storage processing system (not illustrated, but which may be similar to the processor102discussed above with reference toFIG.1and may be included in a storage controller device) and a storage memory system (not illustrated, but which may be similar to the memory114discussed above with reference toFIG.1and may be included in a storage controller device) that is coupled to the storage processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the storage processing system, cause the storage processing system to provide a storage engine404that is configured to perform any of a variety of conventional storage functionality (e.g., NVMe storage functionality) that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, as well as any of the functionality of the storage engines and/or storage devices described below. The chassis402may also house a storage subsystem (not illustrated, but which may be similar to the storage108discussed above with reference toFIG.1) that is coupled to the storage engine404(e.g., via a coupling between the storage subsystem and the storage processing system) and that includes a storage database406that is configured to store any of the information utilized by the storage engine404discussed below.

The chassis402may also house a storage device memory subsystem that, in the embodiments illustrated and described below, is provided by a Controller Memory Buffer (CMB) device408in an NVMe storage device that is conventionally utilized by a host in a server device to provide Input/Output (I/O) commands for the NVMe storage device in a controller memory subsystem of an NVMe controller in that NVMe storage device, to perform Direct Memory Access (DMA) operations, to store non-persistent data, and/or provide other CMB functionality known in the art, and one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure with appreciate how the CMB device408may be configured for use with general purpose memory read/write operations to provide those I/O commands. However, while illustrated and described as being provided by a CMB device, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how other memory subsystems in other devices may be utilized to enable the software RAID/management communication functionality described below, and thus will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

The chassis402may also house a communication system410that is coupled to the storage engine404(e.g., via a coupling between the communication system408and the processing system) and the CMB device408and that may be provided by any of a variety of storage device communication components that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure. However, while a specific storage device400has been illustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that other types of storage devices (or other types of devices operating according to the teachings of the present disclosure in a manner similar to that described below for the storage device400) may include a variety of components and/or component configurations for providing conventional device functionality, as well as the software RAID/management communication functionality discussed below, while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

Referring now toFIGS.5A and5B, an embodiment of a method500for providing communication between a software Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) subsystem and a management subsystem in a computing device is illustrated. As discussed below, the systems and methods of the present disclosure utilize a storage device memory subsystem in a storage device for communications between a software RAID subsystem and a management subsystem. For example, the software RAID/management communication system of the present disclosure may include a chassis housing a software Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) subsystem and a management subsystem that are each coupled to a storage device having a storage device memory subsystem. The software RAID subsystem provides a software RAID information request in the storage device memory subsystem that requests the management subsystem provide software RAID information associated with the operation of a software RAID provided by the software RAID subsystem, the software RAID subsystem then periodically accesses the storage device memory subsystem and, when the software RAID subsystem determines that the management subsystem has provided a management information response in the storage device memory subsystem, the software RAID subsystem retrieves the software RAID information that was provided in the storage device memory subsystem by the management subsystem. As such, critical, real-time data may be exchanged between software RAID subsystems and management subsystems without the need to rely on changes/updates to an SMBIOS, BIOS, and/or IPMI and the corresponding time delays required for such changes/updates.

The method500begins at block502where a software RAID subsystem configures a storage device memory subsystem for communication with a management subsystem. In an embodiment, prior to the method500, a “software RAID/management communication” memory space in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400may be reserved for software RAID subsystem/management subsystem communications. For example, the software RAID/management communication memory space may be mapped to a “software RAID/management communication” Base Address Register (BAR), and Controller Memory Buffer LOCation (CMBLOC) registers may store information identifying a mapped “software RAID/management communication” BAR number and “software RAID/management communication” memory space offset in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400for the software RAID/management communication memory space. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the software RAID/management communication BAR number and software RAID/management communication memory space offset in the CMBLOC registers may be utilized by the software RAID engine204and the BMC engine304to establish communications.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, a storage device provider of the storage device (e.g., a storage device “vendor”) may provide vendor-specific memory address areas (e.g., BAR0 and/or BAR1) that may be utilized by the manufacturer of the computing device200to provide the software RAID/management communication memory space in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400. However, in some examples, there may be restrictions on the use of those vendor-specific memory address areas (e.g., restrictions on PCIe read/write operations), and thus the use of other BARs to provide the software RAID/management communication memory space in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

For example, as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the CMBLOC registers discussed above may store information identifying a “conventional” CMB memory space offset for a conventional CMB memory space in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400that may be used by the storage device202a/400for conventional CMB operations, and the software RAID/management communication memory space of the present disclosure may be located inside the conventional CMB memory space that begins at the conventional CMB memory space offset. To provide a specific example, if the conventional CMB memory space offset is provided at a 0x100 memory address in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400included in BAR2 (e.g., outside of the vendor-specific memory address areas BAR0 and BAR1), and if the software RAID/management communication memory space offset is 0x200 with a 0x300 size requirement for the software RAID/management communication memory space, then software RAID/management communication memory space may be provided between the 0x300 address and the 0x600 address in the CMB device408included in BAR2. However, while a specific example of the use of non-vendor-specific memory address areas for the software RAID/management communication memory space has been described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the software RAID/management communication memory space may be provided in a variety of manners that will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

In any of the embodiments discussed above, the software RAID/management communication memory space (e.g., the software RAID/management communication memory space offset and the size of the software RAID/management communication memory space) may be identified to the software RAID engine204and the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300during or prior to the method500in order to enable use of the software RAID/management communication memory space by the software RAID engine204and the BMC engine304. In addition, the software RAID/management communication memory space (e.g., the software RAID/management communication memory space offset and the size of the software RAID/management communication memory space) may be identified to a host (e.g., an operating system) in the computing device200to prevent use of the software RAID/management communication memory space by the host. As such, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the software RAID/management communication memory space in the CMB device408may be configured in any of a variety of manners that ensure that it is not utilized for purposes other than the software RAID/management communications described below.

With reference toFIGS.6A and6B, in an embodiment of block502, the software RAID engine204in the computing device200may perform storage device memory subsystem configuration operations600that include configuring the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400(e.g., the software RAID/management communication memory space discussed above) via the communication system410in the storage device202a/400with a header602, a software RAID request queue604a, a software RAID response queue604b, a BMC request queue606a, a BMC response queue606b, a response buffer608, and/or any other storage device memory subsystem elements that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure would recognize as providing for the functionality described below.

For example, in response to initialization of the computing device200, the software RAID engine204(e.g., a software RAID driver) may load, the storage device202a(e.g., an NVMe storage device) may initialize, the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400may be enabled, and the software RAID engine204may create the software RAID request queue604a, the software RAID response queue604b, the BMC request queue606a, and the BMC response queue606bin the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408. The software RAID engine204may then provide and/or update the header602in the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408with queue address information (e.g., queue base addresses for the software RAID request/response queues and the BMC request/response queues discussed above), CMB device ready information (e.g., indicating that the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408is ready for use), authentication information (e.g., a signature, key, or other authentication information that may be authenticated by the BMC device206/300as discussed below), head/tail information (e.g., initially set to “0/0” as discussed below), and/or any other information that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the header602configured in the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400may store any information that is required to use the software RAID/management communication memory space as described below, including queue numbering information, the queue address information discussed above, information about a number of queues, basic communication data, the CMB device ready information discussed above, the head/tail information discussed above, and/or any other information that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure would recognize as enabling the functionality described below. However, while a specific example of a header and the data included therein that enable communications via the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408is provided above, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how communications via the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408may be enabled in a variety of manners that will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

As discussed in further detail below, in a specific example, the software RAID request queue604aconfigured in the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400may provide a management queue (e.g., rather than an Input/Output (I/O) queue) for the submission of software RAID information requests by the software RAID engine204in the computing device200, while the software RAID response queue604bconfigured in the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408may provide a management queue (e.g., rather than an I/O queue) for submission of software RAID information responses to software RAID information requests by the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200. As such, the software RAID request queue604aand the software RAID response queue604bmay include any management queue features that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure would recognize as providing for the functionality described below.

As also discussed in further detail below, in a specific example, the BMC request queue606aconfigured in the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400may provide a management queue (e.g., rather than an (I/O) queue) for the submission of management information requests by the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200, while the BMC response queue606bconfigured in the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408may provide a management queue (e.g., rather than an I/O queue) for submission of management information responses to management information requests by the software RAID engine204in the computing device200. As such, the BMC request queue606aand the BMC response queue606bmay include any management queue features that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure would recognize as providing for the functionality described below.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, in response to configuring the software RAID request/response queues and the BMC request/response queues, the software RAID engine204may update any associated queue information in the header602of the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400. However, while specific software RAID request/response queues and the BMC request/response queues are illustrated and described herein, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how different numbers and/or configurations of the management queues described herein may be provided in the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well. For example, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how a minimum of one management queue pair may be provided to allow for the exchange of requests and responses between the software RAID engine204and the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

As discussed in further detail below, in a specific example, the response buffer608configured in the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400may provide for the provisioning and retrieval of software RAID information requested by the software RAID engine204in the computing device200, as well as the provisioning and retrieval of management information requested by the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200. However, while a specific example of a response buffer is provided herein, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408may be configured to transfer the software RAID information and/or management information described below in a variety of manners that will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

In some embodiments, the software RAID engine204in the computing device200may set a register in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400(e.g., by setting a CMBMSC.CRE register to “1”) in order to indicate an intent to utilize the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408for communication with the BMC device206/300in the computing device200. Furthermore, in response to providing the indication of an intent to the utilize the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408for communication with the BMC device206/300in the computing device200, the software RAID engine204in the computing device200may populate the header602in the CMB device408(e.g., with any of the information described above) and subsequently begin periodically accessing the header602in the CMB device408to determine whether the BMC engine304has provided a management communication.

With reference toFIGS.6C and6D, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200may perform CMB device read operations610that include reading any of a variety of information from the CMB device400via the communication system410in the storage device202a/400. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the CMB device read operations610performed by the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200may include reading (e.g., via NVMe-Management Interface (MI)-PCIe reads) CMB registers in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400in order to identify CMB support information, BAR location information, CMB offset information, CMB size information, read/write bit information, and/or other CMB information that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize enables the use of the CMB device408by the BMC engine304. Furthermore, the CMB device read operations610may allow the BMC engine304to determine that the register in the CMB device408was set by the software RAID engine204to indicate an intent to utilize the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408for communication with the BMC device206/300, and in response the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300may determine that it should begin periodically accessing the header602in the CMB device408(e.g., via NVMe-MI-PCIe reads) to determine whether the software RAID engine204has provided a software RAID communication.

In an embodiment, the CMB device read operations610may also include the BMC engine304accessing the header602in the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408to retrieve authentication information (e.g., the signature, key, or other authentication information discussed above), and using any of a variety of authentication technique to authenticate the data provided by the software RAID engine204in the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408. For example, the authentication information may be provided by the software RAID engine204in one or more fields in the header602using information that is already known to the BMC engine304, and following its authentication the BMC engine304may proceed with performing the remainder of the method500. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, if the BMC engine304cannot authenticate information retrieved from the header602in the CMB device408, the BMC engine304may assume that the software RAID engine204has not yet configured the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408, and may periodically perform the CMB device read operations610until information that can be authenticated is retrieved from the header602.

The method500may then proceed to decision block504awhere the method500proceeds depending on whether the management subsystem identifies a software RAID information request in the storage device memory subsystem, as well as to decision block506awhere the method500proceeds depending on whether the software RAID subsystem identifies a management information request in the storage device memory subsystem. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, blocks504a-504eof the method500describe embodiments in which the software RAID subsystem may initiate communication with the management subsystem, while blocks506a-506eof the method500describe embodiments in which the management subsystem may initiate communication with the software RAID subsystem, and while the software-RAID-initiated communication of blocks504a-504eare described in detail below, the management-initiated communication of blocks506a-506emay be performed in a substantially similar manner except for where detailed below.

Beginning with the software-RAID-initiated communication of blocks504a-504e, in an embodiment of decision block504a, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200may access the software RAID/management communication memory space in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400to determine whether a software RAID information request was provided by the software RAID engine204in the CMB device408. As discussed above, in response to determining that the software RAID engine204indicated an intent to utilize the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408for communication with the BMC device206/300, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300may begin periodically accessing the header602in the CMB device408to determine whether the software RAID engine204has provided a software RAID information request in the software RAID request queue604ain the CMB device408.

In a specific example, the software RAID engine204may be configured to increment a “tail” portion of the head/tail information stored in the header602in the CMB device408in response to submitting a software RAID information request in the software RAID request queue604ain the CMB device408, and thus the BMC engine304may be configured to periodically access the head/tail information stored in the header602in the CMB device408to determine whether the tail portion of the head/tail information matches a “head” portion of the head/tail information in order to determine whether a software RAID information request was provided by the software RAID engine204in the CMB device408. In other words, if the tail portion is greater than the head portion in the head/tail information, then the software RAID engine204has incremented that tail portion following the provisioning of the software RAID information request, while if the tail portion is equal to the head portion in the head/tail information, then the software RAID engine204has not provided a software RAID information request.

If, at decision block504a, the management subsystem does not identify a software RAID information request in the storage device memory subsystem, the method500returns to decision block504a. For example, if at decision block504athe BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200determines that the tail portion of the head/tail information in the header602in the CMB device408is equal to the head portion of the head/tail information in the header602in the CMB device408(e.g., the head/tail information remains as initially set during block502at “0/0”), the BMC engine304will determine that the software RAID engine204in the computing device200has not submitted a software RAID information request to the software RAID request queue604a, and the method500will return to decision block504a. As such, the method500may loop such that the BMC engine304periodically accesses the header602in the CMB device408at decision block504aas long as no software RAID information request is identified in the CMB device408(e.g., as long as the tail portion of the head/tail information is equal to the head portion of the head/tail information in the header602in the CMB device408).

With reference now to the management-initiated communication of blocks506a-506e, similarly as described above, the software RAID engine204in the computing device200may periodically access the software RAID/management communication memory space in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400at decision block506ato determine whether a management information request was provided by the BMC engine304in the CMB device408. As discussed above, following the configuration of the software RAID/management communication memory space of the CMB device408for communication with the BMC device206/300, the software RAID engine204may periodically access the header602in the CMB device408to determine whether the BMC engine304has provided a management information request in the BMC request queue606ain the CMB device408.

In a specific example, the BMC engine304may be configured to increment the head portion of the head/tail information stored in the header602in the CMB device408in response to submitting a management information request in the BMC request queue606ain the CMB device408, and thus the software RAID engine204may be configured to periodically access the head/tail information stored in the header602in the CMB device408to determine whether the head portion of the head/tail information matches the tail portion of the head/tail information in order to determine whether a management information request was provided by the BMC engine304in the CMB device408. In other words, if the head portion is greater than the tail portion in the head/tail information, then the BMC engine304has incremented that head portion following the provisioning of the management information request, while if the head portion is equal to the tail portion in the head/tail information, then the BMC engine304has not provided a management information request.

If, at decision block506a, the software RAID subsystem does not identify a management information request in the storage device memory subsystem, the method500returns to decision block506a. For example, if at decision block506athe software RAID engine204in the in the computing device200determines that the head portion of the head/tail information in the header602in the CMB device408is equal to the tail portion of the head/tail information in the header602in the CMB device408(e.g., the head/tail information remains as initially set during block502at “0/0”), the software RAID engine204will determine that the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200has not submitted a management information request to the BMC request queue606a, and the method500will return to decision block506a. As such, the method500may loop such that the software RAID engine204periodically accesses the header602in the CMB device408at decision block504aas long as no management information request is identified in the CMB device408(e.g., as long as the head portion of the head/tail information is equal to the tail portion of the head/tail information in the header602in the CMB device408).

Returning to the software-RAID-initiated communication of blocks504a-504e, if at decision block504athe management subsystem identifies a software RAID information request in the storage device memory subsystem, the method500proceeds to block504bwhere the management subsystem retrieves software RAID information identified in the software RAID information request. With reference toFIGS.7A and7B, in an embodiment of decision block504a, the software RAID engine204in the computing device200may perform software RAID information request submission operations700that include submitting a software RAID information request in the software RAID request queue604avia the communication system410in the storage device202a/400. For example, the software RAID information request may include any of a variety of formats (e.g., formats that may be defined by a vendor of the storage device202a/400), and may request any particular software RAID information, may identify the response buffer608as the location where the software RAID information should be provided, and/or may include any other information that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure would recognize as allowing for the functionality discussed below.

In the specific examples provided below, the software RAID information request includes a request by the software RAID engine204for a bay identifier (e.g., the software RAID information request may include a vendor-defined opcode for “BAYID”) of a storage device (e.g., an NVMe storage device) in the computing device200, but one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that the software RAID engine204may request any of a variety of software RAID information (e.g., a slot identifier (“SlotID”), a form factor, etc.) while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, any software RAID information requests (and/or alignments) submitted at decision block504amay conform to Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP) standards.

Furthermore, with reference toFIGS.7C and7D, in an embodiment of decision block504a, the software RAID engine204in the computing device200may perform software RAID information request header identification operations702that include identifying the submission of the software RAID information request in the header602configured in the CMB device408via the communication system410in the storage device202a/400. Similarly as discussed above, the software RAID engine204may increment a tail portion of the head/tail information stored in the header602in the CMB device408(e.g., from the “0/0” as initially set during block502to “0/1”) in response to submitting the software RAID information request in the software RAID request queue604ain the CMB device408at decision block504a.

As such, with reference toFIGS.8A,8B, and8C, in an embodiment of decision block504aand as part of the periodic accesses of the header602in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/300, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200may perform software RAID information request identification operations800that include accessing the header602in the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400via the communication system410in the storage device202a/400and the communication system308in the BMC device206/300, and determining that the software RAID engine204in the computing device200has submitted a software RAID information request in the software RAID request queue604abased on the tail portion not matching the head portion of the head/tail information stored in the header602in the CMB device408(e.g., head/tail information such as “0/1” following an initial submission of a software RAID information request).

With reference toFIGS.8D,8E, and8F, in an embodiment of block504band in response to determining that the software RAID engine204in the computing device200has submitted a software RAID information request in the software RAID request queue604a, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200may perform software RAID information request retrieval operations802that include accessing the software RAID request queue604ain the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400via the communication system410in the storage device202a/400and the communication system308in the BMC device206/300, and retrieving the software RAID information request.

Returning to the management-initiated communication of blocks506a-506e, and similarly as described above, if at decision block506athe software RAID subsystem identifies a management information request in the storage device memory subsystem, the method500proceeds to block506bwhere the software RAID subsystem retrieves management information identified in the management information request. While not illustrated and described in detail, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how decision block506aand block506bmay be performed by the software RAID engine204in the computing device200similarly as described above for the performance of decision block504aand block504bby the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200. As such, the BMC engine304may submit a management information request in the BMC request queue606a, and any management information requests (and/or alignments) submitted at decision block506amay conform to MCTP standards. The BMC engine304may also identify the submission of the management information request in the header602configured in the CMB device408by incrementing a head portion of the head/tail information stored in the header602in the CMB device408in response to submitting the management information request (e.g., from the “0/0” as initially set during block502to “I/O”).

Subsequently and as part of the periodic accesses of the header602in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/300, the software RAID engine204in the computing device200may access the header602and determine that the BMC engine304has submitted a management information request in the BMC request queue606abased on the head portion not matching the tail portion of the head/tail information stored in the header602in the CMB device408(e.g., head/tail information such as “I/O” following an initial submission of a management information request). The software RAID engine204may then access the BMC request queue606aand retrieve the management information request.

Returning to the software-RAID-initiated communication of blocks504a-504e, the method500then proceeds to block504cwhere the management subsystem provides the software RAID information and a software RAID information response in the storage device memory subsystem. With reference toFIGS.8G,8H, and8I, in an embodiment of block504c, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200may perform software RAID information provisioning operations804that include retrieving the software RAID information (e.g., the BMC engine304may identify the vendor-defined opcode for “BAYID” in the software RAID information request and, in response, retrieve the BAYID of the NVMe storage device requested by the software RAID engine204in the specific example above), and transmitting that software RAID information via its communication system308and the communication system410in the storage device202a/400to the response buffer608in the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400.

With reference toFIGS.8J,8K, and8L, in an embodiment of block504c, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200may perform software RAID information response provisioning operations806that include transmitting a software RAID information response via its communication system308and the communication system410in the storage device202a/400to the software RAID response queue604bin the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400. Similarly as described above, any software RAID information responses (and/or alignments) submitted at block504cmay conform to MCTP standards. With reference toFIGS.8M,8N, and80, in an embodiment of block504c, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200may perform software RAID information response identification operations808that include accessing the header602in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400via its communication system308and the communication system410in the storage device202a/400, and updating the head portion of the head/tail information in the header602(e.g., from the “0/1” following the provisioning of the software RAID information request by the software RAID engine204to “1/1”) to indicate that the software RAID information response has been provided in response to the software RAID information request.

Returning to the management-initiated communication of blocks506a-506e, and similarly as described above, at block506cthe software RAID subsystem provides the management information and a management information response in the storage device memory subsystem. While not illustrated and described in detail, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how block506cmay be performed by the software RAID engine204in the computing device200similarly as described above for the performance of block504cby the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200. As such, the software RAID engine204may retrieve the management information requested by the BMC engine304, and transmit that management information to the response buffer608in the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400. Furthermore, the software RAID engine204may transmit management information response to the BMC response queue606bin the CMB device408, and any management information responses (and/or alignments) submitted at block506cmay conform to MCTP standards. Finally, the software RAID engine204may also access the header602in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/400, and update the tail portion of the head/tail information in the header602(e.g., from the “I/O” following the provisioning of the management information request by the BMC engine304to “1/1”) to indicate that the management information response has been provided in response to the management information request.

Returning to the software-RAID-initiated communication of blocks504a-504e, the method500then proceeds to block504dwhere the software RAID subsystem identifies the software RAID information response in the storage device memory subsystem. With reference toFIGS.9A and9B, in an embodiment of block504dand as part of the periodic accesses of the header602in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/300, the software RAID engine204in the computing device200may perform software RAID information response identification operations900that include accessing the header602in the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400via the communication system410in the storage device202a/400, and determining that the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200has submitted a software RAID information response in the software RAID response queue604bbased on the tail portion being equal to the head portion of the head/tail information stored in the header602in the CMB device408(e.g., head/tail information such as “1/1” following a software RAID information response to an initial submission of a software RAID information request). In response to determining that the BMC engine304has submitted a software RAID information response in the software RAID response queue604b, the software RAID engine204will retrieve the software RAID information response from the software RAID response queue604b.

Returning to the management-initiated communication of blocks506a-506e, and similarly as described above, at block506dthe management subsystem identifies the management information response in the storage device memory subsystem. While not illustrated and described in detail, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how block506dmay be performed by the BMC engine204in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200similarly as described above for the performance of block504dby the software RAID engine204in the computing device200. As such, as part of the periodic accesses of the header602in the CMB device408of the storage device202a/300, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200may access the header602in the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400and determine that the software RAID engine204has submitted a management information response in the management response queue606bbased on the head portion being equal to the tail portion of the head/tail information stored in the header602in the CMB device408(e.g., head/tail information such as “1/1” following a management information response to an initial submission of a management information request). In response to determining that the software RAID engine204has submitted a management information response in the management response queue606b, the BMC engine304will retrieve the management information response from the management response queue606b.

Returning to the software-RAID-initiated communication of blocks504a-504e, the method500then proceeds to block504ewhere the software RAID subsystem retrieves the software RAID information from the storage device memory subsystem. With reference toFIGS.9C and9D, in an embodiment of block504eand in response to determining that the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200has submitted a management information response in the software RAID response queue604b, the software RAID engine204in the computing device200may perform software RAID information retrieval operations902that include retrieving the software RAID information (provided by the BMC engine304) from the response buffer608in the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400via the communication system410in the storage device202a/400. As such, the software RAID engine204may request and receive software RAID information from the BMC device206/300using the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400.

Returning to the management-initiated communication of blocks506a-506e, and similarly as described above, at block506ethe management subsystem retrieves the management information from the storage device memory subsystem. While not illustrated and described in detail, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how block506emay be performed by the BMC engine204in the BMC device206/300in the computing device200similarly as described above for the performance of block504eby the software RAID engine204in the computing device200. As such, in response to determining that the software RAID engine204in the computing device200has submitted a management information response in the BMC response queue606b, the BMC engine304may retrieve the management information (provided by the software RAID engine204) from the response buffer608in the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400. As such, the BMC device206/300may request and receive management information from the software RAID engine204using the CMB device408in the storage device202a/400.

Thus, systems and methods have been described that utilize a storage device memory subsystem in a storage device for communications between a software RAID subsystem and a management subsystem. For example, the software RAID/management communication system of the present disclosure may include a chassis housing a software Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) subsystem and a management subsystem that are each coupled to a storage device having a storage device memory subsystem. The software RAID subsystem provides a software RAID information request in the storage device memory subsystem that requests the management subsystem provide software RAID information associated with the operation of a software RAID provided by the software RAID subsystem, the software RAID subsystem then periodically accesses the storage device memory subsystem and, when the software RAID subsystem determines that the management subsystem has provided a management information response in the storage device memory subsystem, the software RAID subsystem retrieves the software RAID information that was provided in the storage device memory subsystem by the management subsystem. As such, critical, real-time data may be exchanged between software RAID subsystems and management subsystems without the need to rely on changes/updates to an SMBIOS, BIOS, and/or IPMI and the corresponding time delays required for such changes/updates.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the software RAID/management communication system described above utilizes a storage device memory subsystem (e.g., the CMB device provided in NVMe storage devices) in order to enable software RAID/management communications. However, in computing devices utilizing Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) (SAS) storage devices, Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) storage devices, and/or other non-NVMe storage devices that do not include storage device memory subsystems/CMB devices, Out-Of-Band (OOB) management communications via the management subsystem are not available via the software RAID/management communication techniques described above, thus presenting issues in such computing devices where inventory operations, monitoring operations, configuration operations, and/or other management operations are desirable on a RAID logical storage device provided by those storage devices.

Referring now toFIG.10, an embodiment of a method1000for providing communication between a software Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) subsystem and a management subsystem in a computing device is illustrated. As discussed below, the systems and methods of the present disclosure utilize Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP) communications via a Management Message Bus Interface (MMBI) connection of a management subsystem to a shared memory subsystem with a software RAID subsystem to provide communications between the management subsystem and the software RAID subsystem. For example, the software RAID/management communication system includes a chassis housing a software RAID subsystem coupled to a shared memory subsystem and storage devices, and a management subsystem that is coupled to the storage devices, and that is coupled to the shared memory subsystem via an MMBI connection. The management subsystem determines that at least one of the storage devices does not include a storage device memory subsystem that is configured for software RAID/management communications and, in response, transmits MCTP communications via the MMBI connection to retrieve RAID configuration information from the storage device(s) via the software RAID subsystem and the shared memory subsystem. The management subsystem then uses the RAID configuration information to perform at least one RAID management operation on at least one RAID logical storage device provided by the storage device(s). As such, the management subsystem may retrieve RAID configuration information for use in performing any of a variety of RAID management operations.

With reference toFIG.11, an embodiment of a computing device1100is illustrated that is used to describe the performance of the method1100in the specific examples provided below. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the computing device1100is substantially similar to the computing device200discussed above with reference toFIG.2, with similar elements having similar element numbers. However, the computing device1100is illustrated as including a shared memory subsystem that, in the illustrated embodiments, is provided by a memory device1102that is included in the software RAID engine204. For example, the memory device1102may provide the memory system described above that is used to provide the software RAID engine204. However, while the shared memory subsystem is illustrated and described as providing the software RAID engine204(and thus being “included in” the software RAID memory engine204), one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the shared memory subsystem may be located outside of the software RAID engine204and/or not used to provide the software RAID engine204a, while still be accessible to the software RAID engine204for use as described below while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

The chassis201of the computing device1100may also include a processing system that is coupled to a memory system that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a Management Control Transfer Protocol (MCTP) engine1104that is configured to perform the functionality of the MCTP engines, MCTP subsystems, and/or computing devices described below. For example, the MCTP engine1104may be configured to provide an MCTP service for the computing device1100. Furthermore, while not illustrated in the examples provided below, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the BMC engine in the BMC device206may include an MCTP service that is configured to communicate with the MCTP engine1104to provide the MCTP communications described below while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

As illustrated, the MCTP engine1104may be coupled to the software RAID engine204(e.g., via a coupling between the processing systems that provide the MCTP engine1104and the software RAID engine204) and, as discussed below, may be coupled to the memory device1102or other shared memory subsystem that is accessible to the software RAID engine204as well. As described below, the MCTP engine1104may be coupled to the BMC device206to provide a Management Message Bus Interface (MMBI) connection between the processing system that provides the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300and the memory device1102or other shared memory subsystem. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the MMBI connection discussed below may include a memory mapped Peripheral Component Interconnect express (PCIe) interface between the BMC device206and a host operating system in the computing device1100that includes or has access to the memory device1102or other shared memory subsystem. However, while a specific computing device1100has been illustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the computing device1100may include a variety of components and/or component configurations for providing conventional computing functionality, as well as the software RAID/management communication functionality described below, while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

The method1000may begin at block1002where a management subsystem determines at least one storage device does not include a storage device memory subsystem configured for software RAID/management communications. With reference toFIGS.12A and12B, in an embodiment of block1002, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300may perform storage-device-memory-subsystem-free storage device determination operations1200that include determining via its communication system308whether each of the storage devices202a-202cinclude a storage device memory subsystem such as the CMB device408described above. However, while the storage-device-memory-subsystem-free storage device determination operations1200illustrate the BMC engine304/BMC device206/300accessing the storage devices202a-202cto determine whether they include storage device memory subsystems, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the BMC engine304/BMC device206/300need not physically access the storage devices202a-202cto determine whether they include storage device memory subsystems while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

For example, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the SAS and SATA storage devices described above do not include storage device memory subsystems like the CMB device408in the NVMe storage devices described above, and may be accessed and controlled by the software RAID engine204via a Platform Controller Hub (PCH) device (e.g., a DELL® POWEREDGE® RAID Controller (PERC) S150 available from DELL® Inc. of Round Rock, Texas, United States) and/or other controller device known in the art. As such, the storage-device-memory-subsystem-free storage device determination operations1200may be performed by the BMC engine304using a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) Peripheral Component Interconnect express (PCIe) inventory to determine whether such a controller device is present in the computing device200, which one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize will indicate whether there are any SAS or SATA storage devices (or other non-NVMe storage devices) that do not include storage device memory subsystems like the CMB device408described above (i.e., if there is no controller device like the PCH device discussed above, then there are no SAS or SATA storage devices). However, while a few specific examples of determining whether storage devices do not include storage device memory subsystems like the CMB device408described above have been discussed, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the BMC engine304/BMC device206/300may determine whether the storage devices202a-202cinclude storage device memory subsystems in a variety of manners that will fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

The method1000then proceeds to block1004where the management subsystem transmits a first MCTP communication via an MMBI connection to cause a software RAID subsystem to retrieve RAID configuration information from the storage device(s) and provide the RAID configuration information in a shared memory subsystem. With reference toFIGS.13A and13B, in an embodiment of block1004, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300may perform MCTP communication operations1300that include generating a first MCTP communication for a storage device that was determined to not include a storage device memory subsystem at block1002, and transmitting that first MCTP communication via the MMBI connection to the MCTP engine1104, with that first MCTP communication configure to cause the MCTP engine1104to instruct the software RAID engine204to provide RAID configuration information from that storage device in the memory device1102.

For example, the first MCTP communication may include an MCTP header, an application header including a software RAID engine identifier for the software RAID engine204aas its destination identifier, and a payload that includes a RAID configuration information provisioning instruction that instructs the provisioning of RAID configuration information in the memory device1102by the storage device that does not include the storage device memory subsystem. With reference toFIG.13B, in response to receiving the first MCTP communication from the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300as part of the MCTP communication operations1300, the MCTP engine1104will perform first MCTP communication forwarding operations1302that may include accessing the destination identifier in the first MCTP communication, identifying the software RAID engine identifier for the software RAID engine204aand, in response, forwarding the first MCTP communication/RAID configuration information provisioning instruction to the software RAID engine204. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the first MCTP communication forwarding operations1302may include any of a variety of processing operations by the MCTP engine1104on the first MCTP communication/RAID configuration information provisioning instruction required to forward that first MCTP communication/RAID configuration information provisioning instruction to the software RAID engine204.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, while block1004is described above as including the transmission of a first MCTP communication for a single storage device that does not include a storage device memory subsystem like the CMB device408discussed above, block1004may be performed to transmit a respective first MCTP communication for each storage device that does not include a storage device memory subsystem. As such, with reference toFIG.13Cand in response to receiving the first MCTP communications for the storage devices that do not include storage device memory subsystems, the software RAID engine204may perform RAID configuration information retrieval operations1304that include retrieving RAID configuration information from each storage device that does not include a storage device memory subsystem, and storing that RAID configuration information in the memory device1102.

For example, the RAID configuration information retrieval operations1304may include the software RAID engine204using the PCH device or other controller device discussed above to access the storage devices that do not include storage device memory subsystems and retrieve the RAID configuration information. Furthermore, whileFIG.13Cillustrates RAID configuration information being retrieved from each of the storage devices202a-202cand stored in the memory device1102, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how only a subset of the storage devices202a-202cmay not include a storage device memory subsystem, and thus the RAID configuration information may only be retrieved from that subset of storage devices while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

In an embodiment, the RAID configuration information described herein may include RAID metadata that may be provided in the Logical Block Addressing (LBA) scheme utilized by each storage device and that is used by the software RAID engine204to create the logical storage device(s), and that RAID metadata may include all the information needed by the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300to perform RAID management operations described below. Furthermore, the retrieval of that RAID configuration information from the storage devices that do not include storage device memory subsystems and the storage of that RAID configuration information in the memory device1102may include providing that RAID configuration information in a RAID configuration information store (e.g., a RAID metadata store) that, as discussed below, is accessible by the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300via the shared memory subsystem provided by the memory device1102using MCTP communications using the MMBI connection described above.

While not described in detail herein, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300may also retrieve the RAID configuration information (e.g., RAID metadata) from the storage devices that include storage memory subsystems (e.g., the NVMe storage devices including the CMB devices408) using the techniques described above by, for example, transmitting NVMe Management Interface (NVMe-MI) commands in MCTP communications with NVMe storage devices in order to retrieve real-time inventories of RAID configuration information (e.g., RAID metadata) in the CMB device408of the NVMe storage devices.

The method1000then proceeds to block1006where the management subsystem transmits a second MCTP communication via the MMBI connection to retrieve the RAID configuration information from the shared memory subsystem. With reference toFIGS.14A and14B, in an embodiment of block1006, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300may perform MCTP communication operations1400that include generating a second MCTP communication for each storage device that was determined to not include a storage device memory subsystem at block1002, and transmitting the second MCTP communication(s) via the MMBI connection to the MCTP engine1104, with the second MCTP communication(s) configured to cause the MCTP engine1104to retrieve RAID configuration information from the storage device(s) that was stored in the memory device1102at block1004.

With reference toFIGS.14C and14D, in response to receiving the second MCTP communication(s) from the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300as part of the MCTP communication operations1400, the MCTP engine1104will perform RAID configuration information provisioning operations1402that may include accessing the memory device1102, retrieving the RAID configuration information that was stored in the memory device1102at block1004, and transmitting that RAID configuration information to the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300via its communication system308. As such, the second MCTP communication(s) may allow the BMC engine304to access the RAID metadata store in the memory device1102and retrieve the RAID metadata from the storage devices that do not include storage device memory subsystems.

As illustrated inFIG.14D, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300may then perform RAID configuration information storage operations1404that include storing the RAID configuration information received as part of the RAID configuration information provisioning operations1402in the BMC database306. While not illustrated or described in detail herein, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300may also store the RAID configuration information retrieved from the storage devices including storage device memory subsystems (e.g., NVMe storage devices including the CMB devices408described above). As such, following block1006, the BMC database306may include the RAID configuration information (e.g., RAID metadata) from all of the storage devices202a-202c, which as described above includes all of the information needed by the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300to perform the RAID management operations described herein on the logical storage device(s) provided by the storage devices202a-202c.

The method1000then proceeds to block1008where the management subsystem uses the RAID configuration information to perform at least one RAID management operation on at least one RAID logical storage device provided by the storage device(s). With reference toFIGS.15A and15B, in an embodiment and as part of the RAID management operations performed at block1008, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300may perform RAID management instruction transmission operations1500that may include the BMC engine304using the RAID configuration information stored in the BMC database306transmit MCTP communications via the MMBI connection to the MCTP engine1104, with those MCTP communications including RAID management instructions associated with logical storage subsystems/logical storage device provided one or more of the storage devices202a-202c.

With reference toFIG.15C, in some examples and as part of the RAID management operations performed at block1008, the RAID management instructions in the MCTP communications may cause the software RAID engine204to perform RAID management operations1502on the storage devices202a-202cthat may include performing modifications to the logical storage subsystems/logical storage device provided by one or more of the storage devices202a-202c. With reference toFIG.15D, in some examples and as part of the RAID management operations performed at block1008, the RAID management instructions in the MCTP communications may cause the software RAID engine204to perform RAID management operations1504on the storage devices202a-202cthat may include retrieving RAID management information associated with the logical storage subsystems/logical storage device from one or more of the storage devices202a-202cand storing that RAID management information in the memory device1102. With reference toFIG.15E, in some examples and as part of the RAID management operations performed at block1008, the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300may perform RAID management information retrieval operations1506that may include the BMC engine304transmitting MCTP communications via the MMBI connection to the MCTP engine1104, with those MCTP communications including RAID provisioning instructions that cause the MCTP engine1104to retrieve the RAID management information stored in the memory device1102and provide that RAID management information to the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300.

As such, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the RAID management operations performed at block1008may be used to perform inventory operations on the logical storage device(s) provided by the storage devices202a-202c, monitoring operations on the logical storage device(s) provided by the storage devices202a-202c(with any monitoring parameters provided for use as telemetry data for a variety of telemetry-data-related operations known in the art), configuration operations on the logical storage device(s) provided by the storage devices202a-202c, and/or other RAID management operations that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the RAID management operations performed by the BMC engine304in the BMC device206/300and the software RAID engine204may be performed Out-Of-Band (OOB) with respect to a host operating system provided in the computing device1100, and thus the method1000enables OOB support for the logical storage device(s) provided by the software RAID engine204for the BMC engine304via MCTP communications over an MMBI connection.

Thus, systems and methods have been described that utilize Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP) communications via a Management Message Bus Interface (MMBI) connection of a management subsystem to a shared memory subsystem with a software RAID subsystem to provide communications between the management subsystem and the software RAID subsystem. For example, the software RAID/management communication system includes a chassis housing a software RAID subsystem coupled to a shared memory subsystem and storage devices, and a management subsystem that is coupled to the storage devices, and that is coupled to the shared memory subsystem via an MMBI connection. The management subsystem determines that at least one of the storage devices does not include a storage device memory subsystem that is configured for software RAID/management communications and, in response, transmits MCTP communications via the MMBI connection to retrieve RAID configuration information from the storage device(s) via the software RAID subsystem and the shared memory subsystem. The management subsystem then uses the RAID configuration information to perform at least one RAID management operation on at least one RAID logical storage device provided by the storage device(s). As such, the management subsystem may retrieve RAID configuration information for use in performing any of a variety of RAID management operations.

Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.