Method and system for predicting storage device failures

• US 10,459,815 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2019
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Jacoby, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bryan, Jason B
• Application Number:
  US16/252,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20190171541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3034 where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3485 for I/O devices

Abstract

The invention pertains to a method and information handling system (IHS) for predicting storage device failures. An embodiment of the method of the present invention begins by obtaining data regarding input and output of the at least one storage device. Next, the obtained data is normalized to determine a duty cycle of the at least one storage device. Finally, using the normalized data, a likelihood of failure of the at least one storage device is determined. In another example embodiment, a failure indicator is associated with the at least one storage device based upon the determined likelihood of failure.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

for each physical drive of a plurality of physical drives of a logical storage device implemented by the plurality of physical drives in a RAID configuration;

determining a total number of reads and writes to the physical drive as a function of (i) data regarding reads and writes committed by an operating system to the logical storage device and (ii) a number of reads and writes, caused by the RAID configuration, to the physical drive for each read and write committed by the operating system to the logical storage device; and

determining a likelihood of failure for the physical drive based on the determined total number of reads and writes to the physical drive; and

replacing at least one physical drive of the plurality of physical drives based on one or more of the determined likelihoods of failure.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data regarding reads and writes committed by the operating system to the logical storage device comprises at least one of:

a number of reads;

a number of writes;

a size of one or more reads; and

a size of one or more writes.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a likelihood of failure of the logical storage device based on the total number of reads and writes determined for each physical drive.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the likelihood of failure of the logical storage device is further based on device configuration information.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the device configuration information comprises at least one of:

a number of Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) sets;

a total number of disks;

a number of disks per RAID set; and

a full/partial stripe ratio.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a higher number of reads and writes indicates increased likelihood of failure.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

for each physical drive, populating a database with an indication of the determined likelihood of failure.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the indication of the likelihood of failure is a high, medium, or low failure indicator.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the indication of the likelihood of failure is a high, medium, or low failure indicator, and the method further comprises:

for each physical drive, modifying the indication to be one of high-plus, medium-plus, or low-plus using pre-established failure data that is based upon one or more hardware characteristics of the physical drive.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

modifying the likelihood of failure determined for a given physical drive using pre-established failure data that is based upon one or more hardware characteristics of the given physical drive.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the pre-established failure data based upon one or more hardware characteristics of the given physical drive comprises at least one of:

storage device size;

storage device speed;

storage device class; and

RAID type.

12. An information handling system (IHS) comprising:

a processor; and

a memory with computer code instructions stored thereon, the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions being configured to cause the IHS to;

for each physical drive of a plurality of physical drives of a logical storage device implemented by the plurality of physical drives in a RAID configuration;

determine a total number of reads and writes to the physical drive as a function of (i) data regarding reads and writes committed by an operating system to the logical storage device and (ii) a number of reads and writes, caused by the RAID configuration, to the physical drive for each read and write committed by the operating system to the logical storage device; and

determine a likelihood of failure for the physical drive based on the determined total number of reads and writes to the physical drive; and

replace at least one physical drive of the plurality of physical drives based on one or more of the determined likelihoods of failure.

13. The IHS of claim 12 wherein the data regarding reads and writes committed by the operating system to the logical storage device comprises at least one of:

a number of reads;

a number of writes;

a size of one or more reads; and

a size of one or more writes.

14. The IHS of claim 12 wherein the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions, are further configured to cause the IHS to:

determine a likelihood of failure of the logical storage device based on the total number of reads and writes determined for each physical drive.

15. The IHS of claim 14 where, in determining the likelihood of failure of the logical storage device, the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions, are further configured to cause the IHS to:

determine the likelihood of failure of the logical storage device based on device configuration information.

16. The IHS of claim 15 wherein the device configuration information comprises at least one of:

a number of Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) sets;

a total number of disks;

a number of disks per RAID set; and

a full/partial stripe ratio.

17. The IHS of claim 12 wherein a higher number of reads and writes indicates increased likelihood of failure.

18. The IHS of claim 12 wherein the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions, are further configured to cause the IHS to:

for each physical drive, populate a database with an indication of the determined likelihood of failure.

19. The IHS of claim 12 wherein the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions, are further configured to cause the IHS to:

modify the likelihood of failure determined for a given physical drive using pre-established failure data that is based upon one or more hardware characteristics of the given physical drive.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when loaded and executed by a processor coupled to an apparatus, causes the apparatus to:

for each physical drive of a plurality of physical drives of a logical storage device implemented by the plurality of physical drives in a RAID configuration;

determine a total number of reads and writes to the physical drive as a function of (i) data regarding reads and writes committed by an operating system to the logical storage device and (ii) a number of reads and writes, caused by the RAID configuration, to the physical drive for each read and write committed by the operating system to the logical storage device; and

determine a likelihood of failure for the physical drive based on the determined total number of reads and writes to the physical drive; and

replace at least one physical drive of the plurality of physical drives based on one or more of the determined likelihoods of failures.