Storage unit, condition monitoring program product, and condition monitoring program storage medium

• US 20040078720A1
• Filed: 12/13/2002
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ito, Masahiro, Suto, Kenichi, Yoneki, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 7,191,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/45
• 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 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16

Abstract

The present invention provides a storage unit for accessing a storage medium according to a direction from a computer, a condition monitoring program product executed in the computer to which the storage unit is connected, and a storage medium thereof, having a configuration advantageously providing information for a user to properly address an abnormal condition in the storage unit. The storage unit includes a date storage module for storing a current date reported from the computer only a first time the storage unit is connected to the computer and maintains subsequently the date. The condition monitoring program receives the date stored in the date storage module from the storage unit connected to the computer and presents a message according to the number of days elapsing between the date and the current date.

Claims

1. A storage unit connected to a host apparatus for accessing a storage medium according to a direction from said host apparatus, comprising:

a date storage module that stores date information reported from said connected host apparatus and retaining said date information; and

a transmitter that transmits the date information stored in said date storage module to said connected host apparatus in response to a request from said host apparatus.

2. A storage unit connected to a host apparatus for accessing a storage medium according to a direction from said host apparatus, comprising:

a history storage module that receives date information from said connected host apparatus, associating a history record of an abnormal condition that occurs in said storage unit with date information about a date on which said abnormal condition occurs and storing said history record with said date information; and

a transmitter that transmits the history record of the abnormal condition stored in said history storage module to said connected host apparatus in response to a request from said host apparatus.

3. The storage unit according to claim 2, wherein, if an abnormal condition determined to be recorded as a history record occurs, said history storage module stores the occurrence of said abnormal condition, said determination being made against specification of types of abnormal conditions to be recorded as a history record.

4. The storage unit according to claim 2, further comprising an abnormal condition reporting module that, if a pre-specified abnormal condition occurs, reports the occurrence of the abnormal condition to said host apparatus to which said storage unit is connected.

5. The storage unit according to claim 3, further comprising an abnormal condition reporting module that, if a pre-specified abnormal condition occurs, reports the occurrence of the abnormal condition to said host apparatus to which said storage unit is connected.

6. A storage unit connected to a host apparatus for accessing a storage medium according to a direction from said host apparatus, comprising:

an accumulative information storage module that stores accumulative information about the operations of said storage unit; and

a transmitter that transmits the accumulative information stored in said accumulative information storage module to said connected host apparatus in response to a request from said host apparatus.

7. A condition monitoring program storage medium containing a condition monitoring program executed in a host apparatus to which a storage unit that accesses a storage medium according to a direction from said host apparatus is connected, said condition monitoring program configuring in said host apparatus a condition monitor that monitors the condition of said storage unit,

wherein said condition monitor comprises:

a transmission direction module that directs said storage unit connected to said host apparatus to transmit date information;

a receiver that receives the date information or a report indicating that no date is set, said date information and said report being transmitted from said storage unit in response to the direction from said transmission direction module for the transmission of the date information; and

a date information reporting module that transmits date information to said storage unit to cause said storage unit to store said date information, in response to the reception by said receiver of said report indicating that no date is set.

9. The condition monitoring program recording medium according to claim 7, wherein said condition monitoring program configures the condition monitor further comprising a history setting module that sets in said storage unit an abnormal condition type to be recorded as a history record, said abnormal condition type being inputted in a monitor unit in response to an operation for inputting the abnormal condition type.

10. The condition monitoring program storage medium according to claim 7, wherein said transmission direction module periodically directs said storage unit to transmit the abnormal condition history.

11. The condition monitoring program storage medium according to claim 7, wherein said transmission direction module directs said storage unit to transmit the abnormal condition history in response to a report of the occurrence of an abnormal condition provided from said storage unit.

8. A condition monitoring program storage medium containing a condition monitoring program executed in a host apparatus to which a storage unit that accesses a storage medium according to a direction from said host apparatus is connected, said condition monitoring program configuring in said host apparatus a condition monitor that monitors the condition of said storage unit,

wherein said condition monitor comprises:

a transmission direction module that directs said storage unit connected to said host apparatus to transmit an abnormal condition history;

a receiver that receives the abnormal condition history transmitted from said storage unit in response to the direction from said transmission direction module for the transmission of the abnormal condition history; and

a message presentation module that presents a message according to the abnormal condition history received in said receiver.

12. A condition monitoring program storage medium containing a condition monitoring program executed in a host apparatus to which a storage unit that accesses a storage medium according to a direction from said host apparatus is connected, said condition monitoring program configuring in said host apparatus a condition monitor that monitors the condition of said storage unit,

wherein said condition monitoring program comprises in said host apparatus:

a transmission direction module that directs said storage unit connected to said host apparatus to transmit date information;

a receiver that receives date information transmitted under the direction of said transmission direction module from said storage unit; and

a message presentation module that presents a message according to the number of days elapsing between a date indicated by the date information received by said receiver and the current date.

13. A condition monitoring program storage medium containing a condition monitoring program executed in a host apparatus to which a storage unit that accesses a storage medium according to a direction from said host apparatus is connected, said condition monitoring program configuring in said host apparatus a condition monitor that monitors the condition of said storage unit,

wherein said condition monitoring program comprises in said host apparatus:

a transmission direction module that directs said storage unit connected to said host apparatus to transmit accumulative information stored in an accumulative information storage module;

a receiver that receives the accumulative information transmitted under the direction of said transmission direction module from said storage unit; and

a message presentation module that presents a message according to the accumulative information received in said receiver.

14. A condition monitoring program product executed in a host apparatus to which a storage unit that accesses a storage medium according to a direction from said host apparatus is connected, said condition monitoring program product configuring in said host apparatus a condition monitor that monitors the condition of said storage unit,

wherein said condition monitor comprises:

a transmission direction module that directs said storage unit connected to said host apparatus to transmit date information;

a receiver that receives the date information or a report indicating that no date is set, said date information and said report being transmitted from said storage unit in response to the direction from said transmission direction module for the transmission of the date information; and

a date information reporting module that transmits date information to said storage unit to cause said storage unit to store said date information, in response to the reception by said receiver of said report indicating that no date is set.