Method and system for proactive drive replacement for high availability storage systems

• US 20050060618A1
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: COPAN Systems, Inc. (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Guha, Aloke
• Granted Patent: US 7,373,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/54
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/04 Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions

Abstract

Methods for preventing the failure of disk drives in storage systems are disclosed. A system and a computer program product for preventing the failure are also disclosed. Factors relating to the aging or early onset of errors in a disk drive are monitored. These factors are then compared to thresholds. In case the thresholds are exceeded, an indication for the replacement of the disk drive is given. Sudden rises in the factors are also used to indicate the impeding failure of disk drives.

Claims

1. A method for preventing disk drive failures wherein a plurality of disk drives form a storage system, the method comprising:

monitoring factors relating to the aging of a particular disk drive in the plurality of disk drives;

determining whether the factors exceed at least one threshold; and

indicating whether the particular disk drive should be replaced in response to determining whether the factor exceeds the at least one threshold

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage system includes power management.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the factors include power-on hours.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a first threshold is derived from the mean-time-to-failure of the plurality of disk drives.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the mean-time-to-failure is derived from a function of temperature measurement.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the first threshold includes a fraction of the mean-time-to-failure used as a threshold value to which the number of power-on hours is compared.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the factors include start stops.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a second threshold includes a fraction of the maximum value of start stops used as a threshold value to which the start stops is compared.

9. A method for preventing disk drive failures wherein a plurality of disk drives form a storage system, the method comprising:

monitoring factors relating to the early onset of errors in a particular disk drive in the plurality of disk drives;

determining whether the factors exceed at least one threshold; and

indicating whether the particular disk drive should be replaced in response to determining whether the factor exceeds the at least one threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the storage system includes power management.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the factors include a reallocated sector count.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a third threshold includes a fraction of the maximum value of reallocated sector count used as a threshold value to which the reallocated sector count is compared.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the factors include a read error rate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a fourth threshold includes a fraction of the maximum value of read error rate used as a threshold value to which the read error rate is compared.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the factors include a seek error rate.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a fifth threshold includes a fraction of the maximum value of seek error rate used as a threshold value to which the seek error rate is compared.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the factors include a spin retry count.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a sixth threshold includes a fraction of the maximum value of spin retry count used as a threshold value to which the spin retry count is compared.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the factors include measuring a progressive increase in an error rate.

20. A method for preventing disk drive failures wherein a plurality of disk drives form a storage system, the method comprising:

measuring a factor relating to the onset of error in a particular disk drive in the plurality of disk drives;

calculating the change in consecutive measurements of the factor; and

indicating whether the particular disk drive should be replaced if the change in consecutive measurements increases.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the factor relating to the onset of error includes a reallocated sector count.

22. A method for preventing disk drive failures in a power managed storage system, wherein a plurality of disk drives form the power managed storage system, the method comprising:

monitoring factors relating to the failure of a particular disk drive in the plurality of disk drives;

comparing the factors to a set of stored thresholds; and

indicating whether a particular disk drive should be replaced.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein at least one of the factors includes one or more of:

power-on hours, start stops, reallocated sector count, read error rate, seek error rate or spin retry count.

24. A system for preventing disk drive failures wherein a plurality of disk drives form a storage system, the system comprising:

a command router, the command router retrieving factors relating to the failure a particular disk drive in the plurality of disk drives;

a processor, the processor monitoring the factors;

a memory, the memory storing a set of thresholds to which the factors are compared; and

means for indicating whether a particular disk drive should be replaced.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include power-on hours.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include start stops.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include a reallocated sector count.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include a read error rate.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include a seek error rate.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include a spin retry count.

31. A computer program product for use with a computer, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein for preventing disk drive failures wherein a plurality of disk drives form a storage system, the computer program code performing:

monitoring factors relating to the failure of a particular disk drive in the plurality of disk drives;

comparing the factors to a set of stored thresholds; and

indicating whether a particular disk drive should be replaced.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include power-on hours.

33. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include start stops.

34. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include a reallocated sector count.

35. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include a read error rate.

36. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include a seek error rate.

37. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the factors relating to the failure of the plurality of disk drives include a spin retry count.