Changing a mode of a storage subsystem in a system

• US 20050138465A1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Depew, Kevin G., Nunna, Jyothsna
• Granted Patent: US 7,107,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1044 with specific ECC/EDC distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1666 where the redundant component is memory or memory area
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2053 where persistent mass storage functionality or persistent mass storage control functionality is redundant error detection or correction in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18

Abstract

A system includes a storage subsystem capable of being set in at least a first mode and a second mode. When operating the storage subsystem in the first mode, redundant information is stored in a first portion of the storage subsystem in the first mode. An indication is received to indicate that a mode of the storage subsystem is to be changed from the first mode to the second mode. In response to the indication, the mode of the storage subsystem is changed from the first mode to the second mode. In the second mode, non-redundant information is stored in the first portion of the storage subsystem. The mode of the storage subsystem is changed without resetting the system.

Claims

1. A method for use in a system having a storage subsystem capable of being set in at least a first mode and a second mode, comprising:

operating the storage subsystem in the first mode, wherein redundant information is stored in a first portion of the storage subsystem in the first mode;

receiving an indication to indicate that a mode of the storage subsystem is to be changed from the first mode to the second mode;

in response to the indication, changing the mode of the storage subsystem from the first mode to the second mode; and

storing non-redundant information in the first portion of the storage subsystem in the second mode,

wherein changing the mode of the storage subsystem is performed without resetting the system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating, receiving, and changing acts are performed without resetting the system between any two of the operating, receiving, and changing acts.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mode comprises a mirroring mode, the method further comprising storing a copy of a second portion of the storage subsystem in the first portion in the mirroring mode.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein changing the mode of the storage subsystem from the first mode to the second mode comprises changing the mode from the mirroring mode to an error correction code (ECC) mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the mode comprises changing the mode using a routine for handling hot adding of a memory module to a memory subsystem, the storage subsystem comprising the memory subsystem.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting hot addition of the memory module; and

invoking the routine in response to detecting the hot addition of the memory module.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein invoking the routine comprises invoking a system management interrupt (SMI) handler.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication comprises a software application receiving a user-entered indication of whether the storage subsystem is to be in the first mode or the second mode.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising setting a variable to one of plural states in response to the user-entered indication.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising an interrupt handler to change the mode of the storage subsystem in response to the state of the variable.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage subsystem comprises a memory subsystem having memory slots and memory modules inserted in respective memory slots, each memory slot associated with a lock switch settable between a locked position and an unlocked position, the method further comprising:

detecting actuation of the lock switch of one of the memory slots from the unlocked position to the locked position; and

in response to actuation of the lock switch from the unlocked position to the locked position, invoking a routine to change the mode of the memory subsystem from the first mode to the second mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the indication comprises a variable having a first state and a second state, the first state to indicate that the memory subsystem is to be set in the first mode, and the second state to indicate that the memory subsystem is to be set in the second mode,

the routine to change the mode of the storage subsystem based on the state of the variable.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein invoking the routine comprises invoking a system management interrupt (SMI) routine.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

activating an SMI in response to detecting actuation of the lock switch from the unlocked position to the locked position; and

transitioning the system into system management mode (SMM) in response to the activated SMI, wherein the variable is stored in SMM space of a memory space associated with the memory subsystem.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

the routine accessing configuration information of the memory module associated with the lock switch that is actuated from the unlocked position to the locked position; and

the routine initializing the memory subsystem.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting the actuation of the lock switch from the locked position to the unlocked position; and

in response to detecting the actuation of the lock switch from the locked position to the unlocked position, powering down the memory module inserted into the memory slot associated with the unlocked lock switch.

17. A system comprising:

a memory subsystem having plural fault tolerant modes, wherein the memory subsystem has memory slots, and at least one memory module insertable in one of the memory slots; and

a routine executable in response to detecting insertion of the memory module in the one memory slot,

the routine to change the fault tolerant mode of the memory subsystem to change a storage capacity of the memory subsystem.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the routine is adapted to change the fault tolerant mode from a first fault tolerant mode to a second fault tolerant mode, the system further comprising a processor and application software executable on the processor,

wherein a larger portion of the memory subsystem is available to the application software in the second fault tolerant mode than in the first fault tolerant mode.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the routine is adapted to change the fault tolerant mode of the memory subsystem from a first fault tolerant mode to a second fault tolerant mode,

wherein the first fault tolerant mode comprises a mirroring mode in which a portion of the memory subsystem is used to store redundant information, and

wherein the second fault tolerant mode comprises another mode in which the portion of the memory subsystem is used to store non-redundant information.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second fault tolerant mode comprises an error correction code (ECC) mode.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the routine is adapted to change the fault tolerant mode of the memory subsystem without resetting the system.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein insertion of the memory module is indicated by actuation of a lock switch of a memory slot associated with the memory module from a locked position to an unlocked position.

23. A system comprising:

a processor;

a storage adapted to be set to one of plural fault tolerant modes, the fault tolerant modes comprising first and second fault tolerant modes, the first fault tolerant mode associated with a first storage capacity, and the second fault tolerant mode associated with a second, larger storage capacity; and

a routine executable on the processor to change the fault tolerant mode of the storage from the first fault tolerant mode to the second fault tolerant mode to increase storage capacity in response to receiving a user-activated input,

wherein the routine is executable to change the fault tolerant mode of the storage from the first fault tolerant mode to the second fault tolerant mode without resetting the system.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the storage includes one or plural memory modules, and the routine is adapted to be invoked in response to hot adding a memory module.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the storage comprises a memory subsystem, and wherein the first fault tolerant mode comprises a mirroring mode.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the second fault tolerant mode comprises a error correction code (ECC) mode.

27. An article comprising at least one storage medium containing instructions for setting a mode of a memory subsystem, the instructions when executed causing a system to:

receive an indication to indicate the mode of the memory subsystem is to be changed from a first mode to a second mode, wherein a first portion of the memory subsystem is for storing redundant information in the first mode; and

in response to the indication, configure the memory subsystem to operate in the second mode, wherein the first portion of the memory subsystem is for storing non-redundant information in the second mode,

wherein the receiving and configuring are performed without resetting the system.

28. The article of claim 27, wherein the first mode comprises a mirroring mode.

29. The article of claim 28, wherein the second mode comprises an error correction code (ECC) mode.

30. The article of claim 27, wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to invoke a routine to configure the memory subsystem to operate in the second mode, the routine for handling hot adding of a memory module to the memory subsystem.

31. The article of claim 30, wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to further:

detect hot addition of the memory module; and

invoke the routine in response to detecting the hot addition of the memory module.

32. The article of claim 31, wherein invoking the routine comprises invoking a system management interrupt (SMI) handler.