Disk array controller and information processing apparatus

• US 20050229033A1
• Filed: 03/24/2005
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Kazuyuki, Kurashige, Takehiko
• Application Number:
  US11/087,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20050229033A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/109 Sector level checksum or ECC, i.e. sector or stripe level checksum or ECC in addition to the RAID parity calculation

Abstract

A disk array controller has a function of relocating a plurality of data blocks stored in a disk array. The controller includes a read unit which reads data blocks to be relocated from the disk array, a determining unit which determines whether an error has occurred in the to-be-relocated data block read by the read unit, a write unit which writes the to-be-relocated data block read by the read unit in a relocating destination position on the disk array which corresponds to the to-be-relocated data block if the determining unit determines that the error has not occurred in the to-be-relocated data block, and a unit which sets error information with respect to the relocating destination position if the determining unit determines that the error has occurred in the to-be-relocated data block, the error information causing occurrence of an error in response to read access of the relocating destination position.

Claims

1. A disk array controller which controls a disk array to change a redundancy level of the disk array, comprising:

a read unit which reads a data block to be relocated from the disk array,

a determining unit which determines whether an error has occurred in the to-be-relocated data block read by the read unit,

a write unit which writes the to-be-relocated data block read by the read unit in a relocating destination position on the disk array which corresponds to the to-be-relocated data block when the determining unit determines that the error has not occurred in the to-be-relocated data block, and

an error information setting unit configured to set error information with respect to the relocating destination position if the determining unit determines that the error has occurred in the to-be-relocated data block, the error information causing occurrence of an error in response to read access of the relocating destination position.

2. The disk array controller according to claim 1, wherein the error information setting unit is configured to write data and an error-correcting code which is not associated with the data as the error information in the relocating destination position.

3. The disk array controller according to claim 1, wherein the error information setting unit is configured to store logical address information indicating the relocating destination position as the error information into a nonvolatile storage unit, and to generate an error if logical address information contained in a read access request from a host is stored in the nonvolatile storage unit.

4. A disk array controller which controls a disk array to expand storage capacity of the disk array, comprising:

a read unit which reads a data block to be relocated from the disk array,

a determining unit which determines whether an error has occurred in the to-be-relocated data block read by the read unit,

a write unit which writes the to-be-relocated data block read by the read unit into a relocating destination position on the disk array which corresponds to the to-be-relocated data block if the determining unit determines that the error has not occurred in the to-be-relocated data block, and

an error information setting unit configured to set error information with respect to the relocating destination position if the determining unit determines that the error has occurred in the to-be-relocated data block, the error information causing occurrence of an error in response to read access of the relocating destination position.

5. The disk array controller according to claim 4, wherein the error information setting unit is configured to write data and an error-correcting code which is not associated with the data as the error information in the relocating destination position.

6. The disk array controller according to claim 4, wherein the error information setting unit is configured to store logical address information indicating the relocating destination position as the error information into a nonvolatile storage unit, and to generate an error if logical address information contained in a read access request from a host is stored in the nonvolatile storage unit.

7. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a disk array, and

relocating means for performing a relocating process to relocate a plurality of data blocks stored in the disk array, the relocating means including read means for reading the to-be-relocated data block from the disk array, determining means for determining whether an error has occurred in the to-be-relocated data block read by the read means, write means for writing the to-be-relocated data block read by the read means in a relocating destination position on the disk array which corresponds to the to-be-relocated data block if the determining means determines that an error has not occurred in the to-be-relocated data block, and means for setting error information configured to set error information with respect to the relocating destination position if the determining means determines that the error has occurred in the to-be-relocated data block, the error information causing occurrence of an error in response to read access of the relocating destination position.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the means for setting error information includes means for writing data and an error-correcting code which is not associated with the data as the error information in the relocating destination position.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the means for setting error information includes means for storing logical address information indicating the relocating destination position as the error information into a nonvolatile storage unit, and means for generating an error if logical address information contained in a read access request from a program is stored in the nonvolatile storage unit.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the relocating process is performed to change a redundancy level of the disk array.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the relocating process is performed to expand storage capacity of the disk array by using an additional disk drive.