Storage control device and method for detecting write errors to storage media

• US 20060098320A1
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Inoue, Mitsuru, Koga, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 7,570,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/53
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1004 to protect a block of data words, e.g. CRC or checksum G06F11/1076 takes precedence; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorized activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache

Abstract

There are provided a cache region that stores write data from a host device, storage media, a data storage region for the storage media, and a comparison unit. A first comparison object is generated for N items of write data on the cache region and the N items of write data are transferred to the data storage region. Write data is read from a designated address of the data storage region and this write data is written to the storage media. When N items of write data have been read, a second comparison object is generated in respect of the write data. The comparison unit compares the first comparison object and the second comparison object, and if the result of the comparison is a mismatch, the N items of write data on the cache region are again transferred to the data storage region.

Claims

1. A storage control device that receives write data from a host device that transmits the write data constituting data to be written and that writes the write data to storage media, comprising:

a storage media device comprising storage media that stores data;

a cache region that temporarily stores the write data received from said host device;

a storage media adaptor that acquires the write data stored in said cache region from said cache region and transfers said write data that has thus been acquired to said storage media device; and

a processor;

wherein said storage media adaptor comprises;

a data buffer that accumulates write data acquired from said cache region;

a first comparison object generating unit that generates a first comparison object in respect of K items of write data when at least K items (where K is an integer of 1 or more) of write data have been accumulated in said data buffer;

a first comparison object storage region that stores said first comparison object that was thus generated; and

an adaptor transmitter, which is a transmitter that transmits a data frame including said K items of write data to said storage media device;

wherein said storage media device comprises;

a storage media receiver that is a receiver that receives said data frame from said storage media adaptor;

a data storage region that respectively comprises a plurality of sub-regions that store at least one item of write data and addresses for specifying said sub-regions and accumulates in at least one sub-region of said plurality of sub-regions K items of write data contained in said received data frame;

an address designating unit that designates the start address for reading from the plurality of addresses of said data storage region;

a storage media writing unit that reads write data from the sub-region indicated by said designated address and writes said write data that has thus been read in said storage media;

a second comparison object generating unit that, when K items of write data are read from said data storage region, generates a second comparison object in respect of said K items of write data that have thus been read;

a second comparison object storage region that stores said second generated comparison object;

and a storage media transmitter that is a transmitter that transmits the second comparison object stored in said second comparison object storage region to said storage media adaptor;

wherein said storage media adaptor further comprises

an adaptor receiver that is a receiver that receives said second comparison object; and

a comparator that compares said received second comparison object with said first comparison object stored in said first comparison object storage region;

wherein, if, as a result of the comparison performed by said comparator, it is found that said received second comparison object does not match any of the plurality of first comparison objects stored in said first comparison object storage region, said processor causes said storage media adaptor to acquire from said cache region the K items of write data that were previously transmitted, and

said adaptor transmitter then retransmits to said storage media device said data frame including said acquired K items of write data.

2. The storage control device according to claim 1 wherein, if, as a result of the comparison by said comparator, it is found that said received second comparison object matches any one of said plurality of first comparison objects stored in said first comparison object storage region, said processor then erases the K items of write data corresponding to this first comparison object from said cache region.

3. The storage control device according to claim 2 wherein said storage control device further comprises a channel adaptor comprising a first processor and that receives said write data from the host device, and writes said write data that has thus been received in said cache region, and a shared storage region that is a storage region accessible by both said channel adaptor and said storage media adaptor;

said storage media adaptor comprises a second processor; and

if, as a result of the comparison performed by said comparator, it is found that said received second comparison object matches any one of the plurality of first comparison objects stored in said first comparison object storage region, the second processor writes information indicating the fact that a match has been achieved in said shared storage region; and

if the first processor detects that such information indicating that a match has been achieved is stored in said shared storage region, said first processor deletes the K items of write data corresponding to this first comparison object from said cache region.

4. The storage control device according to claim 1 wherein said first comparison object and said second comparison object are data groups including code for error detection in respect of said K items of write data.

5. The storage control device according to claim 1 wherein said first comparison object storage region stores first item of identification information for identifying at least one first comparison object from a plurality of first comparison objects;

said storage media transmitter transmits at least one second comparison object and a second item of identification information corresponding to said at least one second comparison object to said storage media adaptor; and

said comparator compares said at least one second comparison object with said at least one first comparison object identified from said first item of identification information matching said second item of identification information.

6. The storage control device according to claim 5 wherein said first item of identification information includes a frame number indicating the transmission sequence number of the data frame including the K items of write data corresponding to said first comparison object;

and

said second item of identification information includes the frame number associated with said second comparison object.

7. The storage control device according to claim 1 wherein said storage media transmitter transmits to said storage media adaptor an information group including a plurality of second comparison objects;

and

the data size of said information group is no more than the data size of said data frame transmitted by said adaptor transmitter.

8. The storage control device according to claim 7 wherein said first comparison object storage region stores a first item of identification information for identifying a first comparison object from said plurality of first comparison objects;

and

said storage media transmitter transmits to said storage media adaptor said information group including a plurality of sets of the second comparison object and second item of identification information corresponding to said second comparison object; and

said comparator compares the second comparison objects contained in said information group with the first comparison object identified from the first item of identification information matching the second item of identification information corresponding to this second comparison object.

9. The storage control device according to claim 1 wherein said storage media device is a hard disk device, said hard disk device is the hard disk drive itself or a device comprising a hard disk drive, and said hard disk drive is an ATA drive.

10. The storage control device according to claim 1 wherein said storage media device is a hard disk device;

said hard disk device is a hard disk drive itself or a device comprising a hard disk drive;

said storage control device comprises a high reliability hard disk device and a hard disk device of-lower reliability than said high reliability hard disk device;

said storage media adaptor is connected with both said high reliability hard disk device and said hard disk device of lower reliability;

said high reliability hard disk device is a high reliability drive itself or a device comprising the high reliability drive;

said lower reliability hard disk device is itself a drive of lower reliability than said high reliability drive or is a device comprising such a drive; and

said comparator performs said comparison in the case where the transmission destination of the write data is the lower reliability hard disk device.

11. A storage control method that is executed by a storage control device that receives write data from a host device that transmits write data constituting data to be written and that writes this write data to storage media;

wherein

said storage control device comprises a storage media storage device provided with storage media;

said storage media storage device comprises a data storage region that respectively comprises a plurality of sub-regions that store at least one item of write data and addresses for specifying said sub-regions; and

said storage control method comprising the steps of;

receiving write data from a host device;

writing said received write data in a cache region where write data is temporarily stored;

generating a first comparison object in respect of K items of write data (where K is an integer of 1 or more) that are written to said cache region;

writing said generated first comparison object to the comparison object storage region;

generating a data frame containing said K items of write data and transmitting said generated data frame to a storage media device having storage media;

writing the K items of write data included in the data frame received by said storage media device in at least one sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions in said data storage region;

designating the start address for reading from the plurality of addresses of said data storage region;

reading write data from said sub-region indicated by the designated address and writing said write data that has thus been read to said storage media;

generating a second comparison object in respect of said K items of write data that have thus been read, in the case where K items of write data are read from said data storage region;

writing said generated second comparison object to a second comparison object storage region;

transmitting a second comparison object stored in said second comparison object storage region;

comparing said second transmitted comparison object with the first comparison objects stored in said first comparison object storage region; and

acquiring the K items of write data that were previously transmitted from said cache region, and retransmitting said data frame including said acquired K items of write data to said storage media device, if the comparison result is that the second comparison object does not match any of the plurality of first comparison objects stored in said first comparison object storage region.

12. A storage control device that receives write data from a host device that transmits the write data constituting data to be written and that writes said write data to storage media, comprising:

storage media that stores data;

a cache region that temporarily stores the write data received from the host device;

a cache acquisition unit that acquires K items of write data (where K is an integer of 1 or more) written to said cache region;

a first comparison object generating unit that generates a first comparison object in respect of said K items of write data;

a first comparison object storage region that stores said first comparison object that was thus generated;

a data storage region that respectively comprises a plurality of sub-regions that store at least one item of write data and addresses for specifying said sub-regions, and stores said K items of write data in at least one sub-region of said plurality of sub-regions;

an address designating unit that designates the start address for reading from the plurality of addresses of said data storage region;

a storage media writing unit that reads write data from the sub-region indicated by said designated address and writes said write data that has thus been read in said storage media;

a second comparison object generating unit that, when K items of write data are read from said data storage region, generates a second comparison object in respect of said K items of write data that have thus been read; and

a comparison unit that compares said generated second comparison object with the first comparison object stored in said first comparison object storage region;

wherein

if, as a result of the comparison by said comparison unit, it is found that said second comparison object matches none of the plurality of first comparison objects stored in said first comparison object storage region, said cache acquisition unit acquires K items of write data from said cache region, and

said data storage region stores said acquired K items of write data.

13. The storage control device according to claim 12 further comprising a data deletion unit that deletes K items of write data corresponding to the first comparison object from said cache region, if, as a result of the comparison performed by said comparison unit, it is found that said received second comparison object matches any one of the plurality of first comparison objects stored in said first comparison object storage region.

14. The storage control device according to claim 12 wherein said first comparison object and said second comparison object are data groups including code for error detection in respect of the K items of write data.

15. The storage control device according to claim 12 wherein said first comparison object storage region stores first item of identification information for identifying a first comparison object from a plurality of first comparison objects;

said storage control device further comprises a specifying unit for specifying, from said first comparison object storage region, a first item of identification information matching a second item of identification information corresponding to the second comparison object; and

said comparison unit compares the first comparison object identified from said specified first item of identification information and the second comparison object corresponding to said second item of identification information.

16. The storage control device according to claim 15 further comprising:

a storage media device comprising said storage media; and

a data frame transmission unit that generates a data frame including K items of write data in said cache region and transmits said generated data frame to said storage media device;

wherein

said first item of identification information includes a frame number indicating the transmission sequential number of the data frame including the K items of write data corresponding to said first comparison object; and

said second item of identification information includes a frame number associated with said second comparison object.