SELECTION OF DATA ARRAYS

• US 20080209253A1
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kubo, Robert Akira, Sheppard, Jacob Lee, Lovrien, Kurt Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1092 Rebuilding, e.g. when physically replacing a failing disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1096 Parity calculation or recalculation after configuration or reconfiguration of the system

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture, wherein a plurality of data arrays coupled to a storage controller is maintained. Data arrays are selected from the plurality of data arrays based on predetermined selection rules. Data is stored redundantly in the selected data arrays by writing the data to the selected data arrays.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining a plurality of data arrays coupled to a storage controller,

selecting data arrays from the plurality of data arrays based on predetermined selection rules; and

storing data redundantly in the selected data arrays by writing the data to the selected data arrays.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data arrays are RAID arrays, wherein the selecting of the data arrays from the plurality of data arrays further comprises:

selecting three RAID arrays from the plurality of RAID arrays based on the predetermined selection rules, in response to determining that the plurality of RAID arrays has more than three RAID arrays.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein if a first RAID arrays is in a better rank detail state than a second RAID array then the first RAID array is selected in preference to the second RAID array for storing the data redundantly, wherein good rank detail states are better than rebuilding rank detail states, wherein rebuilding rank detail states are better than exposed rank detail states, and wherein exposed rank detail states are better than degraded rank detail states.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a plurality of dual loops couple the plurality of RAID arrays to the storage controller, wherein a selected first RAID array is preferred to be in a different dual loop than a selected second RAID array.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined selection rules used for selecting the RAID arrays are based on a weighting of the reliability and the performance of drive types of the plurality of RAID arrays, wherein if a first RAID array is better than a second RAID array based on the weighting, then the first RAID array is selected in preference to the second RAID array for storing the data redundantly.

6. A storage controller in communication with a plurality of data arrays, the storage controller comprising:

memory; and

processor, coupled to the memory, wherein the processor executes operations, the operations comprising;

(i) selecting data arrays from the plurality of data arrays based on predetermined selection rules; and

(ii) storing data redundantly in the selected data arrays by writing the data to the selected data arrays.

7. The storage controller of claim 6, wherein the data arrays are RAID arrays, wherein the selecting of the data arrays from the plurality of data arrays further comprises:

selecting three RAID arrays from the plurality of RAID arrays based on the predetermined selection rules, in response to determining that the plurality of RAID arrays has more than three RAID arrays.

8. The storage controller of claim 7, wherein if a first RAID array is in a better rank detail state than a second RAID array then the first RAID array is selected in preference to the second RAID array for storing the data redundantly, wherein good rank detail states are better than rebuilding rank detail states, wherein rebuilding rank detail states are better than exposed rank detail states, and wherein exposed rank detail states are better than degraded rank detail states.

9. The storage controller of claim 7, wherein a plurality of dual loops couple the plurality of RAID arrays to the storage controller, wherein a selected first RAID array is preferred to be in a different dual loop than a selected second RAID array.

10. The storage controller of claim 7, wherein the predetermined selection rules used for selecting the RAID arrays are based on a weighting of the reliability and the performance of drive types of the plurality of RAID arrays, wherein if a first RAID array is better than a second RAID array based on the weighting, then the first RAID array is selected in preference to the second RAID array for storing the data redundantly.

11. An article of manufacture including code, wherein the code performs operations on a computer, the operations comprising:

maintaining a plurality of data arrays coupled to a storage controller;

selecting data arrays from the plurality of data arrays based on predetermined selection rules; and

storing data redundantly in the selected data arrays by writing the data to the selected data arrays.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the data arrays are RAID arrays, wherein the selecting of the data arrays from the plurality of data arrays further comprises:

selecting three RAID arrays from the plurality of RAID arrays based on the predetermined selection rules, in response to determining that the plurality of RAID arrays has more than three RAID arrays.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein if a first RAID array is in a better rank detail state than a second RAID array then the first RAID array is selected in preference to the second RAID array for storing the data redundantly, wherein good rank detail states are better than rebuilding rank detail states, wherein rebuilding rank detail states are better than exposed rank detail states, and wherein exposed rank detail states are better than degraded rank detail states.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein a plurality of dual loops couple the plurality of RAID arrays to the storage controller, wherein a selected first RAID array is preferred to be in a different dual loop than a selected second RAID array.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the predetermined selection rules used for selecting the RAID arrays are based on a weighting of the reliability and the performance of drive types of the plurality of RAID arrays, wherein if a first RAID array is better than a second RAID array based on the weighting, then the first RAID array is selected in preference to the second RAID array for storing the data redundantly.

16. A method for deploying computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computing system, wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing:

maintaining a plurality of data arrays coupled to a storage controller;

selecting data arrays from the plurality of data arrays based on predetermined selection rules;

storing data redundantly in the selected data arrays by writing the data to the selected data arrays.

17. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 16, wherein the data arrays are RAID arrays, wherein the selecting of the data arrays from the plurality of data arrays further comprises:

selecting three RAID arrays from the plurality of RAID arrays based on the predetermined selection rules, in response to determining that the plurality of RAID arrays has more than three RAID arrays.

18. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 17, wherein if a first RAID array is in a better rank detail state than a second RAID array then the first RAID array is selected in preference to the second RAID array for storing the data redundantly, wherein good rank detail states are better than rebuilding rank detail states, wherein rebuilding rank detail states are better than exposed rank detail states, and wherein exposed rank detail states are better than degraded rank detail states.

19. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 17, wherein a plurality of dual loops couple the plurality of RAID arrays to the storage controller, wherein a selected first RAID array is preferred to be in a different dual loop than a selected second RAID array.

20. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 17, wherein the predetermined selection rules used for selecting the RAID arrays are based on a weighting of the reliability and the performance of drive types of the plurality of RAID arrays, wherein if a first RAID array is better than a second RAID array based on the weighting, then the first RAID array is selected in preference to the second RAID array for storing the data redundantly.