METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROACTIVE DRIVE REPLACEMENT FOR HIGH AVAILABILITY STORAGE SYSTEMS

• US 20080244318A1
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: COPAN Systems, Inc. (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Guha, Aloke
• Granted Patent: US 7,908,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/37
• 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.

21-37. -37. (canceled)