System and Method for Information Handling System Operation With Different Types of Permanent Storage Devices

• US 20090240881A1
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Wright, Anthony, Stevens, Martin R., Pratt, Thomas L., Halloush, Munif Farhan
• Application Number:
  US12/053,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240881A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3268 Power saving in hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2087 with a common controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0625 Power saving in storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A storage controller, such as a RAID controller arbitrates storage tasks between a hard disk drive and a solid state drive based on predetermined factors, such as the type of information associated with a read or a write or the power available for running the storage devices. For example, a RAID controller on a portable information handling system performs writes and reads for sequential information with a hard disk drive. If power is limited, such as from a battery, the storage controller powers down the hard disk drive and performs storage tasks with the solid state drive with periodic power ups of the hard disk drive to mirror stored information.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a processor operable to process information and to generate a storage task;

a hard disk drive interfaced with the processor, the hard disk drive operable to store information on a rotating magnetic disk and to perform the storage task;

a solid state drive interfaced with the processor, the solid state drive operable to store information in flash memory and to perform the storage task; and

a storage arbitrator interfaced with the hard disk drive and the solid state drive, the storage arbitrator operable to select one of the hard disk drive or the solid state drive to perform a predetermined task based on one or more factors.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising a RAID controller interfaced with the hard disk drive and the solid state drive, the RAID controller operable to mirror information stored on the hard disk drive and the solid state drive.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 further comprising plural solid state drives and plural partitions in the hard disk drive, the RAID controller operable to mirror each of the solid state drives on a partition of the hard disk drive.

4. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the predetermined task comprises a read of information and the factors comprise sequential storage of the information, the storage arbiter selecting the hard disk drive to read the information.

5. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the predetermined task comprises a read of information and the factors comprise random storage of the information, the storage arbiter selecting the solid state drive to read the information.

6. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the predetermined task comprises a write of information and the factors comprise sequential storage of the information, the storage arbiter selecting the hard disk drive to write the information.

7. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the predetermined task comprises a write of information and the factors comprise random storage of the information, the storage arbiter selecting the solid state drive to write the information.

8. The information handling system of claim 7 wherein the predetermined task comprises a write of information and the factors comprise limited available power, the storage arbiter selecting the solid state drive to write the information and powering down the hard disk drive.

9. The information handling system of claim 7 wherein the predetermined task comprises a read of information and the factors comprise limited available power, the storage arbiter selecting the solid state drive to read the information and powering down the hard disk drive.

10. The information handling system of claim 7 wherein the limited available power comprises battery power.

11. The information handling system of claim 7 wherein the storage arbiter is further operable to periodically power up the hard disk drive to mirror onto the hard disk drive writes made to the solid state drive.

12. A method for storing information, the method comprising:

generating a storage task;

analyzing the storage task based on one more predetermined factors to determine whether to do the storage task with a hard disk drive or a solid state drive; and

performing the storage task with the determined of the hard disk drive or the solid state drive.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the storage task comprises a write, the predetermined factors comprise sequential information to write and performing the storage task further comprises writing the sequential information to the hard disk drive.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the storage task comprises a read, the predetermined factors comprise non-sequential information and performing the storage task further comprises reading the non-sequential information from the solid state drive.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined factors comprise power consumption and performing the storage task further comprises performing writes to the solid state drive, the method further comprising powering down the hard disk drive.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

periodically powering up the hard disk drive; and

copying the writes to the hard disk drive.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the power consumption comprises power provided from a portable information handling system battery.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the storage task comprises a write through a RAID controller, the performing the storage task comprises writing to the solid state drive, the method further comprising mirroring the write to the hard disk drive as a subsequent background task.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the storage task comprises a write through a RAID controller, the performing the storage task comprises writing to the hard disk drive, the method further comprising mirroring the write to the solid state disk drive as a subsequent background task.

20. A storage controller comprising:

interfaces to plural storage devices;

a detector operable to determine at least one hard disk drive and one solid state drive in communication with the interfaces; and

a storage arbitrator operable to select one of the hard disk drive or the solid state drive to perform a predetermined storage task based on one or more factors.

21. The storage controller of claim 20 wherein the one or more factors comprise whether information to write has sequential characteristics.

22. The storage controller of claim 20 wherein the one or more factors comprise whether information to read has sequential characteristics.

23. The storage controller of claim 20 wherein the one or more factors comprise power available to run the hard disk drive and solid state drive.

24. The storage controller of claim 20 wherein the one or more factors comprise a predetermined time period between writes to the hard disk drive.