Data Storage Device In-Situ Self Test, Repair, and Recovery

• US 20100275057A1
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hajji, M. Amine, Durica, William John
• Granted Patent: US 8,201,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/7
• 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: G06F 11/2221 to test input/output devices or peripheral units

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product for performing a set of operations on a data storage device is provided. A data storage device is flagged as suspect. The adapter suspends the suspect data storage device from participation in the RAID array, assigns the suspect data storage device to a pool of data storage devices to be retested, selects a data storage device from a pool of spare data storage devices, rebuilds contents of the suspect data storage device on the selected disk drive, assigns the substitute data storage device to the RAID array, invokes a diagnostic test on the suspect data storage device, and analyzes the diagnostic result. Responsive to the diagnostic result exceeding a threshold, the suspect data storage device is repaired. The adapter assigns the repaired data storage device to the pool of spare data storage devices and increments a counter of the repaired data storage device.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for performing a set of operations on a data storage device in a Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) array, the computer implemented method comprising:

flagging, by an adapter, a data storage device as a suspect data storage device, wherein the flagging indicates a rejection due to an error;

suspending, by the adapter, the suspect data storage device from participation in the RAID array;

assigning, by the adapter, the suspect data storage device to a pool of data storage devices to be retested;

selecting, by the adapter, a data storage device from a pool of spare data storage devices, forming a selected data storage device;

rebuilding, by the adapter, contents of the suspect data storage device on the selected data storage device, forming a substitute data storage device;

assigning, by the adapter, the substitute data storage device to the RAID array;

invoking a diagnostic test on the suspect data storage device to produce a diagnostic result, wherein the diagnostic test runs in a background of the RAID array;

analyzing, by the adapter, the diagnostic result;

responsive to the diagnostic result exceeding a threshold, repairing the suspect data storage device to form a repaired data storage device;

assigning, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device to the pool of spare data storage devices; and

incrementing, by the adapter, a counter associated with the repaired data storage device, wherein the counter indicates a number of times the repaired data storage device has been repaired.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the adapter, whether the counter exceeds a threshold value;

responsive to a determination that the counter exceeds the threshold value, rejecting, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device;

varying, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device offline; and

unassigning, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device from the pool of spare data storage devices.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the adapter, a cause of the error;

determining, by the adapter, corrective actions to take, based on the cause; and

initiating, by the adapter, the corrective actions.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring, by the data storage device, a response interval for an expected communication from the adapter to form a response interval;

responsive to the response interval exceeding a predetermined threshold, generating a timeout error; and

wherein the error is the timeout error.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

indicating a status of the repaired data storage device, wherein the status comprises one of, ready with no known problems, ready with fixed problems, and drive not ready.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data storage device is a hard disk drive.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data storage device is a solid state device.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium including computer usable program code for performing a set of operations on a data storage device in a Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) array, the computer program product including instructions adapted to cause a computer to perform the following steps;

flagging, by an adapter, a data storage device as a suspect data storage device, wherein the flagging indicates a rejection due to an error;

suspending, by the adapter, the suspect data storage device from participation in the RAID array;

assigning, by the adapter, the suspect data storage device to a pool of data storage devices to be retested;

selecting, by the adapter, a data storage device from a pool of spare data storage devices, forming a selected data storage device;

rebuilding, by the adapter, contents of the suspect data storage device on the selected data storage device, forming a substitute data storage device;

assigning, by the adapter, the substitute data storage device to the RAID array;

invoking a diagnostic test on the suspect data storage device to produce a diagnostic result, wherein the diagnostic test runs in a background of the RAID array;

analyzing, by the adapter, the diagnostic result;

responsive to the diagnostic result exceeding a threshold, repairing the suspect data storage device to form a repaired data storage device;

assigning, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device to the pool of spare data storage devices; and

incrementing, by the adapter, a counter associated with the repaired data storage device, wherein the counter indicates a number of times the repaired data storage device has been repaired.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer usable program code for determining, by the adapter, whether the counter exceeds a threshold value;

computer usable program code for, responsive to a determination that the counter exceeds the threshold value, rejecting, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device;

computer usable program code for varying, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device offline; and

computer usable program code for unassigning, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device from the pool of spare data storage devices.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer usable program code for identifying, by the adapter, a cause of the error;

computer usable program code for determining, by the adapter, corrective actions to take, based on the cause; and

computer usable program code for initiating, by the adapter, the corrective actions.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer usable program code for measuring, by the data storage device, a response interval for an expected communication from the adapter to form a response interval; and

computer usable program code for, responsive to the response interval exceeding a predetermined threshold, generating a timeout error; and

wherein the error is the timeout error.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer usable program code for indicating a status of the repaired data storage device, wherein the status comprises one of, ready with no known problems, ready with fixed problems, and drive not ready.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the data storage device is a hard disk drive.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the data storage device is a solid state device.

15. A data processing system for performing a set of operations on a data storage device in a Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) array, comprising:

a bus system;

a communications system connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to flag, by an adapter, a data storage device as a suspect data storage device, wherein the flagging indicates a rejection due to an error;

suspend, by the adapter, the suspect data storage device from participation in the RAID array;

assign, by the adapter, the suspect data storage device to a pool of data storage devices to be retested;

select, by the adapter, a data storage device from a pool of spare data storage devices, forming a selected data storage device;

rebuild, by the adapter, contents of the suspect data storage device on the selected data storage device, forming a substitute data storage device;

assign, by the adapter, the substitute data storage device to the RAID array;

invoke a diagnostic test on the suspect data storage device to produce a diagnostic result, wherein the diagnostic test runs in a background of the RAID array;

analyze, by the adapter, the diagnostic result;

responsive to the diagnostic result exceeding a threshold, repair the suspect data storage device to form a repaired data storage device;

assign, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device to the pool of spare data storage devices; and

increment, by the adapter, a counter associated with the repaired data storage device, wherein the counter indicates a number of times the repaired data storage device has been repaired.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to determine, by the adapter, whether the counter exceeds a threshold value;

responsive to a determination that the counter exceeds the threshold value, reject, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device;

vary, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device offline; and

unassign, by the adapter, the repaired data storage device from the pool of spare data storage devices.

17. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to identify, by the adapter, a cause of the error;

determine, by the adapter, corrective actions to take, based on the cause; and

initiate, by the adapter, the corrective actions.

18. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to measure, by the data storage device, a response interval for an expected communication from the adapter to form a response interval;

responsive to the response interval exceeding a predetermined threshold, generate a timeout error; and

wherein the error is the timeout error.

19. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to indicate a status of the repaired data storage device, wherein the status comprises one of, ready with no known problems, ready with fixed problems, and drive not ready.

20. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the data storage device is a hard disk drive.