Method and system for maintaining concurrent data access during device upgrade

• US 5,701,429 A
• Filed: 08/16/1996
• Issued: 12/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Van Gundy, Steven R., Steffan, Jeffrey R., Liu, Julia, Legvold, Vernon J., Sherman, William G. II, Ng, Chan Yiu, Michod, Carol S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Eddie P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ellis, Kevin L.
• Application Number:
  US08/698,825
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 395/438, 395/439, 395/441, 395/497.01, 395/182.05, 395/822, 395/823, 395/828, 395/829, 395/492
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems

Abstract

A system and method for changing the number of logical volumes in a drawer in a rack in a direct access storage device subsystem is disclosed. The method and system are able to change the number of logical volumes without disrupting access to the other logical volumes in the rack. Channel connection addresses, which are logical volume addresses as known by the CPUs, are freed by removing the old drawer and then are mused. If the new drawer has more logical volumes than the old drawer, the next unused channel connection addresses are used with the new drawer. In a subsystem having a storage controller for providing control for a plurality of direct access storage devices, the logical volumes are spread across multiple physical devices. The storage controller maintains configuration data for the entire subsystem in redundant, non-volatile storage locations reserved specifically for its use. Each logical volume address for the rack is set by the drawer location and the logical sequence of the volumes within the drawer. As drawers are installed, the control unit sequentially assigns the volume addresses for the control unit and the channel connection addresses for the CPUs.

Claims

1. In a data storage system including a plurality of direct access storage devices, each having a fixed number of unique addresses and the same number of logical volumes, and a storage controller being connected to each of the plurality of direct access storage devices, a method of maintaining concurrent data access while upgrading at least one of said plurality of direct access storage devices containing data and coupled to a host computer via a channel comprising the steps of:

responsive to receipt of a request to upgrade said at least one of said plurality of direct access storage devices data over a channel, copying said data to another one of said plurality of direct access storage devices having no data;

logically mapping said fixed number of unique addresses of said at least one of said plurality of direct access storage devices to said another one of said plurality of direct access storage devices to which said data has been copied;

removing said at least one of said plurality of direct access storage devices;

upgrading said at least one of said plurality of direct access storage devices with a direct access storage device having a greater number of unique addresses;

reconfiguring said storage controller to accommodate said greater number of unique addresses;

recopying said data to said upgraded direct access storage device into said greater number of unique addresses; and

logically remapping said unique addresses of said another of said plurality of direct access storage devices to said greater number of unique addresses of said upgraded direct access storage to which said data has been recopied.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of logically removing said another of said plurality of direct access storage devices.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of upgrading at least one of said plurality of direct access storage devices includes the step of changing the number of logical volumes controlled by said storage controller before being upgraded.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1, including the step of sequentially assigning logical addresses based on the first address available to said upgraded direct access storage device.

5. In a data processing system having a plurality of host computers, a storage system including a plurality of direct access storage devices, each having a fixed number of logical addresses, and a storage controller, the storage controller being connected to each of the plurality of direct access storage devices by a storage path and to each of the host computers by at least a first channel and further capable of managing a fixed number of logical addresses, and of managing the upgrading of at least one of said direct access storage devices, the storage controller comprising:

means responsive to receipt of an upgrade request for dynamically increasing the number of logical addresses associated with at least one of said plurality of direct access storage devices;

means for copying data between any two of said plurality of direct access storage devices;

means for reassigning the logical address from one of said plurality of said direct access storage devices to a second one of said plurality of said direct access storage devices receiving said data so as to maintain access to said data during an on-line condition; and

means for logically removing said at least one of said plurality of said direct access storage devices thereby allowing said means for dynamically increasing the number of logical addresses to increase the number of logical addresses corresponding to said at least one of said plurality of direct access storage devices when replaced with a direct access storage device having a greater fixed number of addresses, such that data be may stored within a greater fixed number of addresses within said replacement direct access storage device.

6. The invention as set forth in claim 5, wherein said means for copying data is further capable of copying data between any pair of direct access storage devices.

7. The invention as set forth in claim 5, wherein said means for copying data between direct access storage devices uses a dual copy process.

8. The invention as set forth in claim 5, wherein said means for copying data between direct access storage devices uses a dynamic sparing process.

9. The invention as set forth in claim 5, wherein said means for copying data between direct access storage devices uses a mirroring process.

10. The invention as set forth in claim 5 further comprising means for changing the number of physical storage devices managed by said data processing system.

11. The invention as set forth in claim 10, wherein said means for changing the number of physical storage devices is responsive to a request to change the number of physical storage devices based on the upgrading of said at least one of said direct access storage devices.

12. The invention as set forth in claim 5, wherein said logical addresses follow a sequential order and said means for reassigning logical addresses selects the first available logical address according to said sequence.

13. The invention as set forth in claim 12, wherein said first available logical address is selected from a one of said plurality of direct access storage devices currently unused.