Status display system for storage device

• US 5,880,955 A
• Filed: 11/13/1992
• Issued: 03/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ohizumi, Yumiko, Ohtake, Naoki, Matoba, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Paul P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rao, Sheela S.
• Application Number:
  US07/975,829
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 61, 364/DIG. 62, 364/184-190, 364/143, 364/144, 364/145, 364/146, 364/550, 371/7.1, 371/8.1, 395/275, 395/441, 711/114
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/022 Control panels

Abstract

A status display system for storage device includes at least one logic device each having a plurality of physical device; and a plurality of device control means for controlling operations of the physical devices corresponding to a designated logic device in parallel in accordance with command from a host device. Preferably, the status display system is provided with status information generating means for collecting commands given to the device control means and responses to the commands given from the device control means, and generating a status information for the logic device; and display means provided corresponding to the logic device for displaying the status information in accordance with the generated status information.

Claims

1. A status display system for a storage device including at least one logic device addressing physical memory locations on a plurality of physical devices, and a plurality of device control means for controlling operations of said physical devices of a corresponding logic device in accordance with a given command from a host device, wherein said system comprises:

status information generating means operatively connected to each of the physical devices for generating status information indicating the present operational condition of the logic device, based on information about operational condition of the physical devices of the corresponding logic device;

wherein said status information generating means, after being informed of the present operational condition of at least one physical device from a corresponding control means, request a confirmation from other control means that correspond to physical devices of the corresponding logic device and wait for a reply from said other control means, so as to generate said status information of the logic device and

display means for displaying said status information of the logic device generated by said status information generating means.

2. A status display system for a storage device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said status information generating means collect commands given to the plurality of device control means and responses to the commands given from the plurality of device control means, and generates and sends a status information for said logic device;

and

said display means is provided at a location corresponding to a location of said logic device for displaying the status information in accordance with the respectively corresponding status information input from said status information generating means.

3. A status display system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said storage device is comprised of a magnetic disk array device.

4. A status display system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said logic device addresses physical memory locations on a plurality of magnetic disk drives, and each of said physical devices is comprised of a single magnetic disk drive.

5. A status display system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said status information generating means includes:

a status information table which contains registration information that indicates whether or not the designated logic device is incorporated into said storage device;

an array data controller which generates the status information of said designated logic device and updates the content of the status information table;

a display information generator which refers to the status information table in accordance with the instruction from said array data controller, and generates and holds given codes corresponding to the status information of said at least one logic device; and

a display drive circuit which generates drive signals used to display said given codes issued from said display information generator, and sends said drive signals to said display means.

6. A status display system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said display means includes light emitting diode display elements which display the respectively corresponding status information of said at least one logic device in accordance with said drive signals.

7. A status display system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said system includes means for indicating whether or not said logic device is in an operable condition in the case where start-up processing of said storage device has been performed.

8. A status display system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said system includes means for indicating whether or not said logic device is in an operable condition in the case where initial microprogram loading has been performed.

9. A status display system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said system includes means for indicating whether or not said logic device is in an operable condition in the case where the reconstruction of data in said storage device has been performed.

10. A status display system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said system includes means for indicating whether or not the processing is accurately executed in accordance with the given command from the host device.

15. A status display system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said display means further displays said status information indicating the present condition of said logic device by indicating at least one from the group of logical device states consisting of unusable, enable, initializing, disconnected and data reconstructing.

16. A status display system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said display means further indicates at least one from the group of logical device information consisting of power, ready, process, alarm, check and numerical error code.

11. A disk array system including:

a plurality of physical devices;

an array data controller which accesses said plurality of physical devices as a logic device;

a plurality of device controllers which access each of said physical devices; and

a status information generating means for collecting status information indicating the present operational condition of each of said physical devices, through said device controllers, and for generating status information indicating the present operational condition of said logic device, based on status information about each of said physical devices,

display means for displaying said status information of the logic device generated by said status information generating means.

12. A disk array system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said status information generating means include status information table means which store said status information indicating the present condition of said logic device.

13. A disk array system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said display means further displays said status information indicating the present condition of said logic device by indicating at least one from the group of logical device states consisting of unusable, enable, initializing, disconnected and data reconstructing.

14. A disk array system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said display means further indicates at least one from the group of logical device information consisting of power, ready, process, alarm, check and numerical error code.