Storage-device activation control for a high-availability storage system

• US 6,986,075 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Checchi, Susan, Ackaret, Gary R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duncan, Marc
• Application Number:
  US09/792,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20020162048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: 714/6, 714/7, 714/4, 714/47, 711/114
• US Class Current: 714/4.5
• 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

Abstract

Implementations of this invention provide improved technology for storage-device activation control in high-availability storage systems and tracking of in-service data statistics of storage-devices. Typical high-availability storage systems include a fault-tolerant redundant array of storage devices, such as disk drives. The invention may be implemented with one or more inactive (un-powered) drives physically installed in the storage system, but not part of the present fault-tolerant redundant array of disk drives. When a drive fails, one of the inactive drives is activated (powered-on) and it replaces the failed disk and becomes part of the present array. With the newly activated disk included, the data is reconstructed and the original fault-tolerance level is restored. Furthermore, the invention may be implemented so that it tracks the actual in-service time of the storage devices (such as disk drives). Field-derived, empirical data about actual in-service time of storage devices is collected and transmitted to a central data collection system. Using this actual data as a basis, a much more accurate MTBF may be calculated than the MTBF conventionally calculated.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a storage-device activation control subsystem comprising a power-switch controller coupled to a set of storage devices and configured to selectively power-on one or more of such devices in the set;

a data tracking subsystem configured to track in-service statistics of a storage device;

wherein the set of storage devices comprises at least two mutually exclusive subsets of storage devices, the subsets comprising;

a first subset of storage devices collectively configured to be a fault-tolerant redundant array, wherein the devices in the first subset are active;

a second subset of storage devices, wherein the devices in the second subset are inactive;

the controller being adapted to power-on at least one device from the second subset to replace at least one device in the first subset with the just powered-on device from the second subset.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of storage devices is a redundant array of disk drives.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage devices are disk drives.

4. A system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a fault-tolerant redundant array of storage devices, the array being coupled to such an activation control system and the array comprises, at least in part, the set of storage devices.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the statistics are based upon tracking activation time of the device and time of failure of the device.

6. A storage-device activation/deactivation control method comprising:

making a determination as to whether to change an activation status of at least a first storage device of a first set of storage devices, wherein the activation status of the storage devices in the first set are powered-on;

changing the activation status of the first storage device in response to the determination;

wherein the making a determination comprises;

obtaining an indication of excessive available storage space collectively provided by the first set of storage devices;

determining to deactivate the first storage device.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the making comprises:

obtaining an indication of failure of at least a second storage device which is a member of a second set of storage devices, wherein the activation status of the storage devices in the second set is powered-on;

determining to activate the first storage device.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:

logically removing the first storage device from the first set of storage devices;

logically replacing the second storage device with the first storage device in the second set of storage devices.