Method, apparatus and program storage device for providing intelligent rebuild order selection

• US 7,305,579 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2005
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xiotech Corporation
• Original Assignee: Xiotech Corporation
• Inventors: Williams, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzo; Bryce P
• Application Number:
  US11/086,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20060218433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 714/7, 714/8
• US Class Current: 714/6.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1092 Rebuilding, e.g. when physically replacing a failing disk

Abstract

A method, apparatus and program storage device for providing intelligent rebuild order selection is a storage array is disclosed. The interrelationship of the data on the drives to be rebuilt and the remaining drives in the system is examined. A relative score for a rebuild record to be rebuilt is based upon the manner in which the RAID data is placed on the other drives. The rebuild record with the highest relative risk is identified as the rebuild record to be rebuilt next.

Claims

1. A method for providing intelligent rebuild order selection in a storage array, comprising:

examining the interrelationship of data on drives to be rebuilt and any other remaining drives in the system;

calculating a relative score for each rebuild record on a drive to be rebuilt based upon the manner in which the RAID devices are placed on the other remaining drives, wherein the relative score is calculated based only on a count of the number of the remaining drives that can fail;

identifying as the rebuild record to be rebuilt next a rebuild record with a highest relative risk based upon the calculated relative risk score for each rebuild record; and

rebuilding the rebuild record having the highest relative risk.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating the relative score for each rebuild record further comprises counting a number of other drives a stripe in the failed drive participates in.

3. The method of claim 2, where the relative risk score is modified to produces an accurate risk assessment for each rebuild record in a rebuild list.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative risk score is modified to produces an accurate risk assessment for each rebuild record in a rebuild list.

5. A storage system device, comprising:

a processor; and

a plurality of storage devices;

wherein the processor is configured for examining the interrelationship of rebuild record on storage devices to be rebuilt and any other remaining storage devices in the system, calculating a relative score for each rebuild record on a drive to be rebuilt based upon the manner in which the RAID storage devices are placed on the other remaining storage devices, wherein the relative score is calculated based only on a count of the number of the remaining drives that can fail, identifying as the rebuild record to be rebuilt next a rebuild record with a highest relative risk based upon the calculated relative risk score for each rebuild record and rebuilding the rebuild record having the highest relative risk.

6. The storage system of claim 5, wherein the processor calculates the relative score for each rebuild record by counting a number of other drives a stripe in the failed drive participates in.

7. The storage system of claim 5, wherein the relative risk score is modified to produces an accurate risk assessment for each rebuild record in a rebuild list.

8. A program storage device, comprising:

program instructions executable by a processing device to perform operations for providing a closed-loop storage system, the operations comprising;

examining the interrelationship of rebuild record to be rebuilt and any other remaining drives in the system;

calculating a relative score for each rebuild record on a drive to be rebuilt based upon the manner in which the RAID devices are placed on the other remaining drives, wherein the relative score is calculated based only on a count of the number of the remaining drives that can fail;

identifying as the rebuild record to be rebuilt next a rebuild record with a highest relative risk based upon the calculated relative risk score for each rebuild record; and

rebuilding the rebuild record having the highest relative risk.

9. The program storage device of claim 8, wherein the calculating the relative score for each rebuild record further comprises counting a number of other drives a stripe in the failed drive participates in.

10. The program storage device of claim 9, wherein the relative risk score is modified to produces an accurate risk assessment for each rebuild record in a rebuild list.

11. The program storage device of claim 8, wherein the relative risk score is modified to produces an accurate risk assessment for each rebuild record in a rebuild list.