Disk array system

• US 7,414,835 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2005
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shigeaki, Morishita, Yasuji, Katakura, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi; Jayprakash N
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAUGHTON, ANTHONY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/070,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20060126210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 361683-686, 361724-732
• US Class Current: 361/679.33
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/125 the apparatus comprising a plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. modular arrangements, arrays of disc drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/142 by air cooling

Abstract

A disk array system capable of efficiently cooling the canisters and achieving the high-density mounting of the canisters without reducing the number of canisters is provided. In the disk array system having a HDD box which stores a plurality of canisters, a canister on an upstream side of cooling air and a canister on a downstream side of the cooling air both standing upright are arranged with a difference in level therebetween in the HDD box. The canister on the upstream side has a reliability assurance temperature lower than that on the downstream side, and a disk size of the canister on the upstream side is smaller than that on the downstream side. Also, the canister on the downstream side is arranged higher than that on the upstream side so that an alarm indicator LED and a ready indicator LED can be checked visually.

Claims

1. A disk array system, comprising:

a storage device for storing data; and

a control unit for controlling read and write of the data from and to said storage device, wherein said storage device has a box in which a plurality of memory disk units are stored, a first memory disk unit of said plurality of memory disk units is arranged on a first surface of a bottom of the box while standing upright on an upstream side of cooling air and a second memory disk unit of said plurality of memory disk units is arranged on a second surface of the bottom of the box while standing upright on a downstream side of the cooling air in said box, and said first memory disk unit and said second memory disk unit are arranged so as to have a difference in level there between.

2. The disk array system according to claim 1,

wherein said first memory disk unit has a reliability assurance temperature lower than that of said second memory disk unit.

3. The disk array system according to claim 1,

wherein a disk size of said first memory disk unit is smaller than that of said second memory disk unit.

4. The disk array system according to claim 1,

wherein said second memory disk unit is arranged at a position higher than said first memory disk unit so that an indicator of said second memory disk unit can be checked visually.

5. The disk array system according to claim 1,

wherein a first wiring board on which said first memory disk unit is mounted and a second wiring board on which said second memory disk unit is mounted are provided in said box, and

said first wiring board and said second wiring board are arranged with difference in level corresponding to the difference in level between said first memory disk unit and said second memory disk unit.

6. The disk array system according to claim 5,

wherein said first wiring board and said second wiring board are electrically connected to each other by a flexible wiring board, and

voltage is supplied from a power source to said first memory disk unit through said first wiring board and voltage is supplied from the power source to said second memory disk unit through said second wiring board.

7. The disk array system according to claim 6,

wherein one parity group is comprised of said first memory disk unit and said second memory disk unit.

8. The disk array system according to claim 1,

wherein said box includes a wiring board on which said first memory disk unit and said second memory disk unit are mounted, and

a first connector used to insert or remove said first memory disk unit and a second connector used to insert or remove said second memory disk unit are provided on said wiring board and said first and second connectors have height dimensions corresponding to the difference in level between said first memory disk unit and said second memory disk unit.

9. The disk array system according to claim 8,

wherein inclination between an upper part and a lower part of each of said first connector and said second connector to said wiring board is within a range of 0 to 0.6 mm.

10. The disk array system according to claim 1,

wherein said first memory disk unit is comprised of a plurality of memory disk unites which are arranged along a width direction of said box, and

said second memory disk unit is comprised of a plurality of memory disk units which are arranged along a width direction of said box.

11. The disk array system according to claim 10,

wherein one parity group is comprised of the plurality of memory disk units which constitute said first memory disk unit and the plurality of memory disk units which constitute said second memory disk unit in said box.

12. The disk array system according to claim 1,

wherein another box in which a plurality of memory disk units are stored is provided in addition to said box, and

one parity group is comprised of the plurality of memory disk units in said box and the plurality of memory disk units in said another box.

13. The disk array system according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of openings through which said plurality of memory disk units can be inserted or removed are formed in an upper part of said box, and

an upper shutter which can be opened and closed is provided on each of said plurality of openings, and said upper shutter is opened when said memory disk unit is inserted and said upper shutter is closed when said memory disk unit is not inserted.

14. The disk array system according to claim 1,

wherein a front shutter which can be moved to cover a plurality of openings for taking said cooling air is provided in a front part of said box, and said front shutter is moved to uncover openings corresponding to positions of the inserted memory disk units and cover openings corresponding to positions where said memory disk units are not inserted.

15. The disk array system according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of rollers for applying load when said plurality of memory disk units are inserted or removed are provided in said box, and the load is applied by said rollers when inserting or removing said memory disk unit.