Automatically triggered snapshot data dump for storage unit with embedded system

• US 7,418,635 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tandberg Storage ASA
• Original Assignee: Tandberg Storage ASA
• Inventors: Schulstad, Geir Olav
• Primary Examiner(s): Chu; Gabriel L
• Application Number:
  US11/042,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20060168471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

In a system and method for failure analysis of a hardware system having an embedded specialized application computer as a firmware stored in a firmware memory and which controls and is part of the hardware system, with a snapshot dump system associated with the hardware system, detecting for an error. Upon detection of the error, a snapshot dump is initiated from memory locations providing information about conditions occurring during the error. The dumped information is stored in a memory associated with the dump system.

Claims

1. A computer system with data backup, comprising:

a data backup removable media drive system for backing up data of the host computer to which the drive system is connected;

read/write hardware for reading and writing data from and to a removable storage media of the drive system;

an embedded application computer of the drive system comprising a firmware memory which stores firmware, and a data memory which stores data;

a snapshot dump system of the drive system comprising an error trigger detector system which detects errors, and a snapshot dump initiator responsive to the trigger detector system;

a non-volatile snapshot dump memory receiving information from memory locations stored at a time at which said error is detected; and

said error trigger detector system comprising a hard error trigger detector wherein a current operation is terminated but new commands are accepted, a soft error trigger detector which detects a problem level which is not as high as for the hard error trigger detector, and a firmware trigger detector where the drive system stops.

2. A system of claim 1 wherein the read/write hardware is for reading and writing with respect to a data tape.

3. A system of claim 1 wherein the error trigger detector system further comprises a degraded media fault error trigger detector which triggers based on either a media error or drive error, and a host system error trigger detector sensing that a host system is sending wrong commands or wrong sequence of commands.

4. A system of claim 1 wherein the snapshot dump initiator initiates a dump from at least one of hardware register map contents, CPU data RAM, event management log, media management log, request sense, and media statistics memory locations.

5. A system of claim 1 wherein the snapshot dump memory stores information in memory locations both before and after when the error is detected.

6. A system of claim 1 wherein the snapshot dump memory comprises an available memory in the drive system.

7. A system of claim 6 wherein the available memory comprises a flash memory.

8. A system of claim 1 wherein said snapshot dump memory comprises employing the media as a permanent storage.

9. A system of claim 1 wherein the dump memory is not provided in the drive system but rather employs at least a portion of a memory in the host computer.

10. A method for failure analysis, comprising the steps of:

providing a data backup drive system having a removable data storage media for backing up data of a host computer where the drive system has an embedded specialized system application as a firmware stored in a firmware memory;

with a snapshot dump system associated with the drive system, detecting for an error;

upon detection of said error with the snapshot dump system, initiating a snapshot dump from memory locations of the drive system providing information about conditions occurring just prior to and during the detection of said error;

storing said dumped information in a dump memory; and

for detection of said error providing a hard error trigger detector wherein a current operation is terminated but new commands are accepted, a soft error detector which detects a problem level which is not as high as for the hard error trigger detector, and a firmware trigger detector where the drive system stops.

11. A method of claim 10 wherein the dump memory comprises a non-volatile memory in the drive system.

12. A method of claim 10 wherein the dump memory comprises at least a portion of a memory in the host computer.

13. A method of claim 10 wherein the dump memory is not provided in the drive system but rather employs at least a portion of a memory in the host computer.

14. A method of claim 10 wherein for detection of said error also providing a degraded media fault error trigger detector which triggers based on either a media error or drive error, and a host system error trigger detector which senses that the host computer is sending wrong commands or a wrong sequence of commands.

15. A method of claim 10 wherein the snapshot dump dumps information contained in at least one of hardware register map contents, CPU data RAM, event management log, medium management log, request sense, and media statistics memory locations.

16. A method of claim 10 wherein the media comprises a removable data tape and the drive comprises a tape drive.

17. A method of claim 10 wherein when a failure occurs, the drive system is removed from a vicinity of the host computer and is analyzed using the information contained in the snapshot dump memory at a location remote from the host computer in order to implement an appropriate action to cure the error which occurred.

18. A computer system with data backup, comprising:

a host computer and a data backup removable media drive system for backing up data of the host computer to which the drive system is connected;

read/write hardware for reading and writing data from and to a removable storage media of the drive system;

an embedded application computer of the drive system comprising a firmware memory which stores firmware, and a data memory which stores data;

a snapshot dump system of the drive system comprising an error trigger detector system which detects errors, and a snapshot dump initiator responsive to the trigger detector system;

a non-volatile snapshot dump memory receiving information from memory locations stored at a time at which said error is detected; and

said snapshot dump initiator initiating a dump from drive hardware register map contents, drive CPU data RAM, and drive event management log memory locations.

19. A system of claim 18 wherein the read/write hardware is for reading and writing with respect to a data tape.

20. A system of claim 18 wherein the error trigger detector system comprises at least one of a hard error trigger detector, a firmware trap trigger detector, a soft error trigger detector, a degraded media fault error trigger detector, and a host system error trigger detector.

21. A system of claim 18 wherein the snapshot dump initiator also initiates a dump from a drive media management log, drive request sense, and drive media statistics memory locations.

22. A system of claim 18 wherein the snapshot dump memory stores information in memory locations both before and after when the error is detected.

23. A system of claim 18 wherein the snapshot dump memory comprises an available memory in the drive system.

24. A system of claim 23 wherein the available memory comprises a flash memory.

25. A system of claim 18 wherein said snapshot dump memory comprises employing the media as a permanent storage.

26. A system of claim 18 wherein the dump memory is not provided in the drive system but rather employs a portion of a memory in the host computer.

27. A method for failure analysis, comprising the steps of:

providing a data backup drive system having a removable data storage media for backing up data of a host computer where the drive system has an embedded specialized system application as a firmware stored in a firmware memory;

with a snapshot dump system associated with the drive system, detecting for an error;

upon detection of said error with the snapshot dump system, initiating a snapshot dump from memory locations of the drive system providing information about conditions occurring just prior to and during the detection of said error;

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storing said dumped information in a dump memory; and

said snapshot dump initiator initiating a dump from drive hardware register map contents, drive CPU data RAM, and drive event management log memory locations.

28. A method of claim 27 wherein the memory comprises a non-volatile memory associated with the drive.

29. A method of claim 27 wherein the dump memory is contained in the media.

30. A method of claim 27 wherein the error which triggers the snapshot dump comprises at least one of a hard error, a firmware trap error, a soft error, a degraded media error, and a host system error.

31. A method of claim 27 wherein the snapshot initiator also initiates a dump from drive media management log, drive request sense, and drive media statistics memory locations.

32. A method of claim 27 wherein the media comprises a removable data tape and the drive system comprises a tape drive.

33. A method of claim 27 wherein when a failure occurs, the drive system is removed from a vicinity of the host computer and is analyzed using the information contained in the snapshot dump memory at a location remote from the host computer in order to implement an appropriate action to cure the error which occurred.