Storage apparatus and control method therefor

• US 7,468,853 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 12/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Katsuyoshi, Kano, Azuma
• Primary Examiner(s): Sniezek; Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US11/831,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20070268606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 360/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3221 of disk drive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0625 Power saving in storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0658 Controller construction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/126 Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/142 by air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/144 by detection, control, regulation of the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A storage apparatus comprises at least one housing A in which a storage device and a controller are provided, at least one housing B in which a storage device and a peripheral device are provided, and a transmission path for connecting the storage device and the controller of the housing A, and the storage device of the housing B to enable communication therebetween. The storage apparatus is capable of controlling operation of the storage device of the housing B according to an operating state of the storage device of the housing A through communication via the transmission path; and controlling operation of the peripheral device according to an operating state of the storage device of the housing B.

Claims

1. A method of operating a disk array unit comprising a first housing and at least one second housing, the method comprising steps of:

receiving an indication that a switch device changed from an ON position to an OFF position, and in response thereto;

changing operating states of first storage devices in the first housing and in the at least one second housing from a READY state to a POWER-SUPPLY-OFF state whereby each first storage device substantially does not consume any power;

reducing a number of operating fans of a fan unit disposed in the at least one second housing;

changing operating states of one or more second storage devices in the at least one second housing to a NOT-READY operating state, wherein each of the one or more second storage devices does not respond to data I/O requests but does respond to non-data I/O requests;

ceasing operation of a fan unit disposed in the first housing by removing power therefrom; and

ceasing operation of third storage devices in the first housing by removing power therefrom.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising halting service to a host computer connected to the disk array further in response to detecting that main power has been removed from the disk array.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing a de-staging of data whereby unwritten data is written to storage devices contained in the first housing and in the at least one second housing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of changing operating states of first storage devices includes sending one or more commands from a controller disposed in the first housing to the first storage devices.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of changing operating states of second storage devices includes sending one or more commands from a controller disposed in the first housing to the second storage devices.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of reducing a number of operating fans of a fan unit includes at least sending a third command to a controller disposed in the at least one second housing.

7. A disk array apparatus comprising:

a power switch having an ON position and an OFF position;

a first housing comprising a first controller and a first fan unit;

at least one second housing comprising a second controller and a second fan unit;

a plurality of first storage devices disposed in the first housing and in the at least one second housing; and

a plurality of second storage devices disposed in the first housing and in the at least one second housing,

wherein the first controller is configured to detect that the power switch transitioned from the ON position to the OFF position, and in response thereto;

changes operating states of the first storage devices from READY state to a POWER-SUPPLY-OFF state whereby each first storage device substantially does not consume any power;

reduces a number of operating fans of the second fan unit;

changes operating states of any second storage device disposed in the second housing to a NOT-READY operating state, wherein said any second storage device does not respond to data I/O requests but does respond to non-data I/O requests;

removes power from the first fan unit; and

removes power from any second storage device disposed in the first housing.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first housing further comprises a first power supply having a power switch, the first power supply providing power for the first housing, wherein the at least one second housing further comprises a second power supply having a power switch, the second power supply providing power for the at least one second housing, wherein the first and second power supplies were in a state of providing power to their respective housings when the power switch transitioned from the ON position to the OFF position.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein each second storage device is a disk drive configured to provide SCSI Enclosure Services functionality and Enclosure Service Interface functionality.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising at least an additional second housing comprising a plurality of the second storage devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first controller is configured to send a command to the second controller in order to reduce the fan operating speed of the second fan unit.

12. A method of operating a disk array unit comprising a first housing and at least one second housing, the method comprising steps of:

receiving an indication that a switch device transitioned from an OFF position state to an ON position, and in response thereto;

providing power to one or more second storage devices disposed in the first housing;

providing power to a fan unit disposed in the first housing thereby operating the fan unit;

changing operating states of the one or more second storage devices disposed in the first housing and operating states of one or more second storage devices disposed in the second housing to a READY state;

increasing a number of operating fans of a fan unit disposed in the at least one second housing from the first number of operating fan to the second number of operating fan; and

changing operating states of one or more first storage devices disposed in the first housing and in the at least one second housing from a NOT-READY state to the READY state.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of changing operating states of one or more second storage devices includes providing power to the second storage devices whereby the second storage devices begin operating in the NOT-READY state.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising initiating service with a host computer.

15. A disk array apparatus comprising:

a power switch having an ON position and an OFF position;

a first housing comprising a first controller, a first fan unit, and a first power supply;

at least one second housing comprising a second controller, a second fan unit, and a second power supply;

a plurality of first storage devices disposed in the first housing and in the at least one second housing; and

a plurality of second storage devices disposed in the first housing and in the at least one second housing,

wherein the first controller is configured to detect that the power switch transitioned from the OFF position to the ON position, and in response thereto;

the first power supply is operated to provide power to any second storage device disposed in the first housing and to provide power to the first fan unit;

operating states of the second storage devices are changed to a READY state;

a number of operating fans of the fan unit of said at least one second housing is increased from a first number of operating fan to a second number of operating fan; and

operating states of the first storage devices are changed from a NOT-READY state to the READY state.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first power supply and the second power supply provide power to the first storage devices to provide power to the first storage devices, whereby the first storage devices begin operating in the NOT-READY state.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each second storage device is a disk drive configured to provide SCSI Enclosure Services functionality and Enclosure Service Interface functionality.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first and second power supplies were in a state of providing power respectively to the first and second housings at the time the power switch transitioned from the ON position to the OFF position.