Management method for spare disk drives in a raid system
First Claim
1. A method of operating a storage controller for managing a Storage system including a primary storage array having a plurality of primary storage units and a spare storage pool having at least one spare storage unit, the method comprising:
- operating the storage controller to detect any failure in a primary storage unit within the primary storage array;
operating the storage controller to migrate data from the primary storage array to the spare storage pool in response to a detection of a failure in the primary storage unit within the primary storage array;
operating the storage controller to test at least one repair service threshold in response to the detection of the failure in a storage unit within the primary storage array, the repair service threshold representative of at least one operational condition indicative of a necessity to repair at least one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit; and
operating the storage controller to selectively initiate a repair service action for repairing one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit based on the testing of the at least one repair service threshold.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A RAID system employs a storage controller, a primary storage array having a plurality of primary storage units, and a spare storage pool having one or more spare storage units. A method of operating the storage controller in managing the primary storage array and the spare storage pool involves a testing by the storage controller of at least one repair service threshold representative of one or more operational conditions indicative of a necessity to repair at least one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit, and a selective initiation by the storage controller of a repair service action for repairing one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit based on the testing of the at least one repair service threshold.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of operating a storage controller for managing a Storage system including a primary storage array having a plurality of primary storage units and a spare storage pool having at least one spare storage unit, the method comprising:
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operating the storage controller to detect any failure in a primary storage unit within the primary storage array; operating the storage controller to migrate data from the primary storage array to the spare storage pool in response to a detection of a failure in the primary storage unit within the primary storage array; operating the storage controller to test at least one repair service threshold in response to the detection of the failure in a storage unit within the primary storage array, the repair service threshold representative of at least one operational condition indicative of a necessity to repair at least one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit; and operating the storage controller to selectively initiate a repair service action for repairing one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit based on the testing of the at least one repair service threshold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A computer readable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a processor to perform operations to operate a storage controller in managing a Storage system including a primary storage array having a plurality of primary storage units and a spare storage pool having at least one spare storage unit, the operations comprising:
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operating the storage controller to detect any failure in a primary storage unit within the primary storage array; operating the storage controller to migrate data from the primary storage away to the spare storage pool in response to a detection of a failure in the primary storage unit within the primary storage array; operating the storage controller to test at least one repair service threshold in response to the detection of the failure in a storage unit within the primary storage array, the repair service threshold representative of at least one operational condition indicative of a necessity to repair at least one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit; and operating the storage controller to selectively initiate a repair service action for repairing one of the primary storage away and the spare storage unit based on the testing of the at least one repair service threshold. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A storage controller, comprising:
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a processor; and memory storing instructions operable with the processor for operating the storage controller in managing a Storage system including a primary storage away having a plurality of primary storage units and a spare storage pool having at least one spare storage unit, the instructions being executed for; operating the storage controller to detect any failure in a primary storage unit within the primary storage array; operating the storage controller to migrate data from the primary storage array to the spare storage pool in response to a detection of a failure in the primary storage unit within the primary storage array; operating the storage controller to test at least one repair service threshold in response to the detection of the failure in a storage unit within the primary storage array, the repair service threshold representative of at least one operational condition indicative of a necessity to repair at least one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit; operating the storage controller to selectively initiate a repair service action for repairing one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit based on the testing of the at least one repair service threshold operating the storage controller to test at least one copy back threshold representative of at least one operational condition indicative of a necessity to copy back data migrated from the primary storage array to the spare storage unit in response to the storage controller selecting to initiate a repair service action based on the testing of the at least one repair service threshold; and operating the storage controller to selectively establishing a requirement to copy back the data based on the testing of the at least one copy back threshold. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A storage system, comprising:
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a primary storage away including a plurality of primary storage units; a spare storage pool including at least one spare storage unit; and a storage controller interfaced with the primary storage array and the spare storage pool, wherein the storage controller is operable to; detect any failure within the primary storage array; migrate data from the primary storage array to the spare storage pool in response to a detection of a failure within the primary storage array; test at least one repair service threshold in response to the detection of the failure in a storage unit within the primary storage array, the repair service threshold representative of at least one operational condition indicative of a necessity to repair at least one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit; selectively initiate a repair service action for repairing one of the primary storage array and the spare storage unit based on the testing of the at least one repair service threshold test at least one copy back threshold representative of at least one operational condition indicative of a necessity to copy back data migrated from the primary storage array to the spare storage unit in response to the storage controller selecting to initiate a repair service action based on the testing of the at least one repair service threshold; and selectively establishing a requirement to copy back the data based on the testing of the at least one copy back threshold. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification