Storage device and control device

• US 7,809,978 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Storage Device Incorporated (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagashima, Yasuyuki, Kanno, Hironori
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNCAN, MARC M
• Application Number:
  US11/986,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20080209281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 714/42, 714/5
• US Class Current: 714/5.1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1816 Testing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2516 Hard disks

Abstract

Data in a storage medium is scanned while a storage device is in an idle state. A proportion of scanned data in entire data in the storage medium is compared with a threshold value. If the proportion of the scanned data is less than the threshold value, an unscanned data in the storage medium is scanned during a time interval between commands received by the storage device from outside. The process is repeated until the proportion of the scanned data is equal to or more than the threshold value.

Claims

1. A control device that controls a storage device to scan data stored in a storage medium of the storage device to locate and correct error in the data, the control device comprising:

a first scanning unit that causes the storage device to scan data stored in the storage medium while the storage device is in an idle state;

a determining unit that determines whether a proportion of scanned data in entire data in the storage medium is equal to or more than a threshold value;

a second scanning unit that, when the determining unit determines that the proportion of the scanned data is less than the threshold value, causes the storage device to scan unscanned data in the storage medium during a time interval between commands received by the storage device from outside while the storage device is not in an idle state, until the proportion of the scanned data is equal to or more than the threshold value; and

a threshold value managing unit that manages the threshold value, and increases the threshold value at a predetermined rate over time.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit performs determination of whether the proportion of the scanned data is equal to or more than the threshold value at first time intervals.

3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the second scanning unit determines whether a command received by the storage device is being executed at second time intervals, and when it is determined that the command is not being executed, the second scanning unit scans the unscanned data.

4. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the second scanning unit determines whether a command received by the storage device is being executed at the second time intervals, and when it is determined that the command is being executed, the second scanning unit scans the unscanned data after processing of the command is completed.

5. The control device according to claim 3, the control device further comprising a time-interval managing unit that manages the first time interval and the second time interval, wherein the time-interval managing unit calculates the first time interval and the second time interval based on a scan termination time specified by a user and a performance degradation rate of the storage device.

6. A storage device that scans data stored in a storage medium to locate and correct error in the data, the storage device comprising:

a first scanning unit that scans data stored in the storage medium while the storage device is in an idle state;

a determining unit that determines whether a proportion of scanned data in entire data in the storage medium is equal to or more than a threshold value;

a second scanning unit that, when the determining unit determines that the proportion of the scanned data is less than the threshold value, scans unscanned data in the storage medium during a time interval between commands received by the storage device from outside while the storage device is not in an idle state, until the proportion of the scanned data is equal to or more than the threshold value; and

a threshold value managing unit that manages the threshold value, and increases the threshold value at a predetermined rate over time.

7. The storage device according to claim 6, wherein the determining unit performs determination of whether the proportion of the scanned data is equal to or more than the threshold value at first time intervals.

8. The storage device according to claim 7, wherein the second scanning unit determines whether a command received by the storage device is being executed at second time intervals, and when it is determined that the command is not being executed, the second scanning unit scans the unscanned data.

9. The storage device according to claim 8, wherein the second scanning unit determines whether a command received by the storage device is being executed at the second time intervals, and when it is determined that the command is being executed, the second scanning unit scans the unscanned data after processing of the command is completed.

10. The storage device according to claim 8, the control device further comprising a time-interval managing unit that manages the first time interval and the second time interval, wherein the time-interval managing unit calculates the first time interval and the second time interval based on a scan termination time specified by a user and a performance degradation rate of the storage device.

11. A method of controlling a storage device to scan data stored in a storage medium of the storage device to locate and correct error in the data, the method comprising:

scanning data stored in the storage medium while the storage device is in an idle state;

determining whether a proportion of scanned data in entire data in the storage medium is equal to or more than a threshold value;

scanning, when it is determined at the determining that the proportion of the scanned data is less than the threshold value, unscanned data in the storage medium from outside during a time interval between commands received by the storage device while the storage device is not in an idle state, until the proportion of the scanned data is equal to or more than the threshold value; and

managing the threshold value, wherein

the managing includes increasing the threshold value at a predetermined rate over time.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the determining includes performing determination of whether the proportion of the scanned data is equal to or more than the threshold value at first time intervals.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the scanning unscanned data includes determining whether a command received by the storage device is being executed at second time intervals, and scanning the unscanned data when it is determined that the command is not being executed.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the scanning unscanned data includes determining whether a command received by the storage device is being executed at the second time intervals, and scanning the unscanned data after processing of the command is completed when it is determined that the command is being executed.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising managing the first time interval and the second time interval, wherein the managing includes calculating the first time interval and the second time interval based on a scan termination time specified by a user and a performance degradation rate of the storage device.