System and method for reducing unrecoverable media errors

• US 7,984,328 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Coatney, Douglas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lohn; Joshua A
• Application Number:
  US12/641,568
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 714/5, 714/6, 714/7, 714/8, 714/42, 714/770
• US Class Current: 714/6.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1084 Degraded mode, e.g. caused by single or multiple storage removals or disk failures

Abstract

A method for operating a computer data storage system is described. A recoverable error in a data storage device in recognized in response to receiving a command for a write operation. It is determined whether the data storage system is in a degraded state. The write operation encountering the recoverable error is reassigned to a space on a spare data storage device if the data storage system is not in a degraded state. The write operation is stored to reassign to a spare data storage device at a future time if the data storage system is in a degraded state.

Claims

1. A method for operating a computer data storage system, comprising:

recognizing a recoverable error in a data storage device of the data storage system in response to receiving a command for a write operation;

determining whether the data storage system is in a degraded state;

reassigning the write operation encountering the recoverable error to a space on a spare data storage device if the data storage system is not in a degraded state; and

storing the write operation for reassignment to the spare data storage device at a future time if the data storage system is in a degraded state.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using a direct access storage device (DASD) as the data storage device.

3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using a magnetic data storage disk as the data storage device.

4. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using a RAID system of magnetic storage disks as the data storage device.

5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using an optical storage device as the data storage device.

6. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using a solid state device as the data storage device.

7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using a logical unit number (lun) in a storage device as the data storage device.

8. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

using a sector of a physical data storage device which can be divided into sectors as the data storage device.

9. A computer data storage system apparatus, comprising:

a processor to recognize a recoverable error in a data storage device in response to receiving a command for a write operation,

an operating system executable by the processor to determine whether the data storage system is in a degraded state,

the operating system to reassign the write operation encountering the recoverable error to a space on a spare data storage device if the data storage system is not in a degraded state, and to store the write operation for reassignment to the spare data storage device at a future time if the data storage system is in a degraded state.

10. The apparatus as in claim 9, further comprising:

a direct access storage device (DASD) used as the data storage device.

11. The apparatus as in claim 9, further comprising:

a magnetic data storage disk used as the data storage device.

12. The apparatus as in claim 9, further comprising:

a RAID system of magnetic storage disks used as the data storage device.

13. The apparatus as in claim 9, further comprising:

an optical storage device used as the data storage device.

14. The apparatus as in claim 9, further comprising:

a solid state device used as the data storage device.

15. The apparatus as in claim 9, further comprising:

a logical unit number (lun) in a storage device used as the data storage device.

16. The apparatus as in claim 9, further comprising:

a sector of a physical data storage device which can be divided into sectors is used as the data storage device.

17. A computer readable storage media, comprising:

said computer readable storage media containing program instructions for execution on a processor for a method of operating a computer data storage system, the program instructions for,

recognizing a recoverable error in a data storage device in response to receiving a command for a write operation;

determining whether the data storage system is in a degraded states; and

reassigning the write operation encountering the recoverable error to a space on a spare data storage device if the data storage system is not in a degraded state; and

storing the write operation for reassignment to the spare data storage device at a future time if the data storage system is in a degraded state.

18. A method for operating a computer data storage system, comprising:

recognizing a recoverable error in a data storage device in response to receiving a command for a write operation;

determining whether the data storage system is in a degraded states;

executing a reassignment utility to reassign the write operation encountering the recoverable error to a space on a spare data storage device if the data storage system is not in a degraded state; and

storing the write operation for reassignment to the spare data storage device at a future time if the data storage system is in a degraded state.

19. A computer data storage system, comprising:

an operating system executing on a processor of the data storage system to recognize a recoverable error in a data storage device in response to receiving a command for a write operation;

the operating system to determine whether the data storage system is in a degraded states;

the operating system to execute a reassignment utility to reassign the write operation encountering the recoverable error to a space on a spare data storage device if the data storage system is not in a degraded state; and

the operating system to store the write operation for reassignment to the spare data storage device at a future time if the data storage system is in a degraded state.