Providing removable storage management services using removable storage error information

• US 8,132,050 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2011
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Allen Keith, Christensen, Eric Rolf, Wada, Shinobu, Winarski, Daniel James
• Primary Examiner(s): BONZO, BRYCE P
• Application Number:
  US13/015,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 714/27
• US Class Current: 714/27
• 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 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/076 by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0775 Content or structure details of the error report, e.g. specific table structure, specific error fields
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/689 Control of the cassette changing arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/18 Error detection or correction; Testing , e.g. of drop-outs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for providing removable storage management services using removable storage error information. Read/write error information is obtained for at least one removable storage by interfacing with the removable storage manager. The obtained read/write error information for the at least one removable storage is processed to determine read/write error rates for the at least one removable storage. A determination is made as to whether the determined read/write error rates for the at least one removable storage exceed at least one read/write error threshold. At least one message is sent to the removable storage manager to replace the at least one removable storage having read/write error rates that exceed the at least one read/write error threshold.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a service computer communicating over a network with a customer computer, comprising:

receiving a request from over the network from a removable storage manager executing in the customer computer for management information for at least one removable storage coupled to the customer computer;

receiving from the removable storage manager read/write error information for the at least one removable storage;

processing, in response to the received request for management information, the obtained read/write error information for the at least one removable storage to determine read/write error rates for the at least one removable storage;

determining whether the determined read/write error rates for the at least one removable storage exceed at least one read/write error threshold; and

sending at least one message to the removable storage manager to replace the at least one removable storage having read/write error rates that exceed the at least one read/write error threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a database including removable storage read/write error thresholds for removable storages from different vendors, wherein the read/write error thresholds used in determining whether the determined read/write error rates exceed the threshold are determined from the database;

receiving input to update the read/write error thresholds for at least one removable storage; and

updating the storage drive read/write threshold based on the received input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a database including removable storage read/write error thresholds for removable storages from one vendor, wherein the read/write error thresholds used in determining whether the determined read/write error rates exceed the threshold are determined from the database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending queries to the removable storage manager to access read/write error information from the at least one removable storage for which replacement information was requested.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the removable storage manager manages a plurality of at least one storage drive and wherein the at least one removable storage comprises a plurality of removable storages capable of being coupled to the at least one storage drive, and wherein the read/write error information is obtained for the removable storages managed by the removable storage manager.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the read/write error information comprises at least one of total bytes read, total bytes written, total recoverable read errors, stop write rates, a total number of rewrites for total data set writes, and wherein the read/write error thresholds comprise a threshold for each rate obtained from the removable storage manager.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

billing a customer periodically for replacing the at least one removable storage having read/write error rates that exceed the at least one read/write error threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one removable storage comprises a plurality of removable storages, and wherein the at least one message includes replacement instructions for each of the removable storages indicating whether to replace the removable storage.

9. A system in communication with a customer computer over a network, wherein the customer computer includes a removable storage manager managing access to at least one removable storage coupled to the customer computer, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium having a removable storage service provider executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a request from over the network from the removable storage manager executing in the customer computer for management information for the at least one removable storage;

receiving from the removable storage manager read/write error information for the at least one removable storage;

processing, in response to the received request for management information, the obtained read/write error information for the at least one removable storage to determine read/write error rates for the at least one removable storage;

determining whether the determined read/write error rates for the at least one removable storage exceed at least one read/write error threshold; and

sending at least one message to the removable storage manager to replace the at least one removable storage having read/write error rates that exceed the at least one read/write error threshold.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a database including removable storage read/write error thresholds for removable storages from different vendors, wherein the read/write error thresholds used in determining whether the determined read/write error rates exceed the threshold are determined from the database;

wherein the operations further comprise;

receiving input to update the read/write error thresholds for at least one removable storage; and

updating the storage drive read/write threshold based on the received input.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a database including removable storage read/write error thresholds for removable storages from one vendor, wherein the read/write error thresholds used in determining whether the determined read/write error rates exceed the threshold are determined from the database.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending queries to the removable storage manager to access read/write error information from the at least one removable storage for which replacement information was requested.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the removable storage manager manages a plurality of at least one storage drive and wherein the at least one removable storage comprises a plurality of removable storages capable of being coupled to the at least one storage drive, and wherein the read/write error information is obtained for the removable storages managed by the removable storage manager.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the read/write error information comprises at least one of total bytes read, total bytes written, total recoverable read errors, stop write rates, a total number of rewrites for total data set writes, and wherein the read/write error thresholds comprise a threshold for each rate obtained from the removable storage manager.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

billing a customer periodically for replacing the at least one removable storage having read/write error rates that exceed the at least one read/write error threshold.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one removable storage comprises a plurality of removable storages, and wherein the at least one message includes replacement instructions for each of the removable storages indicating whether to replace the removable storage.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium storing code to communicate with a customer computer over a network, wherein the customer computer includes a removable storage manager managing access to at least one removable storage coupled to the customer computer, and to further cause operations comprising:

receiving a request from over the network from the removable storage manager executing in the customer computer for management information for the at least one removable storage;

receiving from the removable storage manager read/write error information for the at least one removable storage;

processing, in response to the received request for management information, the obtained read/write error information for the at least one removable storage to determine read/write error rates for the at least one removable storage;

determining whether the determined read/write error rates for the at least one removable storage exceed at least one read/write error threshold; and

sending at least one message to the removable storage manager to replace the at least one removable storage having read/write error rates that exceed the at least one read/write error threshold.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

maintaining a database including removable storage read/write error thresholds for removable storages from different vendors, wherein the read/write error thresholds used in determining whether the determined read/write error rates exceed the threshold are determined from the database;

receiving input to update the read/write error thresholds for at least one removable storage; and

updating the storage drive read/write threshold based on the received input.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

maintaining a database including removable storage read/write error thresholds for removable storages from one vendor, wherein the read/write error thresholds used in determining whether the determined read/write error rates exceed the threshold are determined from the database.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending queries to the removable storage manager to access read/write error information from the at least one removable storage for which replacement information was requested.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the removable storage manager manages a plurality of at least one storage drive and wherein the at least one removable storage comprises a plurality of removable storages capable of being coupled to the at least one storage drive, and wherein the read/write error information is obtained for the removable storages managed by the removable storage manager.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the read/write error information comprises at least one of total bytes read, total bytes written, total recoverable read errors, stop write rates, a total number of rewrites for total data set writes, and wherein the read/write error thresholds comprise a threshold for each rate obtained from the removable storage manager.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

billing a customer periodically for replacing the at least one removable storage having read/write error rates that exceed the at least one read/write error threshold.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the at least one removable storage comprises a plurality of removable storages, and wherein the at least one message includes replacement instructions for each of the removable storages indicating whether to replace the removable storage.