Storage power supply system, storage device, and control thereof

• US 8,230,241 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Buffalo Incorporated (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Buffalo Incorporated (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Saito, Shinsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Eric
• Application Number:
  US12/506,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24

Abstract

The present invention discloses a storage power supply system includes a first storage device coupled with a network, a second storage device coupled with the network and an uninterrupted power supply. The uninterrupted power supply comprises a backup circuit that supplies backup power when commercial power supply is interrupted. The uninterrupted power supply comprises a power supply state signal generation circuit that generates a power supply state signal indicating a state of the power. The power supply state signal includes a backup state signal indicating a supply of backup power. The first storage device performs a self-processing corresponding to a state in which backup power is supplied when the backup state signal generated by the power supply state signal generation circuit is inputted. The second storage device performs a self-processing corresponding to a state in which backup power is supplied in response to the input of the backup state signal from the power supply state signal generation circuit to the first storage device.

Claims

1. A storage power supply system, comprising:

a first storage device coupled with a network;

a second storage device coupled with the network; and

an uninterrupted power supply that supplies power to the first storage device and the second storage device;

the uninterrupted power supply comprises a backup circuit that supplies backup power when commercial power supply is interrupted;

the uninterrupted power supply comprises a power supply state signal generation circuit that generates a power supply state signal indicating a state of the power;

the power supply state signal includes a backup state signal indicating a supply of backup power;

the first storage device is coupled with the power supply state signal generation circuit;

the first storage device outputs information corresponding to the supply of backup power to the second storage device when the backup state signal generated by the power supply state signal generation circuit is inputted;

the second storage device outputs to the first storage device processing start information that indicates the start of a processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied and performs a self-processing corresponding to a state in which backup power is supplied when the information corresponding to the supply of backup power is inputted from the first storage device; and

the first storage device causes the uninterrupted power supply to stop the supply of backup power after a self-processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied has been performed when the processing start information is inputted from the second storage device, while performs a self-processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied without causing the supply of backup power to stop to the uninterrupted power supply when the processing start information is not inputted from the second storage device.

2. The storage power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the first storage device is connected by a signal cable to the power supply state signal generation circuit and outputs a shutdown instruction relating to the second storage device to the network and performs a shutdown processing on itself when the backup state signal is inputted via the signal cable from the power supply state signal generation circuit;

and

the second storage device performs a shutdown processing on itself when the shutdown instruction is inputted from the network.

3. The storage power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the first storage device outputs inquiry information for inquiring presence of the second storage device to the network when the backup state signal generated by the power supply state signal generation circuit is inputted;

the second storage device outputs presence information indicating the presence of the second storage device to the network when the inquiry information is inputted from the network; and

the first storage device outputs information corresponding to the supply of backup power to the network when the presence information is inputted from the network.

4. The storage power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the first storage device performs a self-processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied when the processing start information is inputted from the second storage device within a predetermined period after the information corresponding to the supply of backup power has been outputted to the second storage device;

and

the first storage device performs a processing of outputting the information corresponding to the supply of backup power to the second storage device again a number of times within a predetermined upper limit number of times when the processing start information is not inputted from the second storage device within the predetermined period, and performs a self-processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied when the processing start information is not inputted from the second storage device within the predetermined period after the output processing has been performed the upper limit number of times.

5. The storage power supply system according to claim 4, wherein

the uninterrupted power supply comprises a control signal input circuit that inputs signals for controlling operation of the uninterrupted power supply;

the uninterrupted power supply stops the supply of backup power when a backup stop signal that causes the supply of backup power to stop is inputted to the control signal input circuit;

the first storage device is coupled with the control signal input circuit;

the first storage device causes the uninterrupted power supply to stop the supply of backup power after the processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied has been performed on the first storage device by outputting the backup stop signal to the control signal input circuit when the processing start information is inputted from the second storage device within the predetermined period after the information corresponding to the supply of backup power has been outputted to the second storage device; and

the first storage device performs a self-processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied, without outputting the backup stop signal to the control signal input circuit, when the processing start information is not inputted from the second storage device within the predetermined period after the processing of outputting the information corresponding to the supply of backup power to the second storage time has been performed again the upper limit number of times when the processing start information is not inputted from the second storage device within the predetermined period.

6. The storage power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the uninterrupted power supply comprises a control signal input circuit that inputs signals for controlling operation of the uninterrupted power supply;

the uninterrupted power supply stops the supply of backup power when a backup stop signal that causes the supply of backup power to stop is inputted to the control signal input circuit;

the first storage device is coupled with the control signal input circuit; and

when the first storage device causes the uninterrupted power supply to stop the supply of backup power, the first storage device outputs the backup stop signal to the control signal input circuit.

7. The storage power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the uninterrupted power supply comprises a control signal input circuit that inputs a signal for controlling operation of the uninterrupted power supply;

the uninterrupted power supply stops the supply of backup power when a backup stop signal that causes the supply of backup power to stop is inputted to the control signal input circuit;

the first storage device is connected by the same signal cable to the power supply state signal generation circuit and the control signal input circuit;

the first storage device outputs inquiry information for inquiring presence of the second storage device to the network when the backup state signal is inputted from the power supply state signal generation circuit via the signal cable;

the second storage device outputs presence information indicating the presence of the second storage device to the network when the inquiry information is inputted from the network;

the first storage device outputs to the network a shutdown instruction relating to the second storage device when the presence information is inputted from the network;

the second storage device outputs processing start information that indicates a shutdown processing start to the network and performs a shutdown processing on itself when the shutdown instruction is inputted from the network; and

the first storage device causes the uninterrupted power supply to stop the supply of backup power after the shutdown processing has been performed on itself by outputting the backup stop signal to the control signal input circuit via the signal cable when the processing start information is inputted from the network within a predetermined period after the shutdown instruction relating to the second storage device has been outputted to the network, while performs a processing of outputting the shutdown instruction again a predetermined upper limit number of times when the processing start information is not inputted from the network within the predetermined period, and performs the shutdown processing on itself without outputting the backup stop signal to the control signal input circuit via the signal cable when the processing start information is not inputted from the network within the predetermined period after the output processing has been performed the upper limit number of times.

8. A master storage device that is coupled with a network having a slave storage device coupled with the network, comprising:

the master storage device receives power supply from an uninterrupted power supply that has a power supply state signal generation circuit that generates a power supply state signal indicating a state of supplied power;

when the power supply state signal generated by the power supply state signal generation circuit is in a state indicating the supply of backup power, the master storage device outputs information corresponding to the supply of backup power to the slave storage device, and causes the uninterrupted power supply to stop the supply of backup power after the processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied has been performed on the master storage device when processing start information that indicates the start of a processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied is inputted from the slave storage device, while performs a self-processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied without causing the supply of backup power to stop to the uninterrupted power supply when the processing start information is not inputted from the slave storage device.

9. A control method for a master storage device that is coupled with a network having a slave storage device coupled with the network and receives power supply from an uninterrupted power supply that has a power supply state signal generation circuit that generates a power supply state signal indicating a state of supplied power, wherein,

when the power supply state signal generated by the power supply state signal generation circuit is in a state indicating the supply of backup power, the master storage device outputs information corresponding to the supply of backup power to the slave storage device, and causes the uninterrupted power supply to stop the supply of backup power after the processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied has been performed on the master storage device when processing start information that indicates the start of a processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied is inputted from the slave storage device, while performs a self-processing corresponding to the state in which backup power is supplied without causing the supply of backup power to stop to the uninterrupted power supply when the processing start information is not inputted from the slave storage device.