Pool spares for data storage virtualization subsystem

• US 8,281,090 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2006
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infortrend Technology Incorporated (Infortrend Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Infortrend Technology Incorporated (Infortrend Corporation)
• Inventors: Schnapp, Michael Gordon, Chen, Chieh-Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ruiz, Aracelis
• Application Number:
  US11/539,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20070078794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,185 Days
• Field of Search: 711/114, 711/162, 711/170
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0686 Libraries, e.g. tape libraries, jukebox
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A data storage virtualization subsystem (SVS) for providing storage to a host entity is disclosed. The SVS comprises a storage virtualization controller for connecting to the host entity, at least one physical storage device (PSD) pool, and at least one PSD is designated to be a pool spare PSD to the at least one PSD pool. The at least one PSD pool comprises at least one PSD to store user data or associated redundant information and is given a pool ID for identifying the PSD pool.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a spare physical storage device to use in a data storage virtualization subsystem comprising a plurality of normally-used physical storage devices, the method comprising the steps of:

defining at least one section of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices as a logical media unit;

defining at least one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices as a physical storage device pool according to a pool ID for identifying the physical storage device pool;

providing a pool spare physical storage device designated to said physical storage device pool and providing at least one non-pool spare physical storage device;

selecting the pool spare physical storage device as a spare physical storage device for replacing one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices in the physical storage device pool when the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices is to be replaced, if the pool spare physical storage device is available, wherein the pool spare physical storage device is used as a spare physical storage device for the physical storage device pool; and

selecting the at least one non-pool spare physical storage device as a spare physical storage device for replacing the one of plurality of normally-used physical storage devices in the physical storage device pool when the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices is to be replaced, if the pool spare physical storage device is not available.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one non-pool spare physical storage device comprises a local spare physical storage device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one non-pool spare physical storage device comprises a global spare physical storage device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one non-pool spare physical storage device comprises a local spare physical storage device and a global spare physical storage device, and said method further comprises, in the at least one non-pool spare physical storage selecting step, the step of:

selecting the local spare physical storage device as a spare physical storage device for replacing the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices in the physical storage device pool when the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices is to be replaced, if the pool spare physical storage device is not available.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, in the at least one non-pool spare physical storage device selecting step, the step of selecting the global spare physical storage device as a spare physical storage device for replacing the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices in the physical storage device pool when the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices is to be replaced, if the local spare physical storage device is not available.

9. The method of claim 1, 6, or 8, wherein said physical storage device pool comprises at least one enclosure for receiving the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said physical storage device pool comprises one enclosure for receiving the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices, and the pool spare physical storage device is an enclosure spare physical storage device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said physical storage device pool comprises a plurality of enclosures for receiving a plurality of the normally-used physical storage devices.

6. A method for selecting a spare physical storage device to use in a data storage virtualization subsystem comprising a plurality of normally-used physical storage devices, the method comprising the steps of:

defining at least one section of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices as a logical media unit;

defining at least one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices as a physical storage device pool according to a pool ID for identifying the physical storage device pool;

providing a pool spare physical storage device designated to said physical storage device pool and providing at least one local spare physical storage device;

selecting the local spare physical storage device as a spare physical storage device for replacing one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices in the physical storage device pool when the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices is to be replaced, if the local spare physical storage device is available; and

selecting the pool spare physical storage device as a spare physical storage device for replacing the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices in the physical storage device pool when the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices is to be replaced, if the local spare physical storage device is not available.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data storage virtualization subsystem further comprises at least one global spare physical storage device and the method further comprises the steps of selecting the global spare physical storage device as a spare physical storage device for replacing the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices in the physical storage device pool when the one of the normally-used physical storage devices is to be replaced, if the local spare and the pool spare physical storage devices are not available.

8. A method for selecting a spare physical storage device to use in a data storage virtualization subsystem comprising a plurality of normally-used physical storage devices, the method comprising the steps of:

defining at least one section of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices as a logical media unit;

defining at least one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices as a physical storage device pool according to a pool ID for identifying the physical storage device pool;

providing a pool spare physical storage device designated to said physical storage device pool and providing at least one global spare physical storage device;

selecting the pool spare physical storage device as a spare physical storage device for replacing one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices in the physical storage device pool when the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices is to be replaced, if the pool spare physical storage device is available; and

selecting the global spare physical storage device as a spare physical storage device for replacing the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices in the physical storage device pool when the one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices is to be replaced, if the pool spare physical storage device is not available.