Storage system controlling power supply module and fan

• US 8,325,438 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2012
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NOA, Inc. (Simmons Harold C Family Trust)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Akira, Iwamura, Takashige, Kaneda, Yasunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Sniezek, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US13/362,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 360/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0625 Power saving in storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/144 by detection, control, regulation of the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

When a disk device corresponding to a logical volume is started, a disk system determines and starts a disk device and a fan to be started, while comprehensively considering heat quantity generated by the disk device to be started, the cooling capacity of the fan, and the electric power consumption of the fan or the electric power consumption of the disk device.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a controller coupled to a computer;

a plurality of disk devices coupled to the controller that provide a plurality of logical volumes;

a plurality of cooling devices located to cool the disk devices; and

a plurality of power supply modules configured to supply electric power to the controller, the disk devices and the cooling devices,

wherein, in response to a notice that one of the logical volumes has a possibility of being accessed above a first predetermined amount, the controller is configured to start one or more disk devices that provide the logical volume and one or more of the cooling devices necessary to cool the one or more disk devices, or insert a request related to the notice into a waiting queue,

wherein, in response to a notice that one of the logical volumes has a possibility of being accessed below a second predetermined amount, the controller is configured to stop one or more disk devices that provide the logical volume with the possibility of being accessed below said second predetermined amount, and determine whether to execute a request in the waiting queue.

2. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured to determine whether or not the one or more cooling devices are to be stopped, on the basis of information concerning heat quantity that is reduced by stopping the one or more disk devices.

3. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the cooling devices comprises a fan, and

wherein the controller is configured to decrease the number of rotations of each of the fans, on the basis of the information concerning heat quantity that is reduced by stopping the one or more disk devices.

4. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured to determine whether or not the one or more disk devices are to be started, on the basis of whether or not an electric power consumed by the storage system by driving the one or more disk devices exceed a predetermined threshold electric power value.

5. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined threshold electric power value is a value to be set by a user who uses the storage system.

6. The storage system according to claim 5,

wherein, the controller is configured to determine whether or not the one or more disk devices and the one or more cooling devices are to be started, on the basis of whether or not an electric power consumed by the storage system by starting the one or more disk devices and the one or more cooling devices exceeds the predetermined threshold electric power value.

7. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured to determine whether or not the one or more disk devices are to be started, on the basis of a change in the cooling capacity of the plurality of cooling devices.

8. The storage system according to claim 7,

wherein the change in the cooling capacity of the one or more cooling devices is a change based on opening/closing of a cover of each of containers in the storage system.

9. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured to determine whether or not the one or more disk devices are to be started, when the logical volume is mounted on the computer.

10. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured to determine whether or not the one or more disk devices are to be stopped, when the logical volume is unmounted from the computer.

11. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured to determine whether or not the one or more disk devices are to be started, when an open command of a file stored in the logical volume is transmitted from the computer.

12. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured to determine whether or not the one or more disk devices are to be started, when a close command of a file stored in the logical volume is transmitted from the computer.

13. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured to monitor a failure of a device in the storage system, and determine whether or not the one or more disk device is to be started when the failure occurs, on the basis of a content of the failure.

14. The storage system according to claim 12,

wherein the failure of a device in the storage system is a failure inviting lowering an electric power supply of the power supply module.