Raid-group converting apparatus and method

• US 8,533,527 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2009
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Daikokuya, Hidejirou, Ito, Mikio, Ikeuchi, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, SARAI E
• Application Number:
  US12/654,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20100095150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 714/6.22, 714/6.2, 714/6.24
• US Class Current: 714/6.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1004 Adaptive RAID, i.e. RAID system adapts to changing circumstances, e.g. RAID1 becomes RAID5 as disks fill up
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1057 Parity-multiple bits-RAID6, i.e. RAID 6 implementations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A RAID-group converting apparatus converts two RAID groups into one RAID group. The RAID-group converting apparatus includes: a data-reading unit that reads at least non-parity data from data including the non-parity data and parity data, for each stripe from a plurality of recording media belonging to the two RAID groups; a parity-generating unit that generates two parities using the data belonging to a same stripe read by the data-reading unit; and a parity-writing unit that writes the two parities generated by the parity-generating unit into a parity storage area belonging to the same stripe.

Claims

1. A RAID-group converting apparatus that converts two redundant-array-of-inexpensive-disks (RAID) groups into one RAID group, the RAID-group converting apparatus comprising:

a data-reading unit that reads at least non-parity data from data including the non-parity data and parity data, for each stripe from a plurality of recording media belonging to the two RAID groups;

a parity-generating unit that generates two parities using the data belonging to a same stripe read by the data-reading unit; and

a parity-writing unit that dispersively writes the two parities generated by the parity-generating unit into parity storage areas belonging to the same stripe, and

wherein the RAID-group converting apparatus converts two RAID groups without adding any disks.

2. The RAID-group converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the two RAID groups are managed in a first RAID level in which same data are stored in each of a plurality of recording media or in a second RAID level in which each stripe includes one parity, and the one RAID group is managed in a third RAID level in which each stripe includes two parities, and

the RAID-group converting apparatus further comprises:

a temporary setting unit that temporarily sets one of a plurality of recording media belonging to a RAID group managed in the first RAID level to be a parity-dedicated recording medium that stores parities, if the two RAID groups include the RAID group managed in the first RAID level.

3. The RAID-group converting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the first RAID level is RAID1;

the second RAID level is RAID4 or RAID5; and

the third RAID level is RAID6.

4. The RAID-group converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a disk capacity of each of the two RAID groups is larger than a total data amount of data and parities stored in the plurality of recording media belonging to the other one of the two RAID group.

5. The RAID-group converting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

predetermined data are stored in the plurality of recording media belonging to one of the two RAID groups having the total data amount smaller than that of the other one of the RAID groups to match the total data amounts of the two RAID groups with each other, if the total data amounts of the two RAID groups are different from each other.

6. The RAID-group converting apparatus according to claim 1 comprising:

a temporary setting unit that temporarily sets one of a plurality of recording media belonging to a RAID group managed in a RAID1 level to be a parity-dedicated recording medium that stores parities, when the two RAID groups include the RAID group managed in a RAID1 level.

7. A RAID-group converting method of converting two RAID groups into one RAID group, the RAID-group converting method comprising:

reading at least non-parity data from data including the non-parity data and parity data, for each stripe from a plurality of recording media belonging to the two RAID groups;

generating two parities using the read data belonging to a same stripe; and

dispersively writing the two parities generated into parity storage areas belonging to the same stripe, and

wherein the RAID-group converting method converts two RAID groups without adding any disks.

8. The RAID-group converting method according to claim 7, wherein

the two RAID groups are managed in a first RAID level in which same data are stored in each of a plurality of recording media or in a second RAID level in which each stripe includes one parity, and the one RAID group is managed in a third RAID level in which each stripe includes two parities, and

the RAID-group converting method further comprises:

setting temporarily one of a plurality of recording media belonging to a RAID group managed in the first RAID level to be a parity-dedicated recording medium that stores parities, if the two RAID groups include the RAID group managed in the first RAID level.

9. The RAID-group converting method according to claim 8, wherein

the first RAID level is RAID1;

the second RAID level is RAID4 or RAID5; and

the third RAID level is RAID6.

10. The RAID-group converting method according to claim 7, wherein

a disk capacity of each of the two RAID groups is larger than a total data amount of data and parities stored in the plurality of recording media belonging to the other one of the two RAID group.

11. The RAID-group converting method according to claim 10, wherein

predetermined data are stored in the plurality of recording media belonging to one of the two RAID groups having the total data amount smaller than that of the other one of the RAID groups to match the total data amounts of the two RAID groups with each other, if the total data amounts of the two RAID groups are different from each other.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein a RAID-group converting program for converting two RAID groups into one RAID group, the RAID-group converting program causing a computer to execute a process comprising:

reading at least non-parity data from data including the non-parity data and parity data, for each stripe from a plurality of recording media belonging to the two RAID groups;

generating two parities using the read data belonging to a same stripe; and

dispersively writing the two parities generated into parity storage areas belonging to the same stripe, and

wherein the RAID-group converting program converts two RAID groups without adding any disks.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein

the two RAID groups are managed in a first RAID level in which same data are stored in each of a plurality of recording media or in a second RAID level in which each stripe includes one parity, and the one RAID group is managed in a third RAID level in which each stripe includes two parities, and

the process further comprises:

setting temporarily one of a plurality of recording media belonging to a RAID group managed in the first RAID level to be a parity-dedicated recording medium that stores parities, if the two RAID groups include the RAID group managed in the first RAID level.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein

the first RAID level is RAID1;

the second RAID level is RAID4 or RAID5; and

the third RAID level is RAID6.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein

a disk capacity of each of the two RAID groups is larger than a total data amount of data and parities stored in the plurality of recording media belonging to the other one of the two RAID group.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein

predetermined data are stored in the plurality of recording media belonging to one of the two RAID groups having the total data amount smaller than that of the other one of the RAID groups to match the total data amounts of the two RAID groups with each other, if the total data amounts of the two RAID groups are different from each other.