Controller, storage apparatus, and computer program product

• US 8,549,388 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukutomi, Kazuhiro, Yao, Hiroshi, Kanno, Shinichi, Asano, Shigehiro, Hida, Toshikatsu, Kimura, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Alphonse, Fritz
• Application Number:
  US13/035,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 714/800, 714/766, 714/805, 714/770, 714/42, 714/5
• US Class Current: 714/800
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/108 Parity data distribution in semiconductor storages, e.g. in SSD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1059 Parity-single bit-RAID5, i.e. RAID 5 implementations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1073 Problems due to wear-out failures in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1092 Single disk raid, i.e. RAID with parity on a single disk

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a controller controls writing into and reading from a storage apparatus that includes a first data-storage unit and a second data-storage unit. The second data-storage unit stores user data and parity data of the user data. The first data-storage unit stores the parity data. The controller includes a parity updating unit and a parity writing unit. When parity data is updated, the parity updating unit writes the updated parity data into the first data-storage unit. When a certain requirement is satisfied, the parity writing unit reads the parity data written in the first data-storage unit, and writes the parity data thus read into the second data-storage unit.

Claims

1. A controller that controls writing into a first data-storage unit and a second data-storage unit included in a storage apparatus, and reading from the first data-storage unit and the second data-storage unit, the second data-storage unit storing user data of which writing is requested by a host device and parity data of the user data, the first data-storage unit storing the parity data, a storage area in the second data-storage unit in which user data is stored having a first state and a second state, the first state being a state that user data stored in the storage area is protected by the parity data stored by the first data-storage unit, the second state being a state that user data stored in the storage area is not protected by the parity data stored by the first data-storage unit, the controller comprising:

a parity updating unit that updates the parity data when the state of the storage area is changed, and writes first parity data into the first data-storage unit, the first parity data being the updated parity data; and

a parity writing unit that reads the parity data written in the first data-storage unit and writes second parity data into the second data-storage unit at a timing determined independently from the timing of updating of the parity data, the second parity data being the read parity data.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein

the storage apparatus further includes a first state-storage unit that stores identification information about a storage area in the first state, and a second state-storage unit that stores identification information about a storage area in the second state,

when a storage area of the second data-storage unit is changed from the first state to the second state, the parity updating unit writes into the first data-storage unit the first parity data of the user data stored in a storage area in the first state after change, deletes from the first state-storage unit identification information about the storage area that is changed to the second state, and adds into the second state-storage unit the identification information about the storage area that is changed to the second state, and

when a storage area of the second data-storage unit is changed from the second state to the first state, the parity updating unit writes into the first data-storage unit the first parity data of the user data stored in the storage area in the first state after change, adds into the first state-storage unit identification information about the storage area that is changed to the first state, and deletes from the second state-storage unit the identification information about the storage area that is changed to the first state.

3. The controller according to claim 2, wherein when the number of storage areas that are changed from the first state to the second state after writing the second parity data into the second data-storage unit exceeds a predetermined first threshold or when the number of storage areas that are changed from the second state to the first state after writing the second parity data into the second data-storage unit exceeds a predetermined second threshold, the parity writing unit reads the parity data written in the first data-storage unit as the second parity data and writes the second parity data into the second data-storage unit.

4. The controller according to claim 3, further comprising a parity recovery unit that writes into the first data-storage unit the first parity data that is calculated based on the user data stored in a storage area identified by identification information stored in a third state-storage unit, the user data stored in a storage area identified by identification information stored in a fourth state-storage unit, and the second parity data stored in the second data-storage unit, the third state-storage unit storing the identification information about the storage area that is changed from the first state to the second state after writing the second parity data into the second data-storage unit, the fourth state-storage unit storing the identification information about the storage area that is changed from the second state to the first state after writing the second parity data into the second data-storage unit.

5. The controller according to claim 3, further comprising a data recovery unit that recovers user data in a second storage area and user data in a first storage area, when the first storage area in which user data is to be recovered is included in a storage area identified by identification information stored in a fourth state-storage unit, and the second storage area in which user data is to be recovered is included in a storage area identified by identification information not stored in the fourth state-storage unit among storage areas identified by identification information stored in the first state-storage unit, by recovering the user data in the second storage area based on the user data stored in a storage area, excluding a storage area identified by identification information stored in the fourth state-storage unit from storage areas identified by identification information stored in the first state-storage unit, and a storage area, excluding the second storage area from storage areas identified by identification information stored in a third state-storage unit, and the second parity data stored in the second data-storage unit, and recovering the user data in the first storage area based on recovered user data, the user data stored in a storage area, excluding the first storage area and the second storage area from storage areas identified by identification information stored in the first state-storage information, and the first parity data stored in the first data-storage unit, the third state-storage unit storing the identification information about the storage area that is changed from the first state to the second state after writing the second parity data into the second data-storage unit, the fourth state-storage unit storing the identification information about the storage area that is changed from the second state to the first state after writing the second parity data into the second data-storage unit.

6. The controller according to claim 2, wherein when the number of storage areas that are changed from the first state to the second state after writing the second parity data into the second data-storage unit exceeds a predetermined first threshold, the parity writing unit reads the parity data written in the first data-storage unit as the second parity data and writes the second parity data into the second data-storage unit.

7. The controller according to claim 2, wherein when the number of storage areas that are changed from the second state to the first state after writing the second parity data into the second data-storage unit exceeds a predetermined second threshold, the parity writing unit reads the parity data written in the first data-storage unit as the second parity data and writes the second parity data into the second data-storage unit.

8. A storage apparatus comprising:

a first data-storage unit that stores parity data of user data of which writing is requested by a host device;

a second data-storage unit that stores the user data and the parity data; and

a controller that controls writing into the first data-storage unit and the second data-storage unit, and reading from the first data-storage unit and the second data-storage unit, a storage area in the second data-storage unit in which user data is stored having a first state and a second state, the first state being a state that user data stored in the storage area is protected by the parity data stored by the first data-storage unit, the second state being a state that user data stored in the storage area is not protected by the parity data stored by the first data-storage unit, wherein the controller comprises

a parity updating unit that updates the parity data when state of the storage area is changed, and writes first parity data into the first data-storage unit, the first parity data being the updated parity data, and

a parity writing unit that reads the parity data written in the first data-storage unit and writes second parity data into the second data-storage unit at a timing determined independently from the timing of updating of the parity data, the second parity data being the read parity data.

9. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium including programmed instructions, wherein when executed by a computer that controls writing into and reading from a first data-storage unit and a second data-storage unit included in a storage apparatus, the first data-storage unit storing parity data of user data of which writing is requested by a host device, and the second data-storage unit storing the user data and the parity data, a storage area in the second data-storage unit in which user data is stored having a first state and a second state, the first state being a state that user data stored in the storage area is protected by the parity data stored by the first data-storage unit, the second state being a state that user data stored in the storage area is not protected by the parity data stored by the first data-storage unit the instructions cause the computer to function as:

a parity updating unit that updates the parity data when state of the storage area is changed, and writes first parity data into the first data-storage unit, the first parity data being the updated parity data; and

a parity writing unit that reads the parity data written in the first data-storage unit and writes second parity data into the second data-storage unit at a timing determined independently from the timing of updating of the parity data, the second parity data being the read parity data.