Information processing apparatus capable of appropriately providing notification of storage unit failure prediction, control method therefor, and storage medium

• US 9,075,705 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hikichi, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): KUDIRKA, JOSEPH R
• Application Number:
  US13/906,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/004 Error avoidance G06F11/07 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2087 with a common controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02

Abstract

An information processing apparatus which is capable of reducing operational costs required for the information processing apparatus equipped with HDDs having a mirroring function and a self-diagnosis function. Status information indicative of statuses of the HDDs is obtained by the self-diagnosis function which the HDDs have. Based on the obtained status information obtained, whether or not the HDDs will fail is predicted. When a failure of the HDDs is predicted, and the mirroring function is disabled, an electronic device determined in advance is notified that replacement of the HDDs is necessary. When a failure of the HDDs is predicted, and the mirroring function is enabled, the electronic device is not notified that replacement of the HDDs is necessary.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

storage units configured to have a mirroring function and a self-diagnosis function;

a notification unit configured to notify an electronic device, which is determined in advance, of information on said storage units;

an obtainment unit configured to obtain status information indicative of statuses of said storage units obtained by the self-diagnosis function which said storage units have;

a prediction unit configured to, based on the status information obtained by said obtainment unit, predict whether said storage units will fail; and

a control unit configured to control said notification unit such that, when said prediction unit predicts a failure of said storage units, and the mirroring function is disabled, the electronic device is notified that replacement of said storage units is necessary, and control said notification unit such that, when said prediction unit predicts a failure of said storage units, and the mirroring function is enabled, the electronic device is not notified that replacement of said storage units is necessary.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit controls said notification unit to, when a failure of said storage units is predicted by said prediction unit, and the mirroring function is enabled, notify the electronic device that a failure of said storage units is predicted by said prediction unit.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a monitoring device for use in monitoring the information processing apparatus, or a display device that displays information for a user in the information processing apparatus.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when a failure of said storage units is predicted by said prediction unit, and the mirroring function is enabled, a button for backing up information stored in said storage units to an external storage device is displayed on the display device, and when the button is depressed by the user, the information is backed up to the external storage device.

5. A control method for an information processing apparatus having storage units that have a mirroring function and a self-diagnosis function, and a notification unit that notifies an electronic device, which is determined in advance, of information on the storage units, comprising:

an obtainment step of obtaining status information indicative of statuses of the storage units obtained by the self-diagnosis function which the storage units have;

a prediction step of, based on the status information obtained in said obtainment step, predicting whether the storage units will fail; and

a control step of controlling the notification unit such that, when a failure of the storage units is predicted in said prediction step, and the mirroring function is disabled, the electronic device is notified that replacement of the storage units is necessary, and controlling the notification unit such that, when a failure of the storage units is predicted in said prediction step, and the mirroring function is enabled, the electronic device is not notified that replacement of the storage units is necessary.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to implement control instructions for an information processing apparatus having storage units that have a mirroring function and a self-diagnosis function, and a notification unit that notifies an electronic device, which is determined in advance, of information on the storage units, the control instructions comprising:

obtainment instructions configured to obtain status information indicative of statuses of the storage units obtained by the self-diagnosis function which the storage units have;

prediction instructions configured to, based on the status information obtained according to the obtainment instructions, predict whether the storage units will fail; and

control instructions configured to control the notification unit such that, when a failure of the storage units is predicted according to the prediction instructions, and the mirroring function is disabled, the electronic device is notified that replacement of the storage units is necessary, and to control the notification unit such that, when a failure of the storage units is predicted according to the prediction instructions, and the mirroring function is enabled, the electronic device is not notified that replacement of the storage units is necessary.