Offloading disk-related tasks from RAID adapter to distributed service processors in switched drive connection network enclosure

• US 20070226413A1
• Filed: 03/21/2006
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Elliott, John, Kubo, Robert, Lucas, Gregg
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/201 between storage system components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0652 Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A storage system includes a RAID adapter, disk array switches, sub-processors, and hard disk drives (HDDs). A disk-related operation is initiated in the RAID adapter. The RAID adapter dispatches a command to a disk array processor (or sub-processor) in an enclosure for the processor to perform the operation on one or more drives. The adapter may dispatch the command to a processor in a single enclosure through a disk array switch or to processors in multiple enclosures through switches in the upstream enclosures. The adapter is then free to perform other functions. The processor commences the specified operation on one or more selected drives, either sequentially one at a time or sequentially more than one (or all) at a time. Upon completion of the operation, the results are transmitted by the processor and received by the adapter. Thus, by offloading the task to the distributed sub-processors, the burden on the RAID adapter is significantly reduced, system bandwidth usage is reduced, and access to other drives within the enclosure (as well as within other enclosures) may be maintained. Tasks which may be offloaded in such a manner include, but are not limited to, drive firmware updating, drive scrubbing and secure data erasure.

Claims

1. A method for executing instructions in a RAID storage system having a RAID adapter, at least one array enclosure and a connecting fabric, each enclosure including a pair of redundant of disk array switches, each switch coupled to an array of storage drives, and a disk array processor coupled to both switches, the method comprising:

initiating a specified operation in the RAID adapter;

dispatching a command from the RAID adapter to a disk array processor for the disk array processor to perform the operation on one or more selected storage drives in the at least one enclosure;

performing the operation on the one or more selected storage drives;

transmitting results of the operation to the RAID adapter; and

receiving the results in the RAID adapter from the disk array processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified operation comprises a drive firmware update and performing the operation comprises:

a) receiving drive firmware from the RAID adapter;

b) directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

c) uploading the firmware into the one storage drive; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified operation comprises a drive scrubbing and performing the operation comprises:

a) directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

b) accessing sectors on media of the one storage drive;

c) identifying any latent defects in the media of the one drive; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the results comprises transmitting to the RAID adapter an identification of the one drive and a notice of any identified latent media defects.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified operation comprises a secure erasure and performing the operation comprises:

a) receiving a drive erasure algorithm from the RAID adapter;

b) directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

c) executing the erasure algorithm on the one storage drive; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the specified operation comprises performing the specified operation on at least one storage drive simultaneously in more than one array enclosure.

7. An intelligent storage enclosure adapted for communicating with a RAID adapter and containing an array of disk drives, a pair of redundant disk array switches, each switch coupled to each disk drive, and an enclosure processor, the enclosure processor configured to execute instructions offloaded by the RAID adapter, the instructions comprising:

initiating a specified operation in the RAID adapter;

dispatching a command from the RAID adapter to a disk array processor for the disk array processor to perform the operation on one or more selected storage drives in the enclosure;

performing the operation on the one or more selected storage drives;

transmitting results of the operation to the RAID adapter; and

receiving the results in the RAID adapter from the disk array processor.

8. The storage enclosure of claim 7, wherein the specified operation is selected from a group comprising drive firmware update, drive data scrub and secure drive erase.

9. A disk array storage system, comprising

a RAID adapter;

at least one array enclosure, each comprising;

a pair of redundant array switches;

an array of storage drives, each storage drive coupled to both switches; and

an array processor coupled to both switches;

a connecting fabric;

means for initiating a specified operation in the RAID adapter;

the RAID adapter comprising means for dispatching a command to the disk array processor in at least one of the array enclosures for the disk array processor to perform the operation on one or more selected storage drives in the enclosure;

the array processor comprising;

means for performing the operation on the one or more selected storage drives; and

means for transmitting results of the operation to the RAID adapter; and

the RAID adapter further comprising means for receiving the results in the RAID adapter from the disk array processor.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for dispatching comprise means for dispatching a drive firmware update and the means for performing the specified operation comprises:

a) means for receiving drive firmware from the RAID adapter;

b) means for directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

c) means for uploading the firmware into the one storage drive; and

d) means for instructing that the means recited in a) through c) repeat the receiving, directing, directing and uploading, respectively, for each other selected storage drive.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for dispatching comprise means for dispatching instructions for a drive scrubbing and the means for performing the specified operation comprises:

a) means for directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

b) means for accessing sectors on media of the one storage drive;

c) means for identifying any latent defects in the media of the one drive; and

d) means for instructing the means recited in a) through c) repeat the directing, directing, accessing and identifying, respectively, for each other selected storage drive.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for transmitting the results comprises means for transmitting to the RAID adapter an identification of the one drive and a notice of any identified latent media defects.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for dispatching comprise means for dispatching instructions for a secure erasure and performing the specified operation comprises:

a) receiving a drive erasure algorithm from the RAID adapter;

b) directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

c) executing the erasure algorithm on the one storage drive; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for performing the specified operation comprise means for performing the specified operation on at least one storage drive simultaneously in more than one array enclosure.

15. An intelligent storage enclosure adapted for communicating with a host adapter, comprising

a pair of redundant array switches, each switch coupled to a RAID adapter;

an array of storage drives, each storage drive coupled to both switches through respective ports;

an array processor coupled to both switches, the array processor configured to;

a) receive a command from the RAID adapter to perform a specified operation on one or more selected storage drives in the array;

b) direct one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

c) perform the operation on the one or more selected storage drives;

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive; and

e) transmit results of the operation to the RAID adapter.

16. The storage enclosure of claim 15, wherein the specified operation is selected from a group comprising drive firmware update, drive data scrub and secure drive erase.

17. A computer program product of a computer readable medium usable with a programmable computer, the computer program product having computer-readable code embodied therein for executing instructions in a RAID storage system having a RAID adapter, at least one array enclosure and a connecting fabric, each enclosure including a pair of redundant of disk array switches, each switch coupled to an array of storage drives, and a disk array processor coupled to both switches, the computer-readable code comprising instructions for:

initiating a specified operation in the RAID adapter;

dispatching a command from the RAID adapter to a disk array processor for the disk array processor to perform the operation on one or more selected storage drives in the at least one enclosure;

performing the operation on the one or more selected storage drives;

transmitting results of the operation to the RAID adapter; and

receiving the results in the RAID adapter from the disk array processor.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the specified operation comprises a drive firmware update and the instructions for performing the operation comprise instructions for:

a) receiving drive firmware from the RAID adapter;

b) directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

c) uploading the firmware into the one storage drive; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the specified operation comprises a drive scrubbing and the instructions for performing the operation comprise instructions for:

a) directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

b) accessing sectors on media of the one storage drive;

c) identifying any latent defects in the media of the one drive; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions for transmitting the results comprise instructions for transmitting to the RAID adapter an identification of the one drive and a notice of any identified latent media defects.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the specified operation comprises a secure erasure and instructions for performing the operation comprise instructions for:

a) receiving a drive erasure algorithm from the RAID adapter;

b) directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

c) executing the erasure algorithm on the one storage drive; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein instructions for performing the specified operation comprise instructions for performing the specified operation on at least one storage drive simultaneously in more than one array enclosure.

23. A method for deploying computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer readable code into a RAID storage system having a RAID adapter, at least one array enclosure and a connecting fabric, each enclosure including a pair of redundant of disk array switches, each switch coupled to an array of storage drives, and a disk array processor coupled to both switches, wherein the code, in combination with the computing system, is capable of performing the following:

initiating a specified operation in the RAID adapter;

dispatching a command from the RAID adapter to a disk array processor for the disk array processor to perform the operation on one or more selected storage drives in the at least one enclosure;

performing the operation on the one or more selected storage drives;

transmitting results of the operation to the RAID adapter; and

receiving the results in the RAID adapter from the disk array processor.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the specified operation comprises a drive firmware update and performing the operation comprises:

a) receiving drive firmware from the RAID adapter;

b) directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

c) uploading the firmware into the one storage drive; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the specified operation comprises a drive scrubbing and performing the operation comprises:

a) directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

b) accessing sectors on media of the one storage drive;

c) identifying any latent defects in the media of the one drive; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein transmitting the results comprises transmitting to the RAID adapter an identification of the one drive and a notice of any identified latent media defects.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the specified operation comprises a secure erasure and performing the operation comprises:

a) receiving a drive erasure algorithm from the RAID adapter;

b) directing one of the switches in the enclosure to enable one of the selected storage drives;

c) executing the erasure algorithm on the one storage drive; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) for each other selected storage drive.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein performing the specified operation comprises performing the specified operation on at least one storage drive simultaneously in more than one array enclosure.