Preventing damage of storage devices and data loss in a data storage system

• US 7,146,521 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2002
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: 3pardata Incorporated
• Inventors: Nguyen, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): PUENTE, EMERSON C
• Application Number:
  US10/226,823
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 714/1, 714/2, 714/25, 702/130, 718/105
• US Class Current: 714/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• 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 11/0754 by exceeding limits
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3034 where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing 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 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• 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 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A data storage system and method capable of reducing the operating temperature of the data storage system, removing any overheating storage devices from operation, reconstructing data, and evacuating data from the overheating storage devices before the devices and the data are damaged or lost.

Claims

1. A data storage system, comprising:

an interconnect component including one or more processors;

a group of storage components, each storage component comprising a controller, one or more fans, and a plurality of disk drives;

wherein the controller of each storage component is operable to;

increase a fan speed if the controller detects a temperature of an overheating disk drive over a first threshold;

remove the overheating disk drive from data storage operations if the controller detects the temperature of the overheating disk drive over a second threshold after the fan speed is increased, wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold; and

temporarily activating the overheating drive so that data can be evacuated from the overheating disk drive to one or more properly functioning disk drives; and

wherein the interconnect component is operable to transfer data from the overheating disk drive to the one or more properly functioning disk drives.

2. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are operable to allocate data transfer between the one or more properly functioning disk drives.

3. The data storage system of claim 2, wherein the interconnect component is operable to reconstruct any data stored on the overheating disk drive prior to transferring the data from the overheating disk drive.

4. The data storage system of claim 3, wherein the data stored on the overheating disk drive is reconstructed according to a RAID-1 or RAID-5 protocol.

5. The data storage system of claim 2, wherein the interconnect component balances a load between the storage components by allocating data transfer between the storage components.

6. The data storage system of claim 5, wherein the interconnect component comprises a plurality of system nodes, and wherein the interconnect component balances the load between the system nodes.

7. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the overheating disk drive is either in an alarm state or a severe state, and wherein the fan speed is increased when the overheating disk drive is in the alarm state.

8. The data storage system of claim 7, wherein the overheating disk drive is removed from data storage operations when it is in the severe state.

9. A method of minimizing disk drive failures and data loss in a data storage system comprising an interconnect component and one or more storage components each comprising disk drives, a fan, and a controller, the method comprising:

detecting an overheating disk drive within a storage component with the controller;

increasing a fan speed with the controller if the overheating disk drive is detected;

removing the overheating disk drive from data storage operations, with the controller, if after the fan speed is increased the overheating disk drive is still overheating;

evacuating data from the overheating disk drive by temporarily activating the overheating drive and transferring the data to another disk drive.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein when evacuating the data, the controller first activates the overheating disk drive and then the interconnect component transfers the data from the overheating disk drive to the another disk drive.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the overheating drive is either above a first temperature level or a second temperature level, and wherein the fan speed is increased if the overheating disk drive is above the first temperature level.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the overheating disk drive is removed from data storage operations if the overheating disk drive is above the second temperature level.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first temperature level ranges from about five to ten degrees centigrade less than the second temperature level.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the second temperature level is about equal to or greater than the overheating disk drive'"'"'s recommended operating temperature.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising reconstructing the data.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the another disk drive is located within the same storage component as the overheating disk drive.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the overheating disk drive is located in a first storage component and wherein the another disk drive is located within a second storage component.