Deterministic preventive recovery from a predicted failure in a distributed storage system

• US 7,526,684 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: German, Robert John, Bicknell, Bruce Allen, Bean, Robert George, Gaertner, Mark Allen, Burnett, Paul William
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal; Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US11/040,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 714/47, 714/1, 714/40, 714/42, 714/48
• US Class Current: 714/47.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis

Abstract

A data storage subsystem in a distributed storage system having a plurality of predictive failure analyzing data storage devices. The subsystem furthermore has a circuit that is responsive to a predicted failure indication by a data storage device in relation to predetermined rules stored in memory for deterministically initiating a preventive recovery either by a data recovery procedure in the data storage device or by a fault tolerance storage arrangement in the subsystem.

Claims

1. A data storage system comprising:

a plurality of predictive failure analyzing data storage devices; and

a deterministic preventive recovery circuit that simultaneously monitors each of the plurality in conjunction with normal data access operations with respect to an indicator of a predicted failure, wherein the indicator is not an actual data access failure, to apply predetermined rules stored in memory to data potentially affected by the predicted failure and thereby initiate a selected preventive recovery procedure.

2. The data storage system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality comprises self-monitoring analysis and reporting technology.

3. The data storage system of claim 1 employing a redundant array of independent drives.

4. The data storage system of claim 1 wherein the rules are determinative in relation to whether the predicted failure involves data that is stored redundantly.

5. The data storage system of claim 1 wherein the rules are determinative in relation to a defined criticality of the data associated with the predicted failure.

6. The data storage system of claim 1 wherein the rules are determinative in relation to the extent of the predicted failure.

7. The data storage system of claim 1 wherein the rules are determinative in relation to empirical data transfer performance information from the data storage device indicating the predicted failure.

15. The data storage system of claim 1 wherein the indicator of a predicted failure is based on output from a vibration sensor.

16. The data storage system of claim 1 wherein the indicator of a predicted failure is based on output from a temperature sensor.

17. The data storage system of claim 1 wherein the selected preventive recovery procedure comprises making a copy of redundant data and sparing the memory space associated with the predicted failure.

18. The data storage system of claim 1 wherein the selected preventive recovery procedure comprises reparameterization of a read channel.

19. The data storage system of claim 1 wherein the deterministic preventive recovery circuit comprises executable instructions stored in memory defining process steps for initiating the selected preventive recovery procedure.

8. A method for protecting stored data in a plurality of data storage devices of a data storage system comprising:

predicting a data transfer failure by each of the plurality of data storage devices;

simultaneously monitoring each of the plurality in conjunction with normal data access operations for an indicator of a predicted failure from the predicting step, wherein the indicator is not an actual data access failure;

analyzing the predicted failure in relation to applying predetermined rules to data potentially affected by the predicted failure; and

initiating a selected preventive recovery procedure in response to the analyzing step.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the predicting step is characterized by the data storage device comprising self-monitoring analysis and reporting technology.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the analyzing step comprises recalling the predetermined rules from a memory.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the analyzing step is characterized by the rules relating whether the predicted failure involves data that is stored redundantly.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the analyzing step is characterized by the rules relating an assigned criticality of data associated with the predicted failure.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the analyzing step is characterized by the rules relating to an observed extent of the predicted failure.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the analyzing step is characterized by the rules relating to empirical data transfer performance information from the data storage device indicating the predicted failure.