Abstract: The present invention provides a storage control system that can prevent capacity in a cache memory from being overloaded even when the access performance of a controller in a storage controller to an external storage device in an external storage controller is permanently or temporarily poor. In the storage control system, a first storage controller is connected to a storage device in a second storage controller and the first storage controller is configured to be able to write/read data to/from the storage device in the second storage controller in response to a request from a host device connected to the first storage controller.

Abstract: Writing in each sector of a series of sectors of a recording medium in which data is to be written caused by a single data write request location information which is information indicating a location of the sector in the series of sectors and common information which varies every time data writing to the series of sectors occurs and is information set relating to the series of sectors.

Abstract: A storage system enabling effective use of storage resources by immediately releasing a storage device provided as a spare from data recovery processing for a faulty storage device. Even before the completion of the collection copy, the faulty disk drive may be replaced with a new disk drive and a relevant control unit in the storage system recognizes this replacement and has data in the spare disk drive automatically copied back to the new disk drive.

Abstract: The present invention relates to provide a technology which can detect a disk drive with degradation in the performance even if the disk drive itself does not comprise a function to detect degradation in the performance and which can realize a disk array apparatus which meets a request of a customer by changing a detection level of the degradation in the performance. In the apparatus, a disk controller: generates logical storage areas used for writing or reading data and having redundancy to store data, using the storage areas in the plurality of disk drive; monitors the storing areas in which a request for writing/reading data into/from the plurality of disk drives forming the logical storage areas is stored; and specifies, among the plurality of disk drives forming the logical storage areas, a disk drive having a large number of repeated times and block the specified disk drive.

Abstract: Data recorded in a disk of a hard disk unit is copied to another hard disk unit. A proxy mode, for making the other hard disk unit which has been copied with the data to perform an I/O process to the hard disk unit in place thereof, is performed. Meanwhile, the firmware of the original hard disk unit is updated, and contents of the disk is set up to a latest updated state. Then, the operation in the proxy mode is stopped, and the operation is switched to an operation in a normal mode where the I/O process is directly performed to the original hard disk unit.

Abstract: The invention is intended to reduce disk access during data transfer from a disk in which occurrence of failure is anticipated to a spare disk as much as possible so that occurrence of double-failure is prevented in advance. When occurrence of failure in a disk which configures a RAID group, contents stored in the disk is copied to the spared disk. Simultaneously, another RAID group is paired with the above described RAID group and a secondary volume is provided therein. A write request is directed to the secondary volume. A differential bitmap controls a update data. Data which is not updated is read out from the primary volume, and data which is already updated is read from the secondary volume. When data transfer is completed, contents stored in the secondary volume are copied to the primary volume.

Abstract: The present invention allows the processing mode for write access operations to be set independently and respectively for prescribed units. The processing modes for handling write access are set previously for each of the volumes 6A and 6B. If the cache memory is functioning normally, write access operations to the respective volumes 6A and 6B are processed by means of an after-write method as illustrated in FIG. 1(a). If an abnormality has occurred in the cache memory, then write access operations to the volumes 6A and 6B are processed by means of a method previously selected from a write-through method as illustrated in FIG. 1(b) or a non-redundant storage type write-after method as illustrated in FIG. 1(c). By using different processing modes for write access, for each of the volumes 6A and 6B, it is possible to set a suitable processing mode respectively for each of the prescribed units, in accordance with the composition of the storage system, the operation configuration, and the like.

Abstract: When a request to conduct format process is received from the external device, a write history management table which records histories of conducted writing processes in block units is referred to confirm whether or not writing process has been conducted to the block. As a result of the confirmation, the format process is conducted to only a block, which a writing process has not been conducted, and a history of conducting the writing process of the formatted block is recorded. In conducting the format process, when a request is received to conduct reading process and/or writing process from the external device, the write history management table is referred, and only in a case that a writing process has been conducted to said block, the disk array device is accessed and a reading process and/or writing process is conducted to the block.

Abstract: A disk array system including plural magnetic disk drive groups each constructed by plural magnetic disk drives and a disk controller for controlling data transfer between the plural magnetic disk drive groups and an upper unit. The disk controller obtains a use frequency (I/O load) with respect to each magnetic disk drive group and selects a combination of the magnetic disk drive groups on the basis of the use frequency. Logic volumes from the upper unit and allocated in each magnetic disk drive group before the combination are reallocated among the combined magnetic disk drive groups, thereby concatenating the magnetic disk drive groups.

Abstract: The present invention creates real data and parity data using plural hard disk control units without changing the number of disk adapters per hard disk control unit and distributes and stores data in a hard disk. While it is being requested that a disk utilization rate is increased maintaining the failure resistance of the hard disk, and, at the same time, to support the combination of the real data+parity data as before, it is desirable that the number of adapters that comprise the hard disk control unit should not be changed. According to the present invention, the number of hard disks that comprise RAID can be changed without changing the number of disk adapters per hard disk control unit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to provide a technology which can detect a disk drive with degradation in the performance even if the disk drive itself does not comprise a function to detect degradation in the performance and which can realize a disk array apparatus which meets a request of a customer by changing a detection level of the degradation in the performance. In the apparatus, a disk controller: generates logical storage areas used for writing or reading data and having redundancy to store data, using the storage areas in the plurality of disk drive; monitors the storing areas in which a request for writing/reading data into/from the plurality of disk drives forming the logical storage areas is stored; and specifies, among the plurality of disk drives forming the logical storage areas, a disk drive having a large number of repeated times and block the specified disk drive.

Abstract: Disclosed is storage system, that is, an array-type disk apparatus which is provided with an error monitor section which monitors the status of error occurrence in a disk drive and instructs initiation of mirroring between the disk drive and a spare disk drive when the number of errors occurred of the disk drive exceeds a specified value, and a mirror section which performs mirroring between the disk drive and spare disk drive. Storage system, that is, the array-type disk apparatus may be provided with an error monitor section which monitors the status of error occurrence in a disk drive and gives such an instruction as to set the status of the disk drive in a temporary blocked state, and a data restoring section which executes data restoration by reading data from the temporary blocked disk drive when reading from another disk drive constituting a disk array group is not possible during data restoration.

Abstract: The invention is intended to reduce disk access during data transfer from a disk in which occurrence of failure is anticipated to a spare disk as much as possible so that occurrence of double-failure is prevented in advance. When occurrence of failure in a disk which configures a RAID group, contents stored in the disk is copied to the spared disk. Simultaneously, another RAID group is paired with the above described RAID group and a secondary volume is provided therein. A write request is directed to the secondary volume. A differential bitmap controls a update data. Data which is not updated is read out from the primary volume, and data which is already updated is read from the secondary volume. When data transfer is completed, contents stored in the secondary volume are copied to the primary volume.

Abstract: Disclosed is storage system, that is, an array-type disk apparatus which is provided with an error monitor section which monitors the status of error occurrence in a disk drive and instructs initiation of mirroring between the disk drive and a spare disk drive when the number of errors occurred of the disk drive exceeds a specified value, and a mirror section which performs mirroring between the disk drive and spare disk drive. Storage system, that is, the array-type disk apparatus may be provided with an error monitor section which monitors the status of error occurrence in a disk drive and gives such an instruction as to set the status of the disk drive in a temporary blocked state, and a data restoring section which executes data restoration by reading data from the temporary blocked disk drive when reading from another disk drive constituting a disk array group is not possible during data restoration.

Abstract: Writing in each sector of a series of sectors of a recording medium in which data is to be written caused by a single data write request location information which is information indicating a location of the sector in the series of sectors and common information which varies every time data writing to the series of sectors occurs and is information set relating to the series of sectors.

Abstract: The present invention creates real data and parity data using plural hard disk control units without changing the number of disk adapters per hard disk control unit and distributes and stores data in a hard disk.

Abstract: A disk array system including plural magnetic disk drive groups each constructed by plural magnetic disk drives and a disk controller for controlling data transfer between the plural magnetic disk drive groups and an upper unit. The disk controller obtains a use frequency (I/O load) with respect to each magnetic disk drive group and selects a combination of the magnetic disk drive groups on the basis of the use frequency. Logic volumes from the upper unit and allocated in each magnetic disk drive group before the combination are reallocated among the combined magnetic disk drive groups, thereby concatenating the magnetic disk drive groups. By monitoring the use frequency of each ECC group and concatenating two or more proper ECC groups, load balancing capability for the disk drive groups can be improved without lowering reliability of the ECC groups.

Abstract: When a request to conduct format process is received from the external device, a write history management table which records histories of conducted writing processes in block units is referred to confirm whether or not writing process has been conducted to the block. As a result of the confirmation, the format process is conducted to only a block, which a writing process has not been conducted, and a history of conducting the writing process of the formatted block is recorded. In conducting the format process, when a request is received to conduct reading process and/or writing process from the external device, the write history management table is referred, and only in a case that a writing process has been conducted to said block, the disk array device is accessed and a reading process and/or writing process is conducted to the block.

Abstract: Data recorded in a disk of a hard disk unit is copied to another hard disk unit. A proxy mode, for making the other hard disk unit which has been copied with the data to perform an I/O process to the hard disk unit in place thereof, is performed. Meanwhile, the firmware of the original hard disk unit is updated, and contents of the disk is set up to a latest updated state. Then, the operation in the proxy mode is stopped, and the operation is switched to an operation in a normal mode where the I/O process is directly performed to the original hard disk unit.

Abstract: A heat exchanger a width dimension of which is much larger than a height dimension, in which an heat-exchanging medium flow resistance in a heat exchanging core portion is suppressed from increasing, and discharged air temperature is made uniform in the width direction of the heat-exchanging core portion. The heat-exchanging core portion is divided into a first core portion and a second core portion. The hot water in the first core portion and hot water in the second core portion flow in an opposite direction to each other. Thus, even when the heating heat exchanger, the width dimension of which is much larger than the height dimension, is used, the air temperature is prevented from varying in the width direction. Further, as the heat-exchanging medium flows in the first and second core portions in parallel, the heat-exchanging medium flow resistance is suppressed from increasing.