Patents by Inventor Shinobu Kakihara

Shinobu Kakihara has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20130232377
    Abstract: In a storage sub-system adopting a redundant configuration for preventing data loss and continuing processing during failure, when failure occurs, a controller unit in which failure has occurred is blocked so as not to affect the normal controller unit, so that the performance of the storage sub-system is deteriorated and the redundancy thereof is lost until maintenance and component replacement is performed. According to the present invention, self diagnosis of the blocked area is executed and a failure area is isolated. Then, the blocked area is reconnected to the storage sub-system, so as to prevent deterioration of performance and overload of the device until maintenance and replacement is performed, and to reduce the time of failure analysis during maintenance by specifying the detailed failure area via self diagnosis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Shinobu Kakihara, Makoto Masuda, Mitsuhide Sato
  • Patent number: 8190815
    Abstract: To provide a storage subsystem in which, even when plural types of storage devices are provided, write processing from a cache memory to the plural types of storage devices is not delayed. Even when there are relative merits in writing performance of write data from the cache memory to the HDD and the SSD, the cache memories 13A, 13B with respect to the SSD having low writing performance are provided independently of the cache memories 12A, 12B with respect to the HDD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinobu Kakihara, Mitsuhide Sato
  • Publication number: 20110078374
    Abstract: A disk array apparatus improves scalability, performance such as data transfer between different kinds of I/Fs, and maintainability and reliability about boards/PKs configuring the DKC and about a DKC configuration obtained by interconnecting them. The DKC in the disk array apparatus is configured by interconnecting mix PKs each including a base PK and a functional PK which is hierarchically connected to the base PK and on which individually separate functions are mounted. The base PK coexists with and is connectable to a plurality of different I/F-PKs, and includes an intra-package interconnection network for communicating between the functional PKs and with the DKC, and further has a processor interconnection network. The DKC performs a data transfer processing by using the functional PK and the base PK.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Inventors: Shinobu KAKIHARA, Kenji Mori
  • Patent number: 7890698
    Abstract: A disk array apparatus improves scalability, performance such as data transfer between different kinds of I/Fs, and maintainability and reliability about boards/PKs configuring the DKC and about a DKC configuration obtained by interconnecting them. The DKC in the disk array apparatus is configured by interconnecting mix PKs each including a base PK and a functional PK which is hierarchically connected to the base PK and on which individually separate functions are mounted. The base PK coexists with and is connectable to a plurality of different I/F-PKs, and includes an intra-package interconnection network for communicating between the functional PKs and with the DKC, and further has a processor interconnection network. The DKC performs a data transfer processing by using the functional PK and the base PK.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinobu Kakihara, Kenji Mori
  • Patent number: 7836349
    Abstract: The storage control device of the present invention switch-connects each of enclosures and individually stops the transmission of power to the enclosures that are not being accessed in order to reduce the power consumption amount. A plurality of additional enclosures are switch-connected via an inter-device switch to a base enclosure. Drives that have not been accessed for a predetermined period of time or more undergo spindown. If all the drives in the enclosure then assume the spindown state, the supply of power to each of the drives from the intra-enclosure power supply is stopped. In cases where all the drives in a certain enclosure have undergone spindown, the base enclosure turns OFF the switch in the power distribution circuit connected to this enclosure. As a result, the transmission of power to this enclosure is stopped. The fault diagnosis section detects a fault that has occurred with communications that employ the inter-device switch and specifies the point of the fault occurrence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinobu Kakihara, Mitsuhide Sato
  • Publication number: 20100049902
    Abstract: To provide a storage subsystem in which, even when plural types of storage devices are provided, write processing from a cache memory to the plural types of storage devices is not delayed. Even when there are relative merits in writing performance of write data from the cache memory to the HDD and the SSD, the cache memories 13A, 13B with respect to the SSD having low writing performance are provided independently of the cache memories 12A, 12B with respect to the HDD.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Inventors: Shinobu KAKIHARA, Mitsuhide Sato
  • Patent number: 7543108
    Abstract: A storage system connected to a host device from which IO commands are sent comprises a plurality of load devices that act as loads including a plurality of storage devices, a current measuring unit that measures a current value flowing into the plurality of load devices, a power calculating unit that calculates at each time a power consumption value consumed by the plurality of load devices based on the measured current value, and a controller that receives an IO command from the host device, and accesses a storage device that follows the IO command out of the plurality of storage devices. The controller carries out power consumption control such that the calculated power consumption value is not more than a predetermined allowed power value and a difference between the power consumption value and the allowed power value is as small as possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinobu Kakihara, Mitsuhide Sato
  • Publication number: 20090013215
    Abstract: The storage control device of the present invention switch-connects each of enclosures and individually stops the transmission of power to the enclosures that are not being accessed in order to reduce the power consumption amount. A plurality of additional enclosures are switch-connected via an inter-device switch to a base enclosure. Drives that have not been accessed for a predetermined period of time or more undergo spindown. If all the drives in the enclosure then assume the spindown state, the supply of power to each of the drives from the intra-enclosure power supply is stopped. In cases where all the drives in a certain enclosure have undergone spindown, the base enclosure turns OFF the switch in the power distribution circuit connected to this enclosure. As a result, the transmission of power to this enclosure is stopped. The fault diagnosis section detects a fault that has occurred with communications that employ the inter-device switch and specifies the point of the fault occurrence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Inventors: Shinobu Kakihara, Mitsuhide Sato
  • Publication number: 20070294552
    Abstract: A storage system connected to a host device from which IO commands are sent comprises a plurality of load devices that act as loads including a plurality of storage devices, a current measuring unit that measures a current value flowing into the plurality of load devices, a power calculating unit that calculates at each time a power consumption value consumed by the plurality of load devices based on the measured current value, and a controller that receives an IO command from the host device, and accesses a storage device that follows the IO command out of the plurality of storage devices. The controller carries out power consumption control such that the calculated power consumption value is not more than a predetermined allowed power value and a difference between the power consumption value and the allowed power value is as small as possible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2006
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: Shinobu Kakihara, Mitsuhide Sato
  • Patent number: 7146540
    Abstract: A disc array device receives a hardware diagnosis after shipment of the disc array device at short times during an operation of the device and a diagnostic rate is enhanced and an internal failure of a LSI can be detected at a device level. By at least one MP of a redundant-constitution channel interface control adaptor, a hardware diagnosis of a part in a channel interface control adaptor is made, and hardware diagnoses of a part in a CACHE and a part in a cache path switch are made through a diagnostic interface. By at least one MP of the redundant-constitutional disc drive interface control adaptor, a hardware diagnosis of a part in the disc drive interface control adaptor is made, and hardware diagnoses of a part in the CACHE and a part in the cache path switch are made through a diagnostic interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinobu Kakihara
  • Publication number: 20060253863
    Abstract: A disk array apparatus improves scalability, performance such as data transfer between different kinds of I/Fs, and maintainability and reliability about boards/PKs configuring the DKC and about a DKC configuration obtained by interconnecting them. The DKC in the disk array apparatus is configured by interconnecting mix PKs each including a base PK and a functional PK which is hierarchically connected to the base PK and on which individually separate functions are mounted. The base PK coexists with and is connectable to a plurality of different I/F-PKs, and includes an intra-package interconnection network for communicating between the functional PKs and with the DKC, and further has a processor interconnection network. The DKC performs a data transfer processing by using the functional PK and the base PK.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2005
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Inventors: Shinobu Kakihara, Kenji Mori
  • Publication number: 20050240802
    Abstract: A disc array device is one in which a hardware diagnosis after shipment of the disc array device can be made at short times during an operation of the device and a diagnostic rate is also enhanced and an internal failure of a LSI can be detected at device level. By at least one MP of a redundant-constitution channel interface control adaptor, a hardware diagnosis of a part in a channel interface control adaptor is made, and hardware diagnoses of a part in a CACHE and a part in a cache path switch are made through a diagnostic interface. By at least one MP of the redundant-constitutional disc drive interface control adaptor, a hardware diagnosis of a part in the disc drive interface control adaptor is made, and hardware diagnoses of a part in the CACHE and a part in the cache path switch are made through a diagnostic interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2004
    Publication date: October 27, 2005
    Inventor: Shinobu Kakihara