Abstract: Disclosed is a storage system which includes a hard disk drive and a nonvolatile memory used as a cache device for the HDD. A connected host is used to manage a data shift between the HDD and nonvolatile memory using a virtual system memory formed by extending a system memory in the host.

Abstract: In a shared management information area of the HDD, management information is recorded at the time of activating a multi-functional peripheral. The RAID controller copies the management information stored in the shared management information area in a mirroring information area. Then, at the time of activating the multi-functional peripheral, the RAID controller compares information of the mirroring information area of each HDD with the management information of the shared management information area, and when content thereof corresponds with each other, performs activation normally, and in the case of not corresponding with each other, judges the HDD as having a use history in the past and separates the HDD from a control target as well as performing warning display.

Abstract: A data storage apparatus includes a non-volatile hard disk drive platter, a coupling interface for removably receiving a non-volatile solid state device operable as a cache. The data storage apparatus also includes a communication line functionally connected to the hard disk drive platter and the coupling interface and a storage controller are connected to the communication line to control operations of the hard disk drive platter and the solid state device, in which the storage controller is to determine whether the solid state device is coupled to the coupling interface and to modify operations of the hard disk drive platter based upon whether the solid state device is coupled to the coupling interface.

Abstract: A method for optimizing locations of physical data accessed by one or more client applications interacting with a storage system, with the storage system comprising at least two redundancy groups having physical memory spaces and data bands. Each of the data bands corresponds to physical data stored on several of the physical memory spaces. A virtualized logical address space includes client data addresses utilizable by the one or more client applications. A storage controller is configured to map the client data addresses onto the data bands, such that a mapping is obtained, wherein the one or more client applications can access physical data corresponding to the data bands.

Abstract: A method for optimizing locations of physical data accessed by one or more client applications interacting with a storage system, with the storage system comprising at least two redundancy groups having physical memory spaces and data bands. Each of the data bands corresponds to physical data stored on several of the physical memory spaces. A virtualized logical address space includes client data addresses utilizable by the one or more client applications. A storage controller is configured to map the client data addresses onto the data bands, such that a mapping is obtained, wherein the one or more client applications can access physical data corresponding to the data bands.

Abstract: A disk drive receives a request to write at least one block of a first block size, wherein the disk drive is configured to store blocks of a second block size that is larger in size than the first block size, and wherein the disk drive stores via emulation a plurality of emulated blocks of the first block size in each block of the second block size. The disk drive generates a read error, in response to reading a selected block of the second block size in which the at least block of the first block size is to be written via the emulation. The disk drive performs a destructive write of selected emulated blocks of the first block size that caused the read error to be generated. The disk drive writes the at least one block of the first block size in the selected block of the second block size. The disk drive sends a notification to indicate the performing of the destructive write.

Abstract: A method for improving replication persistence in a caching appliance structure can begin when a primary catalog service receives a command to instantiate a data partition. The primary catalog service can manage a collective of caching appliances in a networked computing environment. The data partition can include a primary shard and at least one replica shard. The primary shard of the data partition can be stored within a memory space of a first caching appliance. The at least one replica shard of the data partition can be stored within a non-volatile storage space of a second caching appliance. The first and the second caching appliances can be separate physical devices. The memory space of the second caching appliance that could have been used to store the at least one replica shard can be available for storing primary shards for other data partitions, increasing the capacity of the collective.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a controller and a cache module. The controller is configured to issue commands for a first storage device and a second storage device, and thereby perform data transmission. The cache module is configured to use the first storage device as a read cache of the second storage device, the cache module withholding issuance of a write command to write cache data in the first storage device to the controller, when commands issued by the controller to the first storage device exceed a preset number, until the issued commands becomes equal to or less than the preset number.

Abstract: Cache flushing is effected for a flash memory by copying, to a block of the memory, first and second portions of cached data, and servicing a host access in-between copying the first portion and the second portion. Either both portions are selected before the copying, or erasing the block is forbidden until after the copying, or a portion of the block left unwritten by the first copying remains unwritten until after the host access is serviced.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for prefetching data are disclosed. A method may include receiving a read request at a data storage device, determining a meta key in an address map that includes a logical block address (LBA) of the read request, wherein the meta key includes a beginning LBA and a size field corresponding to a number of consecutive sequential LBAs stored on the data storage device, calculating a prefetch operation to prefetch data based on addresses included in the meta key, and reading data corresponding to the prefetch operation and the read request. An apparatus may include a processor configured to receive a read request, determine a first meta key and a second meta key in an address map, calculate a prefetch operation based on addresses included in the first meta key and the second meta key, and read data corresponding to the prefetch operation and the read request.

Abstract: A storage controller receives a request that corresponds to an access of a track. A determination is made as to whether the track corresponds to data stored in a solid state disk. Record staging to a cache from the solid state disk is performed, in response to determining that the track corresponds to data stored in the solid state disk, wherein each track is comprised of a plurality of records.

Abstract: A storage apparatus includes a memory that stores a job management information that registers a write job corresponding to a write command upon receiving the write command from other apparatus, a cache memory that stores data designated as target data by the write command, a storage drive that records the data stored in the cache memory to a storage medium based on the write job registered in the job management information, and a controller that controls a timing to output to the other apparatus a completion report of the write command based on a load condition of the storage device related to an accumulation count of write job acquired from the job management information.

Abstract: In the case of adding an arbitrary hard disk drive, the hard disk drive is operated in a specific operation mode suited for that hard disk drive. As triggered by the attachment of a hard disk drive to a disk adapter, a processor operates the hard disk drive in a predetermined operation mode based on predetermined parameter information that has been prepared in advance. The hard disk drive stores, in advance, particular parameter information including information about the specific operation mode suited for operation. The processor reads the particular parameter information from the hard disk drive in the predetermined operation mode and operates the hard disk drive in the specific operation mode based on the particular parameter information.

Abstract: A storage system, comprising: (a) a primary storage entity utilized for persistently storing an entire data-set; (b) a secondary storage entity; and (c) a secondary storage controller (“SSC”) responsive to a destage stream pending to be written to the second storage entity for identifying a succession of physical locations on the secondary storage entity formed by non-protected locations in an extent that is sufficient to accommodate the destage stream and one or more intervening protected locations between two or more of the non-protected locations; wherein said SSC is adapted to retrieve from said primary storage entity protected data associated with the intervening protected location(s), pad the stream of data with the protected data and write the padded stream of data to said secondary storage entity as a single successive write sequence over said succession of physical locations.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for locating data on disk storage, wherein multiple instances of data can be stored at different locations to satisfy different use requirements such as read access, write access, and data security. The method allows a data storage system, such as a file system, to provide both read optimized and write optimized performance on disk storage of different types (e.g., sizes and speed).

Abstract: A switch includes an expander to couple an array controller to storage drive bays which are capable of supporting physical drives. A zone manager is coupled to the expander to perform zoning configuration of physical drives for the array controller. A storage manager is used to generate storage configuration information used by the array controller to configure logical drives of the physical drives configured for the array controller.

Abstract: A redundant array of independent disk (RAID) stack executes a first memory access routine and a second memory access routine having different access timing characteristics. The RAID stack determines a number of cache misses for the execution of each of the first and second memory access routines. The RAID stack selects one of the first and second memory access routines based on the number of cache misses for further memory accesses.

Abstract: A data storage system can automatically improve the layout of data blocks on a mass storage subsystem by collecting optimization information during both read and write activities, then processing the optimization information to limit the impact of optimization activities on the system's response to client requests. Processing read-path optimization information and write-path optimization information through shared rate-limiting logic simplifies system administration and promotes phased implementation, which can reduce the difficulty of developing a self-optimizing storage server.

Abstract: A device identifies array accesses of variables in a program code that includes multiple arrays, and identifies array access patterns for one of the array accesses. The device also determines an order of the array access patterns identified for the array accesses, and calculates, based on the order, distances between the array access patterns. The device further shares address calculations amongst the array accesses associated with array access patterns with one or more of the distances that are equivalent.

Abstract: A memory system and a method for managing the system is described. The system is configured such a plurality of system controllers, which may be RAID controllers, receive requests from the external environment and distribute the requests to a plurality of memory modules such that data may be stored in the memory modules. A global sequence number is assigned to the data of a data stripe so that the operations related to the data stripe are performed in an ordered manner so that the data remains consistent. A plurality of system controllers may comprise a domain and access a plurality of memory controllers and a plurality of domains may include at least one common memory module.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a RAID controlled SSD-based system having a high-speed, non-volatile host interface. Specifically, in a typical embodiment, a RAID-controlled device is provided that comprises a high-speed host interface that is coupled to a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) controller. The RAID controller itself is coupled to a set of controlled memory units that each comprises: a main controller coupled to cache memory; and a set of SSD memory units (each having a set of blocks of memory) coupled to the main controller.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for selective device access control in a data storage system are provided. A method includes initializing a plurality of access groups associated with logical devices used to access the data storage system, each of the plurality of access groups corresponding to a range of the logical devices, pursuant to a mount of a logical volume of the data storage system, and binding an access group name of one the plurality of access groups to at least one of a metadata of the logical volume at a volume creation and a volume header of the logical volume, wherein the logical volume, once bound to the access group name, is granted access by those of the logical devices in a range of the logical devices corresponding to the one of the plurality of access groups.

Abstract: Disclosed are a system and method to preserve and recover unwritten data present in data cache of a disk subsystem across power outages. In one embodiment, a method of a controller is described. The method includes applying a write-back technique between a host server and a data store, accessing a dirty data in a cache memory during a power outage. The method may apply an algorithm for efficiently offloading the dirty data to a non-volatile storage device during the power outage. In addition the method may apply the algorithm to efficiently transfer the dirty data from the non-volatile storage device to the data store when power is restored.

Abstract: A data element that is identical to a part of a plurality of data elements stored in a logical storage device (LU hereinbelow) is stored in a storage area (pool hereinbelow) separate from the LU. A first PDEV (physical storage device) that stores the data element stored in the LU may be placed in a power saving state while the storage system is operating (in periods when a read command can be received), and a second PDEV which stores the data element stored in the pool is not placed in a power saving state during operation. When the storage system receives a read command which is received from the host apparatus, and if the first PDEV is in the power saving state and a data element identical to the data element which is the target of the read command is stored in the pool, the storage system reads the identical data element from the pool without canceling the power saving state of the first PDEV, and sends the read data element to the host apparatus.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a SSD-based high-speed cache storage system. Specifically, in a typical embodiment, a network cache component (NCC) is coupled to a high-speed cache storage pool (HCSP). The NCC generally comprises: a set of semiconductor storage device (SSD) memory disk units for storing data; a network cache controller coupled to the set of SSD memory units; a network traffic analysis component coupled to the network cache controller; a network interface coupled to the network traffic analysis component; a general storage controller coupled to the network cache controller; and a general storage interface coupled to the general storage controller. Moreover, the HCSP typically comprises a cache server, an internal interface, and a general storage system coupled to one another.

Abstract: Provided is a two-way RAID controlled storage device of a serial attached small computer system interface/serial advanced technology attachment (PCI-Express) type, which provides data storage/reading services through a PCI-Express interface. The RAID controller typically comprises multiple sets of RAID equipment coupled to one another via a hardware host connect, an adaptive host interface controller, a host connect controller, a two-way RAID controller, a disk connect controller, an adaptive disk mount controller, and a hardware disk connect. Coupled to the hardware disk connect are a set of DDR, SSD memory disk units. Further, each set of RAID equipment typically comprises a programmable host interface unit, a disk controller, a high speed host interface, a disk monitoring unit, a disk plug and play controllers, and a programmable disk mount.

Abstract: For at least one of storage unit, processor and cache memory which are I/O process-participating devices related to I/O command process, when a load of one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is a low load equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, a processing related to a state of one or more of the I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is redirected to another one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof, and the state of the one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is shifted to a power-saving state.

Abstract: A storage device has plural data disks including a primary data area and a backup data area. Performance and reliability are secured while conserving power. A system management means includes a disk rotational state detection means, a disk rotational state control means for rotating or stopping a data disk, and a data placement control means for accessing the data disk to move the data. The data placement control means, if the data disk of the primary or backup side has been stopped at writing time, spins up and accesses thereof, and if the data disk of the primary or backup side has been stopped at reading time, prioritizes the side that is being rotated and accesses thereto, and if the data disk of the primary and backup side have both been stopped at reading time, spins up and accesses the side that has been stopped for the longer time.

Abstract: The computer system of the present invention has a plurality of SAS target devices, an SAS initiator device, and a service delivery subsystem that is connected to each SAS target device by means of a physical link that is physical wiring and connected to the SAS initiator device by means of a wide link constituted by a plurality of physical links. The SAS initiator device controls how many physical links in the wide link are allocated to a particular SAS target device, whereby access from the SAS initiator device to the SAS target device is made via a physical link that is allocated to the SAS target device and is not made via a physical link that is not allocated to the SAS target device.

Abstract: A method according to one embodiment includes determining whether to reallocate one or more of a plurality of tape drives that are presently allocated for a secure data erase process in response to an evaluation of a quantity of physical volumes to be secure data erased and a minimum queued threshold; and in response to said determination that one or more of said plurality of tape drives is to be reallocated, reallocating the one or more of said plurality of tape drives from the secure data erase process to another function.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for caching data in a storage system having multiple caches. A sequential access storage device includes a sequential access storage medium and a non-volatile storage device integrated in the sequential access storage device, received modified tracks are cached in the non-volatile storage device, wherein the non-volatile storage device is a faster access device than the sequential access storage medium. A spatial index indicates the modified tracks in the non-volatile storage device in an ordering based on their physical location in the sequential access storage medium. The modified tracks are destaged from the non-volatile storage device by comparing a current position of a write head to physical locations of the modified tracks on the sequential access storage medium indicated in the spatial index to select a modified track to destage from the non-volatile storage device to the storage device.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for populating strides of tracks to demote from a first cache to a second cache. A first cache maintains modified and unmodified tracks from a storage system subject to Input/Output (I/O) requests. A determination is made to demote tracks from the first cache. A determination is made as to whether there are enough tracks ready to demote to form a stride, wherein tracks are written to a second cache in strides defined for a Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) configuration. A stride is populated with tracks ready to demote in response to determining that there are enough tracks ready to demote to form the stride. The stride of tracks, to demote from the first cache, are promoted to the second cache. The tracks in the second cache that are modified are destaged to the storage system.

Abstract: A method and controller for implementing storage adapter performance optimization with a predefined chain of hardware operations configured to implement a particular performance path minimizing hardware and firmware interactions, and a design structure on which the subject controller circuit resides are provided. The controller includes a plurality of hardware engines; and a data store configured to store a plurality of control blocks selectively arranged in one of a plurality of predefined chains. Each predefined chain defines a sequence of operations. Each control block is designed to control a hardware operation in one of the plurality of hardware engines. A resource handle structure is configured to select a predefined chain based upon a particular characteristic of the system. Each predefined chain is configured to implement a particular performance path to maximize performance.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using an attribute of a write request to determine where to cache data in a storage system having multiple caches including non-volatile storage cache in a sequential access storage device. Received modified tracks are cached in the non-volatile storage device integrated with the sequential access storage device in response to determining to cache the modified tracks. A write request having modified tracks is received. A determination is made as to whether an attribute of the received write request satisfies a condition. The received modified tracks for the write request are cached in the non-volatile storage device in response to determining that the determined attribute does not satisfy the condition. A destage request is added to a request queue for the received write request having the determined attribute not satisfying the condition.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable media for caching and using scatter list metadata to control DMA receiving of network protocol data are described. According to one method, metadata associated with partially used scatter list entries is cached in memory of a scatter list caching engine. Data to be written to host system memory is received. The scatter list caching engine provides the metadata associated with partially used scatter list entries to a DMA controller to control the DMA writing of the data into host system memory.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for providing multi-pathing via Small Computer System Interface Input/Output (SCSI I/O) referral between an initiator and a storage cluster which are communicatively coupled via a network. The method includes receiving an input/output (I/O) at a first target device from the initiator via the network. The I/O includes a data request. The method further includes transmitting a SCSI I/O referral list to the initiator when data included in the data request is not stored on the first target device, but is stored on a second target device. The referral list includes first and second port identifiers for identifying first and second ports of the second target device respectively. The first and second ports of the target device are identified as access ports for accessing the data requested in the data request.

Abstract: Shingled magnetic recording (SMR) devices are described that include a command processor for accepting commands from the host/user for executing selected SMR related operations, setting selected SMR parameters and reading selected SMR related statistics and status indicators. The commands allow a host/user to control defragmentation and destaging operations. Embodiments include some or all of the set of features allowing selection of formatting settings, selection of optimization settings; command to immediately run defragmentation operation; command to change waiting time before starting defragmentation operation; and command to temporarily suspend defragmentation operation until certain usage threshold is met (e.g., E-region(s) near full).

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for populating strides of tracks to demote from a first cache to a second cache. A first cache maintains modified and unmodified tracks from a storage system subject to Input/Output (I/O) requests. A determination is made to demote tracks from the first cache. A determination is made as to whether there are enough tracks ready to demote to form a stride, wherein tracks are written to a second cache in strides defined for a Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) configuration. A stride is populated with tracks ready to demote in response to determining that there are enough tracks ready to demote to form the stride. The stride of tracks, to demote from the first cache, are promoted to the second cache. The tracks in the second cache that are modified are destaged to the storage system.

Abstract: A method for distributing IO load in a RAID storage system is disclosed. The RAID storage system may include a plurality of RAID volumes and a plurality of processors. The IO load distribution method may include determining whether the RAID storage system is operating in a write-through mode or a write-back mode; distributing the IO load to a particular processor selected among the plurality of processors when the RAID storage system is operating in the write-through mode, the particular processor being selected based on a number of available resources associated with the particular processor; and distributing the IO load among the plurality of processors when the RAID storage system is operating in the write-back mode, the distribution being determined based on: an index of a data stripe, and a number of processors in the plurality of processors.

Abstract: A method of operation of a redundant array of independent disks system includes: instantiating a first controller having a first local map and a first remote map; instantiating a second controller having a second local map and a second remote map mapped to the first local map; mapping a first memory device to the first local map by the first controller; coupling a storage device to the second controller and the first controller; and switching control of the storage device to the first controller, when a failure of the second controller is detected, by the first controller reading the first memory device.

Abstract: A remote copy system includes: a first storage system having a first logical volume accompanied with a first plurality of disk drives in the first storage system; a second storage system having a second logical volume, which is a virtual volume not accompanied with a second plurality of disk drives in the second storage system, the virtual volume configuring a first remote copy pair with the first logical volume; and a third storage system having a third logical volume accompanied with a third plurality of disk drives in the third storage system, the third logical volume configuring a second remote copy pair with the virtual volume and storing a copied data of data stored in the first logical volume. If the second storage system receives write data sent from the first storage system to the virtual volume, the second storage system transfers the write data to the third logical volume.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for RAID Restriping. One method includes selecting an initial RAID device for migration based on at least one score, creating an alternate RAID device, moving data from the initial RAID device to the alternate RAID device, and removing the initial RAID device. The method may be performed automatically by the system or manually. The method may be performed periodically, continuously, after every RAID device migration, upon addition of disk drives, and/or before removal of disk drives, etc. One system includes a RAID subsystem and a disk manager configured to automatically calculate a score for each RAID device, select a RAID device based on the relative scores of the RAID devices, create an alternate RAID device, move data from the selected RAID device to the alternate RAID device, and remove the selected RAID device.

Abstract: A disk array apparatus with a number of storage units aims at application of new control firmware to the storage units. The disk array apparatus includes a controlling unit controlling the storage units, which controlling unit includes a storing section storing control firmware to be applied; a monitoring section for monitoring a state of access to each storage unit to which the control firmware is to be applied; and an application instructing section instructing, on the basis of the result of the monitoring by the monitoring section, each the first storage unit to apply the first control firmware. In response to the instructing by the application instructing section, the control firmware is applied to each the storage unit.

Abstract: A SAS expander for use in a SAS topology includes a receiving portion and a controller. The receiving portion is configured to receive a remote RAID instruction from a root host bus adapter. The controller is configured to execute the instruction to manage a RAID volume in accordance with a RAID management task specified by the instruction.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system includes a virtual tape server coupled to at least one tape library, a library manager in communication with the at least one tape library and the virtual tape server, a memory adapted for acting as logical tape storage and a physical tape drive for processing physical tape media adapted for buffering deduplication operations, logic adapted for receiving a data stream from a host system, logic adapted for sending data from the data stream when the data stream is active to at least one of the memory and the tape drive based on whether at least one of a plurality of conditions is met, and logic adapted for sending previously stored data stream data from the tape drive to the memory when the data stream is inactive during a deduplication operation. Other systems and methods are also described according to more embodiments.

Abstract: A method for data storage includes encoding data with an inter-device Error Correction Code (ECC), and sending the encoded data for storage on two or more storage devices. The data to be stored on each of the storage devices, and which has been encoded with the inter-device ECC, is encoded with an intra-device ECC, and the data encoded with the inter-device and intra-device ECCs is stored on the storage device. After storing the data, at least part of the stored data is retrieved and output by decoding the intra-device and inter-device ECCs, while using information related to one of the intra-device and inter-device ECCs in decoding the other of the intra-device and inter-device ECCs.

Abstract: In an information processing apparatus which associates logical drives with physical drives and performs processing using the physical drives, a control unit assigns logical drive identification information identifying a logical drive corresponding to a target drive to a physical drive (target drive) that needs to be used in the processing. Then, the control unit performs the processing using the target drive based on the logical drive identification information.

Abstract: Compressed data is maintained in a plurality of strides of a redundant array of independent disks, wherein a stride is configurable to store a plurality of tracks. A request is received to write one or more tracks. The one or more tracks are written to a selected stride of the plurality of strides, based on comparing the number of operations required to destage selected tracks from the selected stride to the number of operations required to defragment the compressed data in the selected stride.

Abstract: A copy control apparatus for controlling a copy process between disks includes a copy process execution unit, a data capacity measuring unit, and a changing unit. The copy process execution unit executes the copy process between disks by securing a storage area on a cache. The data capacity measuring unit measures a data capacity contained in a write request accepted from a host system during execution of the copy process between disks by the copy process execution unit. The changing unit changes a capacity of the storage area secured by the copy process execution unit in accordance with the data capacity measured by the data capacity measuring unit.

Abstract: In accordance with the present disclosure, a system and method for an information handling system having transportable cache module is disclosed herein. The information handling system has a memory controller coupled to a central processing unit and a plurality of memory modules. The transportable cache module has a protected memory module, a nonvolatile memory module, a module controller, and an independent power source. The module controller is operative to copy a protected memory region from the protected memory module to a nonvolatile memory region on the nonvolatile memory module. The independent power source is operative to supply power to the protected memory module, the nonvolatile memory module, and the module controller.