Servicing data storage devices in a data storage array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11593205-B2
Application number	US-202017110042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2020
Priority date	Dec 2, 2020
Publication date	Feb 28, 2023
Grant date	Feb 28, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods for replacing and testing a data storage device are disclosed. In disclosed embodiments, a system including a data storage array (DSA) including a plurality of data storage devices (DSDs) in an enclosure. The system further includes an I/O server coupling the DSA to a client node and configured to provide data access between the client node and the DSA. The system further includes a management server coupled to the DSA, configured to detect a failed DSD in the DSA, detect a replacement DSD in the enclosure that replaces the failed DSD, and add the replacement DSD to a logical path of the DSA. The management server is further configured to display an indication of a state of the DSA based on the comparing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a data storage array (DSA) comprising a plurality of data storage devices (DSDs) in an enclosure, the DSA configured to distribute redundant copies of data between the plurality of DSD's on a logical path of the DSA;
an I/O server coupling the DSA to a client node and configured to provide data access between the client node and the DSA; and
a management server coupled to the DSA, configured to:
detect a failed DSD in the DSA, comprising:
detecting that the DSA has removed the failed DSD from a logical definition of the DSA;

store a first log comprising a first state of the DSA and the I/O server;
remove the failed DSD from the logical path of the DSA;
distribute the redundant copies of data between the plurality of DSDs in the logical path of the DSA;
detect a replacement DSD in the enclosure that replaces the failed DSD;
determine, based on reading data in a metadata sector of the replacement DSD, that the replacement DSD is used, and in response erase all data in the metadata sector;
add the replacement DSD to the logical path of the DSA;
store a second log comprising a second state of the DSA and the I/O server;
compare the first log and second log; and
display an indication of a state of the DSA based on the comparing.

2. The system of claim 1 , the management server further configured to distribute the redundant copies of data between the plurality of DSDs in the logical path of the DSA after placing the replacement DSD in the logical path of the DSA.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the DSA is one of a declustered array and a RAID array.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein detecting a failed DSD in the DSA comprises placing a good DSD of the plurality of DSD's in a failed state.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein detecting a replacement DSD in the enclosure comprises displaying on the failed DSD an indicator to remove the failed DSD.

6. A computer program product for data storage device replacement and test, the computer program product comprising:
a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by one or more computer processors to:
detect a failed data storage device (DSD) in a data storage array (DSA), comprising:
detecting that the DSA has removed the failed DSD from a logical definition of the DSA;

store a first log comprising a first state of the DSA and an I/O server;
remove the failed DSD from a logical path of the DSA;
distribute redundant copies of data between a plurality of DSDs in the logical path of the DSA;
detect a replacement DSD in an enclosure that replaces the failed DSD;
determine, based on reading data in a metadata sector of the replacement DSD, that the replacement DSD is used, and in response erase all data in the metadata sector;
add the replacement DSD to the logical path of the DSA;
store a second log comprising a second state of the DSA and the I/O server;
compare the first log and second log; and
display an indication of a state of the DSA based on the comparing.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 , the computer-readable code further configured to distribute the redundant copies of data between a plurality of DSDs in the logical path of the DSA after placing the replacement DSD in the logical path of the DSA.

8. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the DSA is one of a declustered array and a RAID array.

9. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein detecting a failed DSD in the DSA comprises placing a good DSD of the plurality of DSD's in a failed state.

10. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein detecting a replacement DSD in the enclosure comprises displaying on the failed DSD an indicator to remove the failed DSD.

11. A method for data storage device replacement and test comprising:
detecting a failed data storage device (DSD) in a data storage array (DSA), comprising:
detecting that the DSA has removed the failed DSD from a logical definition of the DSA;

storing a first log comprising a first state of the DSA and an I/O server;
removing the failed DSD from a logical path of the DSA;
distributing redundant copies of data between a plurality of DSDs in the logical path of the DSA;
detecting a replacement DSD in an enclosure that replaces the failed DSD;
determining, based on reading data in a metadata sector of the replacement DSD, that the replacement DSD is used, and in response erasing all data in the metadata sector;
adding the replacement DSD to the logical path of the DSA;
storing a second log comprising a second state of the DSA and the I/O server;
comparing the first log and second log; and
displaying an indication of a state of the DSA based on the comparing.

12. The method of claim 11 , the method further comprising distributing the redundant copies of data between a plurality of DSDs in the logical path of the DSA after placing the replacement DSD in the logical path of the DSA.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the DSA is one of a declustered array and a RAID array.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein detecting a failed DSD in the DSA comprises placing a good DSD of the plurality of DSD's in a failed state.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Lopez Rodolfo
• Tee Stephen M
• Hu Zhibao

Classifications

• G06F3/0619

  in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors · CPC title

• G06F11/1092 Primary

  Rebuilding, e.g. when physically replacing a failing disk · CPC title

• G06F3/0652

  Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket · CPC title

• G06F11/1456

  Hardware arrangements for backup · CPC title

• G06F11/2268

  Logging of test results · CPC title