JP2004362444A - Storage device control unit and storage device switching method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of storage devices, and ensure a data reading/writing operation by starting an OS even if any storage device fails. <P>SOLUTION: A storage device control unit comprises a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, an external interface 14, and an IDE interface 15 to which a mirror source HDD 16, a mirror destination HDD 17 and the like are connected, all connected to a system bus 20. If the mirror source HDD 16 connected to a primary master channel of the IDE interface 15 fails, a switching control circuit 18 switches the mirror source HDD 16 to the mirror destination HDD 17 connected except for the primary master channel by means of a changing-over switch 19 and the like to thus make an OS recognize the mirror destination HDD 17 to be connected to the primary master channel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a storage device control device connected between a computer from which a user refers to and updates information and a storage device that records the information.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Network storage has been introduced in homes and relatively small offices to share information. The network storage only needs to be connected to a PC (Personal Computer) equipped with a LAN (Local Area Network) board, so that information can be shared at a lower cost than a system in which a dedicated server is installed, and the free space of the recording medium is reduced. When the recording medium runs out, the data can be continuously stored by exchanging the recording medium, so that the practicality, functionality, and expandability are rich.
In addition, the network storage can also support mirroring (RAID1: Redundant Array of Independent Disks 1). Even if one storage device is damaged, necessary data can be read from the other storage device. (Software RAID: see Non-Patent Document 1). An OS (Operating System) is mounted on the network storage for such storage device control, and a motherboard having a built-in IDE interface for connecting the storage device is mounted.
By the way, when the mirroring is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) board and an OS, an OS storage device such as an OS storage device, a data storage device (mirror source), and a data storage device (mirror destination) is used. In general, it is physically separated from the data storage device.
[0003]
[Non-patent document 1]
TEXTA homepage, "Software RAID and Hardware RAID", [online], August 1, 2002, Texa Corporation, [Search June 3, 2003], Internet <URL: HYPERLINK "http: //www.texa .Co.jp / TEXTA / array / SW.html "http: // www. texa. co. jp / TEXTA / array / SW. html>
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the conventional technique, at least three storage devices are required for mirroring, and if the storage device recording the OS is damaged for some reason, another storage device recording the OS is required. As a result, the OS cannot be started, and as a result, data on the undamaged storage device cannot be retrieved.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage device control device that saves the number of storage devices, enables an OS to be started even if any storage device is damaged, and guarantees data read / write operation. is there.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device control device connected between a computer for a user to refer to and update information and a storage device that records at least a mirrored OS. The storage device control device includes: a changeover switch for giving a trigger for changing over the storage device; and a mirror source connected to the OS boot channel of the storage device interface built in the storage device control device by the trigger from the changeover switch. And a switching control circuit for switching the storage device to a storage device at the mirror destination connected to a channel other than the OS boot channel, and causing the OS to recognize that the storage device at the mirror destination is connected to the OS boot channel. It consists of.
Here, mirroring refers to writing exactly the same data to two storage devices when data is recorded in the storage device, and aims to improve reliability against failure of the storage devices. The two storage devices have a primary and a secondary, and the primary side is called a mirror source and the secondary side is called a mirror destination. Basically, data is simultaneously written to the two primary and secondary storage devices, but strictly speaking, writing to the primary side, ie, the mirror source, is prioritized, and writing to the secondary side, ie, the mirror destination, follows it. Sometimes.
The “storage device” in the claims corresponds to “HDD” in the embodiments of the invention described later.
[0006]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the switching control circuit is configured such that the mirror source and the mirror destination storage device are respectively connected to the primary master channel and the primary slave channel of the IDE interface. And a master / slave switching control circuit for switching the mirror source storage device to the mirror destination storage device when a failure occurs in the mirror source storage device recognized by the OS as the boot storage device.
[0007]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the switching control circuit is configured such that the mirror source and the mirror destination storage device are respectively connected to the primary master channel and the secondary master channel of the IDE interface. A primary / secondary switching control circuit that switches the mirror source storage device to the mirror destination storage device when a failure occurs in the mirror source storage device recognized by the OS as the boot storage device.
[0008]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device control device connected between a computer in which a user refers to and updates information and a storage device in which at least a mirrored OS is recorded, the storage device control device comprising: Is connected to the mirror source storage device and the mirror destination storage device that record the OS and the data, and is provided with four channels of a primary master, a primary slave, a secondary master, and a secondary slave. A required IDE interface, a switch for giving a trigger for switching the storage device, and a trigger from the switch when a failure occurs in the mirror source storage device connected to the primary master channel. A switching control circuit for generating a signal for switching the mirror source storage device connected to the primary master channel of the IDE interface built in the storage device control device to the mirror destination storage device connected to a device other than the primary master channel; And a start controller for recognizing a mirror destination storage device connected to a device other than the primary master of the IDE interface as being connected to the primary master channel in response to the signal, and activating the OS of the mirror destination storage device. It consists of.
The “activation control device” in the claims corresponds to a “CPU” in an embodiment of the invention described later.
[0009]
An invention according to claim 5 is a storage device switching method for switching a storage device for booting an OS from a first storage device in which a failure has occurred to a second storage device that operates normally. Accessing the first storage device connected to the boot channel and the second storage device other than the OS boot channel of the storage device interface as a mirrored storage device; Recognizing the first storage device connected to the channel as the OS-starting storage device; providing a trigger for switching the storage device when a failure occurs in the first storage device; Generating a signal for switching the first storage device connected to the OS boot channel to a second storage device connected to a channel other than the OS boot channel, and starting the OS boot using the signal as a trigger Recognizing that the second storage device connected to a channel other than the storage channel is connected to the OS boot channel, and booting the OS of the second storage device.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0011]
≪Device configuration≪
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a storage device control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The storage device control device is a device that connects a computer such as a PC as a higher-level device in which a user refers to and updates information and a storage device as a lower-level device such as an HDD that stores information shared between users. Specifically, it is realized by a motherboard including a CPU, a memory, an interface control device, and the like.
The configuration is such that a CPU 11 is a control center, and a ROM 12 and a RAM 13 in which programs and data are stored, and an external mirroring storage device are connected to a LAN interface, a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) or an IEEE (Institute of Electronic and Electronic, Electronic and Electronic). An external interface 14 connecting to a computer such as a PC via the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (1394) and an IDE interface 15 to which a storage device body such as a mirror source HDD 16 and a mirror destination HDD 17 are connected are used for address, data and control. Connected to a system bus 20 composed of a plurality of lines.
[0012]
The switching control circuit 18 is connected to a switching switch 19 such as a jumper switch or an IC switching circuit. The switching control circuit 18 is connected to the switching control circuit 18 via the switching switch 19 when a failure occurs in the mirror source HDD 16 as described later. The mirror source HDD 16 connected to the primary master channel of the IDE interface 15 is switched to the mirror destination HDD 17 connected to a device other than the primary master channel, and the mirror destination HDD 17 is connected to the primary master channel for the OS. It has a function to recognize that it has been done.
[0013]
≪Operation of device≫
FIG. 2 is a flowchart cited for explaining the operation of the storage device control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the operation of the storage device control device of FIG. 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that mirroring is performed including the OS, and both the mirror source HDD 16 and the mirror destination HDD 17 have a data structure including an OS part and a data part.
The IDE interface 15 enables connection of four channels of a primary master, a primary slave, a secondary master, and a secondary slave. To explain the details, two storage devices, a master and a slave, can be connected with one cable, and the usual motherboard has two IDE interface connection ports of a primary and a secondary. By connecting a cable to the mouth, a total of four storage devices can be connected to the motherboard. Then, in the case of a normal motherboard, the boot of the OS is executed from the storage device connected to the primary master channel. Here, the description is given on the assumption that the mirror source HDD 16 is connected to the primary master channel.
[0014]
First, when a failure occurs in the mirror source HDD 16 (Yes in step S21), the fact is notified to the switching control circuit 18 via the changeover switch 19. Here, the switch 19 may be a mechanical switch operated by a user, an electric switch that receives a signal from the mirror source HDD 16 in which a failure has occurred, and automatically notifies the switch control circuit 18 of the signal. Can be
In response to the notification of the occurrence of the failure, the switching control circuit 18 switches the mirror source HDD 16 connected to the primary master channel of the IDE interface 15 to a mirror destination HDD 17 connected to a channel other than the primary master channel. On the other hand, a switching signal is generated for recognizing that the mirror destination HDD 17 is connected to the primary master channel (step S22).
[0015]
At this time, triggered by the switching signal, the CPU 11 recognizes the mirror destination HDD 17 connected to the IDE interface 15 other than the primary master channel as being connected to the primary master channel (step S23), and the mirror destination HDD 17 Function as an activation control device for activating the OS of the OS. When no trouble has occurred in the mirror source HDD 16 (No in step S21), it is recognized that the mirror source HDD 16 is connected to the primary master channel as usual (step S23).
Then, when the OS is normally started (Yes in step S24), the application program is subsequently started and the process for mirroring is restarted (step S25). However, when a failure occurs in the mirror source HDD 16 and the switching is performed, the mirroring process is restarted after the normalization of the HDD by replacing the mirror source HDD 16 or the like. If the OS has not been started normally (No in step S24), the application program is not started.
[0016]
Next, specific connection examples are shown in FIGS. The example in FIG. 3 is an example in which the mirror source HDD 16 (primary master channel) and the mirror destination HDD 17 (primary slave channel) are connected using only the primary channel 151, and the example in FIG. In this example, a mirror source HDD 16 and a mirror destination HDD 17 are connected to a primary master channel 152 and a secondary master channel 153, respectively.
In the connection example of FIG. 3, when the master / slave switching control circuit 191 included in the switching control circuit 18 detects an occurrence of a failure in the mirror source HDD 16 recognized as the boot storage device by receiving the output of the changeover switch 19. Then, switching to the mirror destination HDD 17 is performed, and the OS is started from the mirror destination HDD 17. Specifically, the master / slave switching control circuit 191 can reverse device recognition of the OS by inverting a specific bit used for identification of the master / slave on the IDE interface.
In the connection example of FIG. 4, the primary / secondary switching control circuit 192 which configures the switching control circuit 18 in response to the output of the changeover switch 19 detects the occurrence of a failure in the mirror source HDD 16 which the OS recognizes as the boot storage device. Then, switching to the mirror destination HDD 17 is performed, and activation of the OS from the mirror destination HDD 17 is realized. In this case, the cable cannot be switched by a logical bit operation because the cable of the IDE interface is different. Specifically, it is necessary for the primary / secondary switching control circuit 192 to switch the physical connection path between the OS side and the storage device side.
Of course, by combining the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it is also possible to connect a storage device that records an OS and data to the four channels of the IDE interface.
[0017]
A program executed by the CPU 11 shown in FIG. 1 is recorded on a recording medium readable by a computer, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read into a computer system and executed, whereby an embodiment of the present invention is realized. It is assumed that a storage device control device is realized. Here, the computer system includes software such as an OS (Operating System) and hardware such as peripheral devices.
[0018]
Although an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
[0019]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when a failure occurs in the mirror source storage device connected to the primary master channel of the IDE interface, the mirror source storage device is connected to a device other than the primary master channel by a switch or the like. Is switched to the mirror destination storage device, and the OS recognizes that the mirror destination storage is physically connected to the primary master channel. Startup is possible, and data recovery by mirroring is also possible.
This requires at least two storage devices, which can contribute to cost reduction.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration of a storage device control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of the storage device control device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a storage device connection mode according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a connection mode of the storage devices according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 CPU
12 ... ROM
13 ... RAM
14 external interface 15 IDE interface 16 mirror source HDD
17 ... Mirror destination HDD
18 Switching control circuit 19 Switching switch 191 Master / slave switching control circuit 192 Primary / secondary switching control circuit

Claims (5)

A storage device control device connected between a computer in which a user refers to and updates information and a storage device that records at least a mirrored OS,
The storage device control device,
A changeover switch for giving a trigger for changing over the storage device,
In response to a trigger from the changeover switch, the storage device of the mirror source connected to the OS boot channel of the storage device interface built in the storage device controller is replaced with the mirror destination of the mirror destination connected to other than the OS boot channel. A switching control circuit that switches to the storage device and causes the OS to recognize that the storage device at the mirror destination is connected to the OS boot channel;
A storage device control apparatus characterized by comprising: The switching control circuit,
When the mirror source storage device and the mirror destination storage device are respectively connected to the primary master channel and the primary slave channel of the IDE interface, a problem has occurred in the mirror source storage device recognized as the boot storage device by the OS. 2. The storage device control device according to claim 1, further comprising a master / slave switching control circuit for switching the storage device of the mirror source to the storage device of the mirror destination. The switching control circuit,
When the mirror source storage device and the mirror destination storage device are respectively connected to the primary master channel and the secondary master channel of the IDE interface, a problem has occurred in the mirror source storage device recognized as the boot storage device by the OS. 2. The storage device control device according to claim 1, further comprising a primary / secondary switching control circuit that switches the storage device at the mirror source to the storage device at the mirror destination. A storage device control device connected between a computer in which a user refers to and updates information and a storage device that records at least a mirrored OS,
The storage device control device,
Connect the OS and the mirror source and mirror destination storage devices that have recorded data,
An IDE interface comprising four channels of a primary master, a primary slave, a secondary master, and a secondary slave, and required to connect a boot storage device to the primary master channel;
A changeover switch for giving a trigger for changing over the storage device,
When a failure occurs in the mirror source storage device connected to the primary master channel, a trigger from the changeover switch causes the mirror source storage device connected to the primary master channel of the IDE interface built in the storage device control device to be activated. A switching control circuit that generates a signal for switching the storage device to the mirror-destination storage device connected to a device other than the primary master channel;
In response to the signal, a start control device that recognizes a mirror storage device connected to a device other than the primary master of the IDE interface as being connected to the primary master channel, and starts an OS of the mirror storage device. ,
A storage device control apparatus characterized by comprising: A storage device switching method for switching an OS boot storage device from a malfunctioning first storage device to a normally operating second storage device,
Accessing the first storage device connected to the OS boot channel of the storage device interface and the second storage device connected to a channel other than the OS boot channel of the storage device interface as mirrored storage devices Steps to
Recognizing the first storage device connected to the OS boot channel as an OS boot storage device;
When a failure occurs in the first storage device,
Providing a trigger for storage device switching;
Generating a signal for switching the first storage device connected to the OS boot channel to the second storage device connected to a channel other than the OS boot channel, triggered by the trigger;
Recognizing the second storage device connected to a channel other than the OS boot channel as being triggered by the signal, as being connected to the OS boot channel, and booting the OS of the second storage device When,
And a storage device switching method.

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