JP2012113345A - Disk array device and region allocation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suggest a disk array device allowing improvement of reliability.SOLUTION: The disk array device comprises a plurality of data storing physical disk devices which are redundantly configured in RAID, a plurality of hot spare physical disk devices which comprise a virtual spare pool including a plurality of pool regions redundantly configured in RAID 5 or RAID 6, and a control part which determines whether or not a fault occurs in a data storing physical disk device, and allocates a pool region corresponding to a capacity of the data storing physical disk device in which the fault occurs, as a hot spare disk for the data storing physical disk device in which the fault occurs, from the virtual spare pool, if the fault occurs in the data storing physical disk device.

Description

  The present invention relates to a disk array device and an area allocation method.

  Conventionally, a hot spare hard disk (hereinafter referred to as a hot spare disk) is prepared for each hard disk capacity used in the disk array device, and a failure occurs in the hard disk in use constituting the RAID. Instead of a failed hard disk, there is a disk array device that connects a hot spare disk prepared in advance to a RAID and restores data of the failed hard disk from a hard disk that has not failed.

  However, in the conventional method, when there are multiple types of hard disk capacities in the disk array device, hot spare disks corresponding to the number of types are prepared, or a large capacity hot spare disk is prepared with a small capacity. It is necessary to control to allocate the data as a hot spare for the hard disk. Further, there is a problem that maintenance and replacement must be performed every time a failure occurs, maintenance frequency increases, and replacement mistakes occur.

  As an apparatus for solving such a problem, for example, a disk array apparatus of Patent Document 1 is disclosed. The disk array device of Patent Document 1 realizes a RAID function by treating a logical disk composed of a plurality of physical disks as one hot spare and assigning it to a failed disk.

JP 2002-157093 A

  However, in the disk array device of Patent Document 1, even when the logical disk is handled as one hot spare disk, the hard disk corresponding to the area of the logical disk to be allocated to the failed hard disk has failed. Has a problem that the RAID function cannot be repaired.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and proposes a disk array device and an area allocation method capable of improving reliability.

  In order to solve such a problem, the present invention provides a plurality of data storage physical disk devices configured redundantly by RAID and a plurality of virtual spare pools having a plurality of pool areas configured redundantly by RAID5 or RAID6. It is determined whether a failure has occurred in the physical disk device for hot spare and the physical disk device for data storage. When a failure has occurred in the physical disk device for data storage, the failure is detected from the virtual spare pool. A controller for allocating the pool area corresponding to the capacity of the failed data storage physical disk device as a hot spare disk of the generated data storage physical disk device;

  In addition, the present invention provides a plurality of hot spare physical disk devices constituting a virtual spare pool having a plurality of data storage physical disk devices configured redundantly by RAID and a plurality of pool areas configured redundantly by RAID5 or RAID6. A first step in which the control unit determines whether or not a failure has occurred in the data storage physical disk device, and the control unit includes the data When a failure occurs in the storage physical disk device, the virtual spare pool is used as a hot spare disk of the failed data storage physical disk device for the capacity of the failed data storage physical disk device. And a second step of allocating the pool area.

  Therefore, by providing a virtual spare pool having redundancy, it is possible to take out the required capacity from the hot spare pool area without defining the hot spare disk for each physical disk device, and the virtual spare pool. Since it has redundancy in itself, the risk that the hot spare disk has failed at the stage of switching to the hot spare disk can be greatly improved.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a disk array device and an area allocation method that can improve reliability.

It is an example of a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a storage system. It is an example of the conceptual diagram with which it uses for description of a region allocation process. It is an example of the flowchart which shows an area | region allocation processing procedure. It is an example of the conceptual diagram with which it uses for description of the virtual spare pool of other Example 1. FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited thereby.

(Constitution)
FIG. 1 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the storage system 1 according to this embodiment. The storage system 1 is configured by connecting a plurality of host computers 2 to a disk array device 4 via a neckwork 3.

  The host computer 2 is a computer device that includes information processing resources such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, an information input device, and an information output device, for example. For example, the host computer 2 transmits a write request to the disk array device 4 and writes the corresponding data to the disk array device 4. For example, the host computer 2 transmits a read request to the disk array device 4 and reads the corresponding data from the disk array device 4.

  As the network 3, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), a SAN (Storage Area Network), the Internet, a dedicated line, a public line, and the like can be appropriately used according to circumstances.

  The disk array device 4 is composed of, for example, a controller unit 5 and a storage unit 6. The disk array device 4 includes at least one controller unit 5. The controller unit 5 controls the entire disk array device 4. The storage unit 6 includes a plurality of physical disk devices 7 that store data received from the host computer 2. The plurality of physical disk devices 7 are a plurality of types of physical disk devices having different capacities.

  The controller unit 5 includes a host interface 11, a CPU 12, a memory 13, and a disk interface 14. The host interface 11 is connected to the host computer 2 via the network 3 and controls transmission / reception of various requests and data received from the host computer 2. As the host interface 11, various interfaces according to the type of the network 3 can be used.

  One CPU 12 is provided for each controller unit 5. The CPU 12 controls the entire controller unit 5, interprets various requests received from the host interface 11, and transmits an instruction to each component. The CPU 12 improves the reliability, availability, and performance of the disk array device 4 by performing RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive / Independent Disks) control on the physical disk device 7. In this case, the CPU 12 sets one or a plurality of logical volumes on a physical storage area (RAID group) provided by one or a plurality of physical disk devices 7. The data is stored in units of blocks of a predetermined size in this logical volume.

  The memory 13 temporarily holds data received from the host computer 2. The memory 13 holds various programs used in the controller unit 5 and various tables. The disk interface 14 is connected to the physical disk device 7 of the storage unit 6 and controls transmission / reception of data received from the host computer 2. As the disk interface 14, various interfaces corresponding to types such as Fiber Channel, SAS (Serial Attached SCSI), and SATA (Serial ATA) can be used.

(Area allocation processing)
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the area allocation processing of the storage system 1 according to this embodiment.

  The disk array device 4 includes, for example, physical disk devices 7A-7D (physical disk devices for data storage) and a virtual spare pool 21. The physical disk devices 7A and 7B are configured to be mirrored by RAID1 control. Further, the physical disk devices 7C and 7D are configured to be mirrored by performing RAID1 control. The capacity of the physical disk devices 7A and 7B is 300 GB. The capacities of the physical disk devices 7C and 7D are 600 GB.

  The virtual spare pool 21 has a plurality of pool areas 22. Each pool area 22 has a redundant configuration, for example, by controlling a plurality of physical disk devices 7 (hot spare physical disk devices) such as RAID 5 or RAID 6.

  In this case, for example, when the physical disk device 7B fails, the CPU 12 allocates the pool area 22 as a hot spare disk having a capacity of 300 GB to repair the failed physical disk device 7B from the virtual spare pool 21. . Further, for example, when the physical disk device 7D fails, the CPU 12 allocates the pool area 22 as a hot spare disk having a capacity of 600 GB in order to repair the failed physical disk device 7D from the virtual spare pool 21.

  Next, the operation of the storage system 1 of this embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the area allocation processing of the disk array device 4 of this embodiment.

  When the power of the disk array device 4 is turned on, the CPU 12 starts the area allocation processing procedure RT1 shown in FIG. 3 and waits in a standby mode for a failure to occur in the physical disk device 7 configured in RAID (step S1). SP1). Eventually, when a failure occurs in the physical disk device 7 configured in RAID (step SP1: YES), the CPU 12 checks the capacity of the physical disk device 7 in which the failure has occurred (step SP2).

  Subsequently, the CPU 12 checks whether or not the pool area 22 having the capacity of the physical disk device 7 in which the failure has occurred exists in the virtual spare pool 21 (step SP3). When the pool area 22 having the capacity of the failed physical disk device 7 exists in the virtual spare pool 21 (step SP3: YES), the CPU 12 removes the failed physical disk device from the virtual spare pool 21. As a hot spare disk, a pool area 22 corresponding to the capacity of the physical disk device 7 is allocated (step SP4). On the other hand, when the pool area 22 having the capacity of the physical disk device 7 in which the failure has occurred does not exist in the virtual spare pool 21 (step SP3: NO), the CPU 12 has a predetermined pool area 22 that is larger than the insufficient capacity. Is created in the virtual spare pool 21, and a pool area 22 corresponding to the capacity of the physical disk device 7 is allocated from the virtual spare pool 21 as a hot spare disk of the physical disk device 7 in which a failure has occurred (step SP5).

  Subsequently, the CPU 12 checks whether or not the capacity of the virtual spare pool 21 is equal to or less than a preset threshold value (step SP6). When the capacity of the virtual spare pool 21 becomes equal to or smaller than a preset threshold value (step SP6: YES), the CPU 12 sets the virtual spare pool so that the capacity becomes larger than the preset threshold value. The pool area 22 is created in 21 (step SP7), and then the area allocation processing procedure RT1 shown in FIG. 3 is terminated (step SP8).

  On the other hand, when the capacity of the virtual spare pool 21 is larger than the preset threshold value (step SP6: NO), the CPU 12 thereafter ends the area allocation processing procedure RT1 shown in FIG. SP8).

(Operation and effect)
As described above, the disk array device 4 of the present embodiment includes the virtual spare area 21 having the pool area 22 configured redundantly by performing control such as RAID 5 or RAID 6 on the plurality of physical disk devices 7. When the pool area 22 having the capacity of the physical disk device 7 in which the failure has occurred exists in the virtual spare pool 21, the CPU 12 determines that the hot spare disk of the physical disk device 7 in which the failure has occurred from the virtual spare pool 21 A pool area 22 corresponding to the capacity of the physical disk device 7 is allocated.

  Therefore, by providing the virtual spare pool 21 having redundancy, it is possible to take out the necessary capacity from the hot spare pool area 22 without defining the hot spare disk in units of physical disk devices. Since the spare pool 21 itself has redundancy, the risk that the hot spare disk has failed at the stage of switching to the hot spare disk can be greatly improved.

  Further, when the physical disk device 7 being used has a plurality of capacities, it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of physical disk devices 7 having different capacities as hot spare disks.

  Furthermore, since the spare disk is not defined for each physical disk device 7 mounted in the disk array device 4 but a necessary capacity is allocated from the virtual spare pool 21, the physical failure of the maintenance personnel It is not necessary to replace the disk device 7 in consideration of the capacity of the disk device 7, and the maintenance personnel can perform maintenance replacement every time the physical disk device 7 fails by securing a large capacity of the virtual spare pool 21 in advance. Therefore, the capacity of the virtual spare pool 21 only needs to be replenished when the threshold value falls below a preset threshold value. Therefore, the availability of the disk array device is increased, and errors during maintenance replacement and maintenance replacement frequency are reduced. can do.

  Furthermore, as the virtual spare pool 21 is configured with a plurality of physical disk devices 7 and the performance is better when the RAID is configured than the single physical disk device 7, generally, a plurality of physical disk devices 7 are arranged. Since the performance is improved according to the number, when returning to the state before switching to the hot spare disk, the time for returning to the previous state is shortened compared to the case of one physical disk device for hot spare disk. Can do.

(Other Example 1)
Next, another embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the virtual spare pool 21 when the pool area 22 is created separately for each rotation speed of the physical disk device 7.

  In this case, the virtual spare pool 21 includes, for example, a pool area 22 configured redundantly by a plurality of physical disk devices 7 at 15,000 rpm, and pool areas 22 and 7 configured redundantly by a plurality of physical disk devices 7 at 10,000 rpm. , A pool area 22 configured redundantly by a plurality of physical disk devices 7 of 200 rpm.

  For example, the pool area 22 to be allocated in the case of a failure is associated with each physical disk device 7 configured in RAID, and the CPU 12, for example, when a failure occurs in the physical disk device 7 configured in RAID, The pool area 22 associated with the physical disk device 7 is confirmed, and the pool area is allocated as a hot spare disk according to the area allocation processing procedure RT1.

  As described above, the pool area 22 redundantly configured by the expensive 15,000 rpm physical disk device 7 and the pool area 22 redundantly configured by the relatively inexpensive 7,200 rpm physical disk device 7 are selectively used for hot spare. By assigning it as a disk, it is possible to meet the cost-effectiveness requirement of the user.

  A part or all of the above-described embodiment can be described as in the following supplementary notes, but is not limited thereto.

(Supplementary note 1) A plurality of data storage physical disk devices configured redundantly by RAID, and a plurality of hot spare physical disk devices constituting a virtual spare pool having a plurality of pool areas configured redundantly by RAID5 or RAID6, It is determined whether or not a failure has occurred in the data storage physical disk device, and when the failure has occurred in the data storage physical disk device, the failed data storage physical disk is removed from the virtual spare pool. And a control unit that allocates the pool area corresponding to the capacity of the failed data storage physical disk device as a hot spare disk of the device.

(Additional remark 2) The said control part judges whether the capacity | capacitance of the said virtual spare pool became below the preset threshold value, and when it became below the preset threshold value, the said threshold value The disk array device according to appendix 1, wherein the pool area is created in the virtual spare pool so as to have a capacity larger than the value.

(Additional remark 3) The said pool area | region is a disk array apparatus of Additional remark 1 characterized by the redundant structure of the several physical disk apparatus for hot spares by RAID5 or RAID6 for every physical disk apparatus of the same rotation speed. is there.

(Supplementary note 4) A plurality of data storage physical disk devices configured redundantly by RAID, and a plurality of hot spare physical disk devices constituting a virtual spare pool having a plurality of pool areas redundantly configured by RAID5 or RAID6, A first step of determining whether a failure has occurred in the physical disk device for data storage, and the control unit for storing data. When a failure occurs in the physical disk device, the virtual spare pool is used as a hot spare disk of the failed data storage physical disk device for the capacity of the failed data storage physical disk device. A disk array comprising: a second step of allocating a pool area. An area allocation method of the device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Storage system, 2 ... Host computer 2, 3 ... Network, 4 ... Disk array apparatus, 5 ... Controller part, 6 ... Memory | storage part, 7 ... Physical disk unit, 11 ... Host interface, 12 ... CPU, 13 ... memory, 14 ... disk interface, 21 ... virtual spare pool, 22 ... pool area

Claims (4)

A plurality of data storage physical disk devices configured redundantly by RAID;
A plurality of hot spare physical disk devices constituting a virtual spare pool having a plurality of pool areas configured redundantly by RAID 5 or RAID 6;
It is determined whether or not a failure has occurred in the data storage physical disk device, and when the failure has occurred in the data storage physical disk device, the failed data storage physical disk is removed from the virtual spare pool. A control unit for allocating the pool area for the capacity of the failed data storage physical disk device as a hot spare disk of the device;
A disk array device comprising: The controller is
It is determined whether or not the capacity of the virtual spare pool is equal to or less than a preset threshold value. The disk array device according to claim 1, wherein the pool area is created in the virtual spare pool. The pool area is
2. The disk array device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of physical disk devices for hot spare are redundantly configured by RAID 5 or RAID 6 for each physical disk device having the same rotational speed. A disk array having a plurality of data storage physical disk devices configured redundantly by RAID and a plurality of hot spare physical disk devices constituting a virtual spare pool having a plurality of pool areas configured redundantly by RAID5 or RAID6 A device area allocation method comprising:
A first step of determining whether or not a failure has occurred in the data storage physical disk device;
The controller stores the failed data from the virtual spare pool as a hot spare disk of the failed data storage physical disk device when a failure occurs in the data storage physical disk device. A second step of allocating the pool area corresponding to the capacity of the physical disk device for use;
An area allocation method for a disk array device, comprising:

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