JP7074292B2 - Automatic disk replacement device, automatic disk replacement method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic disk exchange device, an automatic disk exchange method, a program, and a recording medium.

Many storage devices are used in data centers and the like. The storage device includes a disk array composed of a plurality of disks. A hot spare is also mounted in the storage device in preparation for a failure of the disk, and when the disk fails, the hot spare in the same device is used. Then, when the hot spare is used, a new hot spare is replenished by, for example, a worker or the like.

However, it is costly to prepare a large number of hot spares in advance, and the number of hot spares that can be installed in each storage device is limited. In addition, it is costly to allocate workers 24 hours a day to replenish hot spares.

Therefore, instead of a hot spare, a method of using another storage or cloud storage as an alternative disk via a network has also been implemented (Patent Document 1). However, this method cannot be continued to be used in terms of the performance load due to the network. Further, after the worker replaces the failed disk in the disk array, it is necessary to write back the data to the replaced disk. Therefore, for example, in the case of a large-capacity disk, it takes a very long time to recover.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-326935

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide, for example, a system in which a disk can be easily replaced without requiring a 24-hour staffing.

In order to achieve the above object, the automatic disk exchange device of the present invention is used.
Including storage equipment, management equipment, and autonomous mobile equipment
The storage device is
A disk array with multiple disks and
The controller that manages the disk array and
A detector that detects a disk failure in the disk array,
The communication unit for the management device and
It has a communication unit for the autonomous mobile device and has a communication unit.
The management device is
A storage unit that stores the position information of the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and the position information of the storage device,
The communication unit for the storage device and
The communication unit for the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and
A selection unit for selecting an autonomous mobile device to be used from the plurality of autonomous mobile devices,
It has a determination unit for determining movement information from the position of the selected autonomous mobile device to the position of the storage device in which the failure is detected.
The autonomous mobile device is
With a replacement disc,
A movement control unit that controls movement,
The communication unit for the management device and
The communication unit for the storage device and
It has a communication confirmation unit that confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible;
The communication method between the communication unit for the autonomous mobile device in the storage device and the communication unit for the storage device in the autonomous mobile device is a wireless communication method;
When the storage device detects a failure of the disk array, the storage device transmits the failure information of the disk array to the management device.
Upon receiving the failure information, the management device selects the autonomous mobile device to be used, determines the movement information, and transmits the movement information to the autonomous mobile device.
When the autonomous mobile device receives the movement information, it moves by control based on the movement information, confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible, and receives data from the storage device when it confirms that communication is possible. The data is written to the replacement disk.

The storage device of the present invention is
A disk array with multiple disks and
The controller that manages the disk array and
A detector that detects a disk failure in the disk array,
Communication unit for management device and
Has a communication unit for autonomous mobile devices;
The communication method for the autonomous mobile device is a wireless communication method;
When the failure of the disk array is detected, the failure information of the disk array is transmitted to the management device.
Data is communicated to the autonomous mobile device;
It is characterized by being used in the automatic disk exchange device of the present invention.

The management device of the present invention is
A storage unit that stores the position information of the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and the position information of the storage device,
Communication unit for storage device and
The communication unit for the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and
A selection unit for selecting an autonomous mobile device to be used from the plurality of autonomous mobile devices,
It has a decision unit for determining movement information from the position of the selected autonomous mobile device to the position of the storage device in which the failure is detected;
Upon receiving the failure information from the storage device, the autonomous mobile device to be used is selected, the mobile information is determined, and the mobile information is transmitted to the autonomous mobile device;
It is characterized by being used in the automatic disk exchange device of the present invention.

The autonomous mobile device of the present invention is
With a replacement disc,
A movement control unit that controls movement,
Communication unit for management device and
Communication unit for storage device and
It has a communication confirmation unit that confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible;
The communication method with the communication unit for the storage device is a wireless communication method;
When the movement information is received from the management device, it moves by control based on the movement information, it is confirmed whether or not communication with the storage device is possible, and when it is confirmed that communication is possible, data is received from the storage device and the said. Write data to the replacement disk;
It is characterized by being used in the automatic disk exchange device of the present invention.

The automatic disk replacement method of the present invention
Using the automatic disk replacement device of the present invention, including a storage device, a management device, and an autonomous mobile device,
When the storage device detects a failure of the disk array, the storage device transmits the failure information of the disk array to the management device.
Upon receiving the failure information, the management device selects the autonomous mobile device to be used, determines the movement information, and transmits the movement information to the autonomous mobile device.
When the autonomous mobile device receives the movement information, it moves by control based on the movement information, confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible, and receives data from the storage device when it confirms that communication is possible. Then, the data is written to the exchange disk.

The program of the present invention is characterized in that a computer executes the automatic disk replacement method of the present invention.

The recording medium of the present invention is computer readable in which the program of the present invention is recorded.

According to the present invention, the disc can be easily replaced without requiring, for example, a 24-hour staffing.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the automatic disk exchange device of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the storage device in the automatic disk switching device of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the management device in the automatic disk switching device of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the autonomous mobile device in the automatic disk exchange device of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the automatic disk replacement method of the first embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In each of the following figures, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Further, the explanations of the respective embodiments can be referred to each other's explanations unless otherwise specified. Further, the configurations of the embodiments can be combined unless otherwise specified.

[Embodiment 1]
An example of the automatic disk exchange device and the automatic disk exchange method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Automatic disk replacement device>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the automatic disk exchange device of the present embodiment. The automatic disk exchange device includes a storage device 1, a management device 2, and an autonomous mobile device 3. The automatic disk exchange device of this embodiment is also referred to as an automatic disk exchange system.

The storage device 1 and the management device 2 may be connected to each other so as to be communicable, for example, and as a specific example, they can be connected to each other via a communication network 4. The communication network 4 is not particularly limited, and a known network can be used, and may be wired or wireless, for example. Examples of the communication line network 4 include an Internet line, a telephone line, a LAN (Local Area Network), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), and the like. The number of storage devices 1 managed by the management device 2 is not particularly limited, and the number of storage devices 1 is not particularly limited by one management device 2. One storage device 1 may be managed, or two or more storage devices may be managed, and the latter is preferable.

The management device 2 and the autonomous mobile device 3 may be connected to each other so as to be communicable, for example. Both can be connected via, for example, the communication line network 4, and the communication line network 4 is, for example, the same as described above. Further, both may be connectable by, for example, a wireless communication method. FIG. 1 shows one autonomous mobile device 3 for convenience, but is not limited thereto. The number of autonomous mobile devices 3 managed by the management device 2 is not particularly limited, but for example, since reliable disk replenishment is possible, one management device 2 allows two or more autonomous mobile devices to move. It is preferable that the device 3 is stocked so as to be communicable.

The autonomous mobile device 3 and the storage device 1 can be connected by wireless communication, for example, in a state where the autonomous mobile device 3 is close to the storage device 1.

(1) Storage device The storage device 1 includes a disk array 11, a controller 12, a failure detection unit 13, a communication unit A14 for the management device 2, and a communication unit C15 for the mobile device 3. The storage device 1 is usually connected to a host such as a server, data is written from the host, and the data written to the storage device 1 is read by the host. The storage device 1 may be used for one host or may be shared by two or more hosts, for example.

The disk array 11 is composed of a plurality of disks 111. In the present invention, the "disk array" has a broad meaning, for example, a storage array composed of a plurality of storage devices, and is also referred to as a "storage array". The term "disk" also has a broad meaning, and is, for example, a storage device. The disk in the disk array 1 is not limited to, for example, a disk in a narrow sense such as a hard disk (HD), and examples thereof include a drive such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state drive (SDD). The number of disks mounted on one disk array is not particularly limited, and a general disk array can be mentioned.

The controller 12 is a controller that manages the disk array 11. The controller 12 is, for example, a general controller for a disk array. The controller 12 has, for example, a plurality of disks arranged in parallel to form a RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) configuration, which distributes processing and redundantly configures data. The controller 12 has, for example, a cache memory for reducing the processing time for reading and writing data. The controller 12 performs I / O control with, for example, the host, and specifically, for example, writes data from the host (input) and reads data to the host (output). Control.

The failure detection unit 13 detects a failure of the disk 111 in the disk array 11. The failure detection unit 13 detects, for example, events such as the disk array 11 cannot write data, cannot read data to the host, and cannot distribute the processing.

The communication unit A14 is a communication unit for the management device 2. The communication unit A14 only needs to be able to communicate with the management device 2 and can be connected via the communication network 4 as described above. When the failure detection unit 13 detects a failure of the disk array 11, the communication unit A14 transmits the failure information of the disk array 11 to the management device 2.

The communication unit C15 is a communication unit for the autonomous mobile device 3, and the communication method thereof is a wireless communication method as described above. As the wireless communication method, for example, a short-range communication method that enables wireless communication when the distance to the autonomous mobile device 3 becomes short is preferable. The short-distance is not particularly limited, and can be set, for example, according to the type and standard of short-range wireless communication to be used. When the standard is IEEE 802.11ad, for example, a bandwidth of about 10 Gbps is possible at a distance of 10 m, and specifically, 10 Gbps or more is possible. Further, as the wireless system, for example, a high-speed wireless communication system is preferable because data can be quickly transmitted to the autonomous mobile device 3. The wireless communication method is more preferably a short-range high-speed wireless method. The transfer speed of the high-speed wireless communication is not particularly limited.

(2) Management device The management device 2 includes a storage unit 21, a communication unit A22 for the storage device 1, a communication unit B23 for the mobile device 3, a selection unit 24, and a determination unit 25.

The storage unit 21 stores the position information of the plurality of autonomous mobile devices 3 and the position information of the storage device 1. The position information of the autonomous mobile device 3 and the storage device 1 is stored as a position information table by, for example, position coordinates. For example, the storage unit 21 may store the position information and the identification information in association with each other for each autonomous mobile device 3, and store the position information and the identification information in association with each other for each storage device 1. preferable. The identification information of the storage device 1 and the identification information of the autonomous mobile device 3 are, for example, I. It can be used as authentication information regarding the availability of / O.

The selection unit 24 selects the autonomous mobile device 3 to be used from the plurality of autonomous mobile devices 3. Specifically, when the management device 2 receives the failure information from the storage device 1 via the communication unit A22, the selection unit 24 selects the autonomous mobile device 3 to be used. The selection can be arbitrarily made from a plurality of available autonomous mobile devices 3 stored in the storage unit 21.

The determination unit 25 determines the movement information from the position of the selected autonomous mobile device 3 to the position of the storage device 1 in which the failure is detected. Since the storage unit 21 stores the position information of the autonomous mobile device 3 and the storage device 1, the determination unit 25 can determine the movement information from the position information, for example. The management device 2 transmits the movement information to the selected autonomous mobile device 3 via the communication unit B23, and the autonomous mobile device 3 moves based on the movement information as described later. Is controlled.

The communication unit A22 is a communication unit for the storage device 1. The communication unit A22 only needs to be able to communicate with the storage device 1 and can be connected via the communication network 4 as described above.

The communication unit B23 is a communication unit for a plurality of autonomous mobile devices 3. The communication unit B23 may be able to communicate with the autonomous mobile device 3 as long as it can be connected. The communication may be, for example, a connection via the communication network 4 or a connection by a wireless communication method, as described above. When the determination unit 25 determines the movement information, the communication unit B23 transmits the movement information to the autonomous mobile device 3.

(3) Autonomous mobile device The autonomous mobile device 3 is a device capable of so-called unmanned automatic operation. Examples of the autonomous mobile device 3 include a traveling vehicle type, and the autopilot method of the autonomous mobile device 3 is not particularly limited, and for example, a GPS method can be used.

The autonomous mobile device 3 has an exchange disk 311, a movement control unit 32, a communication unit B33 for the management device 2, a communication unit C34 for the storage device 1, and a communication confirmation unit 35.

The replacement disk 311 is a disk that can be used in the disk array 11 of the storage device 1, and is, for example, a hard disk as described above. In the autonomous mobile device 3, the replacement disc 311 is mounted so as to be removable. The number of replacement disks mounted on the autonomous mobile device 3 is not particularly limited.

The movement control unit 32 controls the movement of the autonomous movement device 3. Specifically, when the autonomous mobile device 3 receives the movement information from the management device 2, the movement control unit 32 controls the autonomous mobile device 3 toward the storage device 1 on which the failed disk array 11 is mounted by the control based on the movement information. And move.

The communication unit B33 is a communication unit for the management device 2. The communication unit B33 may be able to connect to the management device 2 so as to be communicable. The communication may be, for example, a connection via the communication network 4 or a connection by a wireless communication method, as described above.

The communication unit C34 is a communication unit for the storage device 1, and the communication method thereof is a wireless communication method as described above. As the wireless communication method, for example, a short-range communication method that enables wireless communication when the distance to the storage device 1 becomes short is preferable. Further, as the wireless method, for example, a high-speed wireless communication method is preferable because data can be quickly received from the storage device 1. The wireless communication method is more preferably a short-range high-speed wireless method.

The communication confirmation unit 35 confirms whether or not communication with the storage device 1 is possible. That is, the communication confirmation unit 35 confirms whether or not communication is possible by, for example, the autonomous mobile device 3 approaching the storage device 1. When it is confirmed by the communication confirmation unit 35 that communication is possible, the autonomous mobile device 3 stops moving by, for example, the movement control unit 32.

The communication confirmation unit 35 further, for example, collates whether the storage device 1 is the storage device 1 of the identification information by the identification information included in the movement information. Then, when authenticated, for example, data is written to the replacement disk 311 by communicating with the storage device 1.

The autonomous mobile device 3 further includes, for example, a power supply unit such as a battery.

<Hardware configuration>
next,

2 to 4 show an example of a block diagram of a hardware configuration for each of the storage device 1, the management device 2, and the autonomous mobile device 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the storage device 1 includes a CPU 100, a memory 101, an interface (I / F) 103, a communication device 104, a storage device 105, and a disk array 11.

The CPU 100 is responsible for controlling the entire storage device 1. In the storage device 1, for example, the program of the present invention and other programs are executed by the CPU 100, and various information is read and written. Specifically, in the storage device 1, for example, the CPU 100 functions as the controller 12 and the failure detection unit 13.

The I / F 103 connects, for example, between the functional units of the CPU 100, the memory 101, and the like.

The memory 101 includes, for example, a main memory, and the main memory is also referred to as a main storage device. When the CPU 100 performs processing, for example, the memory 101 reads various operation programs 102 such as the program of the present invention stored in the auxiliary storage device described later, and the CPU 100 receives data from the memory 101. , Execute the program. The main memory is, for example, a RAM (random access memory). The memory 101 further includes, for example, a ROM (read-only memory).

The storage device 105 is also referred to as a so-called auxiliary storage device with respect to the main memory (main storage device), for example. The storage device 105 includes, for example, a storage medium and a drive for reading and writing to the storage medium. The storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, an internal type or an external type, and may be an HD (hard disk), FD (floppy (registered trademark) disk), CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, MO, etc. Examples thereof include a DVD, a flash memory, a memory card, and the like, and the drive is not particularly limited. As the storage device 105, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) in which a storage medium and a drive are integrated can be exemplified. The storage device 105 stores, for example, an operation program 102 such as the program of the present invention.

The communication device 104 is, for example, a device that communicates with the management device 2 and the autonomous mobile device 3, and is specifically a device for communication via a communication network, wireless communication, or the like.

The storage device 1 further optionally has, for example, an input device and a display. The input device is, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like. The display is, for example, an LED display, a liquid crystal display, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the management device 2 includes a CPU 200, a memory 201, an I / F 203, a communication device 204, and a storage device 205.

The CPU 200 is responsible for overall control of the management device 2. In the management device 2, for example, the program of the present invention and other programs are executed by the CPU 200, and various information is read and written. Specifically, in the management device 2, for example, the CPU 200 functions as a selection unit 24 and a determination unit 25.

The I / F 203 connects, for example, between the functional units of the CPU 200, the memory 201, and the like.

The memory 201 includes, for example, a main memory. When the CPU 200 performs processing, for example, the memory 201 reads various operation programs 202 such as the program of the present invention stored in the auxiliary storage device, and the CPU 200 receives data from the memory 201 and described above. Run the program.

The storage device 205 is, for example, the same as the storage device 105. The storage device 205 stores, for example, an operation program 202 such as the program of the present invention. The storage device 205 is a storage unit 21, and stores, for example, the position information and identification information of the autonomous mobile device 3, the position information and identification information of the storage device 1, and the like.

The communication device 204 is, for example, a device that communicates with the storage device 1 and the autonomous mobile device 3, and is specifically a device for communication via a communication network, wireless communication, or the like.

The management device 2 optionally further includes, for example, the input device and the display, as described above.

As shown in FIG. 4, the autonomous mobile device 3 includes a CPU 300, a memory 301, an I / F 303, a communication device 304, a storage device 305, and a replacement disk 311.

The CPU 300 is responsible for overall control of the autonomous mobile device 3. In the autonomous mobile device 3, for example, the program of the present invention and other programs are executed by the CPU 300, and various information is read and written. Specifically, in the autonomous mobile device 3, for example, the CPU 300 functions as a movement control unit 32 and a communication confirmation unit 35.

The I / F 303 connects, for example, between the functional units of the CPU 300, the memory 301, and the like.

The memory 301 includes, for example, a main memory. When the CPU 300 performs processing, for example, the memory 301 reads various operation programs 302 such as the program of the present invention stored in the auxiliary storage device, and the CPU 300 receives data from the memory 301 and described above. Run the program.

The storage device 305 is, for example, the same as the storage device 105. The storage device 305 stores, for example, an operation program 302 such as the program of the present invention.

The communication device 304 is, for example, a device that communicates with the storage device 1 and the management device 2, and is specifically a device for communication via a communication network, wireless communication, or the like.

The autonomous mobile device 3 further optionally has the input device and the display, for example, as described above.

<Automatic disk replacement method>
Next, the automatic disk replacement method of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The automatic disk exchange method of the present embodiment is carried out as follows, for example, by using the automatic disk exchange device of FIG. The automatic disk replacement method of the present embodiment is not limited to the use of the automatic disk replacement device of FIG.

The management device 2 stores in advance the position information of the plurality of autonomous mobile devices 3 and the position information of the plurality of storage devices 1. Further, for example, the identification information of the autonomous mobile device is associated with the position information of the autonomous mobile device 3, and the identification information of the storage device 1 is stored in the position information of the storage device 1, for example.

In the present embodiment, for example, each of the following steps, that is, steps (S100) to (S101) is carried out by the storage device 1, and steps (S200) to (S203) are carried out by the management device 2. , Steps (S300) to (S305) are carried out by the selected autonomous mobile device 3.

First, when a failure occurs in the disk 111 of the disk array 11, the storage device 1 detects the failure (S100) and transmits the detected failure information to the management device 2 (S101).

When the management device 2 receives the failure information transmitted from the storage device 1 (S200), the management device 2 selects one of the autonomous mobile devices 3 from the plurality of autonomous mobile devices 3 stored in the storage unit 21 (S200). S201). Further, the management device 2 determines the movement information from the position of the selected autonomous mobile device 3 to the position of the storage device 1 in which the failure is detected, based on the position information stored in the storage unit 21. (S202). The movement information includes, for example, movement route information to the storage device 1, and also includes identification information of the storage device 1 for authentication and the like. Then, the management device 2 transmits the movement information to the selected autonomous mobile device 3 (S203).

When the selected autonomous mobile device 3 receives the movement information (S300), the selected autonomous mobile device 3 moves toward the storage device 1 in which the failure is detected by control based on the movement information (S301). The autonomous mobile device 3 confirms whether or not communication with the storage device 1 is possible in the vicinity while approaching the storage device 1 (S302). When it is confirmed that communication is possible (YES), the movement of the autonomous mobile device 3 is stopped by the movement control unit 32. When communication is not possible (NO), the autonomous mobile device 3 returns to, for example, the step (S301) and continues to move, and the step (302) confirms communication with another storage device 1 nearby. To.

Then, the automatic mobile device 3 further, for example, further collates whether the storage device 1 that has become communicable is the storage device 1 that is the target of data I / O (S303). Since the mobile information includes, for example, the identification information of the storage device 1 in which a failure is detected, the automatic mobile device 3 uses this identification information to collate with the storage device 1 that has become communicable. Can be done. When the target storage device 1 is authenticated (YES), data is received from the storage device 1 by wireless communication, data is written to the replacement disk 311 (S304), and the process ends (END). If authentication is not performed (NO), the automatic mobile device 3 or the storage device 1 outputs that an authentication-unable error has occurred (S305) and ends (END). The information that cannot be authenticated may be notified to the administrator, for example, by being output from the automatic mobile device 3 to the management device 2.

When the storage device 1 is authenticated by the autonomous mobile device 3, data is written to the exchange disk 311 mounted on the autonomous mobile device 3 as described above. On the other hand, when the worker detects that the autonomous mobile device 3 has moved to the storage device 1, the worker heads for the storage device 1, for example, the replacement disk 311 mounted on the autonomous mobile device 3 and being written. May be temporarily taken offline, replaced with the failed disk 111 in the disk array 11 of the storage device 1, and brought online again. The disk array 11 in which the replacement disk 311 is incorporated can be continuously used as it is in the storage device 1.

As described above, according to the present invention, for example, the replacement disk can be used as a disk of the storage device in place of the failed disk. Since the replacement disk can be used for writing data by wireless communication, for example, without being incorporated in the storage device 1, the worker does not have to wait at all times and the storage device can be used during normal working hours. The failed disk can be removed from the disk array, and the replacement disk in use can be incorporated into the disk array. According to this method, it is possible to shorten the time from the occurrence of a failure in the disk array of the storage device to the restoration to the original state.

[Embodiment 2]
The program of this embodiment is a program capable of executing the automatic disk replacement method of each of the above-described embodiments on a computer. Alternatively, the program of this embodiment may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, for example. The recording medium is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk (HD), an optical disk, a floppy (registered trademark) disk (FD), and the like.

Although the invention of the present application has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the invention of the present application is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made within the scope of the present invention in terms of the configuration and details of the present invention.

<Additional Notes>
Some or all of the above embodiments and examples may be described as, but not limited to, the following appendixes.
(Appendix 1)
Including storage equipment, management equipment, and autonomous mobile equipment
The storage device is
A disk array with multiple disks and
The controller that manages the disk array and
A detector that detects a disk failure in the disk array,
The communication unit for the management device and
It has a communication unit for the autonomous mobile device and has a communication unit.
The management device is
A storage unit that stores the position information of the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and the position information of the storage device,
The communication unit for the storage device and
The communication unit for the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and
A selection unit for selecting an autonomous mobile device to be used from the plurality of autonomous mobile devices,
It has a determination unit for determining movement information from the position of the selected autonomous mobile device to the position of the storage device in which the failure is detected.
The autonomous mobile device is
With a replacement disc,
A movement control unit that controls movement,
The communication unit for the management device and
The communication unit for the storage device and
It has a communication confirmation unit that confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible;
The communication method between the communication unit for the autonomous mobile device in the storage device and the communication unit for the storage device in the autonomous mobile device is a wireless communication method;
When the storage device detects a failure of the disk array, the storage device transmits the failure information of the disk array to the management device.
Upon receiving the failure information, the management device selects the autonomous mobile device to be used, determines the movement information, and transmits the movement information to the autonomous mobile device.
When the autonomous mobile device receives the movement information, it moves by control based on the movement information, confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible, and receives data from the storage device when it confirms that communication is possible. An automatic disk exchange device characterized in that data is written to the exchange disk.
(Appendix 2)
The automatic disk exchange device according to Appendix 1, wherein the wireless system is a short-distance high-speed wireless communication system.
(Appendix 3)
The automatic disk exchange device according to Appendix 1 or 2, wherein the storage device and the autonomous mobile device can be connected to each other via a communication network.
(Appendix 4)
The movement information includes identification information of the storage device.
The communication confirmation unit of the autonomous mobile device further verifies whether the storage device is a storage device of the identification information by the identification information included in the movement information, and when it is authenticated, the said. The automatic disk exchange device according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 3, which writes data to the exchange disk by communicating with the storage device.
(Appendix 5)
A disk array with multiple disks and
The controller that manages the disk array and
A detector that detects a disk failure in the disk array,
Communication unit for management device and
Has a communication unit for autonomous mobile devices;
The communication method for the autonomous mobile device is a wireless communication method;
When the failure of the disk array is detected, the failure information of the disk array is transmitted to the management device.
Data is communicated to the autonomous mobile device;
A storage device used for the automatic disk replacement device according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 4.
(Appendix 6)
A storage unit that stores the position information of multiple autonomous mobile devices and the position information of the storage device,
The communication unit for the storage device and
The communication unit for the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and
A selection unit for selecting an autonomous mobile device to be used from the plurality of autonomous mobile devices,
It has a decision unit for determining movement information from the position of the selected autonomous mobile device to the position of the storage device in which the failure is detected;
Upon receiving the failure information from the storage device, the autonomous mobile device to be used is selected, the mobile information is determined, and the mobile information is transmitted to the autonomous mobile device;
A management device used for the automatic disk replacement device according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 4.
(Appendix 7)
With a replacement disc,
A movement control unit that controls movement,
Communication unit for management device and
Communication unit for storage device and
It has a communication confirmation unit that confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible;
The communication method with the communication unit for the storage device is a wireless communication method;
When the movement information is received from the management device, it moves by control based on the movement information, it is confirmed whether or not communication with the storage device is possible, and when it is confirmed that communication is possible, data is received from the storage device and the said. Write data to the replacement disk;
An autonomous mobile device used for the automatic disk replacement device according to any one of Supplementary note 1 to 4.
(Appendix 8)
Using the automatic disk replacement device according to any one of Appendix 1 to 4, including a storage device, a management device, and an autonomous mobile device.
When the storage device detects a failure of the disk array, the storage device transmits the failure information of the disk array to the management device.
Upon receiving the failure information, the management device selects the autonomous mobile device to be used, determines the movement information, and transmits the movement information to the autonomous mobile device.
When the autonomous mobile device receives the movement information, it moves by control based on the movement information, confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible, and receives data from the storage device when it confirms that communication is possible. An automatic disk replacement method comprising writing data to the replacement disk.
(Appendix 9)
The automatic disk exchange method according to Appendix 8, wherein the communication method between the storage device and the autonomous mobile device is a wireless communication method.
(Appendix 10)
The automatic disk exchange method according to Appendix 8 or 9, wherein the storage device and the autonomous mobile device can be connected to each other via a communication network.
(Appendix 11)
The movement information includes identification information of the storage device.
The communication confirmation unit of the autonomous mobile device further verifies whether the storage device is a storage device of the identification information by the identification information included in the movement information, and when it is authenticated, the said. The automatic disk replacement method according to any one of Supplementary note 8 to 10, wherein data is written to the replacement disk by communication with the storage device.
(Appendix 12)
A program comprising causing a computer to execute the automatic disk replacement method according to any one of Supplementary note 8 to 11.
(Appendix 13)
A computer-readable recording medium on which the program described in Appendix 12 is recorded.

According to the present invention, the disc can be easily replaced without requiring, for example, a 24-hour staffing.

1 Storage device 11 Disk array 12 Controller 13 Failure detection unit 14, 15 Communication unit 2 Management device 21 Storage unit 22, 23 Communication unit 24 Selection unit 25 Decision unit 3 Autonomous mobile device 311 Replacement disk 32 Mobile control unit 33, 34 Communication Part 35 Communication confirmation part

Claims (8)

Including storage equipment, management equipment, and autonomous mobile equipment
The storage device is
A disk array with multiple disks and
The controller that manages the disk array and
A detector that detects a disk failure in the disk array,
The communication unit for the management device and
It has a communication unit for the autonomous mobile device and has a communication unit.
The management device is
A storage unit that stores the position information of the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and the position information of the storage device,
The communication unit for the storage device and
The communication unit for the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and
A selection unit for selecting an autonomous mobile device to be used from the plurality of autonomous mobile devices,
It has a determination unit for determining movement information from the position of the selected autonomous mobile device to the position of the storage device in which the failure is detected.
The autonomous mobile device is
With a replacement disc,
A movement control unit that controls movement,
The communication unit for the management device and
The communication unit for the storage device and
It has a communication confirmation unit that confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible;
The communication method between the communication unit for the autonomous mobile device in the storage device and the communication unit for the storage device in the autonomous mobile device is a wireless communication method;
When the storage device detects a failure of the disk array, the storage device transmits the failure information of the disk array to the management device.
Upon receiving the failure information, the management device selects the autonomous mobile device to be used, determines the movement information, and transmits the movement information to the autonomous mobile device.
When the autonomous mobile device receives the movement information, it moves by control based on the movement information, confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible, and receives data from the storage device when it confirms that communication is possible. An automatic disk exchange device characterized in that data is written to the exchange disk. The automatic disk exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication method is a short-distance high-speed wireless communication method. A disk array with multiple disks and
The controller that manages the disk array and
A detector that detects a disk failure in the disk array,
Communication unit for management device and
Has a communication unit for autonomous mobile devices;
The communication method for the autonomous mobile device is a wireless communication method;
When the failure of the disk array is detected, the failure information of the disk array is transmitted to the management device.
Data is communicated to the autonomous mobile device;
A storage device used for the automatic disk replacement device according to claim 1 or 2. A storage unit that stores the position information of the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and the position information of the storage device,
Communication unit for storage device and
The communication unit for the plurality of autonomous mobile devices and
A selection unit for selecting an autonomous mobile device to be used from the plurality of autonomous mobile devices,
It has a decision unit for determining movement information from the position of the selected autonomous mobile device to the position of the storage device in which the failure is detected;
Upon receiving the failure information from the storage device, the autonomous mobile device to be used is selected, the mobile information is determined, and the mobile information is transmitted to the autonomous mobile device;
A management device used for the automatic disk replacement device according to claim 1 or 2. With a replacement disc,
A movement control unit that controls movement,
Communication unit for management device and
Communication unit for storage device and
It has a communication confirmation unit that confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible;
The communication method with the communication unit for the storage device is a wireless communication method;
When the movement information is received from the management device, it moves by control based on the movement information, it is confirmed whether or not communication with the storage device is possible, and when it is confirmed that communication is possible, data is received from the storage device and the said. Write data to the replacement disk;
An autonomous mobile device used for the automatic disk replacement device according to claim 1 or 2. The automatic disk replacement device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, which includes a storage device, a management device, and an autonomous mobile device, is used.
When the storage device detects a failure of the disk array, the storage device transmits the failure information of the disk array to the management device.
Upon receiving the failure information, the management device selects the autonomous mobile device to be used, determines the movement information, and transmits the movement information to the autonomous mobile device.
When the autonomous mobile device receives the movement information, it moves by control based on the movement information, confirms whether or not communication with the storage device is possible, and receives data from the storage device when it confirms that communication is possible. An automatic disk replacement method comprising writing data to the replacement disk. The automatic disk exchange method according to claim 6, wherein the communication method between the storage device and the autonomous mobile device is a wireless communication method. The automatic disk replacement method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the storage device and the autonomous mobile device can be connected to each other via a communication network.

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