JPH05334015A - Magnetic disk device fault reporting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the data loss caused by device fault by checking the number of times of error generated in a magnetic disk device. CONSTITUTION:When error occurs during making access to a magnetic disk device 7, the number of times of error in an error counting area 1 is updated by a magnetic disk device accessing means 2. An error frequency checking means 3 checks the number of times of error, and a warning message display request is sent when the number of times of error exceeds the prescribed error rate of the magnetic disk device 7. A message display means 4 displays a warning message in response to the request. The displayed warning message is erased by the input of a specific key.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetic disk device failure notification system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When an error occurs during access to a magnetic disk device due to an access request from an external program, an internal retry or the like is performed.

As a result of this retry, if the error is not recovered, the "error end" is notified to the external program.
When the error is recovered, the external program is notified of “normal end”.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional method, how many errors are occurring in the entire magnetic disk device, including recoverable errors, and the time to replace the magnetic disk device is imminent. It is not possible to judge in advance whether or not For this reason, there is a drawback that the magnetic disk device cannot be fixedly accessed suddenly and important data may be lost.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a magnetic disk device failure notification system in an information processing system using a magnetic disk device as an external storage device, the number of errors generated in the magnetic disk device is held. An error count area, a magnetic disk device access means for executing a magnetic disk device access request from an external program, and updating the error count in the error count area when an error occurs in the magnetic disk device, and system startup. Immediately after the error detection by the magnetic disk device access means, the error count in the error count area is checked, and if the error count exceeds a certain value, an error count check means for requesting a warning message is displayed. Warning message by the number of times check means In response to a display request, a warning message is displayed on the display, and after the warning message is displayed, a message display means for erasing the displayed warning message by a specific key input; And an initialization unit for performing the initialization.

[0006]

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

In the magnetic disk device failure notification system shown in FIG. 1, an error count area 1 for holding the number of errors in the magnetic disk device 7 and an external program 6 are provided.
When an error occurs in the magnetic disk device 7, the error count in the error count area 1 is updated and the error count checking means 3 To the magnetic disk device access means 2 for requesting a check of the number of errors, and the error in the error count area 1 at the time of system start-up and when the above-mentioned magnetic disk device access means 2 requests the error count The number of errors is checked, and when the number of errors reaches a predetermined error rate of the magnetic disk device 7, an error number check means 3 for making a warning message display request to the message display means 4 and the error number check means 3 described above. When a warning message display request is issued, a warning message is displayed on the display. After the warning message is displayed, the message display means 4 for erasing the displayed warning message and the magnetic disk device 7 are replaced by a specific key input, and then the contents of the error count area 1 are initialized. It is composed of the initialization means 5.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the processing of the magnetic disk device access means 2 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing procedure in the magnetic disk device access means 2 is as follows: access request generation check step 21, access execution step 22, execution result check step 23, error count update & error count check. Request step 24, error retry execution step 25, retry result check step 26,
It comprises an error end notification step 27 and a normal end notification step 28.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the processing of the error number checking means 3 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the processing procedure in the error count check means 3 is as follows: error count check request generation check step 31 and error count check step 32.
And a warning message display request step 33.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the processing of the message display means 4 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the message display means 4
The processing procedure in step 41 is the display request occurrence check step 41.
A display state check step 42, a message display step 43, a key input check step 44, a display state check step 45, and a message deletion step 46.

Next, the operation of the magnetic disk device failure notification system of the present embodiment thus constructed will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the magnetic disk device access means 2 first checks whether an access request from the external program 6 to the magnetic disk device 7 is issued (step 21). As a result, if there is no access request, it waits for the access request again. If an access request is issued, the magnetic disk device 7 is processed according to the contents of the access request (step 22).

Next, the access execution result is checked (step 23). Here, when the processing is normally completed, the external program is notified of "normally completed" (step 28).

On the other hand, if an error occurs here,
The number of errors in the error count area 1 is incremented by 1, and the error count check means 3 is requested to check the number of errors (step 24).

Next, error retry or error substitution processing is performed (step 25), and the result is checked (step 26). If the error is recovered, the external program is notified of "normal end" (step 2).
8). On the other hand, if the error is not recovered, the external program is notified of "error end" (step 2).
7).

As shown in FIG. 3, the error count checking means 3 first checks whether the system has just been started up or whether an error count check request has been issued from the magnetic disk device access means 2 (step 3).
1). As a result, if there is no request, the process ends.
On the other hand, if there is a request, the error count area 1
It is checked whether the number of errors in the number reaches the predetermined error rate of the magnetic disk device 7 (step 3).
2). If the fixed ratio has not been reached here, the process ends. If the ratio exceeds a certain ratio, the message display means 4 is requested to display a warning message (step 3).
3).

As shown in FIG. 4, the message display means 4
First, it is checked whether or not there is a warning message display request from the error number checking means 3 (step 41). If there is a request as a result, it is checked whether a warning message is currently displayed (step 4).
2). If it is not being displayed, a predetermined warning message is displayed on the display (step 43). On the other hand, if there is no warning message display request in step 41, or if there is a display request but a warning message is currently being displayed, nothing is done and the process proceeds to the next process.

Next, it is checked whether a specific key has been input (step 44). Here, if the specific key is input, it is checked whether or not a warning message is being displayed on the display (step 4
5) If it is being displayed, the warning message being displayed is erased (step 46). On the other hand, if the specific key is not input, or if the specific key is input but the warning message is not displayed, the process ends.

Finally, according to the warning message, or
When the magnetic disk device 7 is replaced due to other factors, the initialization means 5 initializes the number of errors in the error count area 1.

[0024]

As described above, in the magnetic disk device failure notification system of the present invention, an error that occurs in the magnetic disk device is counted regardless of whether it can be recovered, and the total number of errors is calculated each time. Have a means to check.

As a result, it is possible to perform a preliminary diagnosis corresponding to a predetermined error rate of the magnetic disk device, and it is possible to prevent loss of important data due to a serious failure due to the life of the magnetic disk device. ..

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a magnetic disk device failure notification system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a process of a magnetic disk device access means of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a process of an error number checking means of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the message display means of this embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Error Count Area 2 Magnetic Disk Device Access Means 3 Error Count Checking Means 4 Message Display Means 5 Initializing Means 6 External Programs 7 Magnetic Disk Means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A magnetic disk device failure notification method in an information processing system using a magnetic disk device as an external storage device, wherein an error count area for holding the number of errors that has occurred in said magnetic disk device and a magnetic field from an external program. Magnetic disk device access means for updating the number of errors in the error count area when a disk device access request is executed and an error occurs in the magnetic disk device, and immediately after system startup and by the magnetic disk device access means When an error is detected, the number of errors in the error count area is checked, and if the number of errors exceeds a certain value, a warning message display request is issued. Display A message display means for displaying a warning message on the screen and erasing the displayed warning message by a specific key input after the warning message is displayed, and an initialization means for initializing the contents of the error count area after replacement of the magnetic disk device. A magnetic disk device failure notification system characterized by being provided.