JPH1196104A - System for controlling disk array device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a disk array device controlling system capable of dealing with plural sorts of HDDs only by one ROM. SOLUTION: After initializing the whole system at first (21), a common program is transferred to a RAM (22). Then, the state of a switch is read out (23) and which HDD model is selected is judged (24). A program only for the selected HDD model is transferred to the RAM (25 to 27). Then, processing is jamped to the start address of a control program transferred and constructed to/in the RAM (28) and the program is executed in the RAM.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a disk array device control system, and more particularly, to a disk array device control system in a computer system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A disk array device used as a large-capacity recording device of a computer system uses a plurality of hard disk drives (HDDs) and a single HDD.
It is a device that achieves higher reliability and performance. Although a plurality of HDDs are built in, they appear as one HDD to the host computer. See “A Case for Redundant Array of Inexpensive”
Disks ”(Technical Report UCB / CSD 87/391, Decembe
r 1987), RAIDs 1 to 5 are proposed.

[0003] The present invention relates to a portion for controlling a plurality of hard disk drives (HDDs) in a disk array device.

As shown in FIG. 4, a conventional computer system includes a computer (central processing unit; CPU) 1, a CPU 1 and a ROM (read only memory) 3, and a RAM (random access memory), which are the core of the system.
4, a data bus 2 for connecting a system control program, a ROM 3 for storing a system control program,
The AM 4 includes an HDD control circuit 5 for controlling an HDD (not shown).

The HDD control circuit 5 obtains a control program from the ROM 3 via the CPU 1 and the data bus 2, and controls a plurality of HDDs (of the same type, not shown) by configuring a disk array device. However, in addition to the ROM storing the program for controlling the HDD, a ROM for storing the operation program of the CPU 1 is also required, but in this case, the description will be omitted.

Since the contents of the HDD control program stored in the ROM 3 differ depending on the type of HDD, FIG.
As shown, for example, models (HDD types) A, B,
ROM chips # 1 to # 3 are prepared for each C, and selected as needed to use as ROM3.

[0007]

In the conventional computer system shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when a disk array device is configured by using a plurality of types of HDDs, different types of HDDs are required to correspond to each type of HDD. There is a problem that a ROM needs to be prepared.

An object of the present invention is to provide a disk array device control system which can support a plurality of types of HDDs with one kind of ROM.

[0009]

A disk array device control system according to the present invention is a disk array device control system composed of a plurality of hard disk devices of a computer system. A read-only memory for storing a common program and a dedicated program separately, a program selecting means for selecting the plurality of types of control programs, and a read-only memory for storing the control program selected by the program selecting means at initial setting. And a control program transferring means for transferring the data from the memory to the random access memory.

[0010] Further, the invention is characterized in that it includes means for performing processing by the control program stored in the random access memory.

Further, the control program transfer means includes:
A feature is that only the dedicated program is transferred. Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the initial setting is performed when the power is turned on.

The operation of the present invention is as follows. The program for controlling the HDD is divided into a portion specific to the HDD type (dedicated program) and a common portion not affected by the HDD type (common program) and stored in the ROM.

As an initial setting at power-on, a switch for selecting a corresponding HDD type is provided in advance after transferring a common program irrespective of the HDD type from the ROM to the RAM, and the state of the switch is determined. Is transferred from the ROM to the RAM. The control of the program is transferred to the RAM, and the program for the selected HDD formed on the RAM is executed.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a disk array device control system according to the present invention, and the same parts as those in FIGS.

In FIG. 1, a disk array device control system includes a CPU 1, a CPU 1 and an R
A data bus 2 connecting the OM 3 and the RAM 4, etc., a ROM 3 storing a control program, a RAM 4 readable and writable from the CPU 1,
And a switch 6 for setting the type (type) of the HDD via the I / O port 11 of the CPU 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the contents of the ROM 3 are divided into a common program, a dedicated program, and an initialization program. The common program and the dedicated program divide a program for controlling the HDD control circuit 5 into a common program and a dedicated program.
The initial setting program is a program dedicated to the type of HDD selected by the switch 6 and a common program.
The process of transferring the program to the AM 4 and executing the control program constructed on the RAM 4 is performed.

However, it is also possible to transfer only the dedicated program from the ROM 3 to the RAM 4, read out the control program from the RAM 4, and read out the common program from the ROM 3 for processing.

The operation flow is as shown in FIG. First, when power-on reset of the device occurs, an initialization program is executed (step 1).
0). Thereafter, the program on the RAM 4 is executed (step 12) (see FIG. 3A). In the initial setting program, first, initial settings of the entire system are performed (step 21), and then the common program is transferred to the RAM 4 (step 22).

Next, the state of the switch 6 is read (step 23), and it is determined what the selected HDD model is (step 24). The dedicated program of the selected HDD model is transferred to the RAM 4 (steps 25 and 2).
6, 27). Thereafter, the program is transferred to the RAM 4 and jumps to the start address of the constructed control program (step 2).
8) Execute the program on the RAM 4 (FIG. 3B)
reference).

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, control programs for several types of HDDs (of different manufacturers and different capacities) are provided.
Divided into common programs and dedicated programs, one R
A control program stored in the OM and executed by selecting a switch is constructed and executed on the RAM. Thus, there is an effect that one device can support several types of HDDs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a ROM and a RAM in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an initial setting according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example of a conventional disk array device control system.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a ROM of an example of a conventional disk array device control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 CPU 2 Data bus 3 ROM 4 RAM 5 HDD control circuit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A disk array device control system comprising a plurality of hard disk devices of a computer system, comprising: a read-only memory for storing a control program for each type of a plurality of hard disk devices separately into a common program and a dedicated program; Program selection means for selecting the plurality of types of control programs,
A control program transfer means for transferring the control program selected by the program selection means at the time of initialization from the read-only memory to the random access memory. 2. The disk array device control system according to claim 1, further comprising means for performing processing according to said control program stored in said random access memory. 3. The disk array device control program according to claim 1, wherein said control program transfer means transfers only the dedicated program. 4. The disk array device control program according to claim 1, wherein said initialization is performed when power is turned on.