TW201423742A - Storage device and power saving method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A storage device includes a plurality of hard disk sets and voltage regulating unit, an information collecting unit and a controlling unit. Each of hard disk sets including at least to hard disks accesses a data and generates a corresponding assessing message. The voltage regulating units provide a plurality of working voltages to the hard disk sets. The voltage regulating units determine whether provide the working voltage according to a plurality of controlling signals. The information collecting unit receives the assess messages and outputs the assessing messages according to a reading command. The controlling unit generates the reading command to receive the assessing message. The controlling unit obtains a using state of the hard disk sets according to an algorithm and the assessing messages and generates corresponding controlling signals according to the using state of the hard disk sets.

Description

Storage device and energy saving method thereof

An energy saving method, particularly relating to a storage device and an energy saving method thereof.

In the operation of the server, the power consumed by cooling is not counted. For the motherboard configured in the server, the most power-consuming is the Central Processing Unit (CPU), followed by the memory. (Memory), then the hard disk (Hard Disk).

With the development of the cloud concept and the development of technology, the number of hard disks corresponding to each single motherboard in the server is gradually increasing, from 8 hard disks for one motherboard to 40 for one motherboard. Hard disk, so that the server can provide better and perfect service.

For the server, not all hard disks will always perform data access operations, and when the server starts working, the power supply in the server will also supply power to all the hard disks, so that the hard disks enter. The working state (the state that can be accessed when the access command is received at any time), which will increase the power consumption of the server. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in the energy-saving control of the server.

In view of the above problems, the present disclosure provides a storage device and an energy saving method thereof, thereby effectively reducing additional power consumption and achieving energy saving.

A storage device of the present disclosure includes a plurality of hard disk sets and a plurality of voltage adjustment sheets Yuan, information collection unit and control unit. The hard disk group is configured to perform data access and correspondingly generate access messages, wherein the hard disk groups each include at least two hard disks. The voltage adjustment unit is coupled to the hard disk group for providing a plurality of operating voltages to the hard disk group, and determines whether to provide the operating voltage according to the plurality of control signals. The information collecting unit is coupled to the hard disk group for receiving the access information of the hard disk group, and the information collecting unit outputs the access message according to the reading instruction. The control unit is coupled to the information collection unit and the voltage adjustment unit for generating a read command to receive the access message, and according to the algorithm and the access message, to obtain the use state of the hard disk group, and according to the use of the hard disk group State, generating the corresponding control signal.

In one embodiment, the control unit is coupled to the information collection unit and the voltage adjustment unit through one of the internal integrated circuit bus and the serial peripheral interface bus.

In an embodiment, the aforementioned hard disk set is a disk array.

In an embodiment, the aforementioned control unit is a substrate management controller.

In an embodiment, the information collecting unit and the voltage adjusting unit are integrated into a hard disk expansion card.

The present disclosure provides a method of energy saving for a storage device, including the following steps. Collecting a plurality of access messages generated by a plurality of hard disk groups through the information collecting unit, wherein the hard disk group includes at least two hard disks. A read command is generated through the control unit. According to the read command, the information collecting unit outputs an access message to the control unit. Based on the algorithm and the access message, the control unit obtains the state of use of the hard disk group. According to the state of use of the hard disk, Correspondingly, a plurality of control signals are generated to the plurality of voltage adjustment units to control whether the voltage adjustment unit supplies the operating voltage to the hard disk group.

In one embodiment, the control unit is coupled to the information collection unit and the voltage adjustment unit via one of an internal integrated circuit bus and a sequence of peripheral interface bus.

In an embodiment, the aforementioned hard disk set is a disk array.

In an embodiment, the aforementioned control unit is a substrate management controller.

A storage device and an energy saving method thereof, wherein an information collecting unit receives an access message generated by all hard disk groups, and the control unit receives the foregoing access message from the information collecting unit, and according to an algorithm and the foregoing The message is taken to obtain the usage status of all the hard disk groups, and then the corresponding control signal is generated to the voltage adjustment unit, so that the voltage adjustment unit of the control part stops power supply, so that the hard disk group that is idle or used less is stopped. In this way, the additional power consumption can be effectively reduced to achieve energy saving.

The features and implementations of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Please refer to "FIG. 1" for a schematic view of the storage device of the present disclosure. The storage device 100 of this embodiment is adapted to a server. The storage device 100 includes a plurality of hard disk groups 110_1 110 110_N, a plurality of voltage adjusting units 120_1 120 120_N, an information collecting unit 130, and a control unit 140.

The hard disk groups 110_1~110_N are used for data access respectively, and correspondingly generate access messages. For example, if the user stores the data in the storage device 100, for example, to the hard disk group 110_1, the hard disk group 110_1 performs data access and correspondingly generates an access message to indicate that the hard disk group 110_1 has data storage. Take the operation. The rest of the hard disk group 110_2~110_N is analogous. The hard disk groups 110_1 110 110_N are, for example, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), and the hard disk groups 110_1 110 110_N each include at least two hard disks.

For example, if the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N are RAID 0 or RAID 1, the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N each include two hard disks, and the two hard disks are connected in parallel, as shown in FIG. 2A. Assuming that the hard disk groups 110_1 110 110_N are, for example, RAID 3, RAID 4, or RAID 5, the hard disk groups 110_1 110 110_N each include four hard disks, and the four hard disks are connected in parallel, as shown in FIG. 2B.

Assuming that the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N are RAID 0 plus RAID 1, the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N each include two RAID 1 type hard disk groups 210 and 220. The hard disk groups 210 and 220 are connected in parallel and are hard. Each of the disk sets 210 and 220 includes two RAID 0 type hard disks, and the two RAID 0 type hard disks are connected in parallel, as shown in FIG. 2C.

Assuming that the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N are RAID 1 plus RAID 0, the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N each include two RAID 0 type hard disk groups 230 and 240. The hard disk groups 230 and 240 are connected in parallel and are hard. The disk sets 230 and 240 each include two RAID 1 type hard disks, and the two RAID 1 type hard disks are connected in parallel, such as "2D". Figure".

The voltage adjustment units 120_1~120_N are coupled to the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N for providing a plurality of working voltages VW_1~VW_N to the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N, so that the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N can operate normally and perform data access. Operation. Further, the voltage adjusting units 120_1 to 120_N determine whether or not to supply the operating voltages VW_1 to VW_N based on the plurality of control signals CS_1 to CS_N.

For example, when the control signals CS_1~CS_N are at a high logic level, the voltage adjustment units 120_1~120_N provide the operating voltages VW_1~VW_N, so that the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N can operate normally. When the control signals CS_1~CS_N are at a low logic level, the voltage adjustment units 120_1~120_N do not provide the operating voltages VW_1~VW_N, so that the hard disk groups 110_1~110_N do not operate to achieve the energy saving effect.

The information collection unit 130 is coupled to the hard disk groups 110_1 110 110_N for receiving access information of the hard disk group. That is to say, the access message generated by the hard disk group 110_1~110_N is transmitted to the information collecting unit 130, and the information collecting unit 130 stores the foregoing access message into a memory configured therein, and further records the information. The number of times the access message is generated to indicate the usage status of the hard disk group 110_1~110_N.

In addition, the information collecting unit 130 outputs an access message according to the read command. That is to say, the collected access message is output when the information collecting unit 130 receives the read command. When the information collecting unit 130 does not receive the read command, the collected access message is not output, and the hard disk group 110_1~110_N is continuously collected. Generated access messages.

The control unit 140 is coupled to the information collecting unit 130 and the voltage adjusting units 120_1~120_N for generating a read command to receive the access message. For example, the control unit 140 periodically generates a read command to the information collecting unit 130, so that the information collecting unit 130 transmits the read command stored in its memory to the control unit 140 for subsequent processing.

Next, the control unit 140 obtains the usage status of the hard disk groups 110_1 110 110_N according to an algorithm and an access message. In other words, the control unit 140 calculates the received access message according to the configured algorithm, for example, calculates the number of access messages generated by each hard disk group 110_1~110_N, corresponding to the hard The usage status of the disc group 110_1~110_N.

For example, it is assumed that the control unit 140 calculates that the number of times the hard disk group 110_1~110_3 corresponds to the access message in the preset unit time is large, indicating that the use status of the hard disk group 110_1~110_3 is more commonly used. It is assumed that the control unit 140 calculates that the number of times the hard disk group 110_4~110_N corresponds to the access message in the preset unit time is small, indicating that the use state of the hard disk group 110_4~110_N is idle (Idle) is longer or less used. . The preset unit time can be adjusted by the user according to the requirement, so that the control unit 140 can effectively determine the use status of the hard disk groups 110_1~110_3.

Next, the control unit 140 generates corresponding control signals CS_1~CS_N according to the use states of the hard disk groups 110_1~110_3. For example, when the control unit 140 counts When the usage status of the hard disk groups 110_1~110_3 is calculated to be more commonly used, the control unit 140 generates, for example, the control signals CS_1~CS_3 of the high logic level to control the voltage adjustment units 120_1~120_3 to provide the working voltages VW_1~VW_3 to the hard disk. The groups 110_1~110_3 keep the hard disk groups 110_1~110_3 in working state.

When the control unit 140 calculates that the usage status of the hard disk group 110_4~110_N is idle or used for a long time, the control unit 140 generates, for example, control signals CS_4~CS_N of low logic level to control the voltage adjustment unit 120_4~120_N. The working voltages VW_4~VW_N are not supplied to the hard disk groups 110_4~110_N, so that the hard disk groups 110_1~110_3 are stopped. In this way, the power consumption of the storage device 100 can be effectively reduced to achieve energy saving.

In this embodiment, the foregoing algorithm is, for example, a Least Recently Used (LRU) algorithm. Further, the control unit 140 is, for example, a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC). The control unit 140 is coupled to the information collecting unit 130 and the voltage adjusting units 120_1 120 120_N through, for example, an Inter Integrated (IIC) bus and a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus. Further, the information collecting unit 130 and the voltage adjusting units 120_1~120_N can be integrated into a hard disk expansion card (HDD Expander).

In the foregoing embodiment, the control unit 140 and the hard disk groups 110_1 110 110_N, the voltage adjusting units 120_1 120 120_N, and the information collecting unit 130 are all disposed in the same server. In another embodiment, the foregoing control unit 140 can also be configured in another In the server, the related control of the storage device 100 (for example, whether the voltage is supplied) is controlled by another server. For the description of the related operations of the storage device 100, reference may be made to the description of the foregoing embodiments, and therefore no further description is provided herein. .

By the description of the foregoing embodiments, an energy saving method of a storage device can be summarized. Please refer to "Figure 3" for a flowchart of the energy saving method of the storage device disclosed herein. In step S302, a plurality of access messages generated by the plurality of hard disk groups are collected by the information collecting unit, wherein the hard disk group includes at least two hard disks. In step S304, a read command is generated through the control unit.

In step S306, the information collecting unit outputs an access message to the control unit according to the read command. In step S308, the control unit obtains the usage status of the hard disk group according to the algorithm and the access message. In step S310, according to the use state of the hard disk, a plurality of control signals are correspondingly generated to the plurality of voltage adjustment units to control whether the voltage adjustment unit supplies the working voltage to the hard disk group.

In this embodiment, the read command, the access message, and the control signal are transmitted through one of the internal integrated circuit bus and the serial peripheral interface bus. Each of the aforementioned hard disk sets is, for example, a disk array. The aforementioned control unit is, for example, a substrate management controller.

The storage device of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the energy saving method thereof, receive an access message generated by all the hard disk groups by the information collecting unit, and the control unit receives the foregoing access message from the information collecting unit, and according to an algorithm and The foregoing access message is used to obtain the usage status of all the hard disk groups, and then generate corresponding control signals for voltage adjustment. The unit stops power supply with the voltage adjustment unit of the control part, so that the hard disk group that is idle or used less is stopped. In this way, the additional power consumption can be effectively reduced to achieve energy saving.

The present disclosure is disclosed in the foregoing embodiments, and is not intended to limit the disclosure. Any subject matter of the present invention can be modified and retouched without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The scope of patent protection shall be subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached to this specification.

100‧‧‧ storage device

110_1~110_N, 210, 220, 230, 240‧‧‧ hard disk sets

120_1~120_N‧‧‧Voltage adjustment unit

130‧‧‧Information Collection Unit

140‧‧‧Control unit

CS_1~CS_N‧‧‧Control signal

VW_1~VW_N‧‧‧ working voltage

Figure 1 is a schematic view of the storage device of the present disclosure.

2A to 2D are respectively schematic diagrams of the configuration of the hard disk group disclosed in the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the energy saving method of the storage device of the present disclosure.

100‧‧‧ storage device

110_1~110_N‧‧‧ Hard disk set

120_1~120_N‧‧‧Voltage adjustment unit

130‧‧‧Information Collection Unit

140‧‧‧Control unit

CS_1~CS_N‧‧‧Control signal

VW_1~VW_N‧‧‧ working voltage

Claims (9)

A storage device includes: a plurality of hard disk groups for respectively performing a data access, and correspondingly generating an access message, wherein the hard disk group each includes at least two hard disks; and a plurality of voltage adjusting units coupled to the The hard disk group is configured to provide a plurality of operating voltages to the hard disk groups, and determine whether to provide the working voltages according to the plurality of control signals; and an information collecting unit coupled to the hard disk groups for Receiving the access messages of the hard disk groups, and the information collecting unit outputs the access messages according to a read command; and a control unit coupled to the information collecting unit and the voltage adjusting units, The reading instruction is used to receive the access messages, and according to an algorithm and the access messages, to obtain the usage status of the hard disk groups, and according to the usage states of the hard disk groups, The corresponding control signals are generated. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is coupled to the information collection unit and the voltage adjustment units via one of an internal integrated circuit bus and a sequence of peripheral interface bus. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the hard disk groups are a disk array. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is a baseboard management controller. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the information collecting unit and the voltages are The adjustment unit is integrated into a hard disk expansion card. An energy-saving method for a storage device includes: collecting, by an information collecting unit, a plurality of access messages generated by a plurality of hard disk groups, wherein the hard disk groups each include at least two hard disks; and generating a Reading the command; the information collecting unit outputs the access messages to the control unit according to the read command; and the control unit obtains the use status of the hard disk groups according to an algorithm and the access messages; The control unit generates a plurality of control signals corresponding to the plurality of voltage adjustment units to control whether the voltage adjustment units provide operating voltages to the hard disk groups according to the use states of the hard disk groups. The energy saving method of the storage device of claim 6, wherein the read command, the access messages, and the control signals are transmitted through one of an internal integrated circuit bus and a sequence of peripheral interface bus. The energy saving method of the storage device of claim 6, wherein the hard disk groups are a disk array. The energy saving method of the storage device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is a substrate management controller.