International Business Machines Corporation

Atsushi Watanabe

Yoshihiro Fujie

A storage control and switch unit for transferring data between a host computer and first, second, third and fourth storage media. A first storage controller has an operative serial ATA connection with each of the first and second storage media and an inoperative serial ATA connection to each of the third and fourth storage media. A second storage controller has an operative serial ATA connection with each of the third and fourth storage media and an inoperative serial ATA connection to each of the first and second storage media. First, second, third and fourth switches are logically interposed between the first, second, third and fourth storage media, respectively, and the first and second storage controllers to select which serial ATA connection to each storage media is operative and which is inoperative. In response to failure of one of the storage controllers, the other storage controller changes the operable switches of the one storage controller to be inoperable and changes the inoperable switches of the other storage controller to be operable. The other storage controller is granted management authority for the arrays controlled by the one storage controller before the failure. Disclosed is a storage unit provided with redundancy, an information processing apparatus including the same, and a recovery method of an information storage system. A storage unit of the present invention includes a plurality of arrays, each including at least one storage medium; point-to-point controllers, each of which manages the corresponding one of the plurality of arrays and communicates with the same, each of point-to-point controllers being connectable to all the storage medium; switching means for switching the point-to-point controllers, each managing the arrays; means for detecting a failure of each point-to-point controller; and means for driving the switching means in response to detection of the failure of each controller. The storage unit changes management states of arrays in response to the detection of a failure.

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Zama, Japan

Atsushi Watanabe