International Business Machines Corporation

Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Joaquin F Pacheco

Jeffrey R Hobbet

Mark Elliot Andresen

Eric T Gamble

James Robert Drake

Steve J Livaccari

William Joseph Piazza

David Benson Rhoades

Gregory Brian Pruett

Linda Ann Riedle

Ernest Nelson Mandese

Timothy J Louie

Neal A Osborn

Robert Brian Postage

Daniel Bensimon

When a media error occurs on a storage device of a number of storage devices of a redundant array, the logical stripe of data affected by the media error is determined. A portion of non-volatile memory is reserved and the logical stripe is backed up to this portion of non-volatile memory. A read request is subsequently serviced from the non-volatile memory and not from the storage devices. When a write request is received, it is first serviced to the storage devices. If successful, then the previously reserved portion of non-volatile memory is freed up, and subsequent requests are serviced using the storage devices. If unsuccessful, then the write request is serviced using the non-volatile memory.

Raid logical stripe backup to non-volatile memory in response to raid storage device media errors

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for configuring a plurality of storage devices for a RAID and setting a time-out value for the plurality of storage devices, determining whether a response time for a storage device of the plurality of storage devices exceeds the time-out value, and recovering data from the RAID in response to the storage device exceeding the time-out value.

Managing errors in a raid

Reducing current draw of solid state drives from a shared power supply of a computer at computer startup, each SSD including computer memory, a capacitor, a disk controller, and a charge controller, the disk controller configured to enable the charge controller to charge the capacitor upon receiving a charge command, the SSDs organized into startup groups characterized by a position in a predefined startup order. Upon startup of the computer, beginning with a first startup group in the predefined startup order and until the last startup group in the predefined startup order has received a charge command, embodiments include, sending, by a storage device initiator, a charge command to a startup group to initiate charging of the capacitor of each solid state drive in the startup group and waiting a predefined period of time before sending another charge command to a next startup group in the predefined startup order.

Reducing current draw of a plurality of solid state drives at computer startup

A method, computer program product and hard disk drive for restricting a rate of spin-up/spin-down cycles for a spindle motor in a hard disk drive. The firmware in the hard disk drive determines a maximum rate of spin-up/spin-down cycles the spindle motor is designed to handle over a designated period of time based on the number of spin-up/spin-down cycles the spindle motor is designed to handle over its expected lifetime. The firmware disables the automatic standby mode of operation if a calculated rate of spin-up/spin-down cycles during the designated period of time is greater than the maximum rate of spin-up/spin-down cycles the spindle motor is designed to handle over the designated period of time. By disabling the automatic standby mode of operation, the rate of spin-up/spin-down cycles will be reduced as the spindle motor will not incur a spin-up/spin-down cycle until the automatic standby mode of operation is enabled.

Ensuring rate of spin-up/spin-down cycles for spindle motor in a hard disk drive does not exceed rate spindle motor is designed to handle

A method and system for adaptively implementing a disk drive startup sequence for a disk drive array. Prior to a next disk drive spin-up sequence a currently available power supply resource capacity and a startup metric of each of the array disk drives are determined. Each of the disk drives are scheduled into designated startup groups as a function of both the determined currently available power supply resource capacity and the determined startup metric. The scheduling of disk drives into designated startup groups includes determining an activation sequence timing schedule for each of the disk drives. The activation sequence timing schedule determines the relative times at which spindle motors for each of said plurality of disk drives will be activated as a function of the determined startup metric for each of the disk drives and the available power supply resource capacity as reduced by the steady state power requirements of each of the startup groups.

Adaptive startup policy for accelerating multi-disk array spin-up

A &ldquo;hot-pluggable&rdquo; hard disk drive is mounted in a removable hard disk drive tray. The hard disk drive tray has a vibration dampening system for reducing vibration between the hard disk drive, the hard disk drive tray, and a hard disk drive docking bay located within a computer system. The vibration dampening system has three primary components. The first component is a strip of polymeric material located between an end of the hard disk drive tray and the docking bay. The second component of the vibration dampening system is a set of polymeric strips located between an inner surface of the tray and the hard disk drive. The third component of the vibration dampening system is a set of spring assemblies. Each spring assembly is located between the sides of the tray and the docking bay.

Vibration dampening system for removable hard disk drive carriers

A 'hot-pluggable' hard disk drive is mounted in a removable hard disk drive tray. The hard disk drive tray has a vibration dampening system for reducing vibration between the hard disk drive, the hard disk drive tray, and a hard disk drive docking bay located within a computer system. The vibration dampening system has three primary components. The first component is a strip of polymeric material located between an end of the hard disk drive tray and the docking bay. The second component of the vibration dampening system is a set of polymeric strips located between an inner surface of the tray and the hard disk drive. The third component of the vibration dampening system is a set of spring assemblies. Each spring assembly is located between the sides of the tray and the docking bay.

An intelligent removable information storage device (100), for coupling to a host microcomputer system (10), includes a local processor unit (106) including apparatus for preventing the microcomputer system from reading from, or writing to, the storage device absent the entry of an appropriate password by a user of the host microcomputer system. The storage device also includes a storage medium (e.g., a magnetic disk) for storing information including at least one password. The local processor unit includes apparatus for preventing access to the information stored in the storage means absent receipt of a valid password.

Growing community of inventors

Cary, NC, United States of America

Joaquin F Pacheco