Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Jonathan R Didner

Jeffrey S Autor

Scott C Farrand

Thomas Richardson Lenny

Daniel J Mazina

Paul J Muraski

Kenneth L Bush

Gregory Mart Stewart

John A Dysart

Gaines C Teague

Method for predicting an imminent failure of a disk drive. A plurality of attributes are selected for monitoring during operation of the disk drive. These attributes may include self-preserving attributes, performance attributes, error rate attributes, and even count attributes. An initial value is determined for each one of the selected attributes. A threshold value is then selected for each of the attributes. The disk drive is then monitored for occurrences of the self-preserving, performance, error rate and event count attributes. Each time an occurrence of the attributes is monitored, the initial value for that attribute is updated and normalized. The updated normalized value for the attribute is then compared with the corresponding threshold for that attribute and an imminent failure of the disk drive is predicted if the normalized updated value of the attribute exceeds the threshold therefor.

Drive failure prediction techniques for disk drives

A layered block device driver for accessing a storage device coupled to a computer system having a platform on which a disk fault prediction application operates. The layered block device driver includes a file system driver coupled to the computer system, at least one upper level driver coupled to the file system driver, an intermediate driver having a first coupling with the upper level driver for the exchange of messages between the intermediate driver and the upper level driver and a second coupling with the application which controls the exchange of messages between the application and the storage device, and a port driver coupled to the intermediate driver and the storage device. The intermediate driver includes an application processing routine for controlling exchanges between the application and the storage device, an upper level driver processing routine for handling exchanges between the upper level driver and the port driver, a queuing routine coupled to the application processing routine and the upper level processing routine, a flag coupled to the application processing routine and the upper level processing routine, a counter coupled to the application processing routine and the upper level processing routine and an interrupt routine coupled to the application processing routine, the upper level processing routine and the queuing routine.

Method for performing disk fault prediction operations

A management system for a file server having a system board, an expansion board, a disk storage system and a server manager for collecting management information from the system board. The management system arranges MIB information for the file server into a first manageable device specific subsystem containing management information describing the system board, a second, manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing the expansion board, a third, manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing the disk storage system, a fourth, non-manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing the configuration of the file server, a fifth, non-manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing the security configuration for the file server, a sixth, manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing the server manager, a seventh, non-manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing I/O ports of the file server, an eighth, non-manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing internal environmental conditions of the file server. The management information for each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth subsystems may then be selectively accessed using a series of GUIs.

Graphical user interface for computer management system and an

A method of managing a plurality of networked manageable devices which include at least one file server having a system board, a drive array subsystem associated with the file server and a server manager installed in the file server for monitoring the system board from a manager console using a management information base or 'MIB'. First, second and third plurality of objects which describe the system board, the drive array subsystem and the server manager, respectively, are collected and assembled into a MIB. The assembled MIB is then used to manage the file server.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Jonathan R Didner