Fujitsu Corporation

Shigeo Konno

Tatsuo Matoba

In an apparatus and method for diagnosing a plurality of disk drives in at least one disk array device, including a disk array control unit which is connected in parallel with a plurality of data storage disk drives, a redundant disk drive and a spare storage disk drive, and which is adapted to access the plurality of disk drives in parallel in response to an access from a host device. The disk array control unit accesses the spare storage disk drive as well as the plurality of data storage disk drives and the redundant storage disk drive, in accordance with a data transfer requirement from the host device, thereby diagnosing the storage disk drive, when the data transfer requirement represents a read transfer or write transfer.

Apparatus and method for diagnosing disk drives in disk array device

Disclosed is an exclusive control method in an I/O subsystem having an exclusive controller which is provided with an exclusive control table and which permits a host interface to use the I/O device when the I/O device is not used by any other host interface while prohibiting the use when another host interface is using the I/O device. The method comprises the steps of: allotting a logical path number to each of the host interfaces of each of the input/output interface portions; Judging whether or not the I/O device is being used by another host interface by reference to the exclusive control table when a request for use of the I/O device is input from a host interface to which a predetermined logical path number is allotted; permitting the host interface which has required for access to use the I/O device when the I/O device is not in use, while setting a flag indicating that the I/O device is 'Occupied' in the exclusive control table in correspondence with the allotted logical path number; and changing the flag to a flag indicating that the I/O device is 'Vacant' when the use of the I/O device is finished.

System for exclusively controlling access of a semiconductor memory

An apparatus and method for controlling a background process in a disk array device including a disk array control unit which accesses the plurality of storage disk drives in parallel when a command for an access is issued from a host device and which executes a background process for the plurality of storage disk drives. The disk array control unit counts an amount of access, such as a data transfer amount to or from the host device, temporarily restrains an access requirement from the host device depending upon whether or not there is any background processing requirement when the data transfer amount reaches a predetermined transfer amount, and executes the background process. Access frequency of the host device may also be monitored as the amount of access. When one of working storage disk drives fails, data that was stored in the failed working storage disk drive is reconstructed from data stored in other working storage disk drives. The reconstruction is conducted during spare time during which there is no access from the host device. The data reconstruction amount may be changed in proportion to the amount of access until the spare time becomes available.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Shigeo Konno