International Business Machines Corporation

Thomas R Forrer, Jr

Jason Eric Moore

Abel Enrique Zuzuarregui

Asghar Tavasoli

Rafael Graniello Cabezas

Jason Lee Moore

Scott Leonard Daniels

Stephen A Knight

Pat Allen Buckland

Daniel Eugene Pridgeon

Timothy O'Callaghan

Wayne D Walters

Michael D Leary

A method and system where a hardware platform such as a disk drive is formatted to the largest block length it is desired to read from or write to. Using commands, data can be accessed from the drive in any block length that is equal to or less than the formatted block length.

Simultaneously supporting different block sizes on a single hard drive

A system, computer-implementable method, and computer-readable medium for improving sequential serial attached small computer system interface storage device performance. According to a preferred embodiment, a microprocessor within a target device receives a collection of tasks from at least one initiator device via a collection of initiator paths. The target device is a cyclic non-volatile memory medium. The microprocessor queues the collection of tasks according to a collection of task list. Each task list corresponds to a respective initiator path. The microprocessor combines the collection of tasks in an execution queue. The collection of tasks on the execution queue is reordered based on a priority scheme. The microprocessor executes the collection of tasks from the execution queue.

System and method to improve sequential serial attached small computer system interface storage device performance

Method and system for simultaneously supporting different block sizes on a single hard drive

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed in a data processing system for prohibiting unauthorized access of data that is stored on storage drives. Multiple logical partitions are generated. A different unique randomizer seed is associated with each one of the logical partitions. In response to one of the logical partitions needing to access a storage drive, the logical partition transmits a seed to the storage drive. The transmitted seed is associated with the one of the logical partitions. A transmitting one of the logical partitions is unable to transmit a seed that is other than a seed that is associated with the transmitting one of the logical partitions. The storage drive utilizes the transmitted seed to randomize and de-randomize data for the one of the logical partitions. Data randomized for one of the logical partitions cannot be de-randomized for a different one of the logical partitions.

Method, apparatus, and product for prohibiting unauthorized access of data stored on storage drives

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed for permitting access to a data storage device while the device is being formatted. A format command is received within the device from the host. A command complete response is then transmitted to the host before the device has completed being formatted. The host waits for the command complete response before the host transmits any read or write command to the device. Read and write commands that are transmitted to the device from the host are executed while the device is still being formatted.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for permitting access to a storage drive while the drive is being formatted

An embodiment of this invention provides a system and method for a diagnostic computer application executing on a host computer to extract vendor unique diagnostic information from an attached peripheral device. The peripheral device is pre-configured to respond with device unique information in response to certain standard interface protocol inquiries. Standard interface inquiry commands are used to extract detailed instructions from the device. These instructions may contain device unique small computer system interface (SCSI) command sequences, for example. The command sequences allow a user of the host computer to extract detailed data from the peripheral device about the peripheral device's operational, performance and health statistics.

System and method to provide device unique diagnostic support with a single generic command

Method, system and computer program product for reporting and recovering from uncorrectable data errors in a data processing system using the Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) or the Serial ATA (SATA) protocol. The invention utilizes the data scrubbing functionality of SCSI hard drives to provide a higher level of data integrity in an operating system implemented RAID environment. If an uncorrectable data error is found on a hard drive during a background data scrubbing operation, information concerning the data error is logged in a S.M.A.R.T. (Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) error data structure. When the host operating system identifies the uncorrectable data error during normal operation, a Host Array Manager issues a Write Command to write the data from a redundant drive after the defective Logical Block Address (LBA) has been reassigned.

Hard disk drive data scrub methodology

A method is disclosed in a data processing system for prohibiting unauthorized access of data that is stored on storage drives. Multiple logical partitions are generated. A different unique randomizer seed is associated with each one of the logical partitions. In response to one of the logical partitions needing to access a storage drive, the logical partition transmits a seed to the storage drive. The transmitted seed is associated with the one of the logical partitions. A transmitting one of the logical partitions is unable to transmit a seed that is other than a seed that is associated with the transmitting one of the logical partitions. The storage drive utilizes the transmitted seed to randomize and de-randomize data for the one of the logical partitions. Data randomized for one of the logical partitions cannot be de-randomized for a different one of the logical partitions.

A method and apparatus is provided for allocating a portion of the OD zone of a hard drive disk to be a non-volatile (NV) caching space, where all writes to the disk are carried out. These write operations can be performed much faster than with conventional techniques, and storage costs may be significantly reduced. The disk drive controller manages the cache, and the host system sees improved throughput, especially for write intensive operations. In one embodiment a method is provided for writing specified data to a disk drive in a computer configuration, the disk drive having a magnetic disk and a volatile cache memory. A specified portion of the OD zone of the disk is reserved for an NV cache space, and the specified data is initially stored in the volatile memory, in response to a write command. The method further includes writing the specified data from the volatile memory to the NV cache space at the disk OD, and subsequently writing the specified data from the NV cache space to a selected longer-term storage location on the disk.

Method and apparatus using hard disk drive for enhanced non-volatile caching

A system, method, and computer program product for recovering from data errors. In a SCSI hard drive system, when a unrecoverable data error condition is encountered, the logical block address is reassigned using information provided by the data scrubbing functionality of the SCSI hard drive.

Hard disk drive background scrub methodology

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed for controlling accesses of drives in a storage subsystem. A first array of a first type of drive is provided. The first type of drive is a server class of drive. A second array of a second type of drive is provided. The second type of drive is a PC class drive. The first and second arrays are bound together to form a single array of drives. The single array of drives is presented to a host that is coupled to the storage subsystem as a single array. The host is unaware that the single array includes two different types of drives. Data is stored in the second array of drives. Data is migrated from the second array of drives to the first array of drives when an access rate of the second array of drives exceeds a threshold access rate for the second type of drive.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for using an array of high performance storage drives included in a storage array to reduce accessing of an array of lower performance storage drives included in the storage array

A system and method for managing parallel SCSI device functionality is presented. A user sends a request to a vendor whereby the request corresponds to the user changing the functionality of one of the user's SCSI devices. The vendor generates and sends a key that includes a password and a functionality value to the user. The user extracts the password, extracts the functionality value, and includes them in a command descriptor block. The user includes the command descriptor block in a SCSI command, and sends the SCSI command to the user's SCSI device whereupon the SCSI device validates the password and reconfigures itself based upon the functionality value. The SCSI device returns a message to the user indicating whether the reconfiguring process was successful. In turn, the user forwards the message to the vendor so the vendor may bill the user accordingly.

System and method for on-demand computing for parallel SCSI

A method and system are disclosed for recovering lost data with redundancy in an individual hard drive. A mirroring-type process is used in a single hard drive to maintain a backup copy of all data stored on that hard drive. The hard drive maintains two copies of the stored data on different storage media segments or partitions defined by separate read/write heads. In the event that a hard drive media defect or error occurs with respect to any of the data stored on a segment defined by one head, that data can be restored from the segment defined by the other head(s).

Growing community of inventors

Round Rock, TX, United States of America

Thomas R Forrer, Jr