Netapp, Inc.

Network Appliance, Inc.

Maxtor Corporation

Tim K Emami

Jeffrey S Kimmel

Radek Aster

James A Taylor

Robert Hansen

Rodney A Dekoning

Charles D Binford

Thorsten Schmidt

Ratnesh Gupta

Fred R Hansen

Sharon A Gavarre

Faris Hindi

Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, and computing devices that determine when a storage element of a data storage device has failed. Address(es) mapped to the failed storage element are identified, when the determining indicates that the storage element has failed. Data corresponding to the address(es) is regenerated according to a data loss protection and recovery scheme (e.g., a RAID scheme). The regenerated data is written to other storage element(s) of the data storage device in order to remap the address(es) to the other storage element(s). This technology allows a data storage device (e.g., an SSD) to be repaired in-place following a failure of storage element(s) (e.g., a die) of the data storage device. Advantageously, entire data storage devices do not have to be failed with this technology as a result of a failure of an individual storage element, thereby reducing data storage device failure rates and associated overhead.

Methods for handling storage element failures to reduce storage device failure rates and devices thereof

Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, and computing devices that manages distributed snapshot for low latency storage includes accessing one or more snapshots from one or more solid state devices (SSD), wherein the obtained one or more snapshots are stored in a snapshot allocated capacity of the one or more SSD. A data transfer operation is initiated from a primary storage to a secondary storage using the accessed one or more snapshots. It is determined if the initiated data transfer operation is completed and when it is determined to be completed, the obtained one or more snapshots stored in the snapshot allocated capacity of the one or more SSD are deleted.

Methods for managing distributed snapshot for low latency storage and devices thereof

Various systems and methods are described for configuring a data storage system. In one embodiment, a plurality of actual capacities of a plurality of storage devices of the data storage system are identified and divided into a plurality of capacity slices. The plurality of capacity slices are combined into a plurality of chunks of capacity slices, each having a combination of characteristics of the underlying physical storage devices. The chunks of capacity slices are then mapped to a plurality of logical storage devices. A group of the plurality of logical storage devices is then organized into a redundant array of logical storage devices.

Distributing capacity slices across storage system nodes

Examples described herein include a system for storing data. The data storage system stores data in one or more storage locations of a storage drive and generates context information that identifies the data associated with each of the one or more storage locations. The context information is stored in a data buffer, and may include at least one of: an index node, a file block number, or a generation count. Further, the data buffer may be a FIFO circular buffer. The data storage system then uses the context information in the data buffer to verify the data stored in the one or more storage locations during an idle time of the storage drive.

Background checking for lost writes and data corruption

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for enabling communication between a SAS communication port of a SAS communication component and multiple storage devices. In a first example, a first SAS to SATA bridge chip and a second SAS to SATA bridge chip may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. In a second example, a SAS to SATA bridge chip and a port multiplier may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. In a third example, a four port SAS to SATA bridge comprising two SAS ports and two SATA ports may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. Supporting two or more storage devices with a single SAS communication port allows storage enclosures to increase storage capacity, while decreasing cost per slot.

Communication with two or more storage devices via one SAS communication port

A mass data storage system including a data storage device comprising block groups each comprising a plurality of data blocks determines when one of the block groups is faulty and the data storage device continues to operate as a partially failed data storage device with respect to the remaining block groups which are not faulty. A striped parity data storage device array comprises data storage devices capable of operating as partially failed data storage devices allows copying of data from the block groups not associated with determined to be faulty of a partially failed data storage device to a spare data storage device which reduces the amount of data that must be rebuilt in the rebuild process, thereby reducing the amount of time the array spends in degraded mode exposed to a total loss of data caused by a subsequent data storage device failure.

Partial data storage device failures and improved storage resiliency

A mass data storage system including a hard disk drive comprising heads and platter surfaces determines when a head of the disk is faulty and the disk continues to operate as a partially failed disk with respect to the remaining heads which are not faulty. A striped parity disk array comprises disks capable of operating as partially failed disks allows copying of data from the platter surfaces not associated with a faulty head of a partially failed disk to a spare disk which reduces the amount of data that must be rebuilt in the rebuild process, thereby reducing the amount of time the array spends in degraded mode exposed to a total loss of data caused by a subsequent disk failure.

Partial disk failures and improved storage resiliency

A storage management module for evaluating and repairing errors during monitoring or testing of storage devices of a storage system is described herein. When a storage device exhibits errors that reaches (in number) an error threshold, the storage management module determines whether any errors are due to damaged sectors localized in a single physical area of a predetermined size (referred to as a 'patch') of a platter of the storage device using the physical addresses of the errors. Two or more errors may be grouped as a single error if they are located within a predetermined threshold distance from each other on a platter and counted as a single error against the error threshold. A patch containing two or more damaged sectors is referred to as a 'damaged' patch. In some embodiments, all sectors of a damaged patch (including undamaged sectors) are reassigned to spare sectors.

Evaluating and repairing errors during servicing of storage devices

Methods and apparatus for processing a seek request on a disk drive apparatus having a disk drive head is disclosed. The seek request is processed. During the seek request, the disk drive head is traversed across an actual distance. At least one expected seek time associated with the actual distance is obtained from a set of seek time data. One or more measurements are performed on the disk drive apparatus to obtain an update value. At least one expected seek time is then updated such that at least part of the update value is included in the at least one expected seek time.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Tim K Emami