Hitachi, Ltd.

Toshio Tachibana

Takashi Chikusa

Hirotaka Honma

Takehiro Maki

Satoru Yamaura

Seiki Morita

Masanori Hori

A disk array apparatus using an SAS can transfer data without lowering a transfer efficiency of data even if rates of a plurality of physical links connected to a controller and storage device are different. A plurality of HDDs are connected to a controller through an expander. Data are transferred from the controller to the expander and then to HDD. In this connection, the controller and the expander transfers a set of transfer data in a plurality of the HDD-side physical links. The controller-side physical link integrates the transfer data, and multiplexes them to transfer. A plurality of HDDs-side physical links separates the transfer data to transfer in parallel.

Disk array apparatus

A disk array system is provided, which can improve data reliability by verifying addressing correctness of data access by applying a redundant code to user data even if using an HDD compatible with serial ATA, etc. whose sector length cannot be extended. When writing the object data to an HDD, a controller stores partly-extracted data of the object data in a control area and performs an XOR operation between the partly-extracted data and a check code generated by calculations. Then, the operation-resultant data (CC-embedded data) are returned to the object data and written in the HDD. Also, when reading the object data from the HDD, the controller fetches the CC-embedded data, performs an XOR operation between the fetched data and the check code, and compares and collates the operation-resultant data with the partly-extracted data in the control area to check the addressing correctness and restore the user data.

Disk array system

In a disk array device for cooling respective sections including a HDD by a fan, drop of cooling efficiency by the difference of conditions of HDD mounted and unmounted sections is prevented and the use of a dummy HDD is deleted/eliminated. A housing contains a HDA mounted on the HDD, a power controller board for performing control to the HDD, a power unit for supplying power to each section, a fan for cooling the housing therein, and a backboard for connecting all the sections. On one backboard surface, the HDA is mounted, which has a cooling function for making cooling air flowing in the housing and exhausting air from the housing via a region on which the HDA are mounted and via a vent hole on the backboard. For the vent hole, a shutter is mounted, which has a mechanism for adjusting an open area rate of the vent hole by opening when the HDA is mounted and closing when removed.

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Atami, Japan

Toshio Tachibana