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EP0559487A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Handling data in a system having a processor for controlling access to a plurality of data storage disks

Assignee: EMC Corp
•
Filing: 1993-03-05
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2013-03-05
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Abstract

Abstract A method for handling data in a plurality of data storage disks (A-E) having user data sectors and corresponding parity sectors, the method being used when the disks are being operated in a degraded mode wherein data in sectors (1) of an inoperative user data disk (C) are reconstructed from a data in the corresponding sectors of the other user data disks (A,B,D) and the corresponding parity entry. The reconstructed user data in a user data sector of the inoperative disk is written into the corresponding parity sector in place of the parity entry therein, before any new data is written into the corresponding sector of an operative disk. Information identifying the inoperative disk is written into a specified identification region (21) of the parity disk to indicate that such operation has occurred. The new data is then written into the corresponding sector of the operative disk.

Inventors

  • 👤 Robert C. Solomon
  • 👤 Stephen J. Todd

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-06 14:03
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11C; G11C29/00; G11C29/70; G11C29/88; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/07; G06F11/08; G06F11/10; G06F11/1076; G06F11/1084; G06F11/14; G06F11/1402; G06F11/1415; G06F2211/00; G06F2211/10; G06F2211/1002; G06F2211/104

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim 205 words
A machine method for handling data in a system having a processor for controlling access to a plurality of data storage disks, wherein storage sectors of a selected number of said disks contain user data and storage sectors of a selected one of said disks contain redundant parity entries which match with the user data entries in the sectors corresponding thereto, corresponding user data sectors and parity sectors in said disks forming identifiable sector groups, said method being used when said plurality of disks are being operated in a degraded mode wherein one of said user data disks is inoperative and the user data therein is reconstructed from the user data in the remaining user data disks and the parity entries in the parity disk, said method including the steps wherein before writing new data into a selected sector of an operative disk, writing the reconstructed user data for the corresponding sector of the inoperative disk into the corresponding parity sector of the parity disk to replace the parity entry therein; entering at a specified identification. location, information identifying the inoperative disk whose reconstructed data has been written into the parity disk; and writing the new data into the selected sector of the operative disk.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 97 words
A method in accordance with claims 1 and further including the steps wherein if data cannot be read from a sector of the inoperative disk, reading the information in the specified identification location to determine whether the entry in the corresponding parity sector of the parity disk is the reconstructed data of the inoperative disk; and reading the data in the corresponding parity sector of the parity disk if the information in said specified identification location identifies the entry in the corresponding parity sector as the reconstructed data for the corresponding data sector of the inoperative disk.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 24 words
A method in accordance with claim 1 or 2, in which the specified identification location is a specified identification region of said parity disk.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 144 words
Data processing apparatus comprising a plurality of data storage disks (A-E), and a processor (25) for controlling access to said disks, and in which storage sectors (1) of some of the disks (A-D) contain user data and storage sectors of one of the disks (E) contain parity entries which normally match the user data entries in the sectors corresponding thereto, and in which the processor is operative, when one of the user data disks (C) is inoperative, such that, before new data is written into a selected sector of an operative disk, reconstructed user data for the corresponding sector of the inoperative disk is written into the corresponding parity sector of the parity disk to replace the parity entry therein, and information identifying the inoperative disk whose reconstructed data has been written into the parity disk is entered at a specified identification location (21).

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