Method for configuring a composite drive for a disk drive array controller

Claim 1

A method for configuring a composite drive for a disk drive array controller within a computer system, comprising the steps of: installing a plurality of disk drives on a bus of said computer system, each of said plurality of disk drives having a user data region, a first portion of which contains a first subset of information common to each of said plurality of disk drives and a second portion of which contains a second subset of information specific to each of said disk drives, wherein said first subset of information is comprised of a first field which indicates a total number of physical drives in said composite drive used for data storage and a second field which indicates a total number of physical drives in said composite drive used for data redundancy, and wherein said second subset of information is comprised of a logical position of said each of said plurality of disk drives within said composite drive; combining said first and second fields to determine a total number of physical drives included as a part of said composite drive: combining said logical position of each of said disk drives with said total number of physical disk drives included as part of said composite drive to determine said configuration for said composite drive; and mapping said composite drive using said determined configuration for said composite drive.

Claim 2

A method for configuring a composite drive for a disk drive array controller within a computer system, comprising the steps of: installing a plurality of disk drives on a bus of said computer system, each of said plurality of disk drives having a user data region, a first portion of which contains a first subset of information common to each of said plurality of disk drives and a second portion of which contains a second subset of information specific to each of said disk drives, wherein said first subset of information is comprised of a first field which indicates a total number of physical drives in said composite drive used for data storage and a second field which indicates a total number of physical drives in said composite drive used for data redundancy, and wherein said second subset of information is comprised of a logical position of said each of said plurality of disk drives within said composite drive; combining said first and second fields to determine a total number of physical drives included as a part of said composite drive: combining said logical position of each of said disk drives with said total number of physical disk drives included as part of said composite drive to determine said configuration for said composite drive; and mapping said composite drive using said determined configuration for said composite drive.

Claim 5

A method for configuring at least one composite drive for a disk drive array controller, comprising the steps of: installing said disk drive array controller within a computer system, said disk drive array controller having a memory portion in which a list of a plurality of composite drives installed on a bus of said computer system is stored; installing a plurality of disk drives on said bus of said computer system, each of said disk drives having a user data region including a first portion and a second portion, said first portion of which contains a first field containing a composite drive ID number for a composite drive, a second field which indicates the total number of physical disk drives in said composite drive which are used for data storage, and a third field which indicates the total number of physical disk drives in said composite drive which are used for data redundancy, said second portion of which contains a logical position of said each of said plurality of disk drives within said composite drive corresponding to said composite drive ID number; comparing said composite drive ID number for each of said plurality of disk drives to said list of said plurality of composite drives; combining said second and third fields of at least one of said plurality of disk drives having an associated composite drive ID number that matches a listed composite drive to determine the total number of physical disk drives included as part of said listed composite drive; determining a configuration for said listed composite drive using said total number of physical disk drives included as part of said listed composite drive and said logical position of each disk drive having said composite drive ID number that matches said listed composite drive ID; and mapping said listed composite drive using said configuration.

Claim 6

A method for configuring at least one composite drive for a disk drive array controller, comprising the steps of: installing said disk drive array controller within a computer system, said disk drive array controller having a memory portion in which a list of a plurality of composite drives installed on a bus of said computer system is stored; installing a plurality of disk drives on said bus of said computer system, each of said disk drives having a user data region including a first portion and a second portion, said first portion of which contains a first field containing a composite drive ID number for a composite drive, a second field which indicates the total number of physical disk drives in said composite drive which are used for data storage, and a third field which indicates the total number of physical disk drives in said composite drive which are used for data redundancy, said second portion of which contains a logical position of said each of said plurality of disk drives within said composite drive corresponding to said composite drive ID number; comparing said composite drive ID number for each of said plurality of disk drives to said list of said plurality of composite drives; combining said second and third fields of at least one of said plurality of disk drives having an associated composite drive ID number that matches a listed composite drive to determine the total number of physical disk drives included as part of said listed composite drive; determining a configuration for said listed composite drive using said total number of physical disk drives included as part of said listed composite drive and said logical position of each disk drive having said composite drive ID number that matches said listed composite drive ID; and mapping said listed composite drive using said configuration.

Claim 10

A method for configuring a composite drive for a disk drive array controller within a computer system comprising the steps of: installing a plurality of disk drives in a first physical arrangement on a bus of said computer system, each of said disk drives having a user data region, a first portion of which includes a first subset of information indicative of a total number of physical disk drives included as part of said composite drive and a second portion including a second subset of information comprised of a logical position of said each of said plurality of disk drives within said composite drive; reading said first subset of information and said second subset of information from said each of said plurality of disk drives; mapping said each of said plurality of disk drives within said composite drive according to said logical position indicated by said second subset of information read from said each of said plurality of disk drives; re-installing said plurality of disk drives in a second physical arrangement different from said first physical arrangement; re-reading said first subset of information and said second subset of information from said each of said plurality of disk drives; and re-mapping said each of said plurality of disk drives within said composite drive according to said logical position indicated by said second subset of information re-read from said each of said plurality of disk drives.

Claim 11

A method for configuring a composite drive for a disk drive array controller within a computer system comprising the steps of: installing a plurality of disk drives in a first physical arrangement on a bus of said computer system, each of said disk drives having a user data region, a first portion of which includes a first subset of information indicative of a total number of physical disk drives included as part of said composite drive and a second portion including a second subset of information comprised of a logical position of said each of said plurality of disk drives within said composite drive; reading said first subset of information and said second subset of information from said each of said plurality of disk drives; mapping said each of said plurality of disk drives within said composite drive according to said logical position indicated by said second subset of information read from said each of said plurality of disk drives; re-installing said plurality of disk drives in a second physical arrangement different from said first physical arrangement; re-reading said first subset of information and said second subset of information from said each of said plurality of disk drives; and re-mapping said each of said plurality of disk drives within said composite drive according to said logical position indicated by said second subset of information re-read from said each of said plurality of disk drives.