US 5,966,510 AGranted

SCSI-coupled module for monitoring and controlling SCSI-coupled raid bank and bank environment

AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC

InventorsGuy A. Carbonneau, Bernie Wu, Tim Jones

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Abstract

An intelligent status monitoring, reporting and control module is coupled to a SCSI bus that interconnects a cluster of SCSI-compatible data storage modules (e.g., magnetic disk drives). The status monitoring, reporting and control module is otherwise coupled to the cluster of SCSI-compatible data storage modules and to power maintenance and/or other maintenance subsystems of the cluster for monitoring and controlling states of the data storage modules and power maintenance and/or other maintenance subsystems that are not readily monitored or controlled directly by way of the SCSI bus. The status monitoring, reporting and control module sends status reports to a local or remote system supervisor and executes control commands supplied by the local or remote system supervisor. The status reports include reports about system temperature and power conditions. The executable commands include commands for regulating system temperature and power conditions.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A digital data storage system comprising:

(a) SCSI bus;
(b) a plurality of individually transportable data storage units each operatively but removably coupled to the SCSI bus for transferring data stored or data to-be-stored in said data storage unit over the SCSI bus in accordance with SCSI protocol, at least two of said storage units defining a RAID cluster wherein file data is preserved even if one storage unit within the cluster fails;
(c) a status defining module operatively coupled to the SCSI bus for transferring status-defining data over the SCSI bus in accordance with the SCSI protocol;
(d) a cabinet for securely enclosing the plural data storage units and the status defining module, the cabinet having two or more lockable access doors, each of the doors respectively defining a selective access means by way of which one or more of the plural data storage units may be physically accessed in a respectively different way for disconnection from the SCSI bus and removal from the cabinet either individually or as part of a pack of data storage units;
(e) one or more door locking mechanisms for locking closed ones of the lockable access doors;
and
(f) two or more door status sensors operatively coupled to the respective two or more access doors for detecting whether and which of each access door is in an open or closed state,
(c.1) wherein said status defining module includes accessibility reporting means, operatively coupled to said one or more door status sensors, for interrogating the two or more door status sensors and for outputting a door-status report onto the SCSI bus as part of said status-defining data, the door-status report indicating whether and which of each of the two or more access doors is open or closed.

5 more elements

A data storage subsystem comprising:

(a) a first transportable support cage for transportably supporting a removable first plurality of data storage units, the first cage including a first SCSI backplane to which said data storage units are removably connectable, the first SCSI backplane being for carrying signals of a SCSI bus;
and
(b) a status defining board mounted to the first support cage for allowing transport in combination of the status defining board and the first support cage while said board remains mounted to the first support cage,
(b.1) the status defining board including a SCSI interface module for connecting to the SCSI bus, and
(b.2) the status defining board further comprising first local temperature sensing means for sensing one or more local temperatures in respective one or more portions of the first transportable support cage,
(b.3) the status defining board further including analysis and report generating means for analyzing the one or more local temperatures sensed by the first local temperature sensing means and for responsively generating first warning reports of warning-worthy developments in the one or more local temperatures sensed by the first local temperature sensing means, where said first warning reports are transmittable over said SCSI bus from said status defining board.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/998,585Filed 29 Dec 1997 · continuation
Priority: 12 Nov 1993
Granted: 12 Oct 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

G06F 3/0614
Specifically adapted to achieve a particular effect: improving the reliability of storage systems
G06F 3/0607
Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management: by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for…
G06F 3/0653
Making use of a particular technique: monitoring storage devices or systems
G06F 3/0689
Plurality of storage devices: disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD