Taking in-use computer drives offline for testing
AssigneeDell USA, L.P.
InventorKen Jeffries
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system to enable extended testing of computer system drives that allows concurrent processing of input/output requests directed at the physical drive being tested, the computer system having a plurality of drives, a drive testing program stored in the computer's memory, and a drive exchange program stored in the computer's memory. The drive exchange program includes the steps of a) copying information and writes from a drive to be tested to a spare drive, b) logically replacing the drive to be tested with the spare drive, c) interfacing with the drive testing program, and d) allowing the drive testing program to test the drive to be tested.
Claims14
A computer system comprising a plurality of drives, a memory, a drive testing program stored in the memory, and a drive exchange program stored in the memory, the drive exchange program having instructions for performing the following steps:
- a. copying information and writes from a drive to be tested to a spare drive;
- b. logically replacing the drive to be tested with the spare drive;
- c. interfacing with the drive testing program;
- and
- d. after the step of copying information and writing from the drive to be tested to the spare drive, allowing the drive testing program to test the drive to be tested.
A computer system comprising a plurality of drives, a memory, a drive testing program stored in the memory, and a drive exchange program stored in the memory, the drive exchange program having instructions for performing the following steps:
- a. selecting a drive for testing;
- b. allocating a spare drive to replace the drive selected for testing;
- c. copying information and writing from the drive to be tested to the spare drive;
- d. logically replacing the drive to be tested with the spare drive;
- e. interfacing with the drive testing program;
- f. after the step of copying information and writing from the drive to be tested to the spare drive, allowing the drive testing program to test the drive to be tested;
- g. querying whether the tested drive is suitable for use;
- h. if the tested drive is unsuitable for use, signaling the user of the unsuitability of the drive;
- and
- i. if the tested drive is suitable for use, returning the tested drive to the pool of spare drives.
A method to enable extended testing of computer system drives that allows concurrent processing of input/output requests directed at the physical drive being tested, the computer system having a plurality of drives, a memory, a drive testing program stored in the memory, and a drive exchange program stored in the memory, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. copying information and writing from a drive to be tested to a spare drive;
- b. logically replacing the drive to be tested with the spare drive;
- c. interfacing with the drive testing program;
- and
- d. after the step of copying information and writing from the drive to be tested to the spare drive, allowing the drive testing program to test the drive to be tested.
A method to enable extended testing of computer system drives that allows concurrent processing of input/output requests directed at the physical drive being tested, the computer system having a plurality of drives, a memory, a drive testing program stored in the memory, and a drive failure prediction program stored in the memory, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. selecting a drive for testing;
- b. allocating a spare drive to replace the drive selected for testing;
- c. copying information and writing from the drive to be tested to the spare drive;
- d. logically replacing the drive to be tested with the spare drive;
- e. interfacing with the drive testing program;
- and
- f. after the step of copying information and writing from the drive to be tested to the spare drive, allowing the drive testing program to test the drive to be tested;
- g. querying whether the tested drive is suitable for use;
- h. if the tested drive is unsuitable for use, signaling the user of the unsuitability of the drive;
- and
- i. if the tested drive is suitable for use, returning the tested drive to the pool of spare drives.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.