# US 7,610,515 B2 · Disk array device and failure response verification method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,610,515 B2 - Document ID: US7610515B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/304,896 - Filed: 2005-12-16 - Published: 2007-05-03 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2005-10-27 - Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd. - Inventors: Shoichi Kosuge; Takahiro Itto; Akiyori Tamura; Koichi Okada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7610515B2 ## CPC - G06F 11/2221: {to test input/output devices or peripheral units} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract This disk array device having at least one volume that reads and writes data based on an access request transmitted from a client device via a server device, includes: a failure generation unit for generating a simulated failure in one's own device; an access request transmission unit for transmitting the access request transmitted from the client device to the server device; and a verification unit for verifying the setting of the server device regarding the response to the failure based on the response of the server to the access request transmitted from the access request transmission unit in a state of where the failure is being generated with the failure generation unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A disk array device having at least one volume from/to which data is read/written based on an access request transmitted from a first client device via a server device and a storage area network (SAN), the disk array device comprising: a failure generation unit for generating a simulated internal failure of said disk array device; an access request transmission unit simulating as a second client device for creating a simulated access request as if issued from the second client device and transmitting the simulated access request from said disk array device to said server device via a local area network (LAN), the simulated access request being a write or read request for accessing data stored in said disk array device via the LAN, the server device and the SAN; and a verification unit for verifying a setting of said server device for a response to said simulated internal failure based on comparison data, stored in the disk array device and corresponding to the simulated access request transmitted from said access request transmission unit simulating as the second client device in a state that said simulated internal failure is being generated by said failure generation unit, with a response of said server device to the simulated access request transmitted from said access request transmission unit simulating as the second client device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The disk array device according to claim 1, wherein said failure generation unit generates a linkdown failure that disables the communication between said server device and said disk array device for a predetermined time; and wherein said verification unit verifies the setting of said server device regarding the response to said linkdown failure based on the response of said server during said linkdown failure and the response of said server device after said linkdown failure. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The disk array device according to claim 1, wherein said failure generation unit generates an intermittent linkdown failure that disables the communication between said server device and said disk array device intermittently; and wherein said verification unit verifies the setting of said server device regarding the response to said intermittent linkdown failure based on the response of said server device during said intermittent linkdown failure. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The disk array device according to claim 1, wherein said failure generation unit generates a main interface linkdown failure that disables the communication only between said server device and a main interface of said disk array device; and wherein said verification unit verifies the setting of said server device regarding the response to said main interface linkdown failure based on the response of said server device during said main interface linkdown failure. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The disk array device according to claim 1, wherein said failure generation unit generates a response delay failure that delays the reading and writing of said data at said disk array device for a predetermined time; and wherein said verification unit verifies the setting of said server device regarding the response to said response delay failure based on the response of said server device during said response delay failure and the response of said server device after said response delay failure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The disk array device according to claim 1, wherein said failure generation unit generates a plurality of different failures in a prescribed sequence; and wherein said verification unit verifies the setting of said server device regarding the response to each of said plurality of different failures. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The disk array device according to claim 1, wherein said verification unit verifies whether the data corresponding to said simulated access request transmitted to said server device and thereafter transmitted from said server device coincides with the data corresponding to the said simulated access request prior to being transmitted to said server device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The disk array device according to claim 1, further comprising a backup/restoration unit for backing up the volume to be executed based on the verification by said verification unit, and restoring the volume verified with said verification unit to the state prior to backup. ### Claim 9 A failure response verification method executed by a disk array device having at least one volume from/to which data is read/written based on an access request transmitted from a first client device via a server device and a storage area network (SAN), comprising: a first step of generating a simulated internal failure of said disk array device; a second step of creating and transmitting a simulated access request transmitted from said disk array device as if issued from a second client device to said server device via a local area network (LAN), the simulated access request being a write or read request for accessing data stored in said disk array device via the LAN, the server device and the SAN; and a third step of verifying a setting of said server device for a response to said simulated internal failure based on comparison data, stored in the disk array device and corresponding to the simulated access request transmitted at said second step in a state that said simulated internal failure is being generated at said first step, with a response of said server device to the simulated access request. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The failure response verification method according to claim 9, wherein at said first step, a linkdown failure that disables the communication between said server device and said disk array device is generated for a predetermined time; and wherein at said third step, the setting of said server device regarding the response to said linkdown failure is verified based on the response of said server during said linkdown failure and the response of said server device after said linkdown failure. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The failure response verification method according to claim 9, wherein at said first step, an intermittent linkdown failure that disables the communication between said server device and said disk array device is generated intermittently; and wherein at said third step, the setting of said server device regarding the response to said intermittent linkdown failure is verified based on the response of said server device during said intermittent linkdown failure. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The failure response verification method according to claim 9, wherein at said first step, a main interface linkdown failure that disables the communication only between said server device and a main interface of said disk array device is generated; and wherein at said third step, the setting of said server device regarding the response to said main interface linkdown failure is verified based on the response of said server device during said main interface linkdown failure. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The failure response verification method according to claim 9, wherein at said first step, a response delay failure that delays the reading and writing of said data at said disk array device is generated for a predetermined time; and wherein at said third step, the setting of said server device regarding the response to said response delay failure is verified based on the response of said server device during said response delay failure and the response of said server device after said response delay failure. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The failure response verification method according to claim 9, wherein at said first step, a plurality of different failures are generated in a prescribed sequence; and wherein at said third step, the setting of said server device regarding the response to each of said plurality of different failures is verified. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The failure response verification method according to claim 9, wherein at said third step, whether the data corresponding to said simulated access request transmitted to said server device and thereafter transmitted from said server device coincides with the data corresponding to said simulated access request prior to being transmitted to said server device is verified. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The failure response verification method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of backing up the volume to be executed based on the verification at said third step, and restoring said verified volume to the state prior to backup. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The disk array device according to claim 1, wherein said verification unit verifies whether the setting of the server device regarding the response to a failure based upon how the server device responds to a situation that data actually received via the simulated access request is different from a to-be-accessed data indicated in the simulated access request. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The disk array device according to claim 17, wherein the server device is set to perform retry processing upon receiving data that is different from the to-be-accessed data, and wherein the server device receives data that is different from the to-be-accessed data, said verification unit either determines that the server device is normal if the server device performs retry processing and transmits a data read request and if the disk array device later receives the data read request via the server device, or determines that the server device is abnormal if the server device does not perform retry processing. ### Claim 19 (depends on 9) The failure response verification method according to claim 9, wherein said third step involves verifying whether the setting of the server device regarding the response to a failure based upon how the server device responds to a situation that data actually received via the simulated access request is different from a to-be-accessed data indicated in the simulated access request. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The failure response verification method according to claim 19, further comprising: setting the server device to perform retry processing upon receiving data that is different from the to-be-accessed data; and when the server device receives data that is different from the to-be-accessed data, either determining that the server device is normal if the server device performs retry processing and transmits a data read request and if the disk array device later receives the data read request via the server device, or determining that the server device is abnormal if the server device does not perform retry processing.