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US 9,710,345 B2Granted
Using unused portion of the storage space of physical storage devices configured as a RAID
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsGaurav Chhaunker, Muthu A. Muthiah, Dhaval K. Shah, Ganesh Sivaperuman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Physical storage devices are configured as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID). As such, storage space of the physical storage devices is allocated to the RAID, and each physical storage device is part of the RAID. Where a portion of the storage space of the physical storage devices is not allocated to the RAID, this portion of the storage space is configured so that it is usable and is not wasted.
Claims17
A method comprising:
- configuring, by a device, a plurality of physical storage devices as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), one of the physical storage devices having a larger capacity than other of the physical storage devices, a portion of the larger capacity being a storage space not allocated to the RAID and unusable by the RAID;
- in response to the physical storage devices now including a failed physical storage device other than the physical storage device having the storage space not allocated to the RAID and unusable by the RAID,
- configuring the storage space of the one of the physical storage devices that is not allocated to the RAID and unusable by the RAID as a temporary storage space for the RAID, the RAID being rebuilt on a replacement physical storage device and on the physical storage devices except for the failed physical storage device after installation of the replacement physical storage device for the failed physical storage device;
- while the RAID is being rebuilt, receiving data from a requestor for writing to the RAID but writing the data instead to the temporary storage space and responding back to the requestor that the data has been written to the RAID;
- and
- after the RAID has been rebuilt, copying the data written to the temporary storage space to the RAID as a whole, and reconfiguring the storage space of the physical storage device that is not allocated to the RAID to again be unusable.
3 more elements
A system comprising:
- a plurality of physical storage devices greater in number than two and configurable as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), one of the physical storage devices having a larger capacity than other of the physical storage devices, a portion of the larger capacity being a storage space not allocated in the RAID and unusable by the RAID;
- and
- a controller to, in response to the physical storage devices now including a failed physical storage device other than the physical storage device having the storage space not allocated to the RAID and unusable by the RAID,
- configure the storage space of the one of the physical storage devices that is not allocated to the RAID and unusable by the RAID as a temporary storage space for the RAID, the RAID being rebuilt on a replacement physical storage device and on the physical storage devices except for the failed physical storage device after installation of the replacement physical storage device for the failed physical storage device;
- while the RAID is being rebuilt, receive data from a requestor for writing to the RAID but write the data instead to the temporary storage space and responding back to the requestor that the data has been written to the RAID;
- and
- after the RAID has been rebuilt, copy the data written to the temporary storage space to the RAID as a whole, and reconfigure the storage space of the physical storage device that is not allocated to the RAID to again be unusable.
4 more elements
A computer program product comprising:
- a hardware storage device storing computer-readable code executable by a processor in relation to a plurality of physical storage devices configurable as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), one of the physical storage devices having a larger capacity than other of the physical storage devices, a portion of the larger capacity being a storage space not allocated to the RAID and unusable by the RAID,
- wherein the computer-readable code is to, in response to the physical storage devices now including a failed physical storage device other than the physical storage device having the storage space not allocated to the RAID and unusable by the RAID,
- configure the storage space of the one of the physical storage devices that is not allocated to the RAID and unusable by the RAID as a temporary storage space for the RAID, the RAID being rebuilt after installation of a replacement physical storage device for the failed physical storage device;
- while the RAID is being rebuilt on a replacement physical storage device and on the physical storage devices except for the failed physical storage device after installation of the replacement physical storage device for the failed physical storage device;
- and
- after the RAID has been rebuilt, copy the data written to the temporary storage space to the RAID as a whole, and reconfigure the storage space of the physical storage device that is not allocated to the RAID to again be unusable.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.