Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Pulse or data error handling – Digital data error correction
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-12
2002-02-26
Tu, Christine T. (Department: 2133)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Pulse or data error handling
Digital data error correction
C711S114000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06351838
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data storage systems for multidimensional parity protection, and more particularly to data storage systems for multidimensional parity protection which may be created independently of existing systems and which may be created to be retrofittable to existing multiple drive disk systems. The invention includes a housing containing a plurality of parity disk drives for guarding data stored on conventional data disk drives with means for data reconstruction of data from conventional disk drives such that a multidimensional, mirrored, orthogonal parity array is established.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following patents describe the state of the art in relevant data storage systems:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,012 to Blaum et al. teaches a method and means for encoding data written onto an array of M synchronous DASDs and for rebuilding onto spare DASD array capacity when up to two array DASD fail. Data is mapped into the DASD array using an (M−1) *M data array as the storage model where M is a prime number. Pairs of simple parities are recursively encoded over data in respective diagonal major and intersecting row major order array directions. The encoding traverse covers a topologically cylindrical path.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,246 to Blaum et al. teaches a method and means for coding an (M−1) *M data array written onto an array of M synchronous recording paths and for rebuilding and writing onto spare recording path capacity when up to a preselected number R of array DASDs fail, or one DASD becomes erroneous and up to R−2 fail. Data is mapped into the parallel paths using and (M−1)*M data and parity block array as the storage model where M is a prime number and each block extent is uniform and at least one bit in length. The (M−1)*M data and parity block array is encoded to include zero XOR sums along a traverse of slopes 0,1,2, . . . , P−1, extended cyclically over the data array.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,661 to Hao et al. teaches a data storage system architecture having an array of small data storage disks, organized into logical rows and columns, with each disk coupled to two disk controllers via two independent controller-disk interconnects. No two disks are coupled to the same pair of controllers. The component disks are arranged in parity groups of variable size. Within each parity group, failure of one disk sector can be recovered through data reconstruction using data from other disks in the parity group. One or more of the disks can be reserved as hot standbys for substitution on failure, automatically replacing any failed disk.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,659 to Iwasa et al. teaches an adapter connected between a host computer and disk storage devices providing interfaces for connecting to the host computer and the disk storage devices having the same interface design. The adapter includes control means for building a redundant disk storage system and includes means for detecting and indicating a failed disk storage device, means for replacing the failed disk storage device and means for rebuilding a redundant disk storage system after the replacement of disk storage devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,339 to Baba teaches an array of disk drives for storing information which is accessed through multiple channels by a host computer. Different channels are coupled to different sequences of disk drives. Different disk drives can be accessed simultaneously through different channels, enabling high data transfer rates. The same disk drive can be accessed through two different channels, enabling access even if one of the channels is busy or malfunctioning. In one case, the channels are divided into at least two mutually exclusive sets of channels, each set providing access to all of the disk drives.
A text by Garth A. Gibson and David A. Patterson entitled, “Designing Disk Arrays for High Data Reliability”, a text by Peter M. Chen and Garth A. Gibson entitled, “RAID-II: A High-Bandwidth Network File Server”, a text by Garth A Gibson and Jeffrey Scott Vitter and John Wilkes entitled, “Report of the Working Group on Storage I/O for Large Scale Computing”, a text by Garth A. Gibson entitled, “Redundant Disk Arrays, Reliable, Parallel Secondary Storage” and a text by Garth A. Gibson, Lisa Hellerstein, Richard M. Karp, Randy H. Katz and David A. Patterson entitled, “Coding Techniques for Handling Failures in Large Disk Arrays,” describes various types of storage protection and secondary disk arrays.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the prior art neither teaches nor suggests a data storage system for multidimensional parity protection including for retrofit or use with a plurality of conventional disk drives for storing data wherein each of the conventional data disk drives is symmetrically linked to at least three parity disk drives for guarding data stored on the data disk drives, as taught by the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A data storage system for multidimensional parity protection includes a housing for containing a plurality parity disk drives for guarding data stored on a plurality of conventional data disk drives. Each of the conventional data disk drives are connected with the parity disk drives so as to create a multidimensional parity relationship in excess of two dimensions, with the plurality of parity data disk drives such that a multidimensional, mirrored, orthogonal parity array is established. The data storage system further includes a failure detection component coupled to the three dimensional, mirrored, orthogonal parity arrays for detecting and indicating the failure of any disk in the mirrored, orthogonal parity arrays. In addition, a data reconstruction component is coupled to the three dimensional, mirrored orthogonal parity arrays for reconstructing data from any failed disk by combining data from other parity disks in the orthogonal parity arrays.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5124987 (1992-06-01), Milligan et al.
patent: 5271012 (1993-12-01), Blaum et al.
patent: 5351246 (1994-09-01), Blaum et al.
patent: 5412661 (1995-05-01), Hao et al.
patent: 5530948 (1996-06-01), Islam
patent: 5544339 (1996-08-01), Baba
patent: 5572659 (1996-11-01), Iwasa et al.
patent: 5774643 (1998-06-01), Lubbers et al.
patent: 5778426 (1998-07-01), DeKoning et al.
patent: 6154853 (2000-11-01), Kedem
patent: 6223252 (2001-04-01), Bandera et al.
patent: 6223323 (2001-04-01), Wescott
Menon, J et al. (Methods for improved update performance of disk arrays; IEEE, Jan. 7-10, 1992).*
Yeung, K.H. et al. (Dynamic parity logging disk arrays for engineering database systems; Computers and Digital Techniques, IEE Proceedings; Sep. 1997).*
Holland, M. et al. (Fast, on-line failure recovery in redundant disk arrays; The Twenty-Third International Symposium on Fault-Tolerant Computing, Jun. 22-24, 1993; Aug. 1993),*
Designing Disk Arrays for High Data Reliability Garth A. Gibson et al.
RAID-II: A High-Bandwidth Network File Server Ann L. Drapeau et al.
Report of the Working Group on Storage I/O for Large Scale Computing Garth A. Gibson et al. Nov. 1996.
Redundant Disk Arrays Reliable Parallel Secondary Storage Garth A. Gibson 1991.
Coding Techniques for Handling Failures in Large Disk Arrays Lisa Hellerstein et al.
RAID: High Performance, Reliable Secondary Storage Peter M. Chen et al.
Aurora Communications, Inc
Glynn Kenneth P.
Lamarre Guy
Tu Christine T.
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