JP6340796B2 - RAID controller, RAID apparatus, and information processing apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) technique which is a typical implementation form of a disk array system.

  A RAID device is a device that realizes an improvement in performance and reliability of access processing by combining a plurality of hard disk devices (Hard Disk Drive, HDD) and operating as a single virtual hard disk. The RAID controller of the RAID device controls the HDDs connected in parallel so that they are logically recognized as one disk by other systems. This RAID controller includes a memory. This memory has a memory area in which firmware operates, a buffer memory area, and a cache memory area. If any operation failure occurs due to secular change or the like in each area of the memory, the RAID controller cannot continue the operation.

  As a technique for preventing such a failure, Patent Document 1 discloses a RAID device in which a RAID controller is duplicated. The RAID device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a redundant RAID controller, and each RAID controller is configured to have a separate memory. With this configuration, even if the RAID controller cannot operate due to a failure in the memory of one RAID controller, the operation of the RAID device can be continued by operating the other RAID controller. In particular, even when a failure that cannot be repaired occurs in the memory, the operation of the RAID device can be continued by the other RAID controller.

JP 2004-206239 A

  However, the RAID device of Patent Document 1 has the following problems. That is, since two sets of RAID controllers are provided, and each controller includes a separate memory, the number of parts and the mounting area are increased. As a result, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the device and increase the device cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a RAID controller, a RAID apparatus, and an information processing using the same, which have improved fault tolerance without hindering downsizing and cost reduction of the apparatus. Is to provide a device.

  The RAID controller of the present invention is a RAID controller of a RAID apparatus incorporated in an information processing apparatus having a system memory, wherein the RAID controller has a first memory and a second memory, and the second memory is It has a part of the system memory, and the first memory and the second memory are mirrored.

  The RAID device according to the present invention is a RAID device incorporated in an information processing device having a system memory, wherein the RAID controller of the RAID device has a first memory and a second memory, and the second memory is It has a part of the system memory, and the first memory and the second memory are mirrored.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus having a system memory and a RAID device, wherein the RAID controller of the RAID device has a first memory and a second memory, and the second memory is the A part of the system memory is included, and the first memory and the second memory are mirrored.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a RAID controller, a RAID apparatus, and an information processing apparatus using the same, which have improved fault tolerance without hindering downsizing and cost reduction of the apparatus.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the RAID controller of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, a RAID apparatus, and an information processing apparatus using the same. It is a figure which shows the structure of the RAID controller of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, a RAID apparatus, and an information processing apparatus using the same. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the preferred embodiments described below are technically preferable for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the invention is not limited to the following.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an information processing apparatus incorporating a RAID apparatus having a RAID controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The RAID controller of this embodiment is the RAID controller 102 of the RAID device 101 incorporated in the information processing apparatus 100 having the system memory 105. The RAID controller 102 has a first memory 103 and a second memory 104, the second memory has a part of the system memory 105, and the first memory 103 and the second memory 104 are mirrored. It is characterized by that.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a RAID controller, a RAID apparatus, and an information processing apparatus using the same, which have improved fault tolerance without hindering downsizing and cost reduction of the apparatus.
(Second Embodiment)
(Description of configuration)
FIG. 2 shows the configuration of an information processing apparatus incorporating a RAID apparatus having a RAID controller according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The information processing apparatus 1 is a server or the like, and includes a CPU 2 (Central Processing Unit), a common bus 3, and a system memory 4. The CPU 2 controls the common bus 3 and the system memory 4. The RAID controller 6 of the RAID device 19 is connected to the common bus 3. The CPU 2 performs data transfer and instruction with the RAID device 19. The RAID device 19 includes a RAID controller 6 and a plurality of HDDs 10.

  The RAID controller 6 includes a microprocessor 7, RAID controller memory 8, flash memory 9, and memory mirroring means 18. The RAID controller 6 is controlled by the microprocessor 7.

  The flash memory 9 stores a RAID controller BIOS and firmware. The microprocessor 7 reads the RAID controller BIOS and firmware from the flash memory 9 and controls the RAID controller 6. The flash memory 9 is also used for storing a log.

  The microprocessor 7 further controls the RAID controller memory 8 and the HDD 10. The HDD 10 stores an operating system 11. The operating system 11 includes a RAID controller driver 12 and a RAID controller management utility 17.

  The CPU 2 loads the RAID controller driver 12 and controls the RAID controller 6 by the RAID controller driver 12. Further, the CPU 2 loads the RAID controller management utility 17, monitors the log stored in the flash memory 9 by the RAID controller management utility 17, and notifies the operator of the abnormality of the RAID controller 6.

  The RAID controller memory 8 is a first memory and includes firmware 13-1, a buffer area 14-1, and a cache area 15-1.

  The system memory 4 is a second memory and has a RAID controller memory area 5. The RAID controller memory area 5 includes a firmware area 13-2, a buffer area 14-2, and a cache area 15-2.

  The microprocessor 7 uses the memory mirroring means 18 to update the firmware 13-1 of the RAID controller memory 8, the buffer area 14-1, the cache area 15-1, and the firmware area 13-2 of the RAID controller memory area 5. The buffer area 14-2 and the cache area 15-2 are mirrored and operated. The memory mirroring means 18 has a function of synchronizing the system memory 4 and the RAID controller memory 8.

The microprocessor 7 has an error register 16, and when an abnormality such as a memory error is detected, by setting an error bit in the error register 16, the firmware or the RAID controller BIOS can recognize the abnormality.
(Description of operation)
The operation of the information processing apparatus 1 incorporating the RAID apparatus 19 having the RAID controller 6 of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus 1 incorporating the RAID device 19 having the RAID controller 6 of the present embodiment. With the operation of the flowchart of FIG. 3, it is possible to prepare for memory switching when a memory abnormality of the RAID controller 6 is detected during operation of the information processing apparatus 1.

  The flowchart of FIG. 3 starts when the information processing apparatus 1 is activated.

  In step S <b> 101, the CPU 2 secures a RAID controller memory area 5 in the system memory 4 by processing of the RAID controller BIOS loaded from the flash memory 9 via the common bus 3 and the microprocessor 7. The RAID controller memory area 5 includes a firmware area 13-2, a buffer area 14-2, and a cache area 15-2.

  In step S102, the CPU 2 loads the firmware from the flash memory 9 by the processing of the RAID controller BIOS, and loads the firmware area 13-1 of the RAID controller memory 8 and the firmware area 13-2 of the RAID controller memory area 5 into the firmware area 13-2. Store each firmware.

  In step S103, the microprocessor 7 uses the memory controller 18 to mirror the RAID controller memory 8 and the RAID controller memory area 5 for buffer and cache for data transfer with the HDD 10. . Specifically, the buffer area 14-1 and the buffer area 14-2, and the cache area 15-1 and the cache area 15-2 are mirrored and operated.

  In step S104, the CPU 2 monitors whether or not the firmware in the firmware area 13-1 is operating normally by monitoring the response time of data communication by the processing of the RAID controller driver 12.

  The flowchart of FIG. 3 ends when the operation of the information processing apparatus 1 ends.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus 1 incorporating the RAID apparatus 19 having the RAID controller 6 of the present embodiment. By the operation of the flowchart of FIG. 4, when a memory abnormality of the RAID controller 6 is detected during the operation of the information processing apparatus 1, the operation can be continued by switching the memory.

  In step S <b> 201, the microprocessor 7 detects a memory error that cannot be repaired on the RAID controller memory 8.

  In step S202, the microprocessor 7 sets an error bit in the error register 16 and generates a software interrupt.

  In step S203, the firmware in the firmware area 13-1 operating on the microprocessor 7 recognizes a memory error with reference to the error register 16 by software interrupt.

  In step S204, the firmware that has recognized the memory error stops processing.

  In step S <b> 205, when the CPU 2 detects an abnormality in the firmware process due to no response for a certain time in the process of the RAID controller driver 12, it generates a software interrupt.

In step S206, when detecting the software interrupt of the RAID controller driver 12, the microprocessor 7 switches the firmware loading destination from the firmware area 13-1 to the firmware area 13-2. As a result, the microprocessor 7 can continue processing. In step S207, the microprocessor 7 instructs the memory mirroring means 18 to logically disconnect the RAID controller memory 8 in which the error has occurred, and the RAID controller. Control is continued so that only the memory area 5 is used.

  In step S208, the microprocessor 7 stores the abnormality of the RAID controller memory 8 in the flash memory 9 as a log.

  In step S209, the CPU 2 notifies the operator of the abnormality in the RAID controller memory 8 based on the log in the flash memory 9 by the processing of the RAID controller management utility 17, and ends the process.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus 1 incorporating the RAID apparatus 19 having the RAID controller 6 of the present embodiment. With the operation of the flowchart of FIG. 5, when a memory abnormality of the RAID controller 6 is detected during the activation of the information processing apparatus 1, the operation can be continued by switching the memory.

  In step S <b> 301, the microprocessor 7 detects an unrecoverable memory error in the RAID controller memory 8 in the initialization process of the RAID controller 6 performed when the information processing apparatus 1 is started.

  In step S302, the microprocessor 7 sets an error bit in the error register 16 to generate a software interrupt.

  In step S303, when the RAID controller BIOS operating in the microprocessor 7 detects a software interrupt, the RAID controller BIOS refers to the error register 16 of the microprocessor 7 to recognize a memory error.

  In step S304, the RAID controller BIOS that has recognized the memory error generates a software interrupt.

  In step S305, the microprocessor 7 that has detected the RAID controller BIOS interrupt switches the firmware load destination from the firmware area 13-1 to the firmware area 13-2. Thereby, the microprocessor 7 can continue the processing.

  In step S306, the microprocessor 7 instructs the memory mirroring means 18 to logically disconnect the RAID controller memory 8 in which the error has occurred, and continues control using only the RAID controller memory area 5.

  In step S307, the microprocessor 7 stores the abnormality of the RAID controller memory 8 in the flash memory 9 as a log.

  In step S308, after the operating system 11 is started up, the CPU 2 notifies the operator of the abnormality in the RAID controller memory 8 based on the log in the flash memory 9 by the processing of the RAID controller management utility 17, and ends.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a part of the system memory included in the information processing apparatus is mirrored with the RAID controller memory. Therefore, there is no increase in the number of components or an increase in mounting area as a RAID controller, and there is no problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the device or increase the device cost.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a RAID controller, a RAID apparatus, and an information processing apparatus using the same, which have improved fault tolerance without hindering downsizing and cost reduction of the apparatus.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and it is also included within the scope of the present invention. Not too long.

1 Information processing device 2 CPU
3 Common bus 4 System memory 5 RAID controller memory area 6 RAID controller 7 Microprocessor 8 RAID controller memory 9 Flash memory 10 HDD
11 Operating system 12 RAID controller driver 13-1, 13-2 Firmware area 14-1, 14-2 Buffer area 15-1, 15-2 Cache area 16 Error register 17 RAID controller management utility 18 Memory mirroring means 19 RAID device DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Information processing apparatus 101 RAID apparatus 102 RAID controller 103 1st memory 104 2nd memory 105 System memory

Claims (6)

In a RAID controller of a RAID device incorporated in an information processing device having a system memory,
The RAID controller is
A first memory provided outside the system memory;
A second memory provided in the system memory;
Memory mirroring means for mirroring the first memory to the second memory;
The first memory and the second memory are:
Each has a firmware area, a buffer area, and a cache area,
A RAID controller characterized by that.     The RAID controller according to claim 1, wherein when a failure occurs in the first memory, the first memory is switched to the second memory. In a RAID device incorporated in an information processing device having a system memory,
The RAID controller of the RAID device is:
A first memory provided outside the system memory;
A second memory provided in the system memory;
Memory mirroring means for mirroring the first memory to the second memory;
The first memory and the second memory are:
Each has a firmware area, a buffer area, and a cache area,
A RAID device characterized by that.     The RAID device according to claim 3, wherein the RAID controller switches the first memory to the second memory when a failure occurs in the first memory. A system memory, the information processing apparatus R AID device is incorporated,
The RAID controller of the RAID device is:
A first memory provided outside the system memory;
A second memory provided in the system memory;
Memory mirroring means for mirroring the first memory to the second memory;
The first memory and the second memory are:
Each has a firmware area, a buffer area, and a cache area,
An information processing apparatus characterized by that. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the RAID controller switches the first memory to the second memory when a failure occurs in the first memory.

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