Method for performing on-line reconfiguration of a disk array concurrent with execution of disk I/O operations
US5574851A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 7, 1995 |
| Grant date | Nov 12, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 7, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/1096
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An architecture for on-line reconfiguration on a RAID level 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 disk array. This architecture allows the computer system to perform reconfiguration of the disk array transparently, with disk I/O operations being performed concurrently with reconfiguration operations. The reconfiguration process allocates computer system resources necessary to support both the old and new array configurations during the reconfiguration process. Logical areas within the array are sequentially reconfigured from the old configuration to the new configuration. Data in each logical area is read from the area undergoing reconfiguration and thereafter overwritten in accordance with the new array configuration. System I/O requests received during reconfiguration which are directed to unreconfigured areas in the disk array are executed in accordance with the old array configuration. System I/O requests received during reconfiguration which are directed to reconfigured areas in the disk array are executed in accordance with the new array configuration.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.