Patent ID: 9588565
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. A method comprising: monitoring, by a controller, signal activity of data being written to a data storage drive, by reading signals from a data link of the data storage drive, and monitoring an input voltage of a primary power source for the data storage drive, the data storage drive comprising a volatile cache memory and a nonvolatile storage medium and providing data storage for a data storage system, wherein at times data is stored in the volatile cache memory for destaging to the data storage drive nonvolatile storage medium; detecting, by a comparator of the controller, an anomaly in the monitored signal activity wherein the anomaly comprises a lack of signal activity of data being written to the data storage drive and a drop in the input voltage of the primary power source that is indicative of a power loss of the primary power source, wherein if data is not being written to the data storage drive, a power failure anomaly is detected; based upon the detected anomaly, triggering destaging of data from the data storage drive volatile cache memory to the data storage drive nonvolatile storage medium, and disconnecting a communication bus coupled to the data storage drive.