Patent ID: 6351838
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A data storage system for multidimensional parity protection of at least three dimensions, comprising:(a) a housing for containing a plurality of Na conventional disk drives, wherein Na is the number of disk drives and N is greater than two, and a is an integer of at least three, representing the dimensionality of parity protection; (b) a plurality of at least Na conventional data disk drives for storing data located within said housing; (c) a plurality of parity disk drives sufficient in number to provide mirrored, multidimensional, orthogonal parity arrays in at least three dimensions, and equal in number to 2aNc, wherein a is as defined above, and c is aâˆ’1, and wherein each of said conventional data disk drives is linked to at least a number of parity disk drives equal to a, and wherein said plurality of parity disk drives are mirrored for guarding data stored on said data disk drives in a mirrored parity arrangement, each of said conventional data disk drives thereby having a multidimensional parity relationship with at least four of said parity disk drives such that multidimensional, mirrored, orthogonal parity arrays of a dimensionality are established for each of said conventional disk drives and each of said conventional disk drives are related to at least two parity disk drives in each a dimension, thereby establishing a parity group for that conventional disk drive and other conventional disk drives sharing said same at least two parity disk drives in each a dimension; (d) data reconstruction means coupled to each of said multidimensional, mirrored orthogonal parity arrays for reconstructing data from any failed conventional disk drive in a given dimensional parity group by combining data from other of said conventional disk drives and parity disk drives in its orthogonal parity arrays; (e) a plurality of first processors at a first level connected directly to said plurality of control cards, said first processors having control and processing intelligence; (f) a plurality of second processors at a second level connected indirectly to said plurality of control cards, said first processors having control and processing intelligence; and, (g) sufficient software, memory and hardware within said processors to establish both dynamic and static hierarchical control of said plurality of parity disk drives using distributing intelligence.