Patent ID: 7424639
Filing Date: 2008-09-09
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A disk array system comprising: a disk controller connected to a host system via a channel path; and a disk array connected to the disk controller via a disk channel, said disk array being composed of a plurality of drive boards each mounting thereon a plurality of disk drives connected to wiring on the board, and a common board provided with a plurality of connectors for connecting the wiring on each of the drive boards to wiring for the disk channel, the a plurality of drive boards being detachably mounted on the common board via the plurality of connectors, wherein said disk controller defines a part of the drive boards in the disk array as spare boards and the rest as active boards, manages (N+1) pieces of the disk drives (N≧2) mounted on different drive boards in a group of active drive boards as a logical group, dispersively allocates a memory area for storing error correction information generated in each logical group to the (N+1) pieces of disk drivers or fixedly allocates the memory area to a specific disk drive, and controls the writing and reading of data in the disk array, the disk controller comprising: means for reorganizing logical groups when failure occurs in any active disk drive in the disk array, after storing the same data as that stored in disk drives on the faulty board on which a faulty drive is mounted into corresponding one of the disk drives on the substitution board selected from among a group of spare drive boards, so that each logical group to which one of disk drives on the faulty board belongs includes a new disk drive on the substitution board in place of the disk drive on the faulty board; and means for displaying on a display that the faulty board is replaceable after the reorganization of the logical groups is completed.