Patent ID: 7281088
Filing Date: 2007-10-09
Classification: G06F,G11B,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A disk array apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus so as to be able to communicate therewith, comprising: a plurality of hard disk drives; and a controller constructed by including a host interface which receives a request for a data read and request for a data write from/to said hard disk drives from said information processing apparatus, a disk interface connected to said hard disk drives so as to be able to communicate therewith through a communication path which performs data input/output to/from said hard disk drives, a memory, a CPU which controls said host interface, said disk interface, and a time counting mechanism, wherein a logical volume is formed in a RAID group with disk drive redundancy made up of a plurality of said hard disk drives, said disk array apparatus comprising: an access time storage section which stores, upon reception of a request for a data read or request for a data write from/to said logical volume from said information processing apparatus, a time acquired from said time counting mechanism as an access time in said memory in association with an identifier of said RAID group in which said logical volume is formed; and a power saving mode execution section which refers to said access time stored in said memory and sets a number of said hard disk drives according to the redundancy of said RAID group to a power saving mode when the difference between a current time acquired from said time counting mechanism and said access time exceeds a certain time.