Patent ID: 6530004
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for redistributing data among disks in a data storage system, said method comprising steps of:identifying the number of stripe groups in a destructive zone based on predefined factors; migrating all data before reaching the destructive zone from source disks to destination disks; copying all data that will be next to be in the stripe group of the destructive zone onto an equal number of backup buffer stripe buffers, each stripe using free space near the end of the physical volume of each disk; mirroring data stripes backed up in said copying all data step onto the same set of disks in the lower stripe group position of free space in the storage system; migrating data of the stripe group backed up in said mirroring step to destination disks from the source disks; repeating said steps of migrating, copying, and mirroring, until all data that will be in stripe groups in the destructive zone is migrated out of said destructive zone; and migrating all remaining data, if any, from said source disks onto said destination disks.