Patent ID: 8825974

Claim:
A data storage virtualization subsystem for providing data storage space to a host entity, the data storage virtualization subsystem comprising: a storage virtualization controller for connecting to the host entity; a plurality of normally-used physical storage devices electrically connecting to the storage virtualization controller for storing user data or associated redundant information, wherein one or more sections of the plurality of the normally-used physical storage devices is defined as a logical media unit, and at least one of the plurality of the normally-used physical storage devices is defined as a physical storage device pool according to a pool ID for identifying the physical storage device pool; and a pool spare physical storage device designated to the physical storage device pool for replacing one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage device; wherein the physical storage device pool comprises configuration information stored in the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices, and the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices are for storing user data or associated redundant information, and one of the plurality of normally-used physical storage devices is designated as a pool spare physical storage device.