Patent ID: 7073025

Claim:
A disk array apparatus comprising: a plurality of storage devices by which writing or reading data is executed in such a way that, when there is caused an error in writing or reading data into or from a storage area, writing or reading data is repeated again until completed and thereafter notifying that writing or reading data has been normally completed; storage device control sections which include storing areas saving requests for write or read operations of data into or from said plurality of storage devices, control write or read operation of data into or from said plurality of storage devices, and receive notification that the write or read operation of data into or from said plurality of storage devices is normally completed; channel control sections which receive a request for write or read operation from a network outside the disk array apparatus itself; a shared memory in which pieces of control information communicated by said channel control sections and said storage device control sections are stored; a cache memory in which pieces of data for communication between said channel control sections and said storage device control sections are temporarily saved; and a connecting sections connected to said channel control sections, said storage device control sections, said shared memory, and said cache memory, wherein said storage device control sections generate logical storage areas using said storage areas in said plurality of storage devices, said logical storage areas being used for writing or reading data and having redundancy to store data, wherein said storage device control sections monitor said storing areas in which a request for writing or reading data into or from the plurality of storage devices forming the logical storage areas is stored, wherein among said plurality of storage devices forming said logical storage areas, said storage device control sections specify a storage device, for which the number of repeated times for reading or writing data is large, and block said specified storage device, wherein said plurality of storage devices have redundancy, wherein said shared memory has areas which hold average response times for each of the plurality of storage devices, and wherein said storage device control sections compare said average response times among said plurality of storage devices with the redundancy when the storage device with a larger number of repeated times for writing or reading data is specified, and specify the storage device with larger average response time as one to be blocked.