Patent ID: 8726053

Claim:
In a storage cluster of an interconnected plurality of computer nodes, each computer node including a CPU, at least zero disk drives and executing its own operating system, a method of idling said computer nodes and said disk drives, said method comprising: for each computer node in said storage cluster, each node determining that no client requests from external client applications have occurred at said each node in a first predetermined amount of time; for each computer node in said storage cluster, each node determining that no write or read requests from other nodes in said storage cluster have occurred at said each node in a second predetermined amount of time; for each computer node in said storage cluster, when it is determined that neither of said client requests or write requests have occurred in said first and second predetermined amount of time, each node independently transitioning itself to an idle state; transitioning each disk volume of an idled computer node to an idle state when it is determined that there has been no disk activity on said each disk volume for a third predetermined amount of time; calculating a bid value for a first one of said nodes that includes a hard disk drive that decreases the chances that said first one of said nodes would win a bid for an external read or write in a contest with an active computer node when said first node is idle; and calculating a bid value for a second one of said nodes that includes a solid-state drive that increases the chances that said second one of said nodes would win a bid for an external read or write in a contest with an active computer node when said second node is idle.