Patent ID: 7516348

Claim:
A method comprising the steps of: providing an array including an array controller and multiple redundant array of independent disk (RAID) groups, each group including y storage devices, wherein data and redundant information is distributed across the y devices to provide m levels of redundancy, the redundant information usable to reconstruct the data in the event of a device failure; entering the array into a power save mode and individually spinning down one of the y storage devices for a period of time; spinning up the one of the y storage devices that was spun down after the period of time elapses; selectively rebuilding the one of the y storage devices in areas where failure has occurred; spinning down a second of the y storage devices for a period of time provided the power save mode is still enabled; spinning up the second of the y storage devices that was spun down after the period of time elapses; selectively rebuilding the second of the y storage devices in areas where failure has occurred; continuing to individually spin up, spin down and rebuild each of the y storage devices provided that the power save mode is still enabled, until up to m of the y storage devices in the group have been spun up, spun down, and rebuilt where failure has occurred; disabling the power save mode in accordance with a spin up policy after all of the up to m of the y storage devices has been spun up, spun down and rebuilt.