IP Library Granted Patent US 10,929,019
Granted Patent B1
US 10,929,019 · App. 15/790,365 · Granted Feb 23, 2021

Enhanced servicing for multi-drive sleds

Inventor: Alex Joseph Sanville (Upton, MA)
Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
G06F3/0605G06F3/0635G06F3/0689
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,929,019
App. No.
15/790,365
Granted
Feb 23, 2021
Kind
B1
Abstract

Data storage facilities that provide data storage services are typically arranged as either individually accessible drive facilities or multi-carrier drive facilities, but both types must contend with hardware failures that require storage device (e.g., drives) to be replaced. Multi-carrier drive facilities generally have greatly increased drive density, but are confronted with challenges with respect to service operations that are not present for facilities with individually accessible drives. For example, replacing a faulted storage device can entail bringing the faulted storage device as well as other (e.g., non-faulted) storage devices offline during the service operation, which can impact the data storage services. Techniques that improve service for multi-carrier drive facilities are presented. Such techniques can improve coordination between elements that manage the storage facility and those that provide service to faulted storage elements.

Claims (41)

1. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

in response to determining that a first storage device, of a group of storage devices that are situated on a sled device comprising a user interface device, is in a state for a service to be applied to the first storage device, setting the user interface device to a first indicator state that indicates the first storage device is in the state for the service; and

in response to determining that a service procedure, which communicatively decouples the group of storage devices from a storage array, is ready to begin:

transmitting, to a control device of the storage array, a message that indicates the group of storage devices are to be communicatively decoupled from the storage array,

receiving, in response to the transmitting, an indication from the control device that indicates the control device is not prepared for the group of storage device to be communicatively decoupled from the storage array, and

setting the user interface device to a second indicator state in response to the indication that indicates the control device is not prepared for the group of storage devices to be communicatively decoupled from the storage array.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the message comprises a first indicator that the group of storage devices will be unavailable temporarily as a result of the group of storage devices being decoupled.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the message comprises a second indicator that the control device is not to treat a second storage device, of the group of storage devices, as having failed in response to the second storage device being unavailable temporarily as a result of the group of storage devices being decoupled.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the service procedure is ready to begin is in response to an input received at the user interface device.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the service procedure is ready to begin is in response to a determination that a service device is within a defined distance from the sled device.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise, in response to the transmitting the message, setting the user interface device to a third indicator state that indicates the control device has been notified that the service procedure is ready to begin.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise, in response to the transmitting the message, receiving, from the control device, a response that indicates the control device is prepared for the group of storage device to be communicatively decoupled from the storage array.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise, in response to the receiving the response, setting the user interface device to a fourth indicator state that indicates the control device is prepared for the group of storage devices to be communicatively decoupled from the storage array.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the group of storage devices comprises six storage devices and the six storage devices have a 2.5 inch form factor.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the group of storage devices comprises three storage devices and the three storage devices have a 3.5 inch form factor.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sled device comprises a printed circuit board that controls a group of user interface elements that indicate, respectively, whether a corresponding one of the group of storage devices is in the state for the service to be applied.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the sled device comprises a supercapacitor or a battery that provides power to the group of user interface elements when the sled device is decoupled from a power source.

13. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

determining that a first storage device, of a group of storage devices that are situated on a sled device comprising a user interface device, requires service and, in response, setting the user interface device to a first state that indicates at least one of the group of storage devices situated on the sled device requires service; and

determining that a service procedure that communicatively decouples the group of storage devices from a storage array is ready to begin and, in response:

transmitting, to a control device that controls the storage array, a message that indicates the group of storage devices are to be communicatively decoupled from the storage array;

in response to an indication received from the control device, determining that the control device is ready for the service procedure to begin; and

in response to the determining that the control device is ready, setting the user interface device to a second state.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, in response to the transmitting the message, a first response that indicates the control device has acknowledged the message that the group of storage devices are to be communicatively decoupled from the storage array; and

setting the user interface device to a third state that indicates the control device has acknowledged the message and is preparing the storage array for the group of storage devices to be communicatively decoupled.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the determining that the control device is ready is in response to receiving, from the control device, the indication that indicates the control device is prepared for the group of storage devices to be communicatively decoupled from the storage array.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the setting the user interface device to the second state is in response to the receiving the second response.

17. A method, comprising:

determining, by a device comprising a processor, that a service is to be applied to a first storage device, wherein the first storage device is one of a group of storage devices situated on a sled device enabling the group of storage devices to physically move;

instructing, by the device, a user interface device to present a first indication in response to a determination that the service is to be applied to a storage device of the group of storage devices, wherein the user interface device is situated on the sled device; and

in response to determining that a service operation, which communicatively decouples the group of storage devices from a storage array, is ready to begin,

transmitting, by the device, a message to a control device that controls operation of the storage array, wherein the message indicates the group of storage devices are to be communicatively decoupled from the storage array, and

instructing, by the device, the user interface device to present a second indication in response to a determination that the control device has been notified that the service operation is ready to begin and has been instructed to prepare the storage array for communicative decoupling of the group of storage devices.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising, in response to the instructing the user interface device to present the second indication, instructing, by the device, the user interface device to present a third indication that the service operation is not to begin while the control device prepares the storage array.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising receiving, by the device, a reply that indicates the storage array has been prepared for the group of storage device to be communicatively decoupled.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising, in response to the receiving the reply, instructing, by the device, the user interface device to present a fourth indication that the service operation is authorized to begin.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (044535/0109) Recorded May 20, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.)
Reel/Frame 060753/0414 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 044535 FRAME 0001 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 058298/0475 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (CREDIT) Recorded Nov 29, 2017
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 044535/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Nov 29, 2017
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 044535/0109 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 23, 2017
From: SANVILLE, ALEX JOSEPH
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 043922/0509 →