JP2025125788A - Storage control device, information processing system, control method of storage control device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a storage control device etc. that can acquire failure information from a RAID card in which a failure has occurred while reducing costs. [Solution] A storage control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a storage control device connected to an information processing device and a storage, and includes a diagnosis implementation means that implements a diagnosis of the storage control device, and a diagnosis result transmission means that transmits the results of the diagnosis to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path that is a path different from the access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

This disclosure relates to a storage control device, an information processing system, a storage control method, and a program.

One technology that increases the availability of secondary storage devices, such as disks, used by computers is RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks). Generally, secondary storage devices are connected to computers via an interface called a RAID card. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of technology that, in the event of a failure in a RAID card, obtains failure information from the failed RAID card.

In the technology described in Patent Document 1, a BMC (Baseboard Management Controller) installed on a computer's motherboard requests information from a RAID card connected to the BMC. The BMC then obtains a log related to the RAID card failure from the RAID card.

International Publication No. 2016/151845

The technology in Patent Document 1 uses a BMC to obtain failure information from a RAID card in which a failure has occurred. However, BMCs are generally expensive. In low-cost computers that do not have a BMC installed, it is not possible to obtain failure information from a RAID card in which a failure has occurred using the technology in Patent Document 1.

One of the objectives of this disclosure is to provide a storage control device, information processing system, storage control method, program, etc. that can acquire failure information from a failed RAID card while reducing costs.

A storage control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a storage control device connected to an information processing device and storage, and includes a diagnosis implementation means for implementing a diagnosis of the storage control device, and a diagnosis result transmission means for transmitting the results of the diagnosis to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path that is different from the access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a storage control device control method includes a storage control device connected to an information processing device and storage, which diagnoses the storage control device and transmits the results of the diagnosis to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path that is different from the access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device.

A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer operating as a storage control device connected to an information processing device and storage to execute a diagnostic execution process that diagnoses the storage control device, and a diagnostic result transmission process that transmits the results of the diagnosis to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path that is different from the access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device. One aspect of the present disclosure can also be realized by a storage medium that stores the above-described program.

This disclosure has the advantage of being able to obtain failure information from a failed RAID card while reducing costs.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a storage control device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the storage control device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a computer not equipped with a BMC according to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating software and logs stored in the memory of a RAID card according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5A shows the flow of information (ie, requests and information) when storing SMART information. FIG. 5B illustrates the flow of information (ie, requests and information) when accumulating a RAID log. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a computer according to the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the memory of a RAID card according to the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the flow from sending self-diagnosis information to saving it on the motherboard according to the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a computer according to the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the flow from acquisition to storage of self-diagnosis information in a motherboard according to the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a computer according to the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a computer according to the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the storage control device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer capable of realizing the RAID card and storage control device according to the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure.

Before explaining the embodiments of the present disclosure, we will explain comparative examples of the present disclosure.

<Comparative Example>
Computers used primarily for industrial purposes have RAS (Reliability, Availability, Serviceability) functions, which are functions that improve the reliability, availability, and maintainability of computers and ensure stable operation.

As mentioned above, RAID technology is one of the RAS functions that increases the availability of disks installed in computers. RAID technology operates multiple HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) as a single virtual HDD. RAID technology also provides HDD redundancy. Because computers equipped with RAID technology operate multiple HDDs, even if one HDD fails, the computer can continue to operate using the remaining HDDs. Furthermore, redundancy can be restored by replacing the failed HDD and copying data from the remaining HDD (a rebuild process). This type of RAID technology is implemented, for example, using a card equipped with a RAID controller (hereafter referred to as a RAID card). RAID cards are often installed in computers used for industrial purposes.

RAID cards are known to be able to obtain SMART (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) information from connected storage devices such as HDDs (referred to as secondary storage devices) as well as the RAID card's own operation log (hereafter referred to as the RAID log). SMART information is information that can be used to check the current status of the secondary storage device using the secondary storage device's built-in self-diagnostic function.

If a secondary storage device within a computer fails, the computer can obtain the SMART information and RAID log of the failed secondary storage device through the RAID card. The computer can then save the obtained SMART information and RAID log to an unfailed secondary storage device. This allows the computer to analyze the cause of the failure. However, if a failure occurs in the RAID card, the computer has no way to obtain the log, making it difficult to analyze the cause of the RAID card failure.

One known way to solve this problem is to use a BMC. A BMC is a control chip that manages a computer and is mounted on a motherboard or similar device.

As mentioned above, for example, the technology described in Patent Document 1 connects a BMC to a RAID card and obtains logs related to RAID card failures by requesting information from the BMC.

However, as mentioned above, BMCs are expensive. For this reason, BMCs are generally installed in high-performance computers such as servers. Therefore, in computers that do not have a BMC, another method is required to analyze RAID card failures.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a computer not equipped with a BMC according to the present disclosure. Below, the computer according to this variant will be described in detail using Figure 3.

In the computer 101Z illustrated in Figure 3, the path connecting the motherboard 111Z and the RAID card 121Z is a SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) path. Therefore, information from the RAID card 121Z is only sent when a command is sent from the motherboard 111Z.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the software and logs stored in memory 123 of RAID card 121Z according to the present disclosure. FW (Firmware) 201Z is software that performs SATA processing and monitors the operation of the RAID card. Below, the operation of the processor controlled by FW 201Z will be described as the operation of FW 201Z. FW 201Z of RAID card 121Z stores a record of access from RAID card 121Z to the auxiliary storage device, which is the result of monitoring by RAID card operation monitoring function 302, as RAID log 404 in data area 202 of memory 123. FW 201Z of RAID card 121Z can detect unauthorized operation using RAID card operation monitoring function 302. However, FW 201Z does not have the function of saving and transmitting logs related to unauthorized operation to an external device.

For these reasons, the motherboard 111Z of the computer 101Z does not have a means to acquire a log related to a RAID card failure when a failure occurs in the RAID card. This makes it difficult to analyze the RAID card failure. This prolongs the failure analysis process, which in turn takes time to replace the failed part. As a result, the user's system is down for a long time, which is a problem.

This is explained in more detail below. Information that can be used to analyze a failure when a failure occurs in an auxiliary storage device includes SMART information and RAID logs. Information that can be used to analyze a failure when a failure occurs in a RAID card includes self-diagnosis information. In this comparative example, the motherboard 111Z of the computer 101Z can acquire SMART information and RAID logs. However, the motherboard 111Z cannot acquire self-diagnosis information. Therefore, for a motherboard 111Z that cannot acquire self-diagnosis information (specifically, in this case, for example, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) 112), it is difficult to analyze a failure when a failure occurs in a RAID card. Note that in this disclosure, the operation of the CPU 112 mounted on the motherboard 111Z may be described as the operation of the motherboard 111Z.

For example, if a failure occurs in the auxiliary storage device 131, the motherboard 111Z can analyze the failure.

Figure 5A shows the flow of information (i.e., requests and information) when storing SMART information. Figure 5B shows the flow of information (i.e., requests and information) when storing RAID logs. Figures 5A and 5B will be described in more detail later. Note that in this disclosure, the flow of information and data is not necessarily limited to the direction of the arrows depicted in the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the motherboard 111Z can acquire SMART information 402 stored in the management area 133 of the auxiliary storage device 131 and store the acquired SMART information 402 in the data area 144 of the auxiliary storage device 141. As shown in FIG. 5B, the motherboard 111Z can acquire the RAID log 404 stored in the memory 123 of the RAID card 121Z and store the acquired RAID log 404 in the data area 144 of the auxiliary storage device 141. Therefore, the motherboard 111Z can analyze the failure using the SMART information 402 and RAID log 404 stored in the data area 144 of the auxiliary storage device 141.

However, if a failure occurs in the RAID card 121Z, it is difficult for the motherboard 111Z to analyze the failure that occurred in the RAID card 121Z. As shown in Figure 1, only a SATA path exists between the motherboard 111Z and the RAID card 121Z. Therefore, unless a SATA command is sent from the motherboard 111Z, the RAID card 121Z cannot send information to the motherboard 111Z.

Furthermore, as described above, RAID card 121Z detects unauthorized operation using RAID card operation monitoring function 302 when a failure occurs in RAID card 121Z. However, RAID card 121Z does not have the function of storing information about unauthorized operation or transmitting the stored information about unauthorized operation.

For these reasons, when a failure occurs in the RAID card 121Z, the motherboard 111Z cannot obtain information about the RAID card 121Z's incorrect operation. This makes it difficult for the motherboard 111Z to analyze the failure that occurred in the RAID card 121Z.

Furthermore, because it is difficult to analyze a failure in the RAID card 121Z, the motherboard 111Z is unable to identify the faulty part. As a result, replacing the faulty part takes time. As a result, the user's system downtime is extended.

First Embodiment
Next, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration>
6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a computer according to the present disclosure. The configuration of a computer according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

<Computer 101>
6, the computer 101 includes a motherboard 111, a RAID card 121, an auxiliary storage device 131, and an auxiliary storage device 141. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the RAID configuration of the computer 101 is RAID 1. Note that the RAID configuration of the computer 101 does not have to be RAID 1. The RAID configuration of the computer 101 may be any other RAID configuration.

<Motherboard 111>
The motherboard 111 includes a CPU 112 , a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) 113 , a SATA I/F (Interface) 114 , and a serial communication I/F 115 .

The CPU 112 is a processor that performs various information processing on the motherboard 111. When the motherboard 111 obtains information from, for example, the RAID card 121, the CPU 112 requests the information from the RAID card 121 and obtains the requested information from the RAID card 121.

CMOS 113 is a non-volatile memory. CMOS 113 is mounted on motherboard 111. In this embodiment, CMOS 113 is used as a memory area (also referred to as a storage area) on motherboard 111. The storage area on motherboard 111 does not have to be CMOS 113, which uses CMOS. Another storage area on motherboard 111 may be used instead of CMOS 113.

The SATA I/F 114 is an interface for SATA communication. The interfaces for SATA communication, including the SATA controller and SATA connector on the motherboard 111, are collectively referred to as the SATA I/F 114. The SATA I/F 114 is connected to the SATA I/F 124 of the RAID card 121, which will be described in detail later.

The serial communication I/F 115 is an interface that includes connectors, signal lines, etc. for serial communication with the RAID card 121 on the motherboard 111. Interfaces that include connectors, signal lines, etc. for serial communication are collectively referred to as the serial communication I/F 115. The serial communication I/F 115 is connected to the serial communication I/F 127 of the RAID card 121, which will be described later.

The motherboard 111 can perform serial communication with the RAID card 121 via the serial communication I/F 115 and the serial communication I/F 127. Serial communication is a communication method in which data is sent and received sequentially, one bit at a time, using a single signal line or circuit.

In this embodiment, we will explain the case where serial communication is used for the communication between the motherboard 111 and the RAID card 121 to send the self-diagnosis information 401. However, another communication method that can connect the motherboard 111 and the RAID card 121 and send the self-diagnosis information 401 may also be used for the communication used to send the self-diagnosis information 401.

<RAID card 121>
The RAID card 121 includes a CPU 122 , a memory 123 , a SATA I/F 124 , a SATA I/F 125 , a SATA I/F 126 , and a serial communication I/F 127 .

CPU 122 is the CPU on RAID card 121.

Memory 123 is memory implemented on RAID card 121. Non-volatile memory can be used as memory 123.

Memory 123 stores FW 201, which is software for operating CPU 122. FW 201 includes a SATA processing function 301 and a RAID card operation monitoring function 302.

Memory 123 includes a data area 202 set up within memory 123. Self-diagnosis information 401 and a RAID log 404 are stored in data area 202.

The SATA I/F 124 is an interface for SATA communication with the motherboard 111. The interfaces for SATA communication, including the SATA controller and connector on the RAID card 121, are collectively referred to as the SATA I/F 124. The SATA I/F 124 is connected to the SATA I/F 114 on the motherboard 111. The SATA I/F 124 is connected to the SATA I/F 114 on the motherboard 111 via a SATA path connecting the connector of the SATA I/F 124 to the connector of the SATA I/F 114 on the motherboard 111.

SATA I/F 125 is an interface for SATA communication with auxiliary storage device 131. The interface for SATA communication with auxiliary storage device 131, including the SATA controller on RAID card 121 and the connector connected to auxiliary storage device 131 via a SATA path, is collectively referred to as SATA I/F 125.

SATA I/F 126 is an interface for SATA communication with auxiliary storage device 141. The interface for SATA communication with auxiliary storage device 141, including the SATA controller on RAID card 121 and a connector connected to auxiliary storage device 141 via a SATA path, is collectively referred to as SATA I/F 126.

Serial communication I/F 127 is an interface for performing serial communication with motherboard 111. The interface for performing serial communication with motherboard 111, including the connectors and signal lines on RAID card 121 that connect to motherboard 111, is referred to as serial communication I/F 127. Serial communication I/F 127 is connected to serial communication I/F 115 on motherboard 111 via a serial communication path.

FW201 of RAID card 121 (specifically, CPU 112 controlled by FW201) detects a failure in RAID card 121. If FW201 detects a failure in RAID card 121, it generates self-diagnosis information 401 and stores the generated self-diagnosis information 401 on the motherboard 111. In other words, if the RAID card operation monitoring function 302 of FW201 detects a failure in RAID card 121, it sends the self-diagnosis information 401 to the motherboard 111 via serial communication I/F 127. The motherboard 111 receives the self-diagnosis information 401 from the RAID card 121 via serial communication I/F 115. The motherboard 111 stores the received self-diagnosis information 401. The motherboard 111 stores the received self-diagnosis information 401 in, for example, CMOS 113.

<Auxiliary storage>
The auxiliary storage device 131 includes a SATA I/F 132, a management area 133, and a data area 134. The management area 133 and the data area 134 are storage areas in which information can be stored. The management area 133 stores SMART information 402. The data area 134 stores a RAID log 404 and SMART information 405.

SATA I/F 132 is an interface for SATA communication with RAID card 121. The interface for SATA communication, including the SATA controller in auxiliary storage device 131 and the connector connected to RAID card 121 via a SATA path, is collectively referred to as SATA I/F 132.

The management area 133 is a storage area in which SMART information 402, which is the result of performing a self-diagnosis in the auxiliary storage device 131, is stored. The auxiliary storage device 131 may include a self-diagnosis controller. In this case, the self-diagnosis controller performs a self-diagnosis of the auxiliary storage device 131, generates SMART information 402, which is the result of the self-diagnosis, and stores the generated SMART information 402 in the management area 133.

Data area 134 is an area where information requested to be saved by motherboard 111 is stored. When auxiliary storage device 131 receives a request to save information from motherboard 111, for example, the SATA controller mentioned above stores the information in data area 134 in accordance with the request from motherboard 111.

The management area 133 may be a storage area unique to the auxiliary storage device 131, independent of the RAID configuration. The data area 134 is a storage area controlled by the RAID card 121. Data is stored in the data area 134 according to the RAID configuration of the RAID card 121. Since the RAID configuration in this embodiment is RAID 1 (i.e., mirroring), the data area 134 stores the same data as that stored in the data area 144, described below.

The RAID log 404 and SMART information 405 stored by the CPU 112 of the motherboard 111 are stored in the data area 134.

SMART information 405 is a combination of SMART information 402 and SMART information 403 when the CPU 112 of the motherboard 111 saves the SMART information. In other words, the CPU 112 of the motherboard 111 stores SMART information 402 and SMART information 403 (described below) as SMART information 405 in the data area 134. In this disclosure, SMART information 402, SMART information 403, and SMART information 406 (described below) are also referred to as storage diagnostic information. SMART information 405 is also referred to as integrated storage diagnostic information.

The auxiliary storage device 141 includes a SATA I/F 142, a management area 143, and a data area 144. The management area 143 and data area 144 are storage areas in which information can be stored. SMART information 403 is stored in the management area 143. RAID log 404 and SMART information 405 are stored in the data area 144.

SATA I/F 142 is an interface for SATA communication with RAID card 121. The interface for SATA communication, including the SATA controller in auxiliary storage device 141 and the connector connected to RAID card 121 via a SATA path, is referred to as SATA I/F 142.

The management area 143 is an area where SMART information 403, which is the result of performing a self-diagnosis within the auxiliary storage device 141, is stored. The auxiliary storage device 141 may include a self-diagnosis controller. In this case, the self-diagnosis controller performs a self-diagnosis of the auxiliary storage device 141, generates SMART information 403, which is the result of the self-diagnosis, and stores the generated SMART information 403 in the management area 143.

Data area 144 is an area where information requested to be saved by motherboard 111 is stored. When auxiliary storage device 141 receives a request to save information from motherboard 111, for example, the SATA controller mentioned above stores the information in data area 144 in accordance with the request from motherboard 111.

The management area 143 may be a storage area unique to the auxiliary storage device 141, independent of the RAID configuration. The data area 134 is a storage area controlled by the RAID card 121. Data is stored in the data area 144 according to the RAID configuration of the RAID card 121. Since the RAID configuration in this embodiment is RAID 1 (i.e., mirroring), the same data as that stored in the data area 134 described above is stored in the data area 144.

The RAID log 404 and SMART information 405 stored by the CPU 112 of the motherboard 111 are stored in the data area 144.

<About connection>
As described above, the motherboard 111 and the RAID card 121 are connected via the SATA I/F 114 and the SATA I/F 124. The RAID card 121 and the auxiliary storage device 131 are connected via the SATA I/F 125 and the SATA I/F 132. The RAID card 121 and the auxiliary storage device 141 are connected via the SATA I/F 126 and the SATA I/F 142. The motherboard 111 and the RAID card 121 are connected via the serial communication I/F 115 and the serial communication I/F 127.

Figure 7 shows an example of information stored in the memory of a RAID card according to the present disclosure.

In this embodiment, the memory 123 of the RAID card 121 stores the software and information illustrated in Figure 7.

RAID card 121 (specifically, CPU 122 of RAID card 121) operates under the control of FW 201. FW 201 is stored in memory 123.

FW201 has a SATA processing function 301 for performing SATA processing, a RAID card operation monitoring function 302 for monitoring its own operation, and a self-diagnosis information transmission function 303. The SATA processing function 301, RAID card operation monitoring function 302, and self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 are realized by the CPU 122 that executes FW201. In other words, the CPU 122 that executes FW201 operates as the SATA processing function 301, RAID card operation monitoring function 302, and self-diagnosis information transmission function 303.

In addition, the self-diagnosis information 401 and RAID log 404 are stored in the data area 202 of the memory 123.

Specifically, the SATA processing function 301 performs SATA processing and RAID processing, and stores records of the RAID processing performed as a RAID log 404 in the data area 202 of the memory 123.

In addition, the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 diagnoses the RAID card 121, including the memory 123 in which the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 is stored. The self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 stores self-diagnosis information 401, which is the result of the diagnosis (i.e., self-diagnosis), in the data area 202 of the memory 123.

The self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 transmits the results of the self-diagnosis performed by the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 (self-diagnosis information 401) to the motherboard 111 via the serial communication I/F 127. The motherboard 111 (specifically, the CPU 112) receives the self-diagnosis information 401 transmitted by the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 via the serial communication I/F 115. The motherboard 111 (specifically, the CPU 112) stores the received self-diagnosis information 401 in the CMOS 113.

The following describes the differences between the configuration shown in Figure 3, which was used to explain the comparative example, and the configuration shown in Figure 6, which was used to explain this embodiment. The configuration shown in Figure 6 further includes serial communication I/F 115 and serial communication I/F 127 in addition to the configuration shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, in the configuration shown in Figure 3, self-diagnosis information 401 is not stored in data area 202. In contrast, in the configuration shown in Figure 6, self-diagnosis information 401 is stored in data area 202.

We will also explain the differences between the software and information stored in memory 123 of RAID card 121Z shown in Figure 4, which was used to explain the comparative example, and the software and information stored in memory 123 shown in Figure 7, which was used to explain this embodiment.

The FW 201 stored in the memory 123 shown in FIG. 4 does not include the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303, whereas the FW 201 stored in the memory 123 shown in FIG. 7 does include the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303. Also, the data area 202 of the memory 123 shown in FIG. 4 does not store self-diagnosis information 401, whereas the data area 202 of the memory 123 shown in FIG. 7 stores self-diagnosis information 401.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the computer 101 of this embodiment will be described.

If a failure occurs in the auxiliary storage device 131 or auxiliary storage device 141 in the computer 101, the accumulated SMART information 405 and RAID log 404 are used for analysis. The SMART information 405 and RAID log 404 are obtained from the RAID card 121 by, for example, the CPU 112 of the motherboard 111.

The accumulation of SMART information 405 is performed in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 5A, which will be described below. However, in this embodiment, computer 101Z in FIG. 5A is replaced with computer 101. Motherboard 111Z in FIG. 5A is replaced with motherboard 111. RAID card 121Z in FIG. 5A is replaced with RAID card 121. FW201Z in FIG. 5A is replaced with FW201.

(1) The CPU 112 on the motherboard 111 sends a request to the RAID card 121 to obtain SMART information. The request is sent to the CPU 122 on the RAID card 121 via the SATA I/F 114 on the motherboard 111 and the SATA I/F 124 on the RAID card 121.

(2) Upon receiving the request from CPU 112, CPU 122 requests SMART information 402 from the auxiliary storage device 131 via SATA I/F 125 on RAID card 121. CPU 122 then requests SMART information 403 from the auxiliary storage device 141 via SATA I/F 126 on RAID card 121.

(3) When the auxiliary storage device 131 receives a request for SMART information 402, it reads the SMART information 402 from the management area 133. The auxiliary storage device 131 returns the read SMART information 402 to the CPU 122 via the SATA I/F 132 and the SATA I/F 125. Similarly, when the auxiliary storage device 141 receives a request for SMART information 403, it reads the SMART information 403 from the management area 143. The auxiliary storage device 141 returns the read SMART information 403 to the CPU 122 via the SATA I/F 142 and the SATA I/F 126.

The CPU 122 of the RAID card 121 receives the SMART information 402 returned from the auxiliary storage device 131. The CPU 122 receives the SMART information 403 returned from the auxiliary storage device 141.

(4) The CPU 122 of the RAID card 121 returns the SMART information 402 and the SMART information 403 to the motherboard 111 via the SATA I/F 124 and the SATA I/F 114.

The CPU 112 of the motherboard 111 receives the SMART information 402 and SMART information 403 returned from the RAID card 121.

(5) CPU 112 combines the returned SMART information 402 and SMART information 403 into SMART information 405. CPU 112 sends a request to RAID card 121 to save SMART information 405. Specifically, CPU 112 sends the request and SMART information 405 to CPU 122 via SATA I/F 114 and SATA I/F 124.

CPU 122 receives a request to save SMART information 405 and the SMART information 405 from CPU 112.

(6) Upon receiving the request and SMART information 405 from CPU 112, CPU 122 stores the SMART information 405 in data area 134 of auxiliary storage device 131 via SATA I/F 125 and SATA I/F 132. Similarly, CPU 122 stores the SMART information 405 in data area 144 of auxiliary storage device 141 via SATA I/F 126 and SATA I/F 142.

The accumulation of the RAID log 404 is performed in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 5B, which will be described below. However, in this embodiment, the computer 101Z in FIG. 5B is replaced with the computer 101. The motherboard 111Z in FIG. 5B is replaced with the motherboard 111. The RAID card 121Z in FIG. 5B is replaced with the RAID card 121. The FW201Z in FIG. 5B is replaced with the FW201.

(1) The CPU 112 on the motherboard 111 sends a request to the RAID card 121 to obtain a RAID log. Specifically, the CPU 112 sends the request to the CPU 122 on the RAID card 121 via the SATA I/F 114 on the motherboard 111 and the SATA I/F 124 on the RAID card 121.

The CPU 122 of the RAID card 121 receives the request to obtain the RAID log sent by the CPU 112.

(2) Upon receiving the request from CPU 112, CPU 122 issues a request to memory 123 to return the RAID log 404.

(3) When memory 123 receives a request to return RAID log 404, it returns RAID log 404 to CPU 122. CPU 122 receives the RAID log 404 returned from memory 123.

(4) CPU 122 returns the RAID log 404 to CPU 112 via SATA I/F 124 and SATA I/F 114. CPU 112 receives the RAID log 404 returned from CPU 122.

(5) CPU 112 sends a request to RAID card 121 to save the returned RAID log 404. Specifically, CPU 112 sends the request to save RAID log 404 and the RAID log 404 to CPU 122 via SATA I/F 114 and SATA I/F 124. CPU 122 receives the request to save RAID log 404 and the RAID log 404.

(6) Upon receiving the request and RAID log 404 from CPU 112, CPU 122 stores the RAID log 404 in the data area 134 of the auxiliary storage device 131 via SATA I/F 125 and SATA I/F 132. Similarly, CPU 122 stores the RAID log 404 in the data area 144 of the auxiliary storage device 141 via SATA I/F 126 and SATA I/F 142.

Unlike the computer 101Z of the comparative example, the computer 101 of this embodiment can obtain self-diagnosis information 401 when a failure occurs in the RAID card 121, as described below.

The information sent as self-diagnosis information 401 includes the following:

(1) Information about the address of the area where the FW201 processing instructions that were being executed when the failure occurred are stored.

(2) Information about the location that FW201 attempted to access on the hardware (HW).

(3) Information on the Process that the FW 201 is Attempting to Execute The flow from transmission to storage of the self-diagnosis information 401 is as follows.

In the description of this disclosure, the operation of CPU 122 operating under the control of FW 201 may be described as the operation of FW 201. Also, the operation of CPU 122 operating under the control of FW 201 due to the functions of FW 201 (e.g., SATA processing function 301, RAID card operation monitoring function 302, and self-diagnosis information transmission function 303) may be described as the operation of that function.

If FW201 of RAID card 121 (specifically, RAID card operation monitoring function 302 of FW201) detects any unauthorized operation during self-diagnosis, FW201 generates self-diagnosis information 401 representing the results of the self-diagnosis. Examples of unauthorized operation include abnormal termination of an operation, an operation not completing normally within a specified time, an inability to start an operation, and the occurrence of an error or failure. Examples of unauthorized operation are not limited to these. FW201 stores the self-diagnosis information 401 in memory 123 (specifically, data area 202 of memory 123). In this case, FW201 may generate self-diagnosis information 401 representing the results of the self-diagnosis in data area 202 of memory 123. Furthermore, FW201 (specifically, self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 of FW201) transmits the generated self-diagnosis information 401 stored in memory 123 to motherboard 111. The motherboard 111 receives the transmitted self-diagnosis information 401 and stores the received self-diagnosis information 401 within the motherboard 111. The transmitted self-diagnosis information 401 is stored on the motherboard 111.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing the flow from sending self-diagnosis information 401 to saving it on the motherboard 111 according to the present disclosure.

The self-diagnosis information 401 is saved according to the process shown in Figure 8, which is explained below.

(1) If FW 201 (specifically, RAID card operation monitoring function 302) of RAID card 121 detects unauthorized operation during self-diagnosis, FW 201 generates self-diagnosis information 401 representing the results of the self-diagnosis, for example, in memory 123. Furthermore, if unauthorized operation is detected, CPU 122 of RAID card 121 (specifically, self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 of FW 201 that controls CPU 122) requests self-diagnosis information 401 from memory 123.

(2) When the self-diagnosis information 401 is requested, the memory 123 returns the self-diagnosis information 401 to the CPU 122. The self-diagnosis information 401 is returned from the memory 123 to the CPU 122.

(3) The CPU 122 (specifically, the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303) transmits the self-diagnosis information 401 to the CPU 112 on the motherboard 111 via the serial communication I/F 115 and the serial communication I/F 127.

(4) The CPU 112 on the motherboard 111 receives the self-diagnosis information 401. The CPU 112 stores the received self-diagnosis information 401 in a storage area on the motherboard 111 (in this embodiment, the CMOS 113).

This makes it possible for the self-diagnosis information 401 regarding any unauthorized operation detected by the FW 201 of the RAID card 121 to be stored on the motherboard 111.

Next, we will explain the process for obtaining and analyzing self-diagnosis information.

By referencing the self-diagnosis information 401, it is possible to determine the location when the RAID card 121 attempted to access something that caused the unauthorized operation. This allows the location of the failure to be identified.

The following shows an example of acquiring self-diagnosis information 401 and analyzing the acquired self-diagnosis information 401.

(Example 1)
When a failure occurs in the SATA I/F 124 on the RAID card 121, the RAID card 121 cannot access the motherboard 111 via the SATA I/F because the failure has occurred in the SATA I/F. As a result, the computer 101 cannot start the OS (Operating System). If the only communication path between the RAID card 121 and the motherboard 111 is the SATA path, the motherboard 111 cannot obtain information from the RAID card 121. As a result, it is unclear whether the reason the OS cannot be started is due to a failure in the RAID card 121 or a failure in another location. Analyzing the cause of this failure takes a long time.

In this embodiment, the motherboard 111 can acquire self-diagnosis information 401 via the serial communication I/F 115. Therefore, by using the self-diagnosis information 401 that can be acquired via the serial communication I/F 115, it is possible to identify the location of the failure.

As described above, in Example 1, a failure has occurred in the SATA I/F 124. In this case, the self-diagnosis information 401 includes, for example, the following information:

(1) Information about the address of the area where the FW201 processing instructions that were being executed when the failure occurred are stored.

(2) Information indicating an attempt to access the SATA I/F 124

(3) Information indicating that an attempt was made to read/write to a register of the SATA I/F 124. A register is a storage element used to hold calculations and execution states within the CPU.

This confirms that an unauthorized operation has occurred in the SATA I/F 124 of the RAID card 121.

Therefore, it can be seen that the maintenance work required is to replace the RAID card 121.

(Example 2)
If a failure occurs in the SATA I/F 125 on the RAID card 121, the RAID card 121 cannot access the secondary storage device 131 due to the failure in the SATA I/F 125. In this case, the computer 101 can start the OS. However, the storage realized by the RAID card 121 using the secondary storage device 131 enters a degraded state, in which its functionality and performance are restricted and it can only be used to a limited extent. If the only communication path between the RAID card 121 and the motherboard 111 is a SATA path, the motherboard 111 cannot obtain information from the RAID card 121. Therefore, it is unclear whether the cause of the degraded operation is a failure in the RAID card 121 or the secondary storage device 131. This can take a long time to analyze.

In this embodiment, the motherboard 111 can acquire self-diagnosis information 401 via the serial communication I/F 115. Therefore, in this case too, the location of the failure can be identified by using the self-diagnosis information 401 that can be acquired via the serial communication I/F 115.

As described above, in Example 2, a failure has occurred in the SATA I/F 125. In this case, the self-diagnosis information 401 includes, for example, the following information:

(1) Information about the address of the area where the FW201 processing instructions that were being executed when the failure occurred are stored.

(2) Information indicating an attempt to access the SATA I/F 125

(3) Information indicating that an attempt was made to read/write to a register of the SATA I/F 125. This makes it possible to confirm that an illegal operation has occurred in the SATA I/F 125.

Therefore, in this case too, the maintenance work required is to replace the RAID card 121, as in Example 1.

<Effects>
The present embodiment has the following advantages. Below, the advantages and the reasons why these advantages are obtained will be described.

(Effect 1)
The self-diagnosis information 401 of the RAID card 121 can be sent to the motherboard 111 .

(Explanation of Effect 1)
The RAID card 121 includes a serial communication I/F 127. The serial communication I/F 127 is connected to the serial communication I/F 115 on the motherboard 111.

The RAID card 121 also has a self-diagnosis information transmission function 303, which is a processing function that transmits self-diagnosis information 401 when the FW 201 detects unauthorized operation of the RAID card 121.

This allows the FW 201 of the RAID card 121 to detect unauthorized operation using the RAID card operation monitoring function 302 and send self-diagnosis information 401 to the motherboard 111 using the self-diagnosis information sending function 303.

(Effect 2)
The self-diagnosis information 401 of the RAID card 121 can be stored on the motherboard 111 .

(Explanation of Effect 2)
The motherboard 111 can receive the self-diagnosis information 401 transmitted from the RAID card 121. Therefore, the motherboard 111 can store the self-diagnosis information 401 transmitted from the RAID card 121 in a storage area on the motherboard 111, such as the CMOS 113.

(Effect 3)
By using the self-diagnosis information 401 for analysis, the time required for maintenance can be reduced, and the system downtime for users can be reduced.

(Explanation of Effect 3)
In this embodiment, the self-diagnosis information 401 sent from the RAID card 121 to the motherboard 111 is stored in a storage area such as the CMOS 113 of the motherboard 111. By using the self-diagnosis information 401 stored in a storage area such as the CMOS 113 of the motherboard 111 for analysis, it is possible to quickly identify the faulty part of the RAID card 121. As a result, the time required to replace the faulty part is reduced, and the user's system downtime can be reduced.

(Effect 4)
It is possible to obtain failure information from a RAID card in which a failure has occurred while reducing costs.

(Explanation of Effect 4)
As described above, in this embodiment, the RAID card operation monitoring function 302 of the RAID card 121 (specifically, the CPU 122 operating as the RAID card operation monitoring function 302 under the control of the FW 201) performs a self-diagnosis of the RAID card 121. If an unauthorized operation is detected in the self-diagnosis of the RAID card 121, the RAID card operation monitoring function 302 generates self-diagnosis information 401 representing the results of the self-diagnosis. If an unauthorized operation is detected in the self-diagnosis of the RAID card 121, the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 (specifically, the CPU 122 operating as the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 under the control of the FW 201) transmits the self-diagnosis information 401 to the motherboard 111. Therefore, the motherboard 111 can obtain the self-diagnosis information 401, which is information about the failure, from the RAID card 121 in which a failure has occurred. Furthermore, in this embodiment, there is no need to mount a BMC on the motherboard 111 for detecting a failure in a RAID card, which reduces costs.

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment of the present disclosure, serial communication is used as the communication method of the path along which the self-diagnosis information 401 is transmitted from the RAID card 121 to the motherboard 111. The communication method of the path along which the self-diagnosis information 401 is transmitted from the RAID card 121 to the motherboard 111 is not limited to serial communication. The communication method of the path along which the self-diagnosis information 401 is transmitted from the RAID card 121 to the motherboard 111 may be another communication method that allows the RAID card 121 to transmit the self-diagnosis information 401 and allows the motherboard 111 to receive the transmitted self-diagnosis information 401.

For example, parallel communication can be used as the communication method for the path along which self-diagnosis information 401 is sent from the RAID card 121 to the motherboard 111. Parallel communication is a communication method that uses multiple signal lines or circuits to send and receive multiple signals and data in a single operation. Parallel communication has more transmission paths than serial communication, making it easier to improve communication speed, and therefore faster speeds can be expected. On the other hand, control must be performed to synchronize transmission timing between terminals, and the large number of signal lines means that it is more expensive than serial communication.

Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a computer according to the present disclosure. Figure 7A shows an example configuration in which a parallel communication I/F is used instead of a serial communication I/F. The parallel communication I/F is, for example, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect).

The configuration of the computer 101A according to this embodiment will be described in detail below using Figure 9.

Computer 101A shown in FIG. 9 is the same as computer 101 shown in FIG. 6, except for the differences described below. Computer 101A includes motherboard 111A instead of motherboard 111. Computer 101A also includes RAID card 121A instead of RAID card 121. Motherboard 111A includes parallel communication I/F 115A instead of serial communication I/F 115. RAID card 121A includes parallel communication I/F 127A instead of serial communication I/F 127. Parallel communication I/F 115A is connected to parallel communication I/F 127A.

Parallel communication I/F 115A is an interface on motherboard 111A for performing parallel communication with RAID card 121A. The interface for performing parallel communication on motherboard 111A, including the connectors and signal lines connected to RAID card 121A, is collectively referred to as parallel communication I/F 115A.

Parallel communication I/F 127A is an interface on RAID card 121A for performing parallel communication with motherboard 111A. The interfaces for performing parallel communication on RAID card 121A, including connectors and signal lines connected to motherboard 111A, are collectively referred to as parallel communication I/F 127A.

<Operation>
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the flow from acquisition to storage of self-diagnosis information 401 in a motherboard according to the present disclosure.

In this embodiment, the self-diagnosis information 401 is saved according to the flow shown in Figure 10, which is described below.

(1) If FW201 (specifically, RAID card operation monitoring function 302) of RAID card 121A detects unauthorized operation during self-diagnosis, it generates self-diagnosis information 401 representing the results of the self-diagnosis, for example, in memory 123. Furthermore, if unauthorized operation is detected, CPU122 (specifically, self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 of FW201 that controls CPU122) of RAID card 121A requests self-diagnosis information 401 from memory 123.

(2) When the self-diagnosis information 401 is requested, the memory 123 returns the self-diagnosis information 401 to the CPU 122. The self-diagnosis information 401 is returned from the memory 123 to the CPU 122.

(3) The CPU 122 (specifically, the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303) transmits the self-diagnosis information 401 to the CPU 112 on the motherboard 111A via the parallel communication I/F 115A and the parallel communication I/F 127A.

(4) The CPU 112 on the motherboard 111A receives the self-diagnosis information 401. The CPU 112 stores the received self-diagnosis information 401 in a storage area on the motherboard 111A (in this embodiment, the CMOS 113).

This makes it possible to analyze unauthorized operation of the RAID card when using the computer 101A of this embodiment, just as it does when using the computer 101 of the first embodiment, which uses serial communication.

Third Embodiment
In the first embodiment, the self-diagnosis information 401 is stored in the CMOS 113, which is a storage area of the motherboard 111. In the second embodiment, the self-diagnosis information 401 is stored in the CMOS 113, which is a storage area of the motherboard 111A. However, the area in which the self-diagnosis information 401 is stored in the motherboard according to the present disclosure may be another type of storage area capable of storing the self-diagnosis information 401.

For example, flash memory may be used as the area where the self-diagnosis information 401 is stored. Flash memory is a non-volatile memory.

Figure 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer according to the present disclosure. Figure 11 shows an example in which flash memory 113B is used instead of CMOS 113.

The computer 101B according to this embodiment will be described in detail below using Figure 11.

The computer 101B according to this embodiment is the same as the computer 101 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, except for the differences described below. The computer 101B includes a motherboard 111B instead of the motherboard 111. The motherboard 111B includes a flash memory 113B instead of the CMOS 113. The motherboard 111B uses a flash memory 113B instead of the CMOS 113.

As in the first embodiment, when RAID card 121 detects unauthorized operation, self-diagnosis information 401 is sent to motherboard 111B via serial communication I/F 115 and serial communication I/F 127.

The transmitted self-diagnosis information 401 is stored in flash memory 113B by the CPU 112 on the motherboard.

This makes it possible to analyze unauthorized operation of the RAID card, just as if CMOS were used in the area where self-diagnostic information 401 is stored.

<Fourth embodiment>
12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computer configuration according to the present disclosure, in which RAID 5 is used as the RAID configuration.

The computer 101C according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below using Figure 12.

The computer 101C of this embodiment is the same as the computer 101 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 6, except for the differences described below. The computer 101C of this embodiment includes a RAID card 121C instead of the RAID card 121. The computer 101C also includes an auxiliary storage device 151. The RAID card 121C also includes a SATA I/F 128. The CPU 122 is connected to the SATA I/F 128. The SATA I/F 128 is connected to the auxiliary storage device 151. The auxiliary storage device 151 includes a SATA I/F 152, a management area 153, and a data area 154. The management area 153 stores SMART information 406. The data area 154 stores a RAID log 404 and SMART information 405.

In the first, second, and third embodiments, SMART information 405 stored in the data area of the auxiliary storage device in response to a request from CPU 112 includes SMART information 402 and SMART information 403. In the first, second, and third embodiments, the data areas of the auxiliary storage device in which SMART information 405 is stored are data area 134 of the auxiliary storage device 131 and data area 144 of the auxiliary storage device 141. In contrast, in this embodiment, SMART information 405 stored in the data area of the auxiliary storage device in response to a request from CPU 112 includes SMART information 402, SMART information 403, and SMART information 406. In this embodiment, the data areas of the auxiliary storage device in which SMART information 405 is stored are data area 134 of the auxiliary storage device 131, data area 144 of the auxiliary storage device 141, and data area 154 of the auxiliary storage device 151.

SATA I/F 128 is an interface on RAID card 121 for SATA communication with auxiliary storage device 151. The interface for SATA communication, including the SATA controller on RAID card 121 and the connector connected to auxiliary storage device 151, is collectively referred to as SATA I/F 128.

As described above, the auxiliary storage device 151 includes a SATA I/F 152, a management area 153, and a data area 154.

SATA I/F 152 is an interface for SATA communication, including a controller within auxiliary storage device 151 and a connector for connection to RAID card 121. The interface for SATA communication with RAID card 121, including a controller within auxiliary storage device 151 and a connector connected to RAID card 121, is collectively referred to as SATA I/F 152.

The management area 153 is a storage area that stores SMART information 406 that represents the results of self-diagnosis performed within the auxiliary storage device 151.

The data area 154 is a storage area that stores information requested to be saved by the motherboard 111. The RAID log 404 and SMART information 405, which are saved in response to a save request from the motherboard 111, are stored in the data area 154.

Note that management area 133, management area 143, and management area 153 may be storage areas unique to auxiliary storage device 131, auxiliary storage device 141, and auxiliary storage device 151, independent of the RAID configuration. Data area 134, data area 144, and data area 154 are storage areas controlled by RAID card 121. Data area 134, data area 144, and data area 154 stores data according to the RAID configuration of RAID card 121. Since the RAID configuration in this embodiment is RAID 5, data area 134, data area 144, and data area 154 do not store the same data, but rather data according to the RAID 5 configuration. The RAID log 404 and SMART information 405 stored in data area 134, data area 144, and data area 154 are data generated from the RAID log 404 and SMART information 405 according to the RAID 5 configuration. In other words, the RAID log 404 stored in each of the data areas 134, 144, and 154 is a part of the RAID log 404 or parity data of the RAID log 404. The SMART information 405 stored in each of the data areas 134, 144, and 154 is a part of the SMART information 405 or parity data of the SMART information 405.

SMART information 405 includes SMART information 402, SMART information 403, and SMART information 406. SMART information 405 is SMART information 402, SMART information 403, and SMART information 406 compiled by motherboard 111 (specifically, CPU 112) when motherboard 111 requests the saving of the SMART information.

In this embodiment, self-diagnosis information 401 can be obtained in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

That is, as in the first embodiment, when the RAID card 121 detects unauthorized operation, the self-diagnosis information 401 is sent to the motherboard 111 via the serial communication I/F 115 and the serial communication I/F 127. The sent self-diagnosis information 401 is stored in the CMOS 113 by the CPU 112 on the motherboard 111.

This makes it possible to analyze unauthorized operation of the RAID card in the same way as if the auxiliary storage device of computer 101 were configured as a RAID 1.

<Modification>
In the above-described embodiment, the computer (i.e., computer 101, computer 101A, computer 101B, computer 101C) includes a RAID card and an auxiliary storage device. In other words, the motherboard, the RAID card, and the auxiliary storage device are implemented as one computer.

The motherboard, RAID card, and auxiliary storage device do not have to be implemented as a single device. For example, a computer including a motherboard and RAID card and a device including an auxiliary storage device may be implemented as separate devices connected to each other. Also, the RAID card does not necessarily have to be implemented as a card. A RAID control device with the same functions as a RAID card may be used instead of the RAID card. And, for example, a computer including a motherboard and a device including a RAID control device and auxiliary storage device may be implemented as separate devices connected to each other. A computer including a motherboard, a RAID control device connected to the computer, and a device including an auxiliary storage device and connected to the RAID control device may be implemented as separate devices.

It is also possible to combine two or more of the second, third, and fourth embodiments.

Fifth Embodiment
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The fifth embodiment of the present disclosure is an embodiment that schematically illustrates the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments described above.

<Configuration>
FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the present disclosure.

The information processing system according to this embodiment will be described in detail below using Figure 13.

The information processing system 1101 shown in FIG. 13 includes an information processing device 1111, a storage control device 1121, and storage 1131. The information processing device 1111 and the storage control device 1121 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. The storage control device 1121 and the storage 1131 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other.

The information processing system 1101 corresponds to the computer 101 of the first and fourth embodiments, the computer 101A of the second embodiment, and the computer 101B of the third embodiment.

The information processing device 1111 corresponds to the motherboard 111 of the first and fourth embodiments, the motherboard 111A of the second embodiment, and the motherboard 111B of the third embodiment.

The storage control device 1121 corresponds to the RAID card 121 of the first and third embodiments, the RAID card 121A of the second embodiment, and the RAID card 121C of the fourth embodiment.

Storage 1131 corresponds to the auxiliary storage device 131 and auxiliary storage device 141 of the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments, and the auxiliary storage device 151 of the fourth embodiment.

Storage 1131 includes multiple storage devices (i.e., the auxiliary storage devices described above). Storage control device 1121 is connected to each of the multiple storage devices included in storage 1131 so that they can communicate with each other. Using RAID technology, storage control device 1121 controls storage 1131, which includes multiple storage devices, so that information processing device 1111 can use it as a single storage. The RAID configuration used by storage control device 1121 may be RAID 1, RAID 5, or another RAID configuration.

<Information processing device 1111>
The information processing device 1111 includes an access unit 1112 , an output unit 1113 , a diagnosis result storage unit 1114 , and a diagnosis result receiving unit 1115 .

<Access Unit 1112>
The access unit 1112 accesses the storage 1131 via the storage control device 1121. The access includes, for example, reading information from the storage 1131, writing information to the storage 1131, and deleting information from the storage 1131. The access may also include changing the information stored in the storage 1131.

The access unit 1112 corresponds to the CPU 112 that makes requests to the SATA I/F 114 and auxiliary storage device in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments. The access unit 1112 operates as the CPU 112 that makes requests to the SATA I/F 114 and auxiliary storage device.

<Diagnosis Result Receiving Unit 1115>
The diagnostic result receiving unit 1115 receives the diagnostic results from the diagnostic result transmitting unit 1125 of the storage control device 1121 via a path different from the path through which the access unit 1112 accesses the storage 1131 via the storage control device 1121. The diagnostic result receiving unit 1115 stores the diagnostic results in the diagnostic result storage unit 1114.

The results of the diagnosis correspond to the self-diagnosis information 401 in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments.

The diagnostic result receiving unit 1115 corresponds to the serial communication I/F 115 and the CPU 112 that receives self-diagnostic information in the first, third, and fourth embodiments (in other words, the function of receiving self-diagnostic information of the CPU 112). The diagnostic result receiving unit 1115 also corresponds to the parallel communication I/F 115A and the CPU 112 that receives self-diagnostic information in the second embodiment (in other words, the function of receiving self-diagnostic information of the CPU 112). In other words, the diagnostic result receiving unit 1115 operates as the serial communication I/F 115 and the CPU 112 that receives self-diagnostic information in the first, third, and fourth embodiments (in other words, the function of receiving self-diagnostic information of the CPU 112). The diagnostic result receiving unit 1115 also operates as the parallel communication I/F 115A and the CPU 112 that receives self-diagnostic information in the second embodiment (in other words, the function of receiving self-diagnostic information of the CPU 112).

<Diagnosis result storage unit 1114>
The diagnosis result storage unit 1114 stores the results of the diagnosis.

The diagnostic result storage unit 1114 corresponds to the CMOS 113 in the first, second, and fourth embodiments. The diagnostic result storage unit 1114 also corresponds to the flash memory 113B in the third embodiment. In other words, the diagnostic result storage unit 1114 operates as the CMOS 113 in the first, second, and fourth embodiments. The diagnostic result storage unit 1114 also operates as the flash memory 113B in the third embodiment.

<Output Unit 1113>
The output unit 1113 reads out the diagnosis result from the diagnosis result storage unit 1114 and outputs the read out diagnosis result. The output unit 1113 may output the diagnosis result to a display of the information processing device 1111. The output unit 1113 may output the diagnosis result to another information processing device.

<Storage control device 1121>
The storage control device 1121 includes a control unit 1122 , a diagnosis execution unit 1123 , a diagnosis result storage unit 1124 , and a diagnosis result transmission unit 1125 .

<Control Unit 1122>
The control unit 1122 reads, writes, erases, etc., data stored in the storage 1131 in response to a request from the access unit 1112 of the information processing device 1111. The control unit 1122 may also change the data stored in the storage 1131 in response to a request from the access unit 1112 of the information processing device 1111.

The control unit 1122 corresponds to the SATA processing function 301 of the CPU 122 and FW 201, the function of saving the RAID log 404 in the data area 202 of the memory 123, and the SATA I/F 124, SATA I/F 125, SATA I/F 126, and SATA I/F 128. In other words, the control unit 1122 operates as the SATA processing function 301 of the CPU 122 and FW 201, the function of saving the RAID log 404 in the data area 202 of the memory 123, and the SATA I/F 124, SATA I/F 125, and SATA I/F 126 of the first, second, and third embodiments. The control unit 1122 also operates as the SATA processing function 301 of the CPU 122 and FW 201 of the fourth embodiment, the function for saving the RAID log 404 in the data area 202 of the memory 123, and the SATA I/F 124, SATA I/F 125, SATA I/F 126, and SATA I/F 128.

<Diagnosis Implementation Unit 1123>
The diagnosis execution unit 1123 diagnoses the storage control device 1121. The diagnosis execution unit 1123 stores the results of the diagnosis in the diagnosis result storage unit 1124.

The diagnosis of the storage control device 1121 corresponds to the self-diagnosis of the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments. The results of the diagnosis correspond to the self-diagnosis information 401 of the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments.

The diagnosis implementation unit 1123 corresponds to the RAID card operation monitoring function 302 of the CPU 122 and FW 201 in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments. In other words, the diagnosis implementation unit 1123 operates as the RAID card operation monitoring function 302 of the CPU 122 controlled by the FW 201.

<Diagnosis result storage unit 1124>
The diagnosis result storage unit 1124 stores the results of the diagnosis.

The diagnostic result storage unit 1124 corresponds to the area in the data area 202 of the memory 123 in which the self-diagnosis information 401 is stored in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments. In other words, the diagnostic result storage unit 1124 operates as the area in the data area 202 of the memory 123 in which the self-diagnosis information 401 is stored in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments.

<Diagnosis Result Transmission Unit 1125>
The diagnostic result transmission unit 1125 transmits, for example, the diagnostic result stored in the diagnostic result storage unit 1124 to the information processing device 1111 via a path different from the path by which the information processing device 1111 accesses the storage 1131 via the storage control device 1121. If an unauthorized operation is detected in the storage control device 1121 as a result of the diagnosis, the diagnostic result transmission unit 1125 may transmit the diagnostic result indicating information about the detected failure to the information processing device 1111.

The path by which the information processing device 1111 accesses the storage 1131 via the storage control device 1121 is, in other words, the path used when the information processing device 1111 accesses the storage 1131 via the storage control device 1121. In other words, the path by which the information processing device 1111 accesses the storage 1131 via the storage control device 1121 is the path taken by the request sent and the data returned when the information processing device 1111 accesses the storage 1131. The request sent is a request for access to the storage 1131 sent from the information processing device 1111 to the storage control device 1121. The data returned is data returned from the storage 1131 to the information processing device 1111 in response to the access request from the information processing device 1111.

The path by which the information processing device 1111 accesses the storage 1131 via the storage control device 1121 is, for example, a path that passes through the access unit 1112, the control unit 1122, and the control unit 1132 (hereinafter referred to as the access path). In the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments, the access path is a path that passes through a SATA I/F.

In the first, third, and fourth embodiments, the path separate from the access path corresponds to the path that passes through serial communication I/F 115 and serial communication I/F 127. In the second embodiment, the path separate from the access path corresponds to the path that passes through parallel communication I/F 115A and parallel communication I/F 127A. In the following description, the path separate from the access path is also referred to as the diagnostic information transmission path.

The diagnostic result transmission unit 1125 corresponds to the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 of the CPU 122 and FW 201 and the serial communication I/F 127 in the first, third, and fourth embodiments. The diagnostic result transmission unit 1125 also corresponds to the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 of the CPU 122 and FW 201 and the parallel communication I/F 127A in the second embodiment. In other words, the diagnostic result transmission unit 1125 operates as the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 of the CPU 122 and FW 201 and the serial communication I/F 127 in the first, third, and fourth embodiments. The diagnostic result transmission unit 1125 also operates as the self-diagnosis information transmission function 303 of the CPU 122 and FW 201 and the parallel communication I/F 127A in the second embodiment.

<Storage 1131>
The storage 1131 includes a control unit 1132 and a memory unit 1133 .

The control unit 1132 writes data to the memory unit 1133, reads data from the memory unit 1133, and erases data from the memory unit 1133 in accordance with the control of the storage control device 1121. The control unit 1132 may also change the data stored in the memory unit 1133 in accordance with the control of the storage control device 1121.

The control unit 1132 corresponds to the SATA I/F of the auxiliary storage device according to the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments, and the function of accessing the management area and data area. In other words, the control unit 1132 operates as the function of accessing the SATA I/F of the auxiliary storage device according to the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments, and the function of accessing the management area and data area.

<Storage unit 1133>
The storage unit 1133 corresponds to the management area and data area of the auxiliary storage device according to the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments. The storage unit 1133 operates as the management area and data area of the auxiliary storage device according to the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments.

<Operation>
FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the storage control device according to the present disclosure.

The operation of the storage control device 1121 of this embodiment will be explained in detail below using Figure 14.

In the example shown in FIG. 14, the diagnosis execution unit 1123 performs a diagnosis of the storage control device 1121 (step S101). If no unauthorized operation is detected in the diagnosis (NO in step S102), the storage control device 1121 may terminate the operation shown in FIG. 14.

If unauthorized operation is detected during the diagnosis (YES in step S102), the diagnosis result transmission unit 1125 transmits the diagnosis results to the information processing device 1111 via a route different from the route by which the information processing device 1111 accesses the storage 1131 via the storage control device 1121 (step S103).

<Effects>
This embodiment has the effect described as effect 4 of the first embodiment (that is, the effect of being able to acquire failure information from a RAID card in which a failure has occurred while reducing costs).

The reason for this is the same as the reason why effect 4 of the first embodiment occurs.

Sixth Embodiment
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a storage control device according to the present disclosure.

The configuration of the storage control device 1121A according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below using Figure 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the storage control device 1121A is connected to an information processing device and storage, and includes a diagnosis implementation unit 1123 and a diagnosis result transmission unit 1125.

The diagnosis execution unit 1123 performs a diagnosis of the storage control device 1121A.

The diagnostic result transmission unit 1125 transmits the results of the diagnosis to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path, which is a path different from the access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device 1121A.

<Operation>
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the storage control device according to the present disclosure.

The operation of the storage control device 1121A according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below using Figure 2.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the diagnosis implementation unit 1123 diagnoses the storage control device 1121 (step S101). The diagnosis result transmission unit 1125 transmits the diagnosis results to the information processing device 1111 via a route separate from the route by which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device 1121 (step S103).

<Effects>
This embodiment has the same effects as the fifth embodiment, for the same reasons as those for the fifth embodiment.

<Other Embodiments>
The RAID card and storage control device according to the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized by a computer including a memory into which a program read from a storage medium is loaded and a processor that executes the program. The RAID card and storage control device according to the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized by dedicated hardware. The RAID card and storage control device according to the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized by a combination of the computer and dedicated hardware.

Figure 15 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1000 capable of realizing the RAID card and storage control device according to the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example shown in Figure 15, the computer 1000 includes a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage device 1003, and an I/O (Input/Output) interface 1004. The computer 1000 can also access a storage medium 1005. The memory 1002 and the storage device 1003 are, for example, storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and a hard disk. The storage medium 1005 is, for example, a storage device such as RAM or a hard disk, a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a portable storage medium. The storage device 1003 may also be the storage medium 1005. The processor 1001 can read and write data and programs from and to the memory 1002 and the storage device 1003. The processor 1001 can access, for example, a motherboard, an auxiliary storage device, an information processing device, and storage according to an embodiment of the present disclosure via the I/O interface 1004. The processor 1001 can access a storage medium 1005. The storage medium 1005 stores a program that causes the computer 1000 to operate as a RAID card (i.e., a storage control device) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The processor 1001 loads into the memory 1002 a program stored in the storage medium 1005 that causes the computer 1000 to operate as a RAID card (i.e., a storage control device) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The processor 1001 then executes the program loaded into the memory 1002, causing the computer 1000 to operate as a RAID card (i.e., a storage control device) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The processor 1001 corresponds to the CPU 122 according to the above-described embodiment. The memory 1002 corresponds to the memory 123 according to the above-described embodiment. The program corresponds to the FW 201 according to the above-described embodiment. The program may be stored in the memory 1002 in a state where it is loaded into the memory 1002. In this case, the memory 1002 can also be considered to correspond to the storage medium 1005. The I/O interface 1004 corresponds to the serial communication I/F 127, parallel communication I/F 127A, SATA I/F 124, SATA I/F 125, SATA I/F 126, and SATA I/F 128 according to the above-described embodiment.

The control unit 1122, diagnosis implementation unit 1123, and diagnosis result transmission unit 1125 can be realized, for example, by a processor 1001 that executes a program loaded into memory 1002. Furthermore, the diagnosis result storage unit 1124 can be realized by a storage device 1003, such as memory 1002 or a hard disk drive, included in the computer 1000. Alternatively, some or all of the control unit 1122, diagnosis implementation unit 1123, diagnosis result storage unit 1124, and diagnosis result transmission unit 1125 can be realized by dedicated circuits that realize the functions of each unit.

Furthermore, some or all of the above embodiments can also be described as, but are not limited to, the following notes.

(Appendix 1)
A storage control device connected to an information processing device and a storage,
a diagnosis execution means for executing a diagnosis of the storage control device;
a diagnostic result transmission means for transmitting the diagnostic result to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path that is a path different from an access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device;
A storage control device comprising:

(Appendix 2)
2. The storage control device according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic result transmission means transmits a result of the diagnosis when a fault is detected in the diagnosis of the storage control device.

(Appendix 3)
The information processing device, the storage, and the storage control device described in Supplementary Note 2,
The information processing device includes:
a diagnostic result receiving means for receiving the result of the diagnosis via the diagnostic information transmission path;
a diagnostic result storage means for storing the results of the diagnosis;
an output means for outputting the result of the diagnosis;
An information processing system comprising:

(Appendix 4)
the access path is a SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) path,
3. The storage control device according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic information transmission path is a serial communication path.

(Appendix 5)
the access path is a SATA path,
3. The storage control device according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic information transmission path is a path for parallel communication.

(Appendix 6)
the storage includes a plurality of storage devices;
The storage control device described in Appendix 1 or 2 is provided with a control means for acquiring storage diagnostic information representing the results of self-diagnosis of each of the plurality of storage devices, transmitting the acquired storage diagnostic information to the information processing device, receiving integrated storage diagnostic information that summarizes the storage diagnostic information of the plurality of storage devices from the information processing device, and storing the received integrated storage diagnostic information in the storage.

(Appendix 7)
3. The storage control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that controls the storage so that the information processing device can use the storage as a single storage device by using RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) technology.

(Appendix 8)
The storage control device according to claim 7, wherein the control means uses RAID 1 or RAID 5 as the RAID technology.

(Appendix 9)
A storage control device connected to an information processing device and a storage,
performing a diagnosis of the storage control device;
transmitting the diagnosis result to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path that is different from an access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device;
Storage control device control method.

(Appendix 10)
10. The storage control device control method according to claim 9, further comprising transmitting a result of the diagnosis when a fault is detected in the diagnosis of the storage control device.

(Appendix 11)
The storage control device control method according to claim 10,
The information processing device includes:
receiving a result of the diagnosis via the diagnostic information transmission path;
storing the results of the diagnosis in a diagnosis result storage means;
outputting the results of the diagnosis;
Information processing system control method.

(Appendix 12)
the access path is a SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) path,
The storage control device control method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the diagnostic information transmission path is a serial communication path.

(Appendix 13)
the access path is a SATA path,
The storage control device control method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the diagnostic information transmission path is a path for parallel communication.

(Appendix 14)
the storage includes a plurality of storage devices;
The storage control device
acquiring storage diagnostic information representing a result of the self-diagnosis of each of the plurality of storage devices, and transmitting the acquired storage diagnostic information to the information processing device;
11. The storage control device control method according to claim 9, further comprising receiving, from the information processing device, integrated storage diagnostic information that is a compilation of the storage diagnostic information of the plurality of storage devices, and storing the received integrated storage diagnostic information in the storage.

(Appendix 15)
11. The storage control device control method according to claim 9, wherein the storage is controlled so that the information processing device can use the storage as a single storage device by using RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) technology.

(Appendix 16)
16. The storage control device control method according to claim 15, wherein RAID 1 or RAID 5 is used as the RAID technology.

(Appendix 17)
A computer that operates as a storage control device connected to an information processing device and a storage,
a diagnosis execution process for executing a diagnosis of the storage control device;
a diagnostic result transmission process for transmitting the diagnostic result to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path that is a path different from an access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device;
A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

(Appendix 18)
18. The program according to claim 17, wherein the diagnosis result transmission process transmits a result of the diagnosis when a failure is detected in the diagnosis of the storage control device.

(Appendix 19)
the access path is a SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) path,
19. The program according to claim 17, wherein the diagnostic information transmission path is a serial communication path.

(Appendix 20)
the access path is a SATA path,
19. The program according to claim 17, wherein the diagnostic information transmission path is a path for parallel communication.

(Appendix 21)
the storage includes a plurality of storage devices;
The program described in Appendix 17 or 18 causes a computer to execute a control process of acquiring storage diagnostic information representing the results of self-diagnosis of each of the plurality of storage devices, transmitting the acquired storage diagnostic information to the information processing device, receiving integrated storage diagnostic information that summarizes the storage diagnostic information of the plurality of storage devices from the information processing device, and storing the received integrated storage diagnostic information in the storage.

(Appendix 22)
19. The program according to claim 17 or 18, which causes a computer to execute a control process for controlling the information processing device to use the storages as a single storage device using RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) technology.

(Appendix 23)
The program according to claim 22, wherein the control process uses RAID 1 or RAID 5 as the RAID technology.

The presently disclosed invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the presently disclosed invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications that would be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the presently disclosed invention within the scope of the presently disclosed invention.

101 Computer 101A Computer 101B Computer 101C Computer 101Z Computer 111 Motherboard 111A Motherboard 111B Motherboard 111Z Motherboard 112 CPU
113 CMOS
113B Flash memory 114 SATA I/F
115 Serial communication I/F
115A Parallel communication I/F
121 RAID card 121A RAID card 121C RAID card 121Z RAID card 122 CPU
123 Memory 124 SATA I/F
125 SATA I/F
126 SATA I/F
127 Serial communication I/F
127A Parallel communication I/F
128 SATA I/F
131 Auxiliary storage device 132 SATA I/F
133 Management area 134 Data area 141 Auxiliary storage device 142 SATA I/F
143 Management area 144 Data area 151 Auxiliary storage device 152 SATA I/F
153 Management area 154 Data area 201 FW
201Z FW
202 Data area 301 SATA processing function 302 RAID card operation monitoring function 303 Self-diagnosis information transmission function 401 Self-diagnosis information 402 SMART information 403 SMART information 404 RAID log 405 SMART information 406 SMART information 410 Self-diagnosis information 1000 Computer 1001 Processor 1002 Memory 1003 Storage device 1004 I/O interface 1005 Storage medium 1101 Information processing system 1111 Information processing device 1112 Access unit 1113 Output unit 1114 Diagnosis result storage unit 1115 Diagnosis result receiving unit 1121 Storage control device 1121A Storage control device 1122 Control unit 1123 Diagnosis implementation unit 1124 Diagnosis result storage unit 1125 Diagnosis result transmission unit 1131 Storage 1132 Control unit 1133 Memory unit

Claims (10)

A storage control device connected to an information processing device and a storage,
a diagnosis execution means for executing a diagnosis of the storage control device;
a diagnostic result transmission means for transmitting the diagnostic result to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path that is a path different from an access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device;
A storage control device comprising: The storage control device according to claim 1 , wherein the diagnostic result transmission means transmits the result of the diagnosis when a fault is detected in the diagnosis of the storage control device. The information processing device, the storage, and the storage control device according to claim 2,
The information processing device includes:
a diagnostic result receiving means for receiving the result of the diagnosis via the diagnostic information transmission path;
a diagnostic result storage means for storing the results of the diagnosis;
an output means for outputting the result of the diagnosis;
An information processing system comprising: the access path is a SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) path,
The storage control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the diagnostic information transmission path is a serial communication path. the access path is a SATA path,
The storage control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the diagnostic information transmission path is a path for parallel communication. the storage includes a plurality of storage devices;
3. The storage control device according to claim 1, further comprising a control means for acquiring storage diagnostic information representing the results of self-diagnosis of each of the plurality of storage devices, transmitting the acquired storage diagnostic information to the information processing device, receiving integrated storage diagnostic information that summarizes the storage diagnostic information of the plurality of storage devices from the information processing device, and storing the received integrated storage diagnostic information in the storage. 3. The storage control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that controls the storage so that the information processing device can use the storage as a single storage device by using RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) technology. The storage control device according to claim 7 , wherein the control means uses RAID1 or RAID5 as the RAID technology. A storage control device connected to an information processing device and a storage,
performing a diagnosis of the storage control device;
transmitting the diagnosis result to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path that is different from an access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device;
Storage control device control method. A computer that operates as a storage control device connected to an information processing device and a storage,
a diagnosis execution process for executing a diagnosis of the storage control device;
a diagnostic result transmission process for transmitting the diagnostic result to the information processing device via a diagnostic information transmission path that is a path different from an access path through which the information processing device accesses the storage via the storage control device;
A program that executes the following.