JPH0619032U - Redundant magnetic disk unit - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To enable replacement work due to failure or maintenance of one disk device without affecting the overall operation of the system. [Structure] Independent 2 that has a standardized connector connected to a standardized bus at one end and has a card-shaped outer shape
Two magnetic disk device units DS1 and DS2, and two standardized connectors to which standardized connectors provided at one end of the two magnetic disk device units are respectively mounted on the front side, and the back surface has the back connector. It has a connector that guides the bus interface signal of the board,
The mirrored controller unit MC is equipped with a control circuit for controlling the stored contents of the two magnetic disk devices to be the same.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a redundant magnetic disk device configured by being mounted on a backboard of a nest-structured case, and more specifically, in the case of a disk device failure, the failed magnetic disk device unit is independently provided. The present invention relates to a redundant magnetic disk device that is removable from the nest.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Due to the miniaturization of magnetic disks, it is now possible to mount two or more magnetic disk devices in the space where only one could be mounted conventionally. As a result, it has become easier to make the magnetic disk device redundant so that the failure of the magnetic disk device does not affect the entire system.

For example, by adding one connector for guiding an interface signal of a magnetic disk device to a backboard of a nest-structured housing, two magnetic disk devices are mounted and two magnetic disk devices are mounted. A mirrored disk configuration (redundant configuration) can be achieved by storing the same data in the storage medium of the device. However, in the case of such a configuration, the CPU needs to perform the mirroring process of the magnetic disk device, and the performance of the CPU may decrease.

In order to solve such a drawback, a conventional disk device of this type includes a mirror controller for making a CPU seem to be connected to one magnetic disk device. The controller is configured to write and read data to and from the two magnetic disk devices.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 According to the conventional device having such a configuration, when these devices are mounted on the backboard of the nest-structured housing, both the magnetic disk device and the mirroring controller are mounted side by side in the nest.

In such a configuration, if one of the magnetic disk devices fails, the mirroring controller also needs to be pulled out from the nest in order to replace it, and the operation of the entire system is stopped. It was necessary to replace it.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and in a magnetic disk device having a redundant configuration, when one of the magnetic disk devices fails, only that unit can be independently attached and detached. It is an object of the present invention to provide a redundant magnetic disk device that can replace a failed magnetic disk device unit without stopping the system operation.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention, which achieves such an object, is a redundant magnetic disk device configured by being mounted on a backboard of a housing having a nest structure, and a standardized connector which is connected to a standardized bus at one end. 2 independent magnetic disk drive units each having a card-shaped outer shape and a standardized connector provided at one end of the two magnetic disk drive units on the front side are mounted respectively. Redundant disk with two standardized connectors, a connector for guiding the bus interface signal of the above-mentioned backboard on the back side, and a control circuit for controlling the stored contents of two magnetic disk devices to be the same. The redundant disk controller unit is installed between the backboard and the two magnetic disk device units. A redundant magnetic disk device is characterized in that the magnetic disk device unit two respectively detachable one by one independently from the redundancy Nagaka disk controller unit.

[0009]

The bus interface signal in the backboard is input to the redundant disk controller unit via the connector, and the redundant disk controller unit sends data to the two magnetic disk devices so that the stored contents are the same. Control the writing of data and check the read data.

When one of the two magnetic disk device units fails, the standardized connector section separates and separates the magnetic disk device unit from the redundant controller unit. In this case, the redundant controller unit continues the control to the other remaining magnetic disk device units so that the failure of one unit does not affect the operation of the other magnetic disk device units.

[0011]

【Example】

 Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration conceptual diagram in the case of mounting on a backboard of a case of a nest structure.

In these drawings, BB is a backboard provided in a nest (not shown) through which a backboard bus BS passes. The backboard bus BS is connected to the connector CC1 so that the bus interface signal can be taken out from here. The connector CC1 is provided on the front surface side of the backboard BB. CP is a CPU card equipped with a CPU, and although not shown in FIG. 2, it is mounted in a nest and connected to a backboard bus BS.

Each of the DS1 and DS2 is a magnetic disk unit (HDD) unit having an independent structure, and is formed into a card shape as shown in the figure. One end is a standardized bus (for example, SCSI). It has standardized connectors C1 and C2 to be connected.

MC is a mirrored controller unit (redundant disk controller unit), which has a card-like shape and is arranged parallel to the backboard BB. Here, two magnetic disk device units DS1 and DS2 are provided. It is equipped with a control circuit for controlling the memory contents to be the same. Further, on the front side of the card-shaped mirrored controller unit, there are two standardized connectors C11 and C11 to which standardized connectors C1 and C2 provided at one end of the two magnetic disk device units DS1 and DS2 are respectively mounted. In addition to having C12, a connector CC10 for guiding the bus interface signal of the backboard BB is provided on the back surface.

The mirrored controller unit MC is installed between the backboard BB and the two magnetic disk device units DS1 and DS2, the connector CC10 and the connector CC1 of the backboard BB are mounted, and the backboard bus BS is connected. The bus signal from is applied to the mirrored controller side. Further, the standardized connector C11 of the mirrored controller MC is provided with the connector C1 at one end of the magnetic disk device unit DS1, and the standardized connector C12 is provided with the connector C2 of the magnetic disk device unit DS2 independently. It can be attached and detached.

The operation of the apparatus thus configured will be described below. When the two magnetic disk device units DS1 and DS2 are operating normally, the same operation as a normal mirrored disk device is performed. That is, the CPU mounted on the CPU card CP has a configuration in which the mirrored controller unit MC is connected via the backboard bus BS. This means that the magnetic field of one interface is seen from the CPU. It looks the same as if the disk unit is connected.

The mirrored controller unit MC checks the access from the CPU so that the same data is recorded in each of the two disk device units DS1 and DS2, and checks the read data. It performs the operation of sending the read data of to the CPU side. As a result, the magnetic disk device can be made redundant without any special software changes.

On the other hand, when one of the two magnetic disk device units DS1 and DS2 fails, the failed magnetic disk device unit is removed from the mirrored controller MC part at the standardized connector part. Even in this case, the failed magnetic disk device unit is disconnected from the SCSI bus, but the other magnetic disk device unit is still connected to the mirrored controller MC via the SCSI bus. The operation can continue without being affected by the failure of the other magnetic disk device.

In this embodiment, two magnetic disk device units are used for a redundant configuration, but a configuration using a plurality of magnetic disk devices may be used.

[0020]

[Effect of device]

 As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the two magnetic disk device units are each configured as an independent card, and the mirrored controller is provided between the magnetic disk device unit and the backboard. The two magnetic disk device units are detachably attached to the mirrored controller. Therefore, even if it is removed from the mirrored controller MC due to a failure or maintenance of one magnetic disk device, it does not affect the overall operation of the system. Therefore, replacement work and maintenance work can be freely performed, and a highly reliable redundant magnetic disk device can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a configuration in which a magnetic disk device is mounted on a backboard of a housing having a nest structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 BB backboard BS backboard bus CC1, CC10 connector CP CPU card DS1, DS2 magnetic disk unit (HDD) unit C1, C2, C11, C12 standardized connector MC mirrored controller unit

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A redundant magnetic disk device configured by being mounted on a backboard of a case having a nest structure, having a standardized connector connected to a standardized bus at one end, and having a card-like outer shape. 2 independent magnetic disk drive units configured as described above and a standardized connector provided at one end of the two magnetic disk drive units on the front side are respectively mounted 2
Redundant disk controller having two standardized connectors, a connector for guiding the bus interface signal of the backboard on the back side, and a control circuit for controlling the stored contents of two magnetic disk devices to be the same. And a redundant disk controller unit is installed between the backboard and the two magnetic disk device units,
A redundant magnetic disk device characterized in that two magnetic disk device units can be independently attached to and detached from each redundant disk controller unit.