JPS6288024A - Semiconductor storage system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily attain a preventive maintenance by diagnosing a magnetic disk device for a data save within a semiconductor storage subsystem and detecting a failure if any. CONSTITUTION:A semiconductor storage subsystem 2 is connected to a host device 1 and also, the subsystem 2 is constituted with a semiconductor storage device 4 consisting of a memory 6, a magnetic disc device 7 and a diagnosis circuit 5, and a semiconductor storage controller 3. In a system, the processor 3, when the start-up of the system is not performed by the host device 1, starts up the diagnosis circuit 5 and writes a data sent from the processor 3 on the magnetic disc device 7 and sends whether it is a normal completion or an abnormal one to the processor 3. As a result, when it is the abnormal completion, a warning report is sent to the host device 1 and also, when the normal completion, the instruction of the readout of the written data is given to the diagnosis circuit 5. Meanwhile, the warning report is outputted as an error message.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a semiconductor storage system, and more particularly to a semiconductor storage system in which a data saving magnetic disk device is diagnosed within the system.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, the performance/price of semiconductor memory elements has significantly improved, and semiconductor memory devices using semiconductor memory elements have come to be used as high-performance external memory devices. Since this semiconductor storage device does not involve mechanical operation unlike a magnetic disk device, the access time is significantly improved, and it greatly contributes to improving the performance of computer systems.

However, a drawback of semiconductor memory devices is that the memory is volatile. For this purpose, a semiconductor storage device has a built-in magnetic disk device, the data in the memory is saved to the magnetic disk device before the computer system is powered off, and the data saved in the magnetic disk device is saved when the computer system is powered on. A method is adopted in which the data is stored again in memory.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The conventional semiconductor memory device described above has the following problems. In other words, if the magnetic disk device is malfunctioning for some reason, the failure of the magnetic disk device becomes obvious for the first time when data in memory is saved to the magnetic disk device. In particular, in large-scale computer systems, the system power is rarely turned off because they operate day and night, so there is a possibility that the magnetic disk drive will fail during a long period of time until the power is turned off.

Furthermore, since data is saved only when the power of the computer system is turned off, even if a failure of the magnetic disk is discovered at that point, it is not possible to save the data in memory to another storage device 1, such as a magnetic tape device. It turns out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor storage system which eliminates such problems and makes it possible to diagnose a magnetic disk device for saving data to ensure data saving.

[Means for solving problems]

The semiconductor storage system of the present invention includes a memory including a semiconductor storage element, a magnetic disk device for saving data stored in the memory, and a magnetic disk device for writing data to and reading data from the magnetic disk device. a semiconductor storage device comprising a diagnostic circuit for diagnosing a disk device; when the semiconductor storage device starts the diagnosis, the diagnosis result is analyzed, and it is determined that the magnetic disk device is abnormal; and a semiconductor storage processing device that reports on the data.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram containing one embodiment of the present invention. The semiconductor storage subsystem 2 of this embodiment is connected to the host device 1.

The semiconductor storage subsystem 2 includes a semiconductor storage device 4 including a memory 6, a magnetic disk device 7, and a diagnostic circuit 5; and a semiconductor storage processing device 3 connected to the host device 1. A data transfer device such as a channel can be considered as this higher-level device l.

If the semiconductor storage processing device 3 is not activated by the host device 1 for a predetermined period of time, the semiconductor storage processing device 3 activates the diagnosis circuit 5 in the semiconductor storage device 4 to perform diagnosis. This diagnostic circuit 5 writes data sent from the semiconductor storage processing device 3 to the magnetic disk device 7, and determines normal termination if the writing is completed normally, and determines abnormal termination if the writing is not completed normally. The data is sent to the semiconductor storage processing device 3.

The semiconductor storage processing device 3 sends a warning report to the host device 1 when abnormal termination is sent. Further, when a normal end is sent, the semiconductor memory element device fit3 instructs the diagnostic circuit 5 to read the written data. The diagnostic circuit 5 reads data from the magnetic disk device 7 and sends it to the semiconductor storage processing device 3. If the reading is completed normally, the diagnostic circuit 5 determines that the data has been successfully completed, or if the reading has not been completed normally due to a failure of the magnetic disk device 7, Semiconductor storage processing device 3 indicates abnormal termination.
send to

If an abnormal end is sent, a caution report is sent to the host device 1, and if a normal end is sent, the semiconductor storage processing device 3 sends the read data sent from the diagnostic circuit 5 and the read data sent to the diagnostic circuit 5 first. Compare with the written data. If this comparison does not match.

A caution report is sent to the host device 1, and if the comparison results in a match, the magnetic disk device 7 is considered to be normal and waits for startup from the host device 1 again.

The caution report sent to the host device 1 is output as an error message, informing the computer system maintenance personnel that the magnetic disk device 7 has failed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention enables advance maintenance to be performed by diagnosing a magnetic disk device for data backup in a semiconductor storage system and detecting a failure of the magnetic disk device, and This has the effect that data can be reliably saved when disconnecting.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. 1... Host device, 2... Semiconductor storage subsystem, 3... Semiconductor storage processing device, 4.
... Semiconductor storage device, 5 ... Diagnosis circuit,
6...Memory, 7...Magnetic disk device. Agent Patent Attorney Susumu Kadohara;) $ l Figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] A memory consisting of a semiconductor storage element, a magnetic disk device for saving data stored in this memory, and a diagnostic circuit for diagnosing the magnetic disk device by writing data to and reading data from the magnetic disk device. a semiconductor storage device comprising; a semiconductor storage processing device that starts the diagnosis for the semiconductor storage device, analyzes the diagnosis result, and reports to a host device when it is determined that the magnetic disk device is abnormal; semiconductor storage systems including;