Patent Application
20080123278
1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates generally to a slot availability indication system, and more particularly to a slot availability indication system for hard disk drives.
2. Description of Background
In Storage Subsystems hard disk drives (HDDs) generally include two indicators; one amber indicator and one green indicator. The amber indicator is used to denote a fault condition, while the green indicator denotes general disk drive activity or usage. Most storage enclosures today package each HDD as a separate CRU/FRU (customer replaceable unit/field replaceable unit) and the two indicators are implemented accordingly. With the advent of Small Form Factor HDD technology (also referred to as 2.5″ disk drives), developers are beginning to package multiple HDDs within a single service boundary (CRU/FRU). This new packaging scheme creates difficulty when a user attempts to locate an empty disk drive slot within a multi-drive tray (MDT) to install a new HDD. This is because HDD's can be installed in depth in the MDT's, rendering it necessary for the user to remove MDT's from installation in order to locate empty drive space disposed behind occupied drive space. As such, a system for indicating available HDD space in an MDT is desirable.
Disclosed is a slot availability indication system including a blade chassis defining a plurality of blade slots, a RAID controller disposed in at least one of the blade slots, a battery component disposed in at least one of the blade slots, at least one disk tray disposed in at least one of the blade slots, each of the at least one disk trays defining a first disk slot, a second disk slot, and a third disk slot disposed in depth, each of the first disk slot, the second disk slot, and the third disk slot being configured to contain a disk drive, and being logically associated with the RAID controller, a RAID light indicator disposed on the RAID controller, the RAID light indicator being logically associated with the first disk slot, the second disk slot, and the third disk slot of each of the at least one disk trays and the RAID controller, the RAID controller being logically configured to flash the RAID light indicator when at least one of the first disk slot, the second disk slot, and the third disk slot in at least one of the at least one disk trays is empty, a first disk activity light indicator disposed on each of the at least one disk trays, a second disk activity light indicator disposed on each of the at least one disk trays, and a third disk activity light indicator disposed on each of the at least one disk trays, wherein the RAID controller is logically associated with and configured to flash the first disk activity light, the second disk activity light, and the third disk activity light of any of the at least one trays in which at least one of the first disk slot, the second disk slot, and the third disk slot is empty, and a first disk availability light indicator disposed on each of the at least one disk trays, a second disk availability light indicator disposed on each of the at least one disk trays, and a third disk availability light indicator disposed on each of the at least one disk trays, wherein the RAID controller is logically associated with and configured to flash the first disk availability light when the first disk slot is empty light, the second disk availability light when the second disk slot is empty, and the third disk availability light when the third disk slot is empty.
Also disclosed is a method of indicating slot availability, the method including initiating available slot detection in a slot availability indication system via a user prompt, flashing at least one disk availability light indicator disposed on a disk tray and logically associated via a RAID controller with one of at least one empty slots in three disk slots defined by the disk tray, flashing three disk activity light indicators disposed on the disk tray and logically associated via the RAID controller with the three disk slots that include the at least one empty slot, and flashing a RAID light indicator disposed on the RAID controller and logically associated with the three disk slots that include the at least one empty slot.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention should be more fully understood from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying Figures in which like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures:
Referring to
Each of the disk trays 20 defines at least three disk slots (disposed in depth within the trays 20), illustrated as a first disk slot 22a, a second disk slot 22b, and a third disc slot 22c. Each of the disk slots 22a-c may contain a disk drive 24, and include a disk detection device 26a-c configured to detect whether the disk drive 24 it may contain is present within its respective disk slot. The disk detection devices 26a-c may be any type of detection device, such as a push button switch that may be depressed when one of the drives 24 is installed, or a pin on a disk drive connector (disposed on a surface of each slot 22a-c) that transmits a high signal when the slot(s) 22a-c are empty and a grounded/low signal when the disk slot(s) 22a-c contain a disk 24. The disk detection devices 26a-c logically associate the RAID controller 11 with the slots 22a-c they are respectively disposed in. When one or more of the disk slots 22a-c is empty (i.e. contains no disk drive 24), the disk detection devices 26a-c transmit a signal to the RAID controller 11 that indicates this emptiness. This allows the RAID controller 11 an awareness of what slots 22a-c (in what trays 20) are and are not empty. The RAID controller 11 is configured and programmed to indicate this awareness to a user via a series of flashable lights disposed on the RAID controller 11 and each disk tray 20.
Disposed on a surface 38 of the RAID controller 11 is a RAID light indicator 36. In addition, disposed on a surface 28 of each disk tray 20 are two tray light indicators 30a-b, a first, second, and third disk activity light indicators 32a-c, and a first, second, and third disk availability light indicators 34a-c. The light indicators, 32a-c and 34a-c are flashable, and logically associated with the RAID controller 11. These associations with the RAID controller 11 allow the first, second, and third disk activity light indicators 32a-c, and a first, second, and third disk availability light indicators 34a-c, to demonstrate conditions within the first, second, and third disk slots 22a-c respectively. When, for example, the disk detection device 26a transmits a signal to the RAID controller 11, and that signal indicates that the first disk slot 22a is empty, the RAID controller 11 flashes the lights, 32a-c and 34a-c on the surface 28 of the disk tray 20 in a manner that will alert a user of the empty slot 22a. In an exemplary embodiment, the lights, 32a-c and 34a-c are flashed as described hereinbelow, beginning with the RAID controller light 36.
Referring to the RAID light indicator 36, when at least one of the disk detection devices 26a-c in one of the trays 20 transmits a signal to the RAID controller 11 indicating that the slot 22a-c in which it resides is empty, the RAID controller 11 either lights or flashes (the lighting is typically blue) the RAID light indicator 36 disposed on its surface 38. Via this lighting or flashing, the user of the system 10 is made aware that at least one of the slots 22a-c in at least one of the disk trays 20 is empty. Thus, conveniently, the user need only view the RAID controller 11 to know that one or more of the disk slots 22a-c is empty. From there, the user can look to the trays 20 defining these slots 22a-c (and the lights 30a-b, 32a-c, and 34a-c disposed their surfaces 28) to determine which specific tray(s) 20 include the empty slot or slots 22a-c. Thus, via the system 10 as a whole, the user is made aware of slot 22a-c availability in the plurality of trays 20 without having to first remove any trays 20 from the chassis 15.
Referring to the activity light indicators 32a-c, when not indicating an empty slot, each of the disk activity light indicators 32a-c indicate (when lit) that the slot 20a-c it respectively corresponds with is receiving power. For example, when slot 22a is receiving power, the disk activity light indicator 32a is lit (the lighting is typically green). However, when the RAID controller 11 has been alerted (by one of the disk detection devices 26a-c) of an emptiness of at least one of the disk slots 22a-c in the tray 20, the RAID controller 11 transmits a signal to the disk activity light indicators 32a-c that instructs all three of the disk activity light indicators 32a-c to flash. Via this flashing, the user of the system 10 is further made aware that at least one of the slots 22a-c in this particular disk tray 20 is empty.
Similarly to the tray light indicator 30b, when not indicating an empty slot, each of the disk availability light indicators 34a-c indicate (when lit) that the slot 20a-c it respectively corresponds with is experiencing an error condition. For example, when slot 22a is experiencing an error condition, the disk availability light indicator 34a is lit (the lighting is typically amber). However, when the RAID controller 11 has been alerted of, for example, an emptiness in disk slot 22a, the RAID controller 11 transmits a signal to the disk availability light indicator 34a (corresponding to slot 22a) that instructs the disk availability light indicator 34a to flash. Via this flashing, the user of the system 10 is made aware that specific slot 22a in this particular disk tray 20 is empty. The RAID controller 11 similarly functions in conjunction with slots 22b-c (and their respective indicators 26b-c) and disk availability light indicators 34b-c when slots 22b-c are empty.
In an additional alternate embodiment, the light indicators 30a-b are also flashable and logically associated with the RAID controller 11 in a manner that will alert a user of at least one empty slot 22a-c. For example, when the RAID controller 11 has been alerted (by one of the disk detection devices 26a-c) of an emptiness of at least one of the disk slots 22a-c in the tray 20, the RAID controller 11 transmits a signal to the two tray light indicators 30a-b that instructs the two tray light indicators 30a-b to flash. Via this flashing, the user of the system 10 is made aware that at least one of the slots 22a-c in this particular disk tray 20 is empty. However, when not indicating an empty slot, one indicator 30a of the two tray light indicators 30a-b indicate (when lit) that the tray 20 is receiving power, while the other tray light indicator 30b indicates (when lit) that the tray 20 may be experiencing an error condition.
Referring to
It should also be appreciated that though the RAID controller 11 may be configured to be consistently monitoring and aware of emptiness in any of the slots 22a-c (via the logical association with the disk detection device 26a-c), the RAID 11 will only flash the light indicators 36, 32a-c, and 34a-c (and optionally 30a-b) when the user/administrator instructs the RAID 11 to do so. Thus, the light indicators 36, 32a-c, and 34a-c (and optionally 30a-b) are only flashed upon initiation by the user/administrator. It should be further appreciated that each of the light indicators 36, 30a-c, 32a-c, and 34a-c may include bi-color capabilities.
Referring to
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or substance to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is important that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the apportioned claims. Moreover, unless specifically stated any use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another.
