Method and Apparatus for Power-Efficient High-Capacity Scalable Storage System

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing scalable, reliable, power-efficient, high-capacity data storage, wherein large numbers of closely packed data drives having corresponding metadata and parity volumes are individually powered on and off, depending upon their respective usage. In one embodiment, the invention is implemented in a RAID-type data storage system which employs a large number of hard disk drives that are individually controlled, so that only the disk drives that are in use are powered on. The reduced power consumption allows the disk drives to be contained in a smaller enclosure than would conventionally be possible. In a preferred embodiment, the data protection scheme is designed to utilize large, contiguous blocks of space on the data disk drives, and to use the space on one data disk drive at a time, so that the data disk drives which are not in use can be powered down.

1 .- 39 . (canceled)  
     
     
         40 . A system comprising: 
 a single set of data storage drives, the single set including a plurality of data storage drives; and    a controller configured to selectively power cycle one or more storage drives in the single set of data storage drives from a first power state to a second power state without power cycling other data storage drives in the single set at the first power state to the second power state.    
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the power cycling comprises selectively powering on one or more storage drives in the single set of data storage drives from a powered down state without powering on other data storage drives in the single set or selectively powering down one or more storage drives in the single set of data storage drives from a powered on state without powering down other data storage drives in the single set.  
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the first power state is a powered on state and the second power state is a powered down state, wherein the single set of data storage drives includes a first set of data storage drives that are in a powered on state and a second set of data storage drives that are in a powered down state.  
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 42 , wherein the controller is configured to individually power down a data storage drive in the first set of data storage drives.  
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 42 , wherein the controller is configured to individually power on a data storage drive in the second set of data storage drives.  
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 40 , further comprising: 
 a second set of data storage drives,    wherein the controller is configured to power cycle one or more second storage drives in the second set of data storage drives from the first power state to the second power state in addition to power cycling the one or more storage drives in the single set of data storage drives without powering cycling other data storage drives in the second set.    
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the single set of storage drives is included in a shelf.  
     
     
         47 . A method for selectively powering on and powering down data storage drives in a single set of data storage drives, the method comprising: 
 determining a data storage drive in a first power state in the single set of data storage drives, wherein the single set of storage drives includes data storage drives in a first power state and a second power state; and    changing the data storage drive from the first power state to a second power state without changing power states of other data storage drives in the single set of data storage drives.    
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein the first power state is a powered down state and the second power state is a powered on state.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 47 , further comprising: 
 receiving a data access request for data in the data storage drive, wherein changing the data storage drive comprises:    selectively powering on the data storage drive to respond to the data access request; and    accessing the data in the powered on data storage drive.    
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49 , further comprising selectively powering down the data storage drive after accessing the data in data storage drive.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein the single set of storage drives is included in a shelf.  
     
     
         52 . A controller comprising: 
 a processor; and    logic, when executed by the processor, operable to selectively power cycle one or more storage drives in a single set of data storage drives from a first power state to a second power state without power cycling other data storage drives in the single set at the first power state to the second power state.    
     
     
         53 . The controller of  claim 52 , wherein the power cycling comprises selectively powering on one or more storage drives in the single set of data storage drives from a powered down state without powering on other data storage drives in the single set or selectively powering down one or more storage drives in the single set of data storage drives from a powered on state without powering down other data storage drives in the single set.  
     
     
         54 . The controller of  claim 52 , wherein the first power state is a powered on state and the second power state is a powered down state, wherein the single set of data storage drives includes a first set of data storage drives that are in a powered on state and a second set of data storage drives that are in a powered down state.  
     
     
         55 . The controller of  claim 53 , wherein the logic, when executed, is operable to individually power down a data storage drive in the first set of data storage drives.  
     
     
         56 . The controller of  claim 53 , wherein the logic, when executed, is operable to individually power on a data storage drive in the second set of data storage drives.  
     
     
         57 . The controller of  claim 52 , wherein the logic, when executed, is operable to power cycle one or more second storage drives in a second set of data storage drives from the first power state to the second power state in addition to power cycling the one or more storage drives in the single set of data storage drives without powering cycling other data storage drives in the second set.  
     
     
         58 . The controller of  claim 52 , wherein the single set of storage drives is included in a shelf.