HDD Failure Notification Logic for Mirroring Systems

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image forming apparatuses with both mirroring and failure predicting functions often result in unnecessary notifications of HDD failures, leading to undesired downtime and increased operational costs due to false alerts and unnecessary maintenance calls.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus with storage units configured to have a mirroring function and self-diagnosis capabilities, where notifications are controlled based on predicted failure status, disabling notifications when the mirroring function is enabled to prevent unnecessary alerts and maintenance actions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If both mirroring function and failure predicting function are enabled, then data safety is improved, but unnecessary failure notifications are generated causing downtime and increased maintenance costs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata safetyVSAvoiddowntime

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating notification behavior based on the specific state of the mirroring function. When mirroring is enabled, failure predictions for the primary HDD are suppressed while still monitoring them, whereas predictions for the auxiliary HDD remain active. This localized differentiation of notification policies resolves the contradiction by eliminating unnecessary notifications only where redundant (primary HDD with mirroring) while maintaining useful notifications elsewhere.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent inverts the conventional notification logic by suppressing failure predictions under specific conditions (when mirroring is enabled for the primary HDD) rather than generating them unconditionally. This inversion transforms the notification system from one that alerts on all predicted failures to one that intelligently filters out redundant alerts, thereby reducing downtime caused by unnecessary maintenance calls.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Reliability

If both mirroring function and failure predicting function are enabled, then data safety is improved, but maintenance costs increase due to unnecessary service calls

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata safetyVSAvoidmaintenance costs

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating notification behavior based on the specific state of the mirroring function. When mirroring is enabled, failure predictions for the primary HDD are suppressed while still monitoring them, whereas predictions for the auxiliary HDD remain active. This localized differentiation of notification policies resolves the contradiction by eliminating unnecessary notifications only where redundant (primary HDD with mirroring) while maintaining useful notifications elsewhere.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of redundant failure predictions into a benefit by using the mirroring function's state information to intelligently filter notifications. The system leverages the existing mirroring configuration to suppress redundant alerts, transforming what would be wasteful maintenance costs into optimized resource allocation where service calls are only triggered when genuinely necessary.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Measurement precision

If failure prediction notification is provided for both HDDs in mirroring configuration, then monitoring coverage is improved, but user confusion increases as notifications are redundant

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemonitoring coverageVSAvoiduser understanding

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating notification behavior based on the specific state of the mirroring function. When mirroring is enabled, failure predictions for the primary HDD are suppressed while still monitoring them, whereas predictions for the auxiliary HDD remain active. This localized differentiation of notification policies resolves the contradiction by eliminating unnecessary notifications only where redundant (primary HDD with mirroring) while maintaining useful notifications elsewhere.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts redundant notification information from the system by identifying and suppressing failure predictions that would be duplicate alerts due to the mirroring configuration. By removing these redundant notifications while retaining monitoring capabilities, the system maintains comprehensive oversight without overwhelming the user with duplicate alerts, thus improving ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS9075705B2Information processing apparatus capable of appropriately providing notification of storage unit failure prediction, control method therefor, and storage medium

Publication Date: 2015.07.07 CANON KK

AI summary

An information processing apparatus which is capable of reducing operational costs required for the information processing apparatus equipped with HDDs having a mirroring function and a self-diagnosis function. Status information indicative of statuses of the HDDs is obtained by the self-diagnosis function which the HDDs have. Based on the obtained status information obtained, whether or not the HDDs will fail is predicted. When a failure of the HDDs is predicted, and the mirroring function is disabled, an electronic device determined in advance is notified that replacement of the HDDs is necessary. When a failure of the HDDs is predicted, and the mirroring function is enabled, the electronic device is not notified that replacement of the HDDs is necessary.