Electronic equipment including storage device

• US 10,387,277 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2018
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Memory Corporation (Kioxia Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Kiyotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Tim T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Phong H
• Application Number:
  US15/920,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20180203772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/201 between storage system components

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a storage device includes a nonvolatile memory, controller and interface. The nonvolatile memory stores data. The controller controls the operation of the nonvolatile memory. The interface includes first and second input/output units that transmit and receive a signal with respect to a host device. The first and second input/output units are set on the first hierarchy having the same communication function. The interface issues a connection request to the first input/output unit and when the connection request to the first input/output unit is rejected, the interface issues the connection request to the second input/output unit.

Claims

1. A storage device communicable with a host device with a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface, comprising:

a nonvolatile memory; and

a controller circuit including a SAS wide port, a first transport layer, and a second transport layer, the SAS wide port including a first phy and a second phy, the controller circuit configured to;

transmit a connection request from the first phy to a first host device even when a connection is established between the second phy and the first host device, the first host device being a host device to which the controller circuit is going to transmit a first frame venerated in the first transport layer; and

in a case that the connection request from the first phy is rejected, flow the first frame from the first transport layer to the second phv and transmit the first frame to the first host device using the connection established between the second phy and the first host device without retransmitting the connection request from the first phy.

2. The storage device according to claim 1, the controller circuit further including

an arbiter, wherein

the arbiter is configured to control a flow of a frame among the first phy, the second phy, the first transport layer, and the second transport layer.

3. The storage device according to claim 2, wherein

the first phy, the arbiter, and the first transport layer are connected sequentially, and

the second phy, the arbiter, and the second transport layer are connected sequentially.

4. The storage device according to claim 2, wherein

the arbiter is configured to control the flow of the frame in one of (a) between the first phy and the first transport layer, (b) between the first phy and the second transport layer, (c) between the second phy and the first transport layer, or (d) between the second phy and the second transport layer.

5. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller circuit is further configured, after the first frame is transmitted from the second phy to the first host device in a connection, not to flow a frame generated in the second transport layer to the second phy during the connection.

6. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein

when the connection request transmitted through the first phy and a connection request received from the first host device to the first phy are conflicted, the connection requests are arbitrated based on a predetermined arbitration rule.

7. The storage device according to claim 6, wherein

the controller circuit is further configured to, when the arbitration for the connection request transmitted through the first phy is lost, transmit the first frame from the second phy to the first host device.

8. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein

the nonvolatile memory is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory.

9. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein

the nonvolatile memory is a magnetic disk.

10. A method of controlling a storage device, the storage device being communicable with a host device with a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface, the storage device including a nonvolatile memory and a controller circuit including a SAS wide port, a first transport layer, and a second transport layer, the SAS wide port including a first phy and a second phy, the method comprising:

transmitting a connection request from the first phy to a first host device even when a connection is established between the second phy and the first host device, the first host device being a host device to which the controller circuit is going to transmit a first frame generated in the first transport layer; and

in a case that the connection request from the first phy is rejected, flowing the first frame from the first transport layer to the second phy and transmitting the first frame to the first host device using the connection established between the second phy and the first host device without retransmitting the connection request from the first phy.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein

the controller circuit further includes

an arbiter configured to control a flow of a frame among the first phy, the second phy, the first transport layer, and the second transport layer.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the first phy, the arbiter, and the first transport layer are connected sequentially, and

the second phy, the arbiter, and the second transport layer are connected sequentially.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the arbiter is configured to control the flow of the frame in one of (a) between the first phy and the first transport layer, (b) between the first phy and the second transport layer, (c) between the second phy and the first transport layer, or (d) between the second phy and the second transport layer.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein

the controller circuit is further configured, after the first frame is transmitted from the second phy to the first host device in a connection, not to flow a frame generated in the second transport layer to the second phy during the connection.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein

when the connection request transmitted through the first phy and a connection request received from the first host device to the first phy are conflicted, the connection requests are arbitrated based on a predetermined arbitration rule.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

when the arbitration for the connection request transmitted through the first phy is lost, transmitting the first frame from the second phy to the first host device.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein

the nonvolatile memory is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein

the nonvolatile memory is a magnetic disk.