Disk system adapted to be directly attached to network
First Claim
1. A network-attached disk (NAD) system where a host, having a system bus and running an operating system, controls a disk through a front-end network connecting the host and other devices for carrying general-purpose network traffic including storage as well as other application traffic using a certain network protocol, comprising:
- a network interface card (NIC) installed at the host for providing a general-purpose network connection;
a network-attached disk (NAD) device having one or more disks to store data, the NAD device attached to the network, for receiving disk access commands from the host in data link frames through the network; and
a device driver, running at the host, for creating a virtual host bus adapter in software controlling the NAD device through the network via the NIC;
wherein the virtual host bus adapter controls the NAD device in a way indistinguishable from the way as a physical host bus adapter device controls a device so that the host recognizes the NAD device as if it is a local device connected directly to the system bus of the host.
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Abstract
A network-attached disk (NAD) system is disclosed that includes an NAD device for receiving a disk access command from a host through a network, and a device driver at the host for controlling the NAD device through the network, where the device driver creates a virtual host bus adapter so that the host recognizes the NAD device as if it is a local device to the host. The host may run the UNIX or Windows family of operating systems. The NAD device includes a disk for storing data, a disk controller for controlling the disk, and a network adapter for receiving a disk access command from the host through a network port.
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Citations
85 Claims
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1. A network-attached disk (NAD) system where a host, having a system bus and running an operating system, controls a disk through a front-end network connecting the host and other devices for carrying general-purpose network traffic including storage as well as other application traffic using a certain network protocol, comprising:
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a network interface card (NIC) installed at the host for providing a general-purpose network connection;
a network-attached disk (NAD) device having one or more disks to store data, the NAD device attached to the network, for receiving disk access commands from the host in data link frames through the network; and
a device driver, running at the host, for creating a virtual host bus adapter in software controlling the NAD device through the network via the NIC;
wherein the virtual host bus adapter controls the NAD device in a way indistinguishable from the way as a physical host bus adapter device controls a device so that the host recognizes the NAD device as if it is a local device connected directly to the system bus of the host. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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23. A disk interface at a host, having a system bus and running an operating system, for controlling a network-attached disk (NAD) device having a disk through a front-end network connecting the host and other devices for carrying general-purpose network traffic including storage as well as other application traffic using a certain network protocol, comprising:
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a network interface card (NIC) installed at the host for providing a general purpose network connection; and
a device driver, running at the host, for creating a virtual host bus adapter in software controlling the NAD device through the network via the NIC;
wherein the virtual host bus adapter controls the NAD device in a way indistinguishable from the way a physical host bus adapter device controls a device so that the host recognizes the NAD device as if it is a local device directly connected to the system bus of the host.
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34. A network-attached disk (NAD) device adapted to be connected through a network to a host having a system bus, wherein the host has a virtual host bus adapter that recognizes the device as if it is a local device connected directly to the system bus of the host, the NAD device comprising:
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a network adapter for receiving disk access command in data link frames through the network;
a disk controller, connected to the LAN adapter, for executing disk access commands; and
a disk for storing data; and
a controller, connected to the network adapter and the disk controller, for controlling the operation of the NAD device.
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43. A storage interface at a host having a system bus for controlling a storage device through a front-end network connecting the host and other devices for carrying general-purpose network traffic, comprising:
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a network interface card (NIC) installed at the host for providing a general-purpose network connection;
a bus driver for creating a virtual host bus adapter for recognizing the network port as if the storage device is a local device connected directly to the system bus of the host; and
a port driver for communicating a storage command through a network port. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A network-attached storage device adapted to be connected through a network to host having a system bus, wherein the host has a virtual host bus adapter that recognizes the device as if it is a local device connected directly to the system bus of the host, the storage device comprising:
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a storage device;
a network adapter for receiving a storage command through the network; and
a storage controller for executing the storage command. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 58)
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56. A disk interface at a host having a system bus and running an operating system for controlling a disk device through a network, comprising:
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a protocol converter as a host bus adapter for converting protocols from disk access commands to data link frames containing the disk access commands; and
wherein the device driver recognizes the disk device as if it is a local device connected to the system bus of the host.
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59. A network-attached disk (NAD) device adapted to be connected through a network to a host having a system bus, wherein the host having a system bus recognizes the device as if it is a local device connected directly to the system bus of the host, the NAD device comprising:
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a disk for storing data;
a disk controller for executing a disk access command; and
a network adapter, connected to the network, for receiving data link frames containing the disk access command through the network; and
a counter-protocol-controller, connected to the network adapter and the disk controller, for retrieving the disk access commands from the received data link frames.
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60. A storage interface at a host having a system bus for controlling through a network a storage device attached to the network, comprising:
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a protocol converter as a host bus adapter for converting storage commands to data link frames for controlling the storage device through the network;
a device driver for creating a virtual host bus adapter controlling the storage device through the network so that the host computer recognizes the storage device as if it is a local device connected directly to the system bus of the host. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. A network-attached storage device adapted to be connected through a network to a host having a system bus, wherein the host has a virtual host bus adapter so that the host recognizes the device as if it is a local device connected directly to the system bus of the host, the network-attached storage device comprising:
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a network adapter for receiving data link frames containing storage commands through the network;
a storage controller, connected to the network adapter, for executing the storage commands; and
a storage device for storing data; and
a counter-converter, connected to the network adapter and the storage controller, for retrieving the storage commands from the data link frames received by the network adapter. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68, 69)
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70. A computer juke box for playing multimedia content, comprising:
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a network;
a host computer having a system bus and a network interface card (NIC) for providing a network connection;
a plurality of multimedia player for playing multimedia content attached to the network; and
a device driver, running at the host, for creating a virtual host bus adapter whereby the computer recognizes each multimedia player as if it is a local device connected directly to the system bus of the computer. - View Dependent Claims (71, 72, 73, 74)
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75. A method of accessing a disk device through a network from a host having a system bus, comprising the steps of:
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creating a virtual host bus adapter whereby the host recognizes the disk device as if it is a local device connected to the system bus of the host;
receiving a disk access command from the host through the network;
executing the disk access command; and
sending the result of the command to the host through the network - View Dependent Claims (76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85)
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78. A method of accessing a storage device connected through a network to a host having a system bus, comprising the steps of:
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creating a virtual host bus adapter whereby the host recognizes the storage device as if it is a local device connected directly to the system bus of the host; and
communicating a storage command through the network port.
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Specification