Method and apparatus for enhancing reliability and scalability of serial storage devices

• US 20040024950A1
• Filed: 08/01/2002
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyratex Technology Limited (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Surugucchi, Krishnakumar Rao
• Granted Patent: US 6,928,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for providing inter-connective access of a plurality of controllers to a plurality of serial storage devices are provided. Serial storage devices are provided with a serial operative connection to a data communication bridge. The bridge is operatively coupled to a plurality of controllers. The plurality of controllers is provided concurrent targeted connections to the set of serial storage devices. In one embodiment, InfiniBand® technology further increases the scalability and enhances the reliability of a data communication system provided with a plurality of (S-ATA) storage devices. The reliability of the data communication system is enhanced because if one controller should fail, another controller may still achieve and maintain access to the plurality of serial storage devices.

Claims

1. A method of improving a data communication system, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of storage controllers;

providing a plurality of serial storage devices; and

coupling the plurality of storage controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices to enable the plurality of storage controllers to have access to any of the plurality of serial storage devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the coupling comprises providing a switch fabric architecture between the plurality of storage controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices to provide targeted connections between the plurality of storage controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the switch fabric architecture comprises InfiniBand®

bridge between the plurality of storage controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing the InfiniBand®

bridge with a plurality of serial communication ports for operatively coupling the plurality of serial storage devices to the InfiniBand®

bridge.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the plurality of serial communication ports are S-ATA ports.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising coordinating multi-directional data communication from the plurality of controllers by directing connection of the controllers to the storage devices.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the coupling the plurality of storage controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices further comprises providing a dual bus architecture allowing each controller to access a local bus for providing independent communication channels between the controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the providing a dual bus architecture further comprises providing two InfiniBand®

ports, coupled to the dual bus architecture, the two InfiniBand®

ports providing simultaneous interchanges between the controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the coupling the plurality of storage controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices further comprises allowing a serial storage device access to only one controller at a time.

20. The system of claim 7 wherein the bridge allows a serial storage device access to only one controller at a time.

10. A data communication system comprising:

a plurality of storage controllers;

a plurality of serial storage devices; and

at least one data communication bridge, the bridge coupling the plurality of storage controllers to the plurality of serial storage devices and enabling the plurality of storage controllers to access any of the plurality of serial storage devices.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the bridge comprises a switch fabric architecture providing targeted connections between the plurality of storage controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of serial storage devices are S-ATA storage devices.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the switch fabric architecture comprises controller ports operatively coupled to a controller port bus.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the controller ports are InfiniBand®

ports and the controller port bus is an InfiniBand®

bus.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the bridge comprises a plurality of serial communication ports operatively coupling the plurality of storage devices to the bridge.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the serial communication ports are operatively coupled to a serial communication bus.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the serial communication ports are SATA ports and the serial communication bus is an S-ATA bus.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the bridge further comprises a dual bus architecture allowing each controller to access a local bus for providing independent communication channels between the controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the bridge further comprises providing two InfiniBand®

ports, coupled to the dual bus architecture, the two InfiniBand®

ports providing simultaneous interchanges between the controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices across the dual bus architecture.

21. The system of claim 10 wherein the system further comprises at least one controller data communication switch.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the controller data communication switch comprises a plurality of incoming controller data communication ports and a plurality of outgoing controller data communication ports.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the controller data communication switch coordinates and directs communication between the controllers and the bridge via an operative connection there between.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the controller data communication switch is an InfiniBand®

switch fabric.

25. A storage system bridge, wherein the bridge provides concurrent targeted connections between a plurality of controllers to a plurality of serial storage devices.

26. The bridge of claim 25 wherein the bridge comprises a plurality of controller ports for operatively coupling the controllers to the bridge.

27. The bridge of claim 26 wherein the controller ports are operatively coupled to a controller port bus.

28. The bridge of claim 27 wherein the controller ports are InfiniBand®

ports and the controller port bus is an InfiniBand®

bus.

29. The bridge of claim 25 wherein the bridge comprises a plurality of serial communication ports operatively coupling the plurality of serial storage devices to the bridge.

30. The bridge of claim 29 wherein the serial communication ports are operatively coupled to a serial communication bus.

31. The bridge of claim 30 wherein the serial communication ports are SATA ports and the serial communication bus is an S-ATA bus.

32. The system of claim 25 wherein the bridge further comprises a dual bus architecture allowing each controller to access a local bus for providing independent communication channels between the controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the bridge further comprises providing two InfiniBand®

ports, coupled to the dual bus architecture, the two InfiniBand®

ports providing simultaneous interchanges between the controllers and the plurality of serial storage devices across the dual bus architecture.

34. The system of claim 32 wherein the bridge allows a serial storage device access to only one controller at a time.