Data communication system and data conversion device

• US 20040153765A1
• Filed: 11/04/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kontron Embedded Modules GmbH (Stille AB)
• Original Assignee: Kontron Embedded Modules GmbH (Stille AB)
• Inventors: Prifling, Dieter
• Application Number:
  US10/466,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153765A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

The present invention relates to a data communication system with a data processing device comprising a network interface for the transmission of data from and to a network. To achieve a universal network compatibility for the data processing device, independent of the structures thereof and, furthermore, a rapid economical networking, the network-interface is formed by a mass storage interface for the data processing device and a data conversion device connected therewith, which converts mass storage data into network data and vice versa. The conversion of network data into mass storage data and vice versa, permits data delivered by means of the network to be treated by the data processing device as if stored on a local hard disk in the data processing device.

Claims

1. A data conversion device for a data communication system, the data conversion device comprising a mass storage interface connectable to a data processing device for exchanging mass storage data, and a network interface for the transmission of data from and to a network, and the data conversion device being configured as a hardware component such that it converts mass storage data into network data and vice versa,

wherein the data conversion device further comprises a file system generator which is adapted to convert the network data into sector data.

2. The data conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the file system generator is a file allocation table generator.

3. The data conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the mass storage interface is an IDE interface.

4. The data conversion device according to claim 3, wherein the IDE interface is connected via an IDE emulator to the file system generator.

5. The data conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the, network interface is an Ethernet interface.

6. The data conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the data conversion device comprises a storage device in which the network data are stored.

7. The data conversion device according to claim 6, wherein the data conversion device stores the network data as mass storage data.

8. The data conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the data-conversion device further comprises a web server for the configuration of the data conversion device.

9. A data communication system comprising a first data processing device and a data conversion device, the data conversion device comprising a mass storage interface connectable to the first data processing device for exchanging mass storage data, and a network interface for transmitting data from and to a network, and the data conversion device being designed as a hardware component such that it converts mass storage data into network data and vice versa,

wherein the data conversion device further comprises a file system generator which is adapted to convert the network data into sector data.

10. The data communication system according to claim 9, wherein the file system generator is a file allocation table generator.

11. The data communication system according to claim 9, wherein the mass storage interface is an IDE interface.

12. The data communication system according to claim 11, wherein the IDE interface is connected via an IDE emulator to the file system generator.

13. The data communication system according to claim 9, wherein the network interface is an Ethernet interface.

14. The data communication system according to claim 9, wherein the data conversion device comprises a storage device in which the network data are stored.

15. The data communication system according to claim 14, wherein the data conversion device stores the network data as mass storage data.

16. The data communication system according to claim 9, wherein the connection between the data conversion device and the network can be interrupted and that for the period of the interruption the data processing device accesses the data stored in the storage device.

17. The data communication system according to claim 9, wherein the data conversion device further comprises a web server for the configuration of the data conversion device.

18. The data communication system according to claim 9, wherein same can be connected via the network to a second data processing device which includes at least one hard disk.

19. The data communication system according to claim 18, wherein a file system is stored on the hard disk in the form of a hard disk image.

20. The data communication system according to claim 18, wherein a file system is stored on the hard disk in the form of a recursive tree.

21. The data communication system according to claim 9, wherein the data conversion device uses TCP/IP as a connection protocol for the network.

22. The data communication system according to claim 21, wherein the data conversion device is configured to access data under HTTP.

23. The data communication system according to claim 21, wherein the data conversion device is configured to access data under SMB.

24. A method for requesting network data through a data processing device via a network, comprising the following steps:

requesting and receiving network data through the network interface of a data conversion device;

converting the network data into a format of mass storage data;

outputting the mass storage data via a mass storage interface of the data conversion device;

receiving the mass storage data via a mass storage interface of the data processing device,

characterized by the following step;

building up a file system within the data conversion device to obtain sector data that are presented to the data processing device.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein in the step of requesting and receiving network data, the network data are Ethernet packets with file contents.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein after the step of requesting and receiving network data through the network interface of a data conversion device it further comprises the step of

temporarily storing the network data in a cache memory.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein after the step of converting the network data into a format of mass storage data, the method further comprises the step of

storing the mass storage data in a resident memory.

28. The method according to claim 24, wherein the mass storage interface is an IDE interface.