Systems and methods for improving flexibility in scaling of a storage system
First Claim
1. A storage system comprising:
- a first storage element, comprising a plurality of disk drives, each configured for storing data; and
a first storage controller communicatively coupled to a host computer system and configured for processing I/O requests received from the host computer system, wherein the first storage controller is adaptable to interface with a second storage controller added to the storage system within a second storage element, and wherein the first storage controller is further adaptable, when adapted to communicate with the second storage controller, to route the I/O requests to the second storage controller through a switching fabric.
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods are provided for improving scalability of a storage system. In one embodiment, a storage system comprising a stand-alone storage element that is reconfigurable to improve storage performance features of the storage system. The storage element comprises a plurality of disk drives, each configured for storing data. The storage element also comprises a storage controller communicatively adapted for coupling to a host computer system and configured for processing I/O requests received from the host computer system. The storage controller is also adaptable to interface with another storage controller added to the storage system. When adapted to communicate with the other storage controller, the storage controller of the stand-alone storage element can route the I/O requests to the other storage controller through a switching fabric.
41 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A storage system comprising:
a first storage element, comprising a plurality of disk drives, each configured for storing data; and
a first storage controller communicatively coupled to a host computer system and configured for processing I/O requests received from the host computer system, wherein the first storage controller is adaptable to interface with a second storage controller added to the storage system within a second storage element, and wherein the first storage controller is further adaptable, when adapted to communicate with the second storage controller, to route the I/O requests to the second storage controller through a switching fabric. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of processing requests from a host computer system, comprising:
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transferring the requests from the host computer system to a first storage controller of a first storage element; and
processing the requests to access physical storage locations within the first storage element, wherein transferring comprises forwarding a first portion of the requests from the first storage controller to a second storage controller of a second storage element. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A first storage controller, comprising:
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a host interface configured for communicatively coupling a host computer system to a first storage element;
a storage system interface configured for communicatively coupling the first storage element to a switching fabric; and
a processor configured for processing I/O requests received through the storage system interface and the host interface to access physical storage locations, wherein the storage system interface is further configured for transferring a portion of the I/O requests through the switching fabric to a second storage controller. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of storing data, comprising:
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configuring a first storage element with a first storage controller capable of interfacing with a host computer system and a switching fabric; and
at least one of transferring I/O requests from the host computer system to the first storage controller to access a plurality of physical storage locations within the first storage element and transferring I/O requests from the host computer system through the switching fabric to a second storage controller configured with a second storage element. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification