SAS storage virtualization controller, subsystem and system using the same, and method therefor

• US 20060136666A1
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infortrend Technology Incorporated (Infortrend Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Infortrend Technology Incorporated (Infortrend Corporation)
• Inventors: Schnapp, Michael Gordon, Lee, Cheng-Yu, Pang, Ching-Te, Sue, Shiann-Wen
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/201 between storage system components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A storage virtualization computer system. The storage virtualization computer system comprises a host entity for issuing an IO request, a SAS storage virtualization controller coupled to the host entity for executing IO operations in response to the IO request, and at least one physical storage device, each coupled to the storage virtualization controller through a SAS interconnect, for providing data storage space to the storage virtualization computer system through the SAS storage virtualization controller.

Claims

1. A storage virtualization computer system comprising:

a host entity for issuing IO requests;

an external storage virtualization controller coupled to said host entity for executing IO operations in response to said IO requests; and

at least one physical storage device (PSD), each coupled to the storage virtualization controller through a SAS interconnect, for providing data storage space to the storage virtualization computer system through the storage virtualization controller.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said at least one PSD comprises at least one of the following PSDs:

a SAS PSD, a SATA PSD, and a PATA PSD.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein a said at least one PSD can be detached from or attached to said storage virtualization controller when said storage virtualization controller is on-line.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said storage virtualization controller is configured to define at least one logical media unit consisting of sections of at least one said PSD.

5. The storage virtualization computer system of claim 1 wherein said storage virtualization controller comprises:

a central processing circuitry for performing IO operations in response to said IO requests of said host entity;

at least one IO device interconnect controller coupled to said central processing circuitry;

at least one host-side IO device interconnect port provided in a said at least one IO device interconnect controller for coupling to said host entity; and

at least one SAS device-side IO device interconnect port provided in a said at least one IO device interconnect controller for coupling to a said at least one physical storage device.

6. The storage virtualization computer system of claim 5 wherein a said host-side IO device interconnect port and a said SAS device-side IO device interconnect port are provided in the same IO device interconnect controller.

7. The storage virtualization computer system of claim 5 wherein a said host-side IO device interconnect port and a said SAS device-side IO device interconnect port are provided in different IO device interconnect controllers.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said storage virtualization controller comprises at least one host-side IO device interconnect port each for coupling to a host-side IO device interconnect.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein said storage virtualization controller is configured to present redundantly a logical media unit on at least two of said at least one host-side IO device interconnect port.

10. The computer system of claim 5, wherein said host-side IO device interconnect port comprises at least one of the following port types:

Fibre Channel supporting point-to-point connectivity in target mode, Fibre Channel supporting private loop connectivity in target mode, Fibre Channel supporting public loop connectivity in target mode, parallel SCSI operating in target mode, ethernet supporting the iSCSI protocol operating in target mode SAS operating in target mode, Serial ATA operating in target mode, IEEE1394A/IEEE1394B, and USB/USB2.0.

11. A storage virtualization subsystem for providing data storage space, comprising:

an external storage virtualization controller for connecting to a host entity and executing IO operations in response to IO requests issued from said host entity; and

at least one physical storage device, each coupled to the storage virtualization controller through a SAS interconnect, for providing data storage space to the host entity through the storage virtualization controller.

12. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 11 wherein said storage virtualization controller comprises:

a central processing circuitry for performing IO operations in response to said IO requests of said host entity;

at least one IO device interconnect controller coupled to said central processing circuitry;

at least one host-side IO device interconnect port provided in a said at least one IO device interconnect controller for coupling to said host entity; and

at least one SAS device-side IO device interconnect port provided in a said at least one IO device interconnect controller for coupling to a said at least one physical storage device.

13. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12 wherein a said host-side IO device interconnect port and a said SAS device-side IO device interconnect port are provided in the same IO device interconnect controller.

14. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12 wherein a said host-side IO device interconnect port and a said SAS device-side IO device interconnect port are provided in different IO device interconnect controllers.

15. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12, wherein said at least one PSD comprises at least one of the following PSDs:

a SAS PSD, a SATA PSD, and a PATA PSD.

16. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12, wherein said storage virtualization controller comprises at least one host-side IO device interconnect port each for coupling to a host-side IO device interconnect.

17. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 16, wherein said storage virtualization controller is configured to present redundantly a logical media unit on at least two of said at least one host-side IO device interconnect port.

18. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12, wherein said storage virtualization controller is configured to define at least one logical media unit consisting of sections of said at least one PSD.

19. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12, wherein a said at least one PSD can be detached from or attached to said storage virtualization controller when said storage virtualization controller is on-line.

20. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12, wherein said storage virtualization controller further comprises at least one expansion port for accommodating an additional set of at least one PSD.

21. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12, wherein said storage virtualization controller further comprises at least one multiple-device device-side expansion port for accommodating an additional set of at least one PSD.

22. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12, wherein said storage virtualization controller further comprises at least one expansion port for accommodating an additional set of at least one PSD through an expanding circuit.

23. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12, wherein at least one said host-side IO device interconnect port comprises at least one of the following port types:

Fibre Channel supporting point-to-point connectivity in target mode, Fibre Channel supporting private loop connectivity in target mode, Fibre Channel supporting public loop connectivity in target mode, parallel SCSI operating in target mode, ethernet supporting the iSCSI protocol operating in target mode SAS operating in target mode, Serial ATA operating in target mode, IEEE 1394A/IEEE 1394B, and USB/USB2.0.

24. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 12 further comprising an enclosure management services mechanism.

25. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 24, wherein said enclosure management services mechanism manages and monitors at least one of the following devices belonging to the storage virtualization subsystem:

power supplies, fans, temperature sensors, voltages, uninterruptible power supplies, batteries, LEDs, audible alarms, PSD canister locks, door locks.

26. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 24, wherein said enclosure management services mechanism is configured to support one of the following configurations:

direct-connect EMS configuration and device-forwarded EMS configuration.

27. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 24, wherein said enclosure management services mechanism is configured to support one of the following protocols:

SES enclosure management services protocol and SAF-TE enclosure management services protocol.

28. The storage virtualization subsystem of claim 24, wherein said EMS mechanism further comprises one of the following circuits to communicate with said storage virtualization controller:

I2C latches, status-monitoring circuitry, and.

29. An external storage virtualization controller, comprising:

a central processing circuitry for performing IO operations in response to IO requests from a host entity;

at least one IO device interconnect controller coupled to said central processing circuitry;

at least one host-side IO device interconnect port provided in a said at least one IO device interconnect controller for coupling to said host entity; and

at least one SAS device-side IO device interconnect port provided in a said at least one IO device interconnect controller for coupling to and performing point-to-point serial-signal transmission with at least one physical storage device.

30. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29 wherein a said host-side IO device interconnect port and a said SAS device-side IO device interconnect port are provided in the same IO device interconnect controller.

31. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29 wherein a said host-side IO device interconnect port and a said SAS device-side IO device interconnect port are provided in different IO device interconnect controllers.

32. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29 wherein said device-side IO device interconnect controller further comprises a PCI/PCI-X interface for connecting to the central processing circuit.

33. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29 wherein said device-side IO device interconnect controller further comprises a PCI Express interface for connecting to the central processing circuit.

34. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29, wherein said storage virtualization controller comprises at least one host-side IO device interconnect port each for coupling to a host-side IO device interconnect.

35. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29, wherein said storage virtualization controller is configured for defining at least one logical media unit consisting of sections of said at least one PSD.

36. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 35, wherein said storage virtualization controller is configured for presenting redundantly a logical media unit on at least two of said at least one host-side IO device interconnect port.

37. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29, wherein at least one said PSD is a direct-access storage device (DASD) and said storage virtualization controller is configured for defining a logical media unit consisting of sections of at least one said direct access storage device and said logical media unit is of a RAID level or a combination of RAID levels, whereby said logical media unit is contiguously addressable by said host entity.

38. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29 further comprising at least one expansion port for accommodating a second set of at least one PSD.

39. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29 further comprising at least one multiple-device device-side expansion port for accommodating a second set of at least one PSD.

40. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29 further comprising at least one expansion port for accommodating a second set of at least one PSD through an expanding circuit.

41. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29, wherein at least one said host-side IO device interconnect port comprises at least one of the following port types:

Fibre Channel supporting point-to-point connectivity in target mode, Fibre Channel supporting private loop connectivity in target mode, Fibre Channel supporting public loop connectivity in target mode, parallel SCSI operating in target mode, ethernet supporting the iSCSI protocol operating in target mode SAS operating in target mode, Serial ATA operating in target mode, IEEE1394A/IEEE1394B, and USB/USB2.0.

42. The external storage virtualization controller of claim 29 further comprising an enclosure management services mechanism.

43. The storage virtualization controller of claim 42, wherein said enclosure management services mechanism is configured to support one of the following configurations:

direct-connect EMS configuration and device-forwarded EMS configuration.

44. The storage virtualization controller of claim 42, wherein said storage virtualization controller is configured to support one of the following protocols:

SES enclosure management services protocol and SAF-TE enclosure management services protocol.

45. A method for performing storage virtualization in a computer system with an external storage virtualization controller of the computer system, comprising:

receiving an IO request from a host entity of the computer system with the storage virtualization controller;

parsing the IO request with the storage virtualization controller to decide at least one IO operation to perform in response to said IO request; and

performing at least one IO operation with the storage virtualization controller to access at least one physical storage device of the computer system in point-to-point serial-signal transmission complying with SAS protocol.

46. The method of claim 45 further comprising the step of providing an enclosure management services mechanism.

47. The method of claim 46 further comprising the step of executing said enclosure management services mechanism when said mechanism is configured to support one of the following configurations:

direct-connect EMS configuration and device-forwarded EMS configuration.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein at least one PSD comprises at least one of the following PSDs:

a SAS PSD, a SATA PSD, and a PATA PSD.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein the step of performing said at least one IO operation comprises issuing at least one device-side IO request to a SAS device-side IO device interconnect controller provided in the SVC and re-formatting said device-side IO request and accompanying IO data by said SAS device-side IO device interconnect controller into at least one data packet complying with SAS protocol for transmission.