System and method for data manipulation

• US 20080178025A1
• Filed: 08/28/2006
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CrossHill Georgetown Capital, L.P.
• Original Assignee: CrossHill Georgetown Capital, L.P.
• Inventors: Anderson, Arnold A., Anderson, Amy D., Hand, Leroy C.
• Application Number:
  US11/510,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20080178025A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1666 where the redundant component is memory or memory area
• 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 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]

Abstract

An arrangement is provided for a data manipulation device disposed in a low profile form factor housing. A data manipulation device includes a memory configured to provide data storage and a backup storage configure to provide backup space when the memory is being backed up.

Claims

1. A data manipulation device, comprising:

a low profile from factor housing;

a memory, disposed in the housing, configured to provide data storage;

a memory controller, disposed in the housing, configured to control the memory;

a channel controller, disposed in the housing, connecting to the memory controller and configured to provide an interface to receive a data request and return information as a response to the data request; and

a backup storage, disposed in the housing, connecting to the channel controller and configured to provide a storage space for backing up the memory.

2. The data manipulation device according to claim 1, wherein the memory is solid state disk memory.

3. The data manipulation device according to claim 2, wherein the backup storage is used to store error logging messages.

4. The data manipulation device according to claim 2, wherein the backup storage is used as a memory space during a memory load from the backup storage to the memory.

5. The data manipulation device according to claim 1, wherein the memory has one or more LUN structures, wherein each of the LUN structures can be used to store data with different block sizes.

6. The data manipulation device according to claim 1, wherein the memory is divided into a plurality of memory portions and each of the memory portions can be independently set in one of a sleep mode, under which the memory portion is in a low consumption state and not accessible, and a wake-up mode, under which the memory portion is accessible.

7. The data manipulation device according to claim 2, wherein the channel controller is one of SCSI channel controller or a Fibre channel controller.

8. The data manipulation device according to claim 7, wherein the SCSI channel controller and the Fibre channel controller correspond to a common driver.

9. The data manipulation device according to claim 1, wherein the memory controller comprises:

a processor connecting to the channel controller and configured to control memory access;

a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) connecting to the processor; and

a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) controller connecting to the memory and capable of directly accessing the memory.

10. The data manipulation device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is a general purpose processor.

11. The data manipulation device according to claim 10, wherein the general purpose processor is commercially available.

12. The data manipulation device according to claim 9, wherein an operating system is deployed on the processor and is capable of running on the processor.

13. The data manipulation device according to claim 12, wherein the operating system is a commercial operating system.

14. The data manipulation device according to claim 9, wherein the processor comprises:

a bus interface configured to interface with the channel controller;

a data access request handler in communication with the bus interface to process a data request;

a memory load handler configured to perform a memory load; and

a memory backup handler configured to move data from the memory to the backup storage.

15. The data manipulation device according to claim 14, wherein the processor further comprises:

a diagnostic mechanism configured to perform diagnosis routines;

an error logging mechanism configured to write error information produced by the diagnostic mechanism to the backup storage.

16. The data manipulation device according to claim 15, wherein the diagnostic mechanism is activated either through an external manual activation and/or by the operating system running on the processor.

17. The data manipulation device according to claim 15, wherein the diagnostic mechanism can be activated locally and/or remotely.

18. The data manipulation device according to claim 14, wherein the processor further comprises a memory status controller configured to control the mode of the different memory portions in the memory.

19. The data manipulation device according to claim 1, further comprising a battery system configured to provide power to the data manipulation device via a chargeable battery.

20. The data manipulation device according to claim 19, wherein the battery system comprises:

a rechargeable battery;

a monitor configured to monitor the power level of the rechargeable battery;

a battery charger configured to charge the battery; and

a DC-DC converter configured to convert the power from the rechargeable battery with a certain input voltage into one of a plurality of output voltages needed by the data manipulation device.

21. The data manipulation device according to claim 20, wherein the rechargeable battery can be automatically dissipated.

22. The data manipulation device according to claim 21, wherein the battery is periodically dissipated.

23. The data manipulation device according to claim 21, wherein the battery is dissipated when the battery reaches full power.

24. The data manipulation device according to claim 21, wherein the dissipation of the battery is controlled by the processor.

25. A data manipulation device according to claim 1, wherein the memory includes a solid state disk memory, disposed in the housing, configured to provide data storage.

26. The data manipulation device of claim 1, further comprising one or more host systems in communication with the data manipulation device, sending data requests and receiving responses from the data manipulation device.

27. The data manipulation device of claim 1, further comprising:

a master server configured to provide a service; and

one or more data manipulation devices acting as slave data manipulation devices in communication with the server.

28. A storage method, comprising:

sending, from a host system, a data request to a data manipulation device, the data manipulation device including a memory for data storage and a backup storage for backing up the memory, the memory including a plurality of memory portions, each of which can be set to be in one of a sleep mode, under which the memory portion is in a low power consumption state and not accessible, and a wake-up mode, under which the memory portion is accessible;

receiving, by the data manipulation device, the data request;

processing the data request by the data manipulation device according to a current system state of the data manipulation device;

sending, by the data manipulation device, a result as a response to the data request to the host system;

setting at least one memory portion to be accessed in wake-up mode and a remaineder of said portions in sleep mode; and

setting the at least one memory portion in sleep mode after the accessing.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the backup storage can be used as a temporary memory during a memory load from the backup storage to the memory.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the data manipulation device receives the data request via one of a SCSI and Fibre interface and the SCSI and the Fibre interface share a common driver.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein the memory is a solid state disk memory.

32. The method according to claim 28, wherein the memory has a plurality of LUN structures, each of which is capable of storing data of at least two different block sizes.

33. The method according to claim 28, wherein the data manipulation device is capable of automatically dissipating its battery power when a condition is met.

34. The method according to claim 28, wherein the data manipulation device is capable of performing diagnostic routines.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein error messages generated during diagnostic routines are written to the backup storage.

36. The method according to claim 28, wherein the data manipulation device employs a general purpose processor.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein a commercial operating system is deployed and running on the general purpose processor.