STORAGE SUBSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20150342095A1
• Filed: 12/11/2013
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: TANAKA, Shigeaki, CHIKUSA, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,398,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/108 Parity data distribution in semiconductor storages, e.g. in SSD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0868 Data transfer between cache memory and other subsystems, e.g. storage devices or host systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/214 Solid state disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/06 Digital input from, or digital output to, record carriers , e.g. RAID, emulated record carriers or networked record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0658 Controller construction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/124 of the single recording/reproducing device, e.g. disk drive, onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20736 within cabinets for removing heat from server blades

Abstract

The present invention aims at providing a storage subsystem capable of improving a backend-side I/O processing performance and enabling a single semiconductor memory adapter to be replaced at a time. Therefore, the present invention provides one or more semiconductor memory adapter boards mounting semiconductor memories each having smaller capacity than SSDs attached detachably to a drive canister, a wide port connection established to access the semiconductor memories, the semiconductor memories used as a read cache area of HDDs, and further adopts a wind direction control structure for ensuring a cooling wind path to the HDDs when an adapter board is attached.

Claims

1. A drive canister coupled to a storage subsystem, the drive canister comprising:

a connector board for coupling with a storage controller controlling the storage subsystem;

one or more detachable storage drives coupled to the connector board and one or more detachable semiconductor memory adapter boards; and

a wind direction plate for controlling a direction of cooling wind toward the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board;

wherein

the wind direction plate changes its inclination according to a mounting status of the semiconductor memory adapter board so as to change the direction of cooling wind to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board;

the storage drive and the storage controller are coupled via a single signal line;

the semiconductor memory adapter board is coupled via multiple signal lines including two or more lines having redundancy;

the semiconductor memory adapter board has a semiconductor memory, and data read from the storage drive is stored in the semiconductor memory as a read cache area.

2. The drive canister of a storage subsystem according to claim 1, wherein

the connector board includes a port switching mechanism for controlling the connection between the storage controller, the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board, wherein

the port switching mechanism is caused to

directly couple the storage controller and the storage drive when the semiconductor memory adapter board is not coupled to the connector board;

and

couple the storage controller and the storage drive via the semiconductor memory adapter board when the semiconductor memory adapter board is coupled to the connector board.

3. The drive canister of a storage subsystem according to claim 1, wherein

an access mode from the storage controller to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board includes one or more of the following modes:

a virtual wide port device mode in which the semiconductor memory adapter board operates as a single wide port device;

a virtual expander device mode in which the semiconductor memory adapter board is coupled to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory via the multiple signal lines and operated thereby; and

a virtual multilink device mode in which two or more signal lines out of the multiple signal lines couple the multiple storage drives and the remaining signal line couples the semiconductor memory adapter board for operation.

4. The drive canister of the storage subsystem according to claim 3, wherein

the virtual expander device mode has an automatic cache mode for further controlling whether data read from the storage drive should be automatically stored in the semiconductor memory or not.

5. The drive canister of the storage subsystem according to claim 1, wherein

the semiconductor memory adapter board is equipped with a wind direction plate pin, and controls the angle of the wind direction plate by the wind direction plate pin.

6. A storage subsystem, comprising:

a storage controller for controlling the storage subsystem;

one or more detachable storage drives for storing data from an exterior of the storage subsystem;

one or more detachable storage drives and one or more detachable semiconductor memory adapter boards;

a baseboard coupling to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board; and

a chassis for storing the storage drive, the semiconductor memory adapter board and the baseboard;

the chassis having a wind direction plate for controlling the direction of cooling wind toward the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board;

wherein

the wind direction plate changes its inclination according to a mounting status of the semiconductor memory adapter board so as to change the direction of cooling wind to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board;

the storage drive and the storage controller are coupled via a single signal line;

the semiconductor memory adapter board is coupled via multiple signal lines including two or more lines having redundancy;

the semiconductor memory adapter board has a semiconductor memory, and data read from the storage drive is stored in the semiconductor memory as a read cache area.

7. The storage subsystem according to claim 6, wherein

the baseboard includes a port switching mechanism for controlling the connection between the storage controller, the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board, wherein

the port switching mechanism is caused to directly couple the storage controller and the storage drive when the semiconductor memory adapter board is not coupled to the connector board;

and

couple the storage controller and the storage drive via the semiconductor memory adapter board when the semiconductor memory adapter board is coupled to the connector board.

8. The storage subsystem according to claim 6, wherein

an access mode from the storage controller to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board includes one or more of the following modes:

a virtual wide port device mode in which the semiconductor memory adapter board operates as a single wide port device;

a virtual expander device mode in which the semiconductor memory adapter board is coupled to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory via the multiple signal lines and operated thereby; and

a virtual multilink device mode in which two or more signal lines out of the multiple signal lines couple the multiple storage drives and the remaining signal line couples the semiconductor memory adapter board for operation.

9. The storage subsystem according to claim 8, wherein

the virtual expander device mode has an automatic cache mode for further controlling whether data read from the storage drive should be automatically stored in the semiconductor memory or not.

10. The storage subsystem according to claim 6, wherein

the semiconductor memory adapter board is equipped with a wind direction plate pin, and controls the angle of the wind direction plate by the wind direction plate pin.

11. A method for controlling a storage subsystem, the storage subsystem comprising:

a storage controller for controlling the storage subsystem;

one or more detachable storage drives for storing data from an exterior of the storage subsystem;

one or more detachable storage drives and one or more detachable semiconductor memory adapter boards;

a baseboard coupling to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board; and

a chassis for storing the storage drive, the semiconductor memory adapter board and the baseboard;

the chassis having a wind direction plate for controlling the direction of cooling wind toward the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board;

wherein

the wind direction plate changes its inclination according to a mounting status of the semiconductor memory adapter board so as to change the direction of cooling wind to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board;

the storage drive and the storage controller are coupled via a single signal line;

the semiconductor memory adapter board is coupled via multiple signal lines including two or more lines having redundancy;

the semiconductor memory adapter board has a semiconductor memory, and data read from the storage drive is stored in the semiconductor memory as a read cache area.

12. The method for controlling a storage subsystem according to claim 11, wherein

the baseboard includes a port switching mechanism for controlling the connection between the storage controller, the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board, wherein

the port switching mechanism is caused to

directly couple the storage controller and the storage drive when the semiconductor memory adapter board is not coupled to the connector board;

and

couple the storage controller and the storage drive via the semiconductor memory adapter board when the semiconductor memory adapter board is coupled to the connector board.

13. The method for controlling a storage subsystem according to claim 11, wherein

an access mode from the storage controller to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory adapter board includes one or more of the following modes:

a virtual wide port device mode in which the semiconductor memory adapter board operates as a single wide port device;

a virtual expander device mode in which the semiconductor memory adapter board is coupled to the storage drive and the semiconductor memory via the multiple signal lines and operated thereby; and

a virtual multilink device mode in which two or more signal lines out of the multiple signal lines couple the multiple storage drives and the remaining signal line couples the semiconductor memory adapter board for operation.

14. The method for controlling a storage subsystem according to claim 13, wherein

the virtual expander device mode has an automatic cache mode for further controlling whether data read from the storage drive should be automatically stored in the semiconductor memory or not.

15. The method for controlling a storage subsystem according to claim 11, wherein

the semiconductor memory adapter board is equipped with a wind direction plate pin, and controls the angle of the wind direction plate by the wind direction plate pin.