Host bus adapter based scalable performance storage architecture

• US 6,684,274 B1
• Filed: 11/09/1999
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chong, Fay Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELAMIN, ABDELMONIEM I
• Application Number:
  US09/436,978
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 710/10, 710/56, 709/213, 370/241
• US Class Current: 710/56
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

One embodiment of a storage controller is described including a controller memory, one or more central processing units (CPUs), and a host bus adapter all coupled to a controller bus. The one or more CPUs are configured to produce data routing information dependent upon a data transfer command which directs a transfer of data between a host computer and one or more storage devices. The host bus adapter includes a receive unit and a transmit unit adapted for coupling to a transmission medium. The host bus adapter receives the data routing information, and forwards data associated with the data transfer command from the receive unit to the transmit unit dependent upon the data routing information such that the data associated with the data transfer command is not conveyed upon the controller bus and is not stored within the controller memory. As a result, the data transfer mechanism does not rely upon availability of the controller bus and/or the one or more CPUs, allowing independent scalability of input/output operations per second (IOPS) and data transfer rate of a storage system including the storage controller. Embodiments of storage and computer systems including the storage controller are also described.

Claims

1. A storage controller, comprising:

a controller bus;

a controller memory coupled to the controller bus;

at least one central processing unit (CPU) coupled to the controller bus and configured to produce data routing information dependent upon a data transfer command; and

a host bus adapter coupled to the controller bus comprising a receive unit and a transmit unit adapted for coupling to a transmission medium, wherein the host bus adapter is coupled to receive the data routing information and configured to forward data associated with the data transfer command from the receive unit to the transmit unit dependent upon the data routing information and independent of the controller bus and the controller memory.

2. The storage controller as recited in claim 1, wherein the host bus adapter is configured to receive the data transfer command via the transmission medium and the receive unit and to store the data transfer command within the controller memory.

3. The storage controller as recited in claim 2, wherein the at least one CPU is configured to access the data transfer command within the controller memory in order to produce the data routing information.

4. The storage controller as recited in claim 3, wherein the data transfer command directs a transfer of data between a host computer and at least one storage device, and wherein the controller memory stores configuration information of the at least one storage device.

5. The storage controller as recited in claim 4, wherein the at least one CPU is configured access the configuration information of the at least one storage device within the controller memory and to translate the data transfer command dependent upon the data transfer command and the configuration information of the at least one storage device, thereby producing at least one translated data transfer command.

6. The storage controller as recited in claim 5, wherein the at least one CPU is configured to forward the at least one translated data transfer command to the host bus adapter, and wherein the host bus adapter is configured to transmit the at least one translated data transfer command upon the transmission medium via the transmit unit.

7. The storage controller as recited in claim 1, wherein the host bus adapter comprises a host bus adapter memory, and wherein the host bus adapter is configured to store the data routing information within the host bus adapter memory.

8. The storage controller as recited in claim 7, wherein the host bus adapter memory comprises a lookup table and a data buffer area, and wherein the data routing information comprises command identification information uniquely identifying the data transfer command and a pointer to a data buffer within the data buffer area, and wherein the command identification information and the pointer are stored within the lookup table.

9. The storage controller as recited in claim 8, wherein the host bus adapter is configured to store at least a portion of the data associated with the data transfer command within the data buffer using the pointer, and to forward the data from the data buffer to the transmit unit when all of the data associated with the data transfer command has been received by the host bus adapter.

10. The storage controller as recited in claim 7, wherein the host bus adapter memory comprises a lookup table, and wherein the data routing information comprises target header information and corresponding substitute header information, and wherein the target header information includes at least a portion of a header field of an expected data frame, and wherein the substitute header information includes header information to be substituted by the receive unit for the header information of the expected data frame, and wherein the target header information and corresponding substitute header information are stored within the lookup table.

11. The storage controller as recited in claim 10, wherein the host bus adapter is configured to:

(i) compare header information of a received data frame to the target header information within the lookup table, (ii) replace the header information of the received data frame with the substitute header information corresponding to the target header information if the header information of the received data frame matches the target header information, and (iii) forward the received data frame from the receive unit to the transmit unit.

12. A storage system, comprising:

at least one storage device;

a storage controller, comprising;

a controller bus;

a controller memory coupled to the controller bus;

a host bus adapter comprising a receive unit and a transmit unit, wherein the host bus adapter is coupled to the at least one storage device, to the controller bus, and coupled to receive a data transfer command, and wherein the host bus adapter is configured to;

(i) store the data transfer command within the controller memory, (ii) receive data routing information and store the data routing information within a host bus adapter memory, and (iii) forward data associated with the data transfer command from the receive unit to the transmit unit dependent upon the data routing information and independent of the controller bus and the controller memory; and

at least one central processing unit (CPU) coupled to the controller bus and configured to access the data transfer command within the controller memory and to produce the data routing information dependent upon the data transfer command.

13. The storage system as recited in claim 12, wherein the data transfer command directs a transfer of data between a host computer and the at least one storage device, and wherein the controller memory stores configuration information of the at least one storage device.

14. The storage system as recited in claim 13, wherein the at least one CPU is configured to translate the data transfer command dependent upon the data transfer command an the configuration information of the at least one storage device, thereby producing at least one translated data transfer command.

15. The storage system as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one storage device comprises a plurality of disk drives, and wherein the storage controller manages the at least one storage device as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) array, and wherein the configuration information of the at least one storage device includes RAID array configuration information of the at least one storage device.

16. The storage system as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one CPU is configured to forward the at least one translated data transfer command to the host bus adapter, and wherein the host bus adapter is configured to transmit the at least one translated data transfer command to the at least one storage device.

17. A computer system, comprising:

a host computer;

at least one storage device;

a transmission medium coupled to the host computer and the at least one storage device;

a storage controller, comprising;

a controller bus;

a controller memory coupled to the controller bus;

a host bus adapter comprising a receive unit and a transmit unit coupled to the transmission medium, wherein the host bus adapter is coupled to the controller bus, and wherein the host bus adapter is configured to;

(i) receive a data transfer command from the host computer and store the data transfer command within the controller memory, (ii) receive data routing information and to store the data routing information within a host bus adapter memory, and (iii) forward data associated with the data transfer command from the receive unit to the transmit unit dependent upon the data routing information and independent of the controller bus and the controller memory; and

at least one central processing unit (CPU) coupled to the controller bus and configured to access the data transfer command within the controller memory and to produce the data routing information dependent upon the data transfer command.

18. The storage system as recited in claim 17, wherein the host computer is configured to produce the data transfer command in order to effect a transfer of data between the host computer and the at least one storage device, and wherein the controller memory stores configuration information of the at least one storage device.

19. The storage system as recited in claim 18, wherein the at least one CPU is configured to translate the data transfer command dependent upon the data transfer command and the configuration information of the at least one storage device, thereby producing at least one translated data transfer command.

20. The storage system as recited in claim 19, wherein the at least one storage device comprises a plurality of disk drives, and wherein the storage controller manages the at least one storage device as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) array, and wherein the configuration information of the at least one storage device includes RAID array configuration information of the at least one storage device.

21. A method for conveying data within a storage system, comprising:

providing a storage controller comprising a host bus adapter and a controller memory coupled to a controller bus, wherein the host bus adapter comprises a receive unit, a transmit unit, and a host bus adapter memory;

coupling the receive and transmit units of the host bus adapter to a host computer and at least one storage device;

receiving a data transfer command from the host computer;

generating data routing information within the storage controller dependent upon the data transfer command;

storing the data routing information within the host bus adapter memory; and

forwarding data associated with the data transfer command from the receive unit to the transmit unit of the host bus adapter dependent upon the data routing information and independent of the controller bus and the controller memory.

22. In a storage system comprising a storage controller, wherein the storage controller comprises a command processor and a host adapter coupled together by a controller bus, a method for conveying data within the storage system, comprising:

the host adapter receiving a data transfer command from a host computer coupled to the host adapter;

the host adapter conveying the data transfer command to the command processor on the controller bus;

the command processor generating data routing information dependent upon the data transfer command, and conveying the data routing information to the host adapter on the controller bus;

the host adapter receiving data for the data transfer command from one or more storage devices and forwarding the data to the host computer so that the data is conveyed from the one or more storage devices to the host computer without being conveyed on the controller bus or to the command processor.

23. In a storage system comprising a storage controller, wherein the storage controller comprises a command processor and a host adapter coupled together by a controller bus, a method for conveying data within the storage system, comprising:

the host adapter receiving a data transfer command from a host computer coupled to the host adapter;

the host adapter conveying the data transfer command to the command processor on the controller bus;

the command processor translating the data transfer command into one or more device data transfer commands, and conveying the device data transfer commands to the host adapter on the controller bus;

the host adapter forwarding the device data transfer commands to one or more storage devices; and

the host adapter receiving data in response to the device data transfer commands and forwarding the data to the host computer so that the data is conveyed from the one or more storage devices to the host computer without being conveyed on the controller bus or to the command processor.