Data storage system having dummy printed circuit boards

• US 6,877,061 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: MacLellan, Christopher S., Gallagher, Brian, Walton, John K., Castel, Daniel, Wilson, Paul C., Thibault, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Paul R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, RAYMOND NGAN
• Application Number:
  US10/112,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20030140192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 710305-306, 710308-317, 710 7- 11, 710 31- 39, 710111-119, 710 4- 5
• US Class Current: 710/312
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0038 System on Chip
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1459 Circuit configuration, e.g. routing signals

Abstract

A method and system for producing a data storage system for transferring data between a host computer/server and a bank of disk drives through a system interface. The system interface has a plurality of first directors, a plurality of second directors, and a global memory. The method includes: providing a backplane having slots adapted to have plugged therein a plurality of printed circuit board. The printed circuit boards include: a plurality of first director boards having the first directors; a plurality of second printed circuit boards having the second directors; a plurality of memory printed circuit boards providing the global memory; a plurality of dummy first director boards having first jumpers; a plurality of dummy second director boards having second jumpers; a plurality of dummy memory boards having third jumpers. The method includes wiring the backplane to effect a connection among the first, second and third jumpers to interconnect the first plurality of director to the host computer/server, the plurality of second plurality of directors to the bank of disk drives and the global memory to the first plurality of directors and to the second plurality of director. The method and system allows the same wired backplane to be used with systems having a different number of memory and director boards and still enable dual-write and redundancy to the global memory.

Claims

1. A method for providing a data storage system for transferring data between a host computer/server and a bank of disk drives through a system interface, such system interface having a plurality of first directors, a plurality of second directors, and a global memory, comprising:

providing a backplane having slots adapted to have plugged therein a plurality of printed circuit board, such printed circuit boards comprising;

a plurality of first director boards having the first directors;

a plurality of second printed circuit boards having the second directors;

a plurality of memory printed circuit boards providing the global memory;

a plurality of dummy first director boards having first jumpers;

a plurality of dummy second director boards having second jumpers;

a plurality of dummy memory boards having third jumpers;

wiring the backplane to effect a connection among the first, second and third jumpers to interconnect the first plurality of director to the host computer/server, the plurality of second plurality of directors to the bank of disk drives and the global memory to the first plurality of directors and to the second plurality of director; and

wherein each one of the memory boards has;

a common memory array having a pair of redundant data/control ports; and

, a pair of logic networks each one coupled to a corresponding one of the pair of data/control ports; and

wherein the printed circuit board is wired to effect a connection with the jumpers to enable a pair of the first directors to be coupled to the pair of logic networks and a pair of the second directors to be coupled to the pair of logic networks.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the printed circuit board is wired to effect a connection with the jumpers to connect one of the first directors the memory arrays of a pair of the memory boards.

3. The method recited in claim 2 including providing each one of the directors on a different printed circuit board and wherein the backplane is wired and connected to the jumpers to connect each one of the pair of logic networks to one of the first directors and one of the second directors.

4. A data storage system for transferring data between a host computer/server and a bank of disk drives through a system interface, such system interface having a plurality of first directors, a plurality of second directors, and a global memory, comprising:

a backplane having slots adapted to have plugged therein a plurality of printed circuit board, such printed circuit boards comprising;

a plurality of first director boards having the first directors;

a plurality of second printed circuit boards having the second directors;

a plurality of memory printed circuit boards providing the global memory;

a plurality of dummy first director boards having first jumpers;

a plurality of dummy second director boards having second jumpers;

a plurality of dummy memory boards having third jumpers;

wherein the backplane is wired to effect a connection among the first, second and third jumpers to interconnect the first plurality of director to the host computer/server, the plurality of second plurality of directors to the bank of disk drives and the global memory to the first plurality of directors and to the second plurality of director; and

wherein each one of the memory boards has;

a common memory array having a pair of redundant data/control ports; and

, a pair of logic networks each one coupled to a corresponding one of the pair of data/control ports; and

wherein the printed circuit board is wired to effect a connection with the jumpers to enable a pair of the first directors to be coupled to the pair of logic networks and a pair of the second directors to be coupled to the pair of logic networks.

5. The system recited in claim 4 wherein the printed circuit board is wired to effect a connection with the jumpers to connect one of the first directors the memory arrays of a pair of the memory boards.

6. The system recited in claim 5 wherein each one of the directors is on a different printed circuit board and wherein the backplane is wired and connected to the jumpers to connect each one of the pair of logic networks to one of the first directors and one of the second directors.

7. The system recited in claim 6 wherein the wired backplane and interconnected jumpers provide separate point-to-point data paths between each one of the directors arid the global memory.