Disk subsystem

• US 7,032,062 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2003
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Aruga, Kazuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): PORTKA, GARY J
• Application Number:
  US10/615,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20040010662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 710/11, 710/38, 710/62, 710/65, 710/74, 710/315, 710/316, 710/317, 711/111, 711/112, 711/114, 714/5, 714/6
• US Class Current: 710/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A protocol controller disposed between switches in a fiber channel fabric switch circuit and disk drive units for converting a protocol to enable one-to-one connectivity established between controllers and disk drive units.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives for corresponding to a plurality of first paths;

a controller to be coupled to a network for receiving data from an information unit coupled to said network and transferring data to said disk drives;

an information unit interface, included in said controller, for receiving data from said information unit via said network;

a disk drive interface, included in said controller, for transferring data sent from said information unit to said disk drives; and

a switch coupled to said controller by at least one of second paths;

wherein said switch is further coupled to each disk drive by one of said first paths, thereby forming a point-to-point connection between said switch and said each disk drive;

wherein the number of said second paths is less than the number of said first paths;

wherein said disk drives store data sent from said information unit through said switch and each of said disk drives has an identification (ID) number; and

wherein said switch conducts switching between said first and said second paths by transferring data to a selected disk drive among said disk drives by one of said first paths based on receiving data from said disk drive interface.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said switch dynamically switches between said disk drives.

3. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein said controller generates a parity data from data sent from said information unit, and

wherein at least one of said disk drives stores said parity data.

4. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein said controller generates a parity data from data sent from said information unit, and

wherein some disk drives of said disk drives are stored data without said parity data.

5. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said disk drives are spare disk drives, said spare disk drives storing data from another disk drive of said disk drives.

6. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein a first one of said disk drives is capable of communicating with said switch independently of a first path associated with a second one of said disk drives.

7. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein said second paths are fibre channel interface paths.

8. A storage system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives for corresponding to a plurality of first paths;

a controller to be coupled to a network for receiving data from an information unit coupled to said network; and

a switch coupled to said controller by at least one of second paths;

wherein said switch is further coupled to each disk drives by one of said first paths, thereby forming a point-to-point connection between said switch and said each disk drive;

wherein the number of said at least one of first paths is less than the number of said first paths;

wherein said disk drives store data sent from said information unit through said switch, and each of said disk drives has an identification (ID) number; and

wherein said switch conducts switching between said first and said second paths by transferring data to at least one of disk drives among said disk drives by at least one of said first paths based on information of said ID number of said at least one of disk drives.

9. The storage system according to claim 8,

wherein said storage system has a plurality of said switches, each plurality of switches coupled to said controller by each of said second paths.

10. The storage system according to claim 8,

wherein said switch dynamically switches between said disk drives.

11. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein said controller generates a parity data from data sent from said information unit, and

wherein at least one of said disk drives store said parity data.

12. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein said controller generates a parity data from data sent from said information unit, and

wherein some disk drives of said disk drives store data without said parity data.

13. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein at least one of said disk drives are spare disk drives, said spare disk drives storing data from another disk drive of said disk drives.

14. The storage system according to claim 8,

wherein a first one of said disk drives is capable of communicating with said switch independently of a first path associated with a second one of said disk drives.

15. The storage system according to claim 8,

wherein said second paths are fibre channel interface paths.

16. A storage system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives for corresponding to a plurality of first paths;

a controller to be coupled to a network for receiving data from an information unit coupled to said network; and

a switch coupled to said controller by at least one of second paths;

wherein said switch is further coupled to each disk drive by one of said first paths, thereby forming a point-to-point connection between said switch and said each disk drive;

wherein the number of said at least one of second paths is less than the number of said first paths;

wherein said disk drives store data sent from said information unit through said switch and each of said disk drives has an authentication (ID) number; and

wherein said switch receives data from said controller and transfers data independently to individual ones of said disk drives over individual ones of said first paths.

17. The storage system according to claim 16, wherein said storage system has a plurality of said switches, each plurality of switches coupled to said controller by each of said second paths.

18. The storage system according to claim 16, wherein said switch dynamically switches between said disk drives.

19. The storage system according to claim 16, wherein said controller generates a parity data from data sent from said information unit, and

wherein at least one of said disk drives store said parity data.

20. The storage system according to claim 16, wherein said controller generates a parity data from data sent from said information unit, and

wherein some disk drives of said disk drives store data without said parity data.

21. The storage system according to claim 16, wherein at least one of said disk drives are spare disk drives, said spare disk drives storing data from another disk drive of said disk drives.

22. The storage system according to claim 16, wherein a first one of said disk drives is capable of communicating with said switch independently of a first path associated with a second one of said disk drives.

23. The storage system according to claim 16, wherein said second paths are fibre channel interface paths.

24. A storage system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives for storing data sent from external of said storage system; and

a switch being coupled to each of said disk drives via one of a plurality of loops, thereby forming a point-to-point connection between said switch and said each disk drive and coupled to a controller via one or more paths, said controller controlling transfer of data,

wherein said switch selects a disk drive from said disk drives and transfers data sent from external of said storage system to the selected one of said disk drives via a first loop,

wherein said disk drives, being coupled to said switch by a plurality of first loops, each have an identification (ID) number,

wherein the number of said one or more paths between said controller and said switch is less than the number of said first loops, and

wherein said switch transfers said data sent from external of said storage system to a destination disk drive by one of said first loops, and

wherein said switch dynamically switches between said disk drives.

25. The storage system according to claim 24, wherein said storage system has a plurality of said switches, each of said switches being coupled to said controller by one of said one or more paths.

26. The storage system according to claim 24, wherein said controller generates a parity data from said data sent from external of said storage system, and

wherein at least one of said disk drives store said parity data.

27. The storage system according to claim 24, wherein said controller generates a parity data from said data sent from external of said storage system, and

wherein some disk drives of said plurality of disk drives store data without said parity data.

28. The storage system according to claim 24, wherein at least one of said disk drives are spare disk drives, said spare disk drives storing data from another disk drive of said disk drives.

29. The storage system according to claim 24, wherein a first one of said disk drives is capable of communicating with said switch independently of a first loop associated with a second one of said disk drive.

30. The storage system according to claim 24,

wherein said one or more paths are a fibre channel interface bus.

31. A storage system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives for storing data sent from external of said storage system; and

a switch, being coupled to each of said disk drives via one of a plurality of loops, thereby forming a point-to-point connection between said switch and said each disk drive and coupled to a controller via one or more paths, said controller controlling transfer of data sent from external of said storage system to said disk drives,

wherein said disk drives each have an identification (ID) number,

wherein the number of said one or more paths between said controller and said switch is less than the number of loops between said switch and said disk drives,

wherein said switch transfers said data sent from external of said storage system to a destination disk drive of said disk drives by one of said loops between said switch and said destination disk drive, and

wherein said switch dynamically switches between said disk drives.

32. The storage system according to claim 31, wherein said storage system has a plurality of said switches, each of said switches being coupled to said controller by one of said one or more paths.

33. The storage system according to claim 31, wherein said controller generates a parity data from said data sent from external of said storage system, and

wherein at least one of said disk drives store said parity data.

34. The storage system according to claim 31, wherein said controller generates a parity data from said data sent from external of said storage system, and

wherein some disk drives of said disk drives store data without said parity data.

35. The storage system according to claim 31, wherein at least one of said disk drives are spare disk drives, said spare disk drives storing data from another disk drive of said disk drives.

36. The storage system according to claim 31, wherein a first one of said disk drives is capable of communicating with said switch independently of path associated with a second one of said disk drives.