Intelligent storage engine for disk drive operations with reduced local bus traffic
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An intelligent storage engine apparatus for reducing host bus traffic in connection with attached storage operations comprising:
- a host interface for receiving at least one predetermined instruction or function call from a host application to perform data transfers to at least one attached disk drive;
a drive interface to couple an associated intelligent storage engine to the at least one attached disk drive for the data transfers; and
a processor on board the intelligent storage engine for performing the data transfers with the at least one attached disk drive responsive to the received predetermined instruction;
the intelligent storage engine arranged for performing the data transfers with the at least one attached disk drive corresponding to the at least one predetermined instruction or function call without placing user data on a host bus or host serial link; and
executing operations within the host application to complete an OS call operation by circumventing built-in operating kernel system file caching software layers and hardware interface function calls, and instead sending at least one corresponding command directly to the intelligent storage engine.
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Abstract
For attached disk drive operations such a file copy and move, as well as more elaborate processes such as searching, virus-scanning and volume merge, a novel intelligent storage engine concept is disclosed. In one embodiment, a storage engine (40), utilizing local processor intelligence, and accessed through a suitable driver (60) and API (App. B), carries out disk access operations without burdening the host CPU (22) and without imposing data traffic on the local CPU bus (34), except for returning results data in an appropriate case.
43 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An intelligent storage engine apparatus for reducing host bus traffic in connection with attached storage operations comprising:
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a host interface for receiving at least one predetermined instruction or function call from a host application to perform data transfers to at least one attached disk drive; a drive interface to couple an associated intelligent storage engine to the at least one attached disk drive for the data transfers; and a processor on board the intelligent storage engine for performing the data transfers with the at least one attached disk drive responsive to the received predetermined instruction; the intelligent storage engine arranged for performing the data transfers with the at least one attached disk drive corresponding to the at least one predetermined instruction or function call without placing user data on a host bus or host serial link; and
executing operations within the host application to complete an OS call operation by circumventing built-in operating kernel system file caching software layers and hardware interface function calls, and instead sending at least one corresponding command directly to the intelligent storage engine. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of executing disk drive operations with reduced host local bus traffic, the method comprising:
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defining at least one host application function that requires access to at least one attached disk drive and having a corresponding function call to perform data transfers to the at least one attached disk drive; implementing the function call in a storage engine apparatus; interfacing the storage engine apparatus to a host local bus and to the at least one attached disk drive; monitoring the host local bus so as to detect the function call when asserted; responsive to the detected function call, executing the corresponding function call in the storage engine apparatus without placing user data on the host local bus; after completion returning a result of the executed function over the host local bus; and executing operations within the host application to complete an OS call operation by circumventing built-in operating kernel system file caching software layers and hardware interface function calls, and instead sending at least one corresponding command directly to the storage engine apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of executing disk drive operations with reduced local bus traffic, the method comprising:
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defining at least one application function that requires access to at least one attached disk drive to perform data transfers to the at least one attached disk drive; implementing the application function in a storage engine apparatus having a local processor and local memory; interfacing the storage engine apparatus to a host local bus and to at least one attached disk drive; receiving a function call from an application program via a predetermined API; responsive to the received function call, executing a corresponding function in the storage engine apparatus without placing user data on the host local bus, the execution including accessing the at least one attached disk drive; after completion returning a result of the executed function to the application program; and executing operations within the host application to complete an OS call operation by circumventing built-in operating kernel system file caching software layers and hardware interface function calls, and instead sending at least one corresponding command directly to the storage engine apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification