Storage unit and circuit for shaping communication signal

• US 7,685,362 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ogawa, Masato, Sakakibara, Yasuhiro, Suzuki, Hiroshi, Matsushige, Hiromi, Yokoyama, Tomokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Portka; Gary J
• Application Number:
  US12/219,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0658 Controller construction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

The present invention relates to a storage unit comprising: a channel control portion for receiving a data input/output request; a cache memory for storing data; a disk control portion for performing input/output processing on data in accordance with the data input/output request; and a plurality of disk drives for storing data, wherein at least two of the disk drives input data to and output it from the disk control portion at different communication speeds. Further, the storage unit has a plurality of communication paths provided to connect at least one of the disk drives in such a manner as to constitute a loop defined by the FC-AL fiber channel standards, so that the communication speeds can be set differently for these different communication paths.

Claims

1. A disk array system connectable to a host computer via an external network which is external of said disk array system, said disk array comprising:

a controller receiving data from said host computer via an external network and controlling read/write of data;

a plurality of communication paths coupled to the controller and being used to relay data within said disk array system by control of the controller via a Fibre Channel (FC) interface,

wherein said communication paths are different from said external network;

two or more first disk drives coupled to a first communication path of the communication paths and receiving/transferring data via the FC interface on said first communication path and being controlled to read/write said data received via the FC interface under control by said controller,

wherein said first communication path conducts receiving/transferring of data at a first communication speed; and

two or more second disk drives coupled to a second communication path of the communication paths and receiving/transferring data via the FC interface on said second communication path and being controlled to read/write said data received via the FC interface under control by said controller,

wherein said second communication path conducts receiving/transferring of data at a second communication speed,

wherein the first communication speed is different from the second communication speed, and

wherein said controller switches the communication paths from the first communication path to the second communication path when said controller detects error of a FC signal.

2. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein each of the communication paths is used to relay data in a manner as to constitute a loop defined by the FC interface.

3. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein each of the communication paths is used to relay data according to the FC loop topology.

4. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication speed is a 4 Gbps and the second communication speed is a 2 Gbps.

5. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein the disk array system detects the first communication speed of the first communication path.

6. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication speed is 4 Gbps, and

wherein the disk array system detects that the first communication speed is the 4 Gbps.

7. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein the second communication speed is 2 Gbps, and

wherein the disk array system detects that the second communication speed is the 2 Gbps.

8. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication speed is 4 Gbps and the second communication speed is 2 Gbps, and

wherein the disk array system detects that the first communication speed is the 4 Gbps and that the second communication speed is the 2 Gbps.

9. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein the disk array system detects the first communication speed, and

wherein the controller transfers data to the two or more first disk drives coupled to the first communication path based on the detected first communication speed.

10. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein the disk array system detects that the first communication speed is 4 Gbps, and

wherein the controller transfers data to the two or more first disk drives coupled to the first communication path based on the 4 Gbps.

11. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein the disk array system detects that the second communication speed is 2 Gbps, and

wherein the controller transfers data to the two or more second disk drives coupled to the second communication path based on the 2 Gbps.

12. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein the disk array system detects that the first communication speed is 4 Gbps and that the second communication speed is 2 Gbps, and

wherein the controller transfers data to the two or more first disk drives coupled to the first communication path based on the 4 Gbps and transfers data to the two or more second disk drives coupled to the second communication path based on the 2 Gbps.

30. The disk array system according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one third disk drive not mixed with the two or more first drives but coupled to the first communication path.

34. The disk array system according to claim 1, wherein the error of the Fiber signal is one of a 10B/8B conversion error, a Loss of Sync error, and a Run Length Violation Detection error.

13. A disk array system connectable to a host computer via an external network which is external of said disk array system, said disk array comprising:

a controller receiving data from a said host computer via said external network and controlling read/write of data;

a plurality of communication paths coupled to the controller,

wherein said communication paths are different from said external network and are used to relay data within said disk array system;

two or more first disk drives coupled to a first communication path of the communication paths and transferring data via a Fibre Channel (FC) interface on said first communication path and being controlled to read/write said data received via the FC interface under control by said controller,

wherein said first communication path conducts transferring of data at a first transfer rate; and

two or more second disk drives coupled to a second communication path of the communication paths and transferring data via the FC interface on said second communication path and being controlled to read/write said data received via the FC interface under control by said controller,

wherein said second communication path conducts transferring of data at a second transfer rate,

wherein the first transfer rate is different from the second transfer rate, and

wherein said controller switches the communication paths from the first communication path to the second communication path when said controller detects error of a FC signal.

14. The disk array system according to claim 13, wherein the disk array system automatically detects the first transfer rate.

15. The disk array system according to claim 13, wherein the disk array system detects the first transfer rate by using a signal sent from the controller.

16. The disk array system according to claim 13, wherein the disk array system automatically detects the first transfer rate by using a signal transferred from at least one of the two or more first disk drives coupled to the first communication path.

17. The disk array system according to claim 13, wherein the disk array system automatically detects that the first transfer rate is 4 Gbps by using a signal sent from the controller.

18. The disk array system according to claim 13, wherein the disk array system detects that the first transfer rate is 4 Gbps by using a signal transferred from at least one of the two or more first disk drives coupled to the first communication path.

19. The disk array system according to claim 13, wherein the disk array system detects that the first transfer rate is 4 Gbps based on a signal transferred from the controller or at least one of the two or more first disk drives coupled to the first communication path.

20. The disk array system according to claim 13, wherein the disk array system automatically detects the first transfer rate and detects the second transfer rate.

31. The disk array system according to claim 13, further comprising:

at least one third disk drive not mixed with the two or more first drives but coupled to the first communication path.

35. The disk array system according to claim 13, wherein the error of the Fiber signal is one of a 10B/8B conversion error, a Loss of Sync error, and a Run Length Violation Detection error.

21. A disk array system connectable to a host computer via an external network which is external of said disk array system, said disk array comprising:

a controller receiving data from said host computer via said external network and controlling read/write of data;

a plurality of communication paths coupled to the controller, each of the communication paths operating according to the Fibre Channel (FC) loop topology,

wherein said communication paths are different from said external network and being used to relay data within said disk array system;

two or more first disk drives coupled to a first communication path of the communication paths and receiving/transferring data sent from the controller according to the FC protocol on said first communication path and being controlled to read/write said data received according to the FC protocol under control by said controller,

wherein said first communication path conducts receiving/transferring of data at a first communication speed; and

two or more second disk drives coupled to a second communication path of the communication paths and receiving/transferring data sent from the controller according to the FC protocol on said second communication path and being controlled to read/write said data received according to the FC protocol under control by said controller,

wherein said second communication path conducts receiving/transferring of data at a second communication speed, wherein the first communication speed is different from the second communication speed, and

wherein said controller switches the communication paths from the first communication path to the second communication path when said controller detects error of a FC signal.

22. The disk array system according to claim 21, wherein the disk array system automatically detects the first communication speed.

23. The disk array system according to claim 21, wherein the disk array system automatically detects the first communication speed and detects the second communication speed.

24. The disk array system according to claim 21, wherein the first communication speed is a 4 Gbps and the second communication speed is a 2 Gbps.

32. The disk array system according to claim 21, further comprising:

at least one third disk drive not mixed with the two or more first drives but coupled to the first communication path.

36. The disk array system according to claim 21, wherein the error of the Fiber signal is one of a 10B/8B conversion error, a Loss of Sync error, and a Run Length Violation Detection error.

25. A storage system connectable to a host computer via an external network which is external of said disk array system, said disk array comprising:

a channel adapter which receives an I/O request via said external network from said host computer;

a cache memory which stores data of said I/O request;

a disk adapter which performs I/O processing on data in accordance with said I/O request; and

a plurality of disk drives for storing data,

wherein said plurality of disk drives have first disk drives coupled to a first path and second disk drives coupled to a second path,

wherein each of said first and second disk drives is controlled to read/write data according to the Fibre Channel (FC) standard under control of said disk adapter,

wherein said first and second paths are different from said external network and are used to relay data within said disk array system,

wherein said disk adapter communicates with said first disk drives via said first path according to the FC standard,

wherein said first path conducts communication of data at a first communication speed,

wherein said disk adapter communicates with said second disk drives via said second path according to the FC standard,

wherein said second path conducts communication of data at a second communication speed,

wherein the first communication speed of said first disk drives on said first path is different from the second communication speed of said second disk drives on said second path, and

wherein said disk adapter switches the paths from the first path to the second path when said disk adapter detects error of a FC signal.

26. The storage system according to claim 25, wherein said first path and second path constitute a loop.

27. The storage system according to claim 25, wherein said first communication speed is 4 Gbps and said second communication speed is 2 Gbps.

37. The storage system according to claim 25, wherein the error of the Fiber signal is one of a 10B/8B conversion error, a Loss of Sync error, and a Run Length Violation Detection error.

28. A storage unit connectable to a host computer via an external network which is external of said storage unit, said storage unit comprising:

a disk control portion for performing input/output processing on data in accordance with a data input/output request via said external network from the host computer;

a first group of disk drives being controlled to read/write data by inputting and outputting data with a first communication speed on a first path according to the Fibre Channel (FC) protocol; and

a second group of disk drives being controlled to read/write data by inputting and outputting data with a second communication speed on a second path according to the FC protocol,

wherein said first and second paths are different from said external network and are used to relay data within said storage unit,

wherein the disk control portion inputs data from and outputs data to the first group of disk drives with the first communication speed and inputs data from and outputs data to the second group of disk drives with the second communication speed,

wherein the first communication speed is different from the second communication speed, and

wherein said disk control portion switches the paths from the first path to the second path when said disk control portion detects error of a FC signal.

29. The storage unit according to claim 28, wherein the first communication speed is 4 Gbps and the second communication speed is 2 Gbps.

33. The storage unit according to claim 28, further comprising:

at least one third disk drive not mixed with the first group of disk drives but coupled to the first communication path.

38. The storage unit according to claim 28, wherein the error of the Fiber signal is one of a 10B/8B conversion error, a Loss of Sync error, and a Run Length Violation Detection error.