Method and system for processing frames in storage controllers

• US 8,370,541 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Perozo, Angel G., Dennin, William W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mamo, Elias
• Application Number:
  US12/886,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20110022758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 710/29
• US Class Current: 710/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0674 Disk device

Abstract

A storage drive system including an interface and a channel. The interface is configured to i) receive frames from a host and ii) process the frames. The channel is configured to i) receive the frames from the interface and ii) transfer the frames from the interface to a buffer memory. The channel includes a first register configured to store bit values corresponding to frame processing, and includes a first module configured to i) detect frame types of the frames and ii) in response to detecting a first frame type, stop receiving a second frame type while selectively continuing to receive a third frame type based on the bit values.

Claims

1. A storage drive system, comprising:

an interface configured to i) receive frames from a host and ii) process the frames; and

a channel configured to i) receive the frames from the interface and ii) transfer the frames from the interface to a buffer memory, the channel including

a first register configured to store bit values corresponding to frame the processing of the frames, and

a first module configured to i) detect frame types of the frames, and ii) in response to detecting a frame having a first frame type, stop receiving frames having a second frame type while selectively continuing to receive frames having a third frame type based on the bit values.

2. The storage drive system of claim 1, wherein the frame types correspond to at least one of:

command frames, link frames, data frames, and task management request frames, wherein task management request frames are command frames that include task management flags.

3. The storage drive system of claim 1, wherein i) the first frame type corresponds to a task management request frame, ii) the second frame type corresponds to a command frame or a link frame, and iii) the third frame type corresponds to a data frame.

4. The storage drive system of claim 1, further comprising:

a counter configured to count a first number of the frames having the first frame type; and

a compare module configured to i) compare the first number to a predetermined number and ii) generate an interrupt based on the comparison.

5. The storage drive system of claim 4, further comprising logic configured to selectively mask the interrupt based on the bit values.

6. The storage drive system of claim 1, wherein the first module is configured to determine which frames of a particular frame type to stop receiving based on the bit values.

7. The storage drive system of claim 1, wherein the first module is configured to determine where in the buffer memory to store the frames based on the frame types of the frames.

8. The storage drive system of claim 1, wherein the interface is a fibre channel interface.

9. A method for operating storage drive system, the method comprising:

receiving and processing frames from a host using an interface; and

using channel logic,

receiving the frames from the interface,

transferring the frames from the interface to a buffer memory,

storing bit values corresponding to the processing of the frames,

detecting frame types of the frames, and

in response to detecting a frame of a first frame type, stopping receiving frames of a second frame type while selectively continuing to receive frames of a third frame type based on the bit values.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the frame types correspond to at least one of:

command frames, link frames, data frames, and task management request frames, wherein task management request frames are command frames that include task management flags.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein i) the first frame type corresponds to a task management request frame, ii) the second frame type corresponds to a command frame or a link frame, and iii) the third frame type corresponds to a data frame.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

counting a first number of the frames having the first frame type;

compare the first number to a predetermined number; and

generating an interrupt based on the comparison.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising selectively masking the interrupt based on the bit values.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining which frames of a particular frame type to stop receiving based on the bit values.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining where in the buffer memory to respectively store the frames based on the frame types of the frames.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the interface is a fibre channel interface.