Disk subsystem

• US 8,554,979 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• 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:
  US13/544,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20120278523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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;

first and second disk array controllers, each of the first and second disk array controllers including a cache memory storing data temporarily and being configured to control Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) processes on each of the disk drives;

a first switch, external of the first and second disk array controllers, being coupled to the first disk array controller and to the disk drives;

a second switch, external of the first and second disk array controllers, being coupled to the second disk array controller and to the disk drives;

wherein

when the first switch receives information related to one destination disk drive, the first switch performs path switching to make a connection to the one destination disk drive, so that data is transferred between the first disk array controller and the one destination disk drive of the disk drives via the first switch,

when the second switch receives information related to another destination disk drive, the second switch performs path switching to make a connection to the another destination disk drive, so that data is transferred between the second disk array controller and the another destination disk drive of the disk drives via the second switch controller, and

wherein data transfer between the first disk array controller and the one destination disk drive via the first switch is performed separately from data transfer between the second disk array controller and the another destination disk drive via the second switch.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the one destination disk drive is sent from the first disk array controller to the first switch and identifies the one destination disk drive.

3. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the one destination disk drive is an ID number of the one destination disk drive.

4. A storage system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives;

a plurality of disk array controllers, each disk array controller including a cache memory storing data temporarily and controlling Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) processes on the disk drives; and

a plurality of switches external of the disk array controllers,

wherein

a first disk drive of the disk drives is coupled to a first disk array controller of the disk array controllers via a first switch of the switches and is coupled to a second disk array controller of the disk array controllers via a second switch of the switches,

a second disk drive of the disk drives is coupled to the first disk array controller via the first switch and is coupled to the second disk array controller via the second switch, and

each of the switches, upon receiving information related to one destination disk drive, performs path switching to make a connection to the one destination disk drive so that data is transferred between one of the disk array controllers and the one destination disk drive of the disk drives.

5. The storage system according to claim 4, wherein the information related to the one destination disk drive identifies the destination disk drive and is received from the one of the disk array controllers.

6. The storage system according to claim 4, wherein the information related to the one destination disk drive is an ID number of the destination disk drive.

7. A storage system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives;

first and second disk array controllers, each of the first and second disk array controllers including a cache memory storing data temporarily and being configured to control Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) processes on each of the disk drives;

a first switch, external of the first and second disk array controllers, being coupled to the first disk array controller and to the disk drives; and

a second switch, external of the first and second disk array controllers, being coupled to the second disk array controller and to the disk drives,

wherein

when the first switch receives information related to one destination disk drive, the first switch performs path switching to make a connection to the one destination disk drive, and the first disk array controller performs a first data transfer to the one destination disk drive of the disk drives via the first switch,

when the second switch receives information related to another destination disk drive, the second switch performs path switching to make a connection to the another destination disk drive, and the second disk array controller performs a second data transfer to the another destination disk drive of the disk drives via the second switch, and

wherein the first data transfer is performed separately from the second data transfer.

8. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein the information related to the one destination disk drive is sent from the first disk array controller to the first switch and identifies the one destination disk drive.

9. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein the information related to the one destination disk drive is an ID number of the one destination disk drive.

10. A storage system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives;

a plurality of disk array controllers, each disk array controller including a cache memory storing data temporarily and controlling Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) processes on the disk drives; and

a plurality of switches external of the disk array controllers,

wherein

a first disk drive of the disk drives is coupled to a first disk array controller of the disk array controllers via a first switch of the switches and is coupled to a second disk array controller of the disk array controllers via a second switch of the switches,

a second disk drive of the disk drives is coupled to the first disk array controller via the first switch and is coupled to the second disk array controller via the second switch,

each of the switches, upon receiving information related to one destination disk drive, performs path switching based on the received information to make a connection to the one destination disk drive, and one of disk array controllers performs data transfer to the one destination disk drive of the disk drives.

11. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein the information related to the one destination disk drive identifies the destination disk drive and is received from the one of the disk array controllers.

12. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein the information related to the one destination disk drive is an ID number of the one destination disk drive.