Apparatus, system, and method for a storage area network

• US 9,824,027 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2013
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Flynn, David, Atkisson, David, Lagerstedt, Bert, Strasser, John, Thatcher, Jonathan, Zappe, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): DARE, RYAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/939,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20130304872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/183 Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means for buses G06F13/409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/108 Parity data distribution in semiconductor storages, e.g. in SSD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0804 with main memory updating G06F12/0806 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0868 Data transfer between cache memory and other subsystems, e.g. storage devices or host systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/12 Replacement control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/121 using replacement algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/123 with age lists, e.g. queue, most recently used [MRU] list or least recently used [LRU] list
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence
• 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 13/426 using an embedded synchronisation, e.g. Firewire bus, Fibre Channel bus, SSA bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/002 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/103 Hybrid, i.e. RAID systems with parity comprising a mix of RAID types
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1032 Reliability improvement, data loss prevention, degraded operation etc
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1044 Space efficiency improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/2022 Flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/222 Non-volatile memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/70 Details relating to dynamic memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7203 Temporary buffering, e.g. using volatile buffer or dedicated buffer blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7205 Cleaning, compaction, garbage collection, erase control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7208 : Multiple device management, e.g. distributing data over multiple flash devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 : Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 : Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 : in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 : in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 : Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 : Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0652 : Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0656 : Data buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 : Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 : Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 : Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 : Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 : Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 : Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 : for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1444 : Complex or three-dimensional-arrangements; Stepped or dual mother boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1487 : Blade assemblies, e.g. blade cases or inner arrangements within a blade
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An apparatus and system are disclosed for a storage area network (“SAN”). In one embodiment, a computer system includes an internal storage device and an internal storage controller. In this embodiment, the internal storage controller is configured to implement a SAN that includes at least the internal storage device and a storage device external to the computer system. In this embodiment, the internal storage controller is further configured to service a storage request received from a client that involves data stored by the internal storage device. In this embodiment, the internal storage controller is configured to communicate with the external storage device via a network.

Claims

1. A server, comprising:

an internal storage device; and

an internal storage controller configured to;

implement a storage area network (SAN) that includes at least the internal storage device and a storage device external to the server;

service a storage request received from a client, wherein the storage request involves data stored by the internal storage device; and

communicate with the external storage device via a network;

wherein the internal storage controller is configured to transfer data between the internal storage device and the external storage device using remote direct memory access (RDMA), the internal storage controller is within the internal storage device on a same card as a storage medium of the internal storage device, and the internal storage controller is configured to communicate with another storage controller included within the external storage device.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

a network interface configured for communication over the network; and

a server configured to communicate over the network by way of the network interface;

wherein the internal storage controller is configured to communicate with the external storage device by way of the network interface.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the server is configured to manage the network interface to receive the storage request received from the client.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the internal storage device is configured such that a first partition of the internal storage device is accessible using the SAN and a second partition of the internal storage device is not accessible using the SAN, wherein the first and second partitions of the internal storage device are accessible by way of a server that includes the internal storage device.

5. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory storing a driver module configured to implement the internal storage controller.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

an internal storage device; and

an internal storage controller;

wherein the apparatus is configured to couple to a computer system and communicate with the computer system using a bus protocol;

wherein the internal storage controller is configured to;

implement a storage area network (SAN) that includes at least the internal storage device and a storage device external to the apparatus;

receive a first storage request via the SAN;

process data for a second storage request received by the computer system from a client, wherein the second storage request involves data stored by the internal storage device or the external storage device; and

communicate with the external storage device via a network coupled to the computer system;

wherein the internal storage controller is configured to transfer data between the internal storage device and the external storage device using remote direct memory access (RDMA), the internal storage device comprises a solid-state storage medium, the internal storage controller is included within the internal storage device, and the internal storage controller and the solid-state storage medium are on a same card.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the internal storage controller is configured to control a network interface of the computer system to communicate with the external storage device independent of a server coupled to the network interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a network interface;

a server coupled to the network interface and configured to control the network interface to communicate via the network including communication not associated with the storage network;

wherein the internal storage controller is configured to control the network interface to communicate with the external storage device.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the internal storage controller comprises a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable to receive the first storage request, process data for the second storage request, and communicate with the external storage device.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the storage request is received from an internal client.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computing system to perform operations comprising:

communicating using a storage area network (SAN) that includes an internal storage device and an external storage device, wherein the SAN is implemented on a server that comprises the internal storage device, and the external storage device is external to the server;

servicing a storage request received from a client using data stored by the internal storage device; and

sending a storage request to the external storage device via a network;

wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is configured to transfer data between the internal storage device and the external storage device using remote direct memory access (RDMA), the internal storage device comprises an internal storage controller, the internal storage controller and the internal storage device are on a same card, and the internal storage controller is configured to communicate with another storage controller included within the external storage device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

servicing another storage request received from the external storage device via the network.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transferring data from the external storage device to the internal storage device via the network.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the sending the storage request to the external storage device includes accessing a network interface independently of a server of the computer system.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

communicating with the computer system using a bus protocol; and

communicating with the external storage device using a network protocol.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is included in the internal storage device.