US 2007/0168559 A1 · SAN/NAS integrated storage system

Abstract

In a storage system directly connected to a network, if conventional interfaces and protocols are used when an I/O command issued from a file server is transmitted to the storage system, the command/data is serially transferred via a single transfer path so that the performance is lowered. Conventional interfaces do not provide the means to notify the storage system of the failure at the file server. The file server and a channel adapter of the storage system are mounted on the same board and connection paths therebetween are controlled so that a plurality of protocols can be operated independently. A path independent from a command/data path is provided between the file server and channel adapter, and the received failure information is stored in a shared memory of the storage system and used for the fail-over.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A storage system comprising:

a disk for storing data;
a first adapter directly connected to a first network connected to a first host computer;
a second adapter directly connected to said disk;
and
a second network directly connected to said first and second adapters for interconnecting said first and second adapters,
wherein said first adapter converts information in conformity with a first protocol received from the first host computer via said first network into information in conformity with a second protocol, and transferring the converted information to said second adapter via said second network.

3 more elements

A disk control system for transmitting and receiving a command and data to and from a host computer by utilizing an external protocol having a standard of at least one of “Ethernet II”, “IEEE802.3” and “IEEE802.2” and accessing a recording disk by utilizing an internal protocol other than the external protocol, the disk control system comprising:

a file server unit and a channel adapter unit mounted on a single board or in a single housing,
wherein:
said file server unit comprises:
a server processor for controlling said file server unit and converting the command and the data from the external protocol into the internal protocol;
a LAN controller for performing a communication control of the command and the data by using the external protocol;
a first internal bus for interconnecting said server processor and said LAN controller;
and
a host controller disposed between said server processor and said first internal bus for controlling transmission/reception of the command and the data and for controlling failure information,
said channel adapter unit comprises:
a network data controller for controlling transmission/reception of the data to and from said recording disk;
a control data controller for controlling transmission/reception of the command to and from said recording disk;
a channel processor for controlling said channel adapter unit;
and
a second internal bus for interconnecting said network data controller and said control data controller, and
the disk control system further comprises:
a network data path connected between said first and second internal busses for transmission/reception of the data in accordance with the internal protocol;
and
a control data path for transmission/reception of the command in accordance with the internal protocol,
respectively provided physically or logically independently between said file server unit and said channel adapter unit, and
a management bus for transmission/reception of the failure information without involving said first and second internal busses.

17 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

SAN/NAS integrated storage system

Life of this patent

SAN/NAS integrated storage system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15