Disk array system and cable information setting method
AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.
InventorsTomoki TANOUE, Hiroshi SUZUKI, Masato OGAWA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided a disk array system including an EXP (Expander) for connecting a plurality of memory devices in a daisy chain fashion, through a plurality of cables in which CC (electrical signal cable) and AOC (optical signal cable) are mixed. The EXP accesses a cable built-in MEM, determines whether the cable is CC or AOC from the acquired CABLE information, sets the appropriate protocol and parameters based on a determination result, identifies the EXP requiring a frame-to-frame connection based on an SAS address, and acquires the CABLE information only for the cable to be connected to the EXP to make an appropriate setting.
Claims15
A disk array system for writing data to a plurality of memory devices or reading data from the plurality of memory devices, based on a request from a host computer,
- wherein the disk array system includes:
- a disk controller for receiving write/read requests to the memory device from the host computer, and exchanging data between the host computer and the memory device;
- and
- a disk unit part provided with a plurality of daisy-chained drive boxes each having at least one built-in memory device, including disk access paths connected by different types of cables between the memory devices within the drive boxes, and between the drive boxes,
- wherein the drive box has an expander connected to a control memory of which relays a first cable on the upstream side near the disk controller and a second cable on the downstream side opposite the disk controller and accesses the built-in memory device,
- wherein each of the cables has a built-in memory provided in a connector on the upstream side of the cable and a connector on the downstream side of the cable, storing CABLE information including the cable type and the setting information of the protocol and parameters according to the cable type, and
- wherein, based on the request from the disk controller, the expander acquires the CABLE information from the built-in memory, and sets the setting information according to the cable type into the own expander.
A cable information setting method in a disk array system,
- wherein the disk array system includes:
- an expander included in each of a plurality of drive boxes each having at least one built-in memory device, the drive boxes being daisy-chained to form a disk unit part, including disk access paths connected by different types of cables between the memory devices within the drive boxes and between the drive boxes, for the number of multiplicity of the process, the expander including receiving write/read requests from a host computer to the memory device, relaying a first cable on the upstream side near a disk controller for exchanging data between the host computer and the memory device, and a second cable on the downstream side opposite the disk controller, and accessing the built-in memory device;
- and
- a cable storing the CABLE information of the cable type, the setting information including the protocol and parameters according to the cable type, in a built-in memory provided in a upstream connector and a downstream connector, respectively, and
- wherein the expander includes:
- receiving a request from the disk controller;
- acquiring the CABLE information from the built-in memory based on the request from the disk controller, and storing the acquired CABLE information in a control memory connected to the expander;
- and
- setting the setting information according to the cable type stored in the control memory to the own expander.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.