System, method, and computer program product for interfacing one or more storage devices with a plurality of bridge chips

A method, comprising;

• implementing storage traffic between a storage device and a central processor via a first storage port of a first bridge chip of a plurality of bridge chips, the first bridge chip comprising a plurality of ports organized as a plurality of groups comprising a first port group, a second port group, and a third port group;
• multiplexing, by the first bridge chip, the storage traffic to at least one bridge chip of the plurality of bridge chips;
• and
• distributing data across the plurality of bridge chips to produce a data distribution enabling each of the bridge chips to communicate with each other.

A system comprising:

• a storage device;
• a multiplexing bridge chip configured to multiplex data and to distribute data, the multiplexing bridge chip comprising a plurality of ports organized as a plurality of groups comprising a first port group, a second port group, and a third port group, the first port group being a mass-storage-side port group, the second port group and the third port group being mass-storage-utilizing-side port groups;
• a first bridge chip and a second bridge chip connected to the multiplexing bridge chip, the first bridge chip and the second bridge chip each configured to distribute data,
• a first output port associated with the first bridge chip;
• a second output port associated with the second bridge chip;
• and
• a communication link connecting the storage device to the multiplexing bridge chip and allowing information from the storage device presented to the first port group to be sent to a selected one of the second port group and the third port group.