Block oriented peripheral device interface

Apparatus for transferring a plurality of input/output (I/O) requests between a Unix operating system and first and second block oriented I/O device controllers operating in accordance with respective first and second command sequences said apparatus comprising:

• a. Unix system call interface means for receiving ones of said plurality of I/O requests;
• b. operating system interface means, coupled to said Unix system call interface means, for receiving said plurality of I/O requests from said Unix system call interface means and for mapping ones of said plurality of I/O requests to an I/O routine;
• c. first and second device driver means, coupled to said first and second block oriented I/O device controllers, respectively, including means for providing commands and data in accordance with said first and second command sequences to said respective first and second block oriented I/O device controllers and means for receiving blocks of data from said respective first and second block oriented I/O device controllers;
• and
• d. common device module means for signalling said first and second device driver means to communicate with said respective block oriented I/O device controllers;
• wherein each of said first and second block oriented I/O device controllers is a disk drive controller and
• wherein said common device module means transfers status information between the Unix system call interface means and said first and second device driver means.

Apparatus for transferring a plurality of input/output (I/O) requests between a Unix operating system and first and second block oriented I/O device controllers operating in accordance with respective first and second command sequences said apparatus comprising:

• a. Unix system call interface means for receiving ones of said plurality of I/O requests;
• b. operating system interface means, coupled to said Unix system call interface means, for receiving said plurality of I/O requests form said Unix system call interface means and for mapping ones of said plurality of I/O requests to an I/O routine;
• c. first and second device driver means, coupled to said first and second block oriented I/O device controllers, respectively, including means for providing commands and data in accordance with said first and second command sequences to said respective first and second block oriented I/O device controllers and means for receiving blocks of data from said respective first and second block oriented I/O device controllers;
• and
• d. common device module means for signalling said first and second device driver means to communicate with said respective block oriented I/O device controllers;
• wherein each of said first and second block oriented I/O device controllers is a disk drive controller and
• wherein said each of said device driver means comprises:
• a. interrupt means, responsive to an interrupt signal from at least one of said first and second block oriented I/O device controllers, for indicating that an I/O operation has been completed;
• b. strategy means, responsive to an initiation signal from said operating system, for initiating the I/O operation;
• and
• c. printing means, responsive to a diagnostic signal from said common device module means for providing diagnostic error messages.

Apparatus for transferring a plurality of input/output (I/O) requests between a Unix operating system and first and second block oriented I/O device controllers operating in accordance with respective first and second command sequences said apparatus comprising:

• a. Unix system call interface means for receiving ones of said plurality of I/O requests;
• b. operating system interface means, coupled to said Unix system call interface means, for receiving said plurality of I/O requests form said Unix system call interface means and for mapping ones of said plurality of I/O requests to an I/O routine;
• c. first and second device driver means, coupled to said first and second block oriented I/O device controllers, respectively, including means for providing commands and data in accordance with said first and second command sequences to said respective first and second block oriented I/O device controllers and means for receiving blocks of data from said respective first and second block oriented I/O device controllers;
• and
• d. common device module means for signalling said first and second device driver means to communicate with said respective block oriented I/O device controllers;
• wherein each of said first and second block oriented I/O device controllers is a tape drive controller and
• wherein said first and second device driver means each includes first and second sets of I/O command routines, coupled respectively to said Unix system call interface means and to said first and second block oriented I/O device controllers, and the common device module means is configured to transfer status information between said first and second sets of command routines.