US 5,675,743 A · Multi-media server

Abstract

A data server for enabling the delivery of data information from any storage device containing said data and an external port requiring the data is disclosed. The server is comprised of a plurality of basic building blocks, each consisting of a first processing element connected to a second processing element via an inter-processing element bus to form a server plane. Each inter-processing element bus connects two processing elements in such a way that every processing element in a server plane is connected to every other processing element in the same server plane, via an independent inter-processing element bus. A plurality of sub-busses, each having input/output devices connected thereto are connected to the inter-processing element bus. Each input/output device is accessible by each processing element in such a way that the maximum transit distance required to access an input/output device of one sub-bus from an input/output device of another sub-bus is equal to the transit distance between two processing elements. All server planes have full access to all input/output devices such that the loading of the processing elements and the inter-processing element busses of one server plane is independent of activity on processing elements and the inter-processing element busses of any other server planes.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A distributed and scalable data server for enabling the delivery of digital data from any storage devices containing said digital data to interface data ports for interfacing said data server with external data distribution or processing media capable of processing the delivered data, said data server comprising:

a network of processing elements having an independent element bus disposed between any pair of said processing elements such that each processing element in said network is connected to every other processing element via an independent inter-processing element bus, each independent inter-processing element bus operating asynchronously to the processing elements such that each processing element in said network is presented with an independent data delivery path between itself and every other processing element of said network;
and
each storage device and interface data port being connected to at least one said independent inter-processing element bus such that each of said storage device and interface data ports is independently accessible by any processing element in said network such that the maximum transit distance required to access a storage device on one said independent inter-processing element bus from an interface data port on another said independent inter-processing element bus is limited to two processing elements.

In a distributed scalable data server having digital data stored in storage devices and interface data ports interfacing said data server with external data distribution or processing media capable of processing data received form said data server, a method of enabling delivery of said digital data from any storage device via any interface data port, comprising the steps of:

connecting each processing element in a network of processing elements to each other via independent inter-processing element busses, an independent inter-processing element bus being disposed between each pair of said processing elements in said network, each network of said processing elements forming a first server plane;
operating said independent inter-processing element busses asynchronously of said processing elements;
and
connecting said storage devices and said interface data ports to said independent inter-processing element busses such that each said processing element can access any one of said storage devices or said interface data ports, independently of any other said processing element.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Multi-media server

Life of this patent

Multi-media server

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12