Method for performing atomic, concurrent read and write operations on multiple storage devices

Abstract

A storage system for storing and retrieving data records. The system includes a storage medium, a controller, and a message log. The storage medium stores data records, the data records being indexed by addresses which specify the location of the data records in the storage medium. The controller receives write messages from processors coupled to the controller. Each write message includes a data segment to be written to the storage medium at a specified address, and coordination information specifying a timestamp, and the addresses of other data records on other storage systems that were written in same write operation. The log stores the write messages prior to the data contained therein being written to the storage medium. Periodically, the controller reads the timestamps of the messages in the log and compares the timestamps to a clock in the controller to determine the message having the oldest timestamp. If the oldest message has a timestamp that is less than the controller's clock value by more than a predetermined amount, the controller writes the data segment contained in the message to the storage medium at the specified address in the message. The controller also receives read messages. Each read message includes information specifying a range of addresses in the storage medium to be read. The controller generates one or more response messages to a read message. Each response message includes an address range in the storage medium that was written in response to a single one of the write messages, the data records stored in the storage medium corresponding to the address range, and the coordination information received in that write message.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.