Apparatus and method for managing data storage
AssigneeStorageQuest Inc.
InventorRobert J. Fradette
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Abstract
A data storage managing apparatus is described which translates a host Input/Output (I/O) request into a standard form. Thus, I/O requests sent by different hosts using different protocols are treated in the same manner for accessing the data storage. The I/O request in the standard form is then normalized by adding a storage address. The normalized request is routed based on the storage address. Therefore, the present invention enables transparent communication between various types of hosts and various types of storage devices.
Claims33
A data storage managing apparatus for managing data storage having multiple storage devices of various forms, the data storage managing apparatus comprising:
- an access unit for configuring accessible multiple storage devices of various forms as a block of linear storage having storage addresses of a normalized format, each storage address indicating a specific location in a specific storage device, and for accessing the storage devices based on the storage addresses;
- a request processing unit for receiving Input/Output (I/O) requests, each using a local protocol, and translating the I/O requests into translated requests in an internal protocol of the data storage managing apparatus, each I/O request having an original identification for requested data to be written or read, and the request processing unit having an interface module for generating logical addresses for the I/O requests based on their original identifications and tagging the I/O requests with the logical addresses to output the translated requests having logical addresses;
- a normalizer for receiving the translated requests having the logical addresses, the normalizer having a storage address generator for generating storage addresses in the normalized format for the received translated requests, associating the storage addresses to the logical addresses, and adding the storage addresses to the translated requests to generate normalized requests;
- and
- a router for routing the normalized request to at least one of the multiple storage devices based on the storage address to access the data storage using the access unit.
A method for managing data storage having multiple storage devices of various forms, comprising the steps of:
- configuring accessible storage devices of various forms as a block of linear storage having storage addresses of a normalized format, each storage address indicating a specific location in a specific storage device;
- receiving by a data storage managing apparatus an Input/Output (I/O) request for writing or reading data to or from at least one of the multiple storage devices of the data storage, the I/O request being received using a local protocol, the I/O request having an original identification for requested data to be written or read;
- translating the I/O request into a translated I/O request in an internal protocol of the data storage managing apparatus;
- generating a logical address based on the original identification;
- tagging the translated I/O request with the logical address;
- generating a storage address in the normalized format for the received translated I/O request;
- associating the storage address with the logical address;
- normalizing by the data storage managing apparatus the translated request by adding the storage address to output a normalized request;
- routing by the data storage managing apparatus the normalized request to the one of the multiple storage devices of the data storage based on the storage address;
- and
- accessing the one of the multiple storage devices of the data storage based on the storage address.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.