US 6,636,934 B1 · Fiber channel port by-pass selector section for dual ported disk drives · patentgrep

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Abstract

A data storage system having a plurality of disk drives. Each one has a pair of bi-directional ports. A pair of directors controls the flow of data to and from the disk drives. A first fiber channel port by-pass selector section is provided. The first fiber channel by-pass selector section includes: an input/output port coupled to a first one of the directors; and, a plurality of output/input ports connected between a first one of the ports of the plurality of disk drives through a first plurality of fiber channel links. The first fiber channel port by-pass selector section is adapted to couple the first one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the first ports of the plurality of disk drives through a first fiber channel selectively in accordance with a control signal fed to the first fiber channel by-pass selector section. The first fiber channel includes one, or more, of the first plurality of fiber channel links. A second fiber channel port by-pass selector section is provided having an input/output port coupled to a second one of the directors and a plurality of output/ports serially connected between a second one of the pair of ports of the plurality of disk drives through a second plurality of fiber channel links. The second fiber channel port by-pass selector section is adapted to couple the second one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the second ports of the plurality of disk drives through a second fiber channel selectively in accordance with the control signal. The second fiber channel includes one, or more, of the second plurality of fiber channel links.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A data storage system, comprising:

(a) a set of disk drives, each one of the disk drives thereof having a pair of bi-directional ports;
(b) a host computer;
(c) an interface for coupling data between the host computer and the set of disk drives through the interface, such interface comprising:
(i) a plurality of buses;
(ii) a redundant fibre channel network coupled between the plurality of buses and the set of disk drives, such network comprising:
(A) a pair of directors for controlling flow of data to and from the disk drives through a first and a second fibre channel, respectively;
(B) a first fibre channel port by-pass, comprising:
(1) a bi-directional input/output port coupled to a first one of the directors;
(2) a plurality of bi-directional output/input ports, each one being connected to a first one of the pair of bi-directional ports of a corresponding one of the disk drives in the set of disk drives through a first plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(3) wherein the first fibre channel port by-pass is adapted to couple the first one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the plurality of disk drives in the set thereof through the first fibre channel selectively in accordance with a control signal, such first fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the first plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(C) a second fibre channel port by-pass, comprising:
(1) a bi-directional input/output port coupled to a second one of the directors;
(2) a plurality of bi-directional output/input ports, each one being connected between a second one of the pair of bi-directional ports of a corresponding one of the disk drives in the set of disk drives through a second plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(3) wherein the second fibre channel port by-pass selector section is adapted to couple the second one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the plurality of disk drives in the set thereof through the second fibre channel selectively in accordance with the control signal, such second fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the second plurality of fibre channel links;
and
wherein the first fibre channel and the second fibre channel provide separate fibre channels to and from the plurality of coupled disk drives and wherein the first and second fibre channel includes the same disk drives in the set thereof.

16 more elements

A data storage system, comprising:

(a) a set bank of disk drives, each one of the disk drives having a pair of bi-directional ports;
(b) a host computer;
(c) an interface for coupling data between the host computer and the bank of disk drives through the interface, such interface comprising:
(i) a plurality of buses;
(ii) a redundant fibre channel network coupled between the plurality of buses and disk drives, such network comprising:
(A) a pair of directors for controlling flow of data to and from the disk drives through a first and a second fibre channel, respectively, each one of the directors having a pair of bi-directional ports;
(B) a fibre channel port by-pass selector section, comprising:
(1) a pair of bidirectional input/output ports coupled to first ones of the pair of ports of the pair of directors;
(2) a plurality of bidirectional output/input ports, each one of a first set thereof being connected to a first one of the pair of ports of a corresponding one of the disk drives in the set of the disk drives through a first plurality of fibre channel links and each one of a second set thereof being connected to a second one of the pair of ports of a corresponding one of the disk drives in the set of the disk drives through a second plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(3) wherein the fibre channel port by-pass selector section is adapted to couple the first one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the plurality of disk drives in the set thereof through the first fibre channel selectively in accordance with a control signal, such first fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the first plurality of fibre channel links;
and wherein the fibre channel port by-pass selector section is adapted to couple the second one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the plurality of disk drives in the set thereof through the second fibre channel selectively in accordance with the control signal, such second fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the second plurality of fibre channel links and,
wherein the first fibre channel and the second fibre channel provide separate fibre channels to and from the plurality of coupled disk drives and wherein the first and second fibre channels include the same disk drives in the set of disk drives.

10 more elements

A data storage system, comprising:

(a) a plurality of disk drives, each one having of the disk drives in the bank having a pair of bidirectional ports;
(b) a host computer;
(c) an interface for coupling data between the host computer and the bank of disk drives through the interface, such interface comprising:
(i) a plurality of buses;
(ii) a redundant fibre channel network coupled between the plurality of buses and disk drives, such network comprising:
(A) a pair of directors for controlling flow of data to and from the disk drives through a first and a second fibre channel, respectively;
(B) a first fibre channel port by-pass selector section, comprising:
(1) a bidirectional input/output port coupled to a first one of the directors;
(2) a plurality of bi-directional output/input ports, each one being connected between a first one of the ports of a corresponding one of the plurality of disk drives through a first plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(3) wherein the first fibre channel port by-pass selector section is adapted to couple the first one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the first ports of the plurality of disk drives through the first fibre channel selectively in accordance with a control signal, such first fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the first plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(C) a second fibre channel port by-pass selector section, comprising:
(1) a bidirectional input/output port coupled to a second one of the directors;
(2) a plurality of bi-directional output/ports, each one being connected between a second one of the pair of ports of a corresponding one of the plurality of disk drives through a second plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(3) wherein the second fibre channel port by-pass selector section is adapted to couple the second one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the second ports of the plurality of disk drives through the second fibre channel selectively in accordance with the control signal, such second fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the second plurality of fibre channel links;
and
wherein the first fibre channel and the second fibre channel provide separate fibre channels to and from the plurality of coupled disk drives and wherein the first and second fibre channels include the same disk drives in the plurality of disk drives.

16 more elements

A data storage system, comprising:

(a) a first and a second set of disk drives, each one of the disk drives having a pair of bi-direcfional ports;
(b) a pair of directors for controlling flow of data to and from the disk drives, each one of the directors having a pair of ports;
(c) a first fibre channel port by-pass, comprising:
an input/output port coupled to a first one of the pair of ports of a first one of the pair of directors;
a plurality of output/input ports, each one being connected between a first one of the ports ofa corresponding one of the disk drives of the first set of disk drives through a first plurality of fibre channel links;
and
wherein the first fibre channel port by-pass selector is adapted to couple the first one of the ports of the first one of the pair of directors serially to one, or ones, of the first ports of the first plurality of disk drives through a first fibre channel selectively in accordance with a control signal, such first fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the first plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(d) a second fibre channel port by-pass, comprising:
an input/output port coupled to a first one of the pair of ports of a second one of the pair of directors;
a plurality of output/ports, each one being serially connected between a second one of the pair of ports of a corresponding one the disk drives in the first set pf disk drives through a second plurality of fibre channel links;
and
wherein the second fibre channel port by-pass selector section is adapted to couple the first one of the pair of ports of the second one of the pair of directors serially to one, or ones, of the second ports of the first plurality of disk drives through a second fibre channel selectively in accordance with the control signal, such second fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the second plurality of fibre channel links;
(e) a third fibre channel port by-pass, comprising:
an input/output port coupled to a second one of the pair of ports of the first one of the pair of directors;
a plurality of output/input ports, each one being serially connected between a first one of the ports of a corresponding one of the disk drives in the second set of disk drives through a third plurality of fibre channel links;
and
wherein the third fibre channel port by-pass selector is adapted to couple the second one of the ports of the first one of the pair of directors serially to a selected one, or ones, of the third ports of the second set of disk drives through a third fibre channel, such third fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the third plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(f) a fourth fibre channel port by-pass, comprising:
an input/output port coupled to second one of the pair of ports of the second one of the pair of directors;
a plurality of output/ports, each one being serially connected between a second one of the pair of ports of a corresponding one of the disk drives in the second set of disk drives through a fourth plurality of fibre channel links;
and
wherein the fourth fibre channel port by-pass selector section is adapted to couple the second one of the pair of ports of the second one of the pair of directors serially to a selected one, or ones, of the second ports of the second set of disk drives through a fourth fibre channel, such fourth fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the fourth plurality of fibre channel links;
and
wherein the first, second, third and fourth fibre channels provide separate fibre channels to and from the plurality of coupled disk drives and wherein the first and second fibre channels include the same disk drives in the first set of disk drives and the third and fourth fibre channels include the same disk drives in the second set of disk drives.

23 more elements

A data storage system, comprising:

(a) a first and second plurality of disk drives, each one of the disk drives having a pair of bi-directional ports;
(b) a pair of directors for controlling flow of data to and from the first and second plurality of disk drives;
(c) a first fibre channel port selector section comprising:
(i) a plurality of first ports, each one being connected to a first one of the ports of a corresponding one of the first plurality of disk drives through a first plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(ii) a plurality of second ports, each one being connected to a second one of the pair of ports of a corresponding one of the first plurality of disk drives through a second plurality of fibre channel links;
(iv) a third port coupled to a first port of a first one of the pair of directors;
(v) a fourth port coupled to a first port of a second one of the pair of directors;
and
(vi) wherein the first fibre channel port selector section is adapted to:
couple the first one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the first ports of the first plurality of disk drives through a first fibre channel selectively in accordance with a control signal, such first fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the first plurality of fibre channel links;
and, couple the second one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the second ports of the first plurality of disk drives through a second fibre channel selectively in accordance with the control signal, such second fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the second plurality of fibre channel links;
(d) a second fibre channel port selector section comprising:
(i) a plurality of first ports, each one being connected to a first one of the ports of a corresponding one of the second plurality of disk drives through a third plurality of fibre channel links;
and
(ii) a plurality of second ports, each one being connected to a second one of the pair of ports of a corresponding one of the second plurality of disk drives through a fourth plurality of fibre channel links;
(iv) a third port coupled a second port of the first one of the pair of directors;
(v) a fourth port coupled to a second port of the second one of the pair of directors;
and
(vi) wherein the second fibre channel port selector section is adapted to couple the first one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the third ports of the second plurality of disk drives through a first fibre channel selectively in accordance with the control signal, such third fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the third plurality of fibre channel links;
and, couple the second one of the directors serially to one, or ones, of the second ports of the second plurality of disk drives through a fourth fibre channel, such fourth fibre channel comprising one, or more, of the fourth plurality of fibre channel links;
and
wherein the first, second, third and fourth fibre channels provide separate fibre channels to and from the plurality of coupled disk drives and wherein the first and second fibre channels include the same disk drives in the first plurality of disk drives and the third and fourth fibre channels include the same disk drives in the second plurality of disk drives.

20 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.