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US 7,120,653 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for providing an integrated file system
AssigneeNVIDIA Corporation
InventorsRobert A. Alfieri, Radoslav Danilak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A novel network architecture that integrates the functions of an internet protocol (IP) router into a network processing unit (NPU) that resides in a host computer's chipset such that the host computer's resources are perceived as separate network appliances. In one embodiment, file handling functions are now integrated into a storage processing unit (SPU) that can also be deployed on the same chipset, where the SPU serves as an overall file and disk management processor.
Claims44
Method for providing an integrated file subsystem, said method comprising:
- a) providing a network processor unit;
- b) providing a first host, wherein said first host comprises a main memory, a storage resource having at least one physical storage device and a central processing unit (CPU) loaded with a first host operating system, wherein said network processor unit is coupled to said CPU by a first communication path;
- c) providing a storage processing unit, wherein said network processor unit communicates with said storage processing unit via a second communication path and said CPU is directly connected to said storage processing unit via a dedicated local access channel, such that no portion of either said first communication path or said second communication path overlap with any portion of said dedicated local access channel;
- and
- d) streaming real-time data through a real-time queue within said network processor unit with a guaranteed latency to said at least one physical storage device or from said at least one physical storage device independent of said host operating system, wherein said real-time data is streamed from said storage processing unit to said at least one physical storage device and said real-time data is streamed to said storage processing unit from said at least one physical storage device.
2 more elements
An integrated file subsystem, said subsystem comprising:
- at least one host, wherein said at least one host comprises a main memory, a storage resource having at least one physical storage device and a central processing unit (CPU) loaded with a host operating system;
- a storage processing unit;
- and
- a network processor unit for accessing a file on said at least one physical storage device independent of said host operating system via said storage processing unit, wherein said CPU communicates with said network processor unit via a first communication path, said network processor unit communicates with said storage processing unit via a second communication path, and said CPU is directly connected to said storage processing unit via a dedicated local access channel, such that no portion of either said first communication path or said second communication path overlap with any portion of said dedicated local access channel, and said network processor includes a real-time queue and is configured to stream real-time data with a guaranteed latency from said storage processing unit to said at least one physical storage device and to said storage processing unit from said at least one physical storage device.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.