US 8,301,822 B2Granted

Multi-protocol storage device bridge

AssigneeSanDisk IL Ltd.

InventorsYosi Pinto, Yacov Duzly, Amir Fridman, Eyal Hakoun

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Abstract

A bridge includes a host interface via which data/commands are received from and transferred to a host, and a storage device interface via which data/commands are received from and transferred to a storage device. The bridge also includes one SDPC, a controller and a switching system that is configurable by the controller to connect the protocol converter to the host interface and the storage device interface if the storage device protocol used by the host device differs from the storage device protocol used by the storage device, and to connect the host device interface to the storage device interface, not via the bi-directional protocol converter, if the two storage device protocols are the same. The bridge may include two SDPCs, each for converting a different protocol to the host protocol and vice versa, with the switching system being configurable to switch between the two SDPCs. The bridge may omit the SDPC altogether, with the switching system being configurable to switch between connecting (1) the host device interface to the storage device interface, and (2) bypassing the storage device interface.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A method of communication between a host device and a storage device, the method comprising:

in a bridge comprising a controller, a switching system, a bi-directional converter, a host interface configured to interface with a host device that uses a first storage device protocol, and a storage device interface configured to interface with a storage device that uses the first storage device protocol or that uses a second storage device protocol different from the first storage device protocol, the controller performing:
determining, in response to the storage device being operatively connected to the bridge via the storage device interface, whether the storage device uses the first storage device protocol or whether the storage device uses the second storage device protocol;
in response to the storage device using the second storage device protocol, configuring the switching system such that the bi-directional converter is functionally connected between the host interface and the storage device interface and converting communicated data from either of the first storage device protocol and the second storage device protocol to the other of the first storage device protocol and the second storage device protocol, and
in response to the storage device using the first storage device protocol, configuring the switching system to bypass the bi-directional converter when connecting the host interface to the storage device interface,
wherein one of the first storage device protocol and the second storage device protocol is a secure digital (SD) over universal flash storage (UFS) protocol.

2 more elements

A storage system bridge, the storage system bridge comprising:

a host interface configured to interface with a host device that uses a first storage device protocol;
a storage device interface configured to interface with a storage device that uses the first storage device protocol or that uses a second storage device protocol different from the first storage device protocol;
a bi-directional converter configured to convert communicated data from either of the first storage device protocol to and the second storage device protocol to the other of the first storage device protocol and the second storage device protocol;
a controller;
and
a switching system,
wherein, in response to the storage device being operatively coupled to the storage device interface, the controller is configured:
to determine whether the storage device uses the first storage device protocol or whether the storage device uses the second storage device protocol;
in response to the storage device using the second storage device protocol, to configure the switching system such that the bi-directional converter is functionally connected between the host interface and the storage device interface and converting the communicated data from either of the first storage device protocol and the second storage device protocol to the other of the first storage device protocol and the second storage device protocol, and
in response to the storage device using the first storage device protocol;
to configure the switching system to bypass the bi-directional converter when connecting the host interface to the storage device interface,
wherein the storage system bridge connects to the host device and to the storage device via a bus, wherein the bus has one of a chain topology and a ring topology, wherein the switching system includes a bypass switch, and wherein the controller is further configured to detect a disconnection of the storage device from the storage device interface and in response to detecting the disconnection, to activate the bypass switch so as to bypass the storage device interface.

9 more elements

A storage system bridge, comprising:

a host interface configured to interface with a host device that uses a first storage device protocol;
a storage device interface configured to interface with a storage device that uses one of a second storage device protocol and a third storage device protocol, wherein each of the second storage device protocol and the third storage device protocol differ from the first storage device protocol;
a first bi-directional converter configured to convert communicated data from either of the first storage device protocol and the second storage device protocol to the other of the first storage device protocol and the second storage device protocol;
a second bi-directional converter configured to convert the communicated data from either of the first storage device protocol and the third storage device protocol to the other of the first storage device protocol and the third storage device protocol;
a controller;
and
a switching system that includes a bypass switch,
wherein, in response to the storage device being operatively connected to the storage device interface, the controller is configured:
to determine whether the storage device uses the second storage device protocol or whether the storage device uses the third storage device protocol;
in response to the storage device using the second storage device protocol, to configure the switching system such that the first bi-directional converter is functionally connected between the host interface and the storage device interface and converting the communicated data from either of the first storage device protocol to and the second storage device protocol to the other of the first storage device protocol and the second storage device protocol, and
in response to the storage device using the third storage device protocol, to configure the switching system such that the second bi-directional converter is functionally connected between the host interface and the storage device interface and converting the communicated data from either of the first storage device protocol and the third storage device protocol to the other of the first storage device protocol and the third storage device protocol, and
to detect a disconnection of the storage device from the storage device interface and to respond to the disconnection by activating the bypass switch so as to bypass the storage device interface.

9 more elements

A storage system bridge, comprising:

a host interface configured to interface with a host device via a bus having a ring topology, wherein the host interface uses a first storage device protocol;
a storage device interface configured to interface with a storage device via the bus having the ring topology, wherein the storage device interface uses the first storage device protocol or a second storage device protocol different from the first storage device protocol, wherein one of the first storage device protocol and the second storage device protocol is a secure digital (SD) over universal flash storage (UFS) protocol;
a controller;
and
a configurable bypass switch,
wherein the controller is configured:
to determine whether a the storage device is operatively connected to the storage device interface;
in response to the storage device being operatively connected to the storage device interface, to connect the host device interface to the storage device interface, and
in response to the storage device not being connected to the storage device interface, to activate the configurable bypass switch so as to bypass the storage device interface.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/565,685Filed 23 Sep 2009
Published: US 2011/0072185 A124 Mar 2011
Granted: 30 Oct 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G06F 13/4022
Coupling between buses: using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network
G06F 3/0607
Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management: by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for…
G06F 3/0635
Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems: by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
G06F 3/0661
Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices: format or protocol…