Dell Products Inc.

Emc IP Holding Company LLC

Aric Hadav

Amitai Alkalay

Lior Kamran

Xiang Yu

Boris Glimcher

Sandburg Hao Hu

Kunzheng Zhang

Zvi Schneider

Thomas N Dibb

Dmitry Vladimirovich Krivenok

Yuxin Chen

A technique is directed to managing a server cluster that includes multiple servers. The technique involves receiving, from a server in the server cluster, set of heartbeat signals through a power transmission circuit constructed and arranged to deliver power to the server cluster. The technique further involves detecting an interruption in receiving the set of heartbeat signals. The technique further involves, in response to detecting the interruption in receiving the set of heartbeat signals, performing a remedial activity to coordinate input/output (I/O) operations among the multiple servers in the server cluster.

Managing servers using power transmission circuits

Techniques for reducing power consumption in a storage system that includes a disk array enclosure (DAE). The techniques include selecting a number of active drives for inclusion in an active drive subgroup of the DAE, and designating a number of inactive (OFF or non-operational) drives for inclusion in an inactive drive subgroup of the DAE. The total number of drives included in the DAE equals the sum of the number of active drives and the number of inactive drives. The techniques further include monitoring at least one condition (e.g., storage capacity utilization, drive wear-leveling, system performance) pertaining to a power consumption of the storage system, and reducing the power consumption by dynamically adapting the number of active drives in the active drive subgroup based on the monitored condition. By dynamically adapting the number of active drives based on certain storage system conditions, significant reductions in power consumption can be achieved.

Power consumption reduction in storage system

A technique of managing message between chassis includes forming a first message by a computing node in a first chassis. The first message complies with a first communications protocol and provides an instruction directed to a controller in a second chassis to manage one or more hardware functions of the second chassis. The controller operates in accordance with a second communications protocol that is different from the first communications protocol. The technique further includes transmitting both the first message and a set of I/O requests from the first chassis to the second chassis over a communications link configured to carry messages complying with the first communications protocol. The technique further includes converting, in the second chassis, the first message complying with the first communications protocol into a second message complying with the second communications protocol, the second message including the instruction directed to the controller.

Managing communications between chassis

Techniques provide communication between storage processors (SPs) of a storage array. The techniques involve electrically coupling the SPs with an interconnect of the storage array. The techniques further involve electrically coupling a storage device having dual on-device controllers with the interconnect. The techniques further involve establishing a communications pathway between the SPs through the interconnect and the storage device having the dual on-device controllers while the SPs are electrically coupled with the interconnect and while the storage device is electrically coupled with the interconnect.

Providing communication between storage processors through an interconnect and a set of storage devices

Techniques provide communications bandwidth between storage processors (SPs). Such techniques involve electrically coupling the SPs with a first side of a midplane. Such techniques further involve electrically coupling a network interface controller (NIC) device with a second side of the midplane that is opposite the first side of the midplane. Such techniques further involve configuring the NIC device to convey communications between the SPs while the SPs are electrically coupled with the first side of the midplane and while the NIC device is electrically coupled with the second side of the midplane that is opposite the first side of the midplane.

Scaling midplane bandwidth between storage processors via network devices

A host can include a programmable network interface card (NIC) or 'Smart NIC' which accesses host-local drives hidden from a host processor. One configuration can include a switch with a one logical partition including the NIC as a root complex (RC) and the local drives as end points (EPs), and with another logical partition including the host processor as an RC and the NIC as an EP. A second configuration can include the NIC and switch directly connected to the host processor with an access control component (ACC) configured on switch ports connected to the local drives. A third configuration can include the NIC and local drives directly connected to the host processor with the ACC configured on host processor ports connected to the local drives. The NIC can use a multi-layer driver to communicate with the ACC and local drives hidden behind the ACC.

Techniques for providing access of host-local storage to a programmable network interface component while preventing direct host CPU access

Methods and systems for managing storage of data in a distributed system are disclosed. To manage storage of data in a distributed system, a data processing system may include a network interface controller (NIC). The NIC may present emulated storages that may be used for data storage. The emulated storage devices may be implemented with a storage pipeline that uses any number of storage devices that may be local or remote to the data processing system. The computing resources of the data processing system may view the emulated storage as a local device. The NIC may use its storage pipeline to service its own storage needs. By doing so, the NIC may improve the likelihood that its hosted applications have sufficient storage service access.

System and method for managing data storage in network interface controllers

Techniques providing connectivity between a CPU and physical storage devices (PDs) can use a loop back path formed between two connectors of an extended PO slot when an extended I/O card is inserted therein. The two connectors can include a first connector having connectivity with the CPU over a first set of lanes, and a second connector having connectivity with the PDs over a second set of lanes. While the extended I/O card is inserted into the I/O slot, connectivity can be provided between the CPU and the PDs using connectivity provided between the CPU and the first connector and the first set of lanes; using the loop back path provided between the first and second connectors; and using connectivity provided between the second connector and the PDs over the second set of lanes.

Techniques for flexible physical drive expansion using a loop back connection

A method, computer program product, and computing system for coupling a multi-host remote direct memory access (RDMA) card to at least a pair of central processing units (CPUs). One or more signals may be routed, via the multi-host RDMA card, between the at least a pair of CPUs.

System and method for multi-node communication

An electronic equipment assembly has an interconnect including columns of signal conductors, connectors mounted to the columns of signal conductors, and a chassis coupled with the interconnect. The chassis provides slots that guide resource devices into engagement with the connectors mounted to the columns of signal conductors to enable the interconnect to electronically access the resource devices. At least one column of the columns of signal conductors of the interconnect is a multi-function column. Each multi-function column is constructed and arranged to electronically access different types of resource devices through a respective connector mounted to that multi-function column.

Electronic equipment that provides multi-function slots

A method, computer program product, and computing system for receiving, at a first baseboard management controller (BMC) of a first node, a fence request from a central processing unit (CPU) of the first node. The first BMC of the first node may communicate with a second BMC of a second node, wherein the first node and the second node are communicatively coupled to a plurality of storage drives. The first BMC and the second BMC may determine which node of the first node and the second node to fence from the plurality of storage drives. One of the first node and the second node may be fenced, via one of the first BMC and the second BMC, from the plurality of storage drives, thus defining a fenced node.

System and method for storage system node fencing

A storage system comprises a plurality of enclosures and a storage controller. Each enclosure comprises at least one processing device and a plurality of drives configured in accordance with a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) arrangement. The storage controller obtains an input-output request to read a target data page and issues a command to the at least one processing device of a given enclosure. Responsive to receiving the command, the at least one processing device of the given enclosure obtains data pages associated with a given stripe from the plurality of drives of the given enclosure. The at least one processing device rebuilds the given stripe based at least in part on the obtained data pages, obtains the target data page from the rebuilt given stripe and provides the obtained target data page to the storage controller.

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Tel Aviv, Israel

Aric Hadav