Broadcom Corporation

Adaptec, Inc.

Digital Equipment Corporation

Raidcore, Inc.

Chris Robert Franklin

Jeffrey T Wong

Randy M Arnott

Eric S Noya

Charles J Purwin

Paul Richard Shaughnessy

Stanley Luke

Timothy Lee Hoskins

Bryan K Panner

Richard Napolitano

Chester Juzsczak

Herbert W Silverman

Alexander C McLeod

Kim A Meinerth

Jeffrey L Grummon

Colyn Case

Blaise Fanning

Rodney N Gamache

Jeffery T Wong

A method, system and computer program product for a generic data storage interface for local and remote networked storage is provided. It comprises providing a data storage interface accessible by an operating system, transmitting data from an application running on the operating system to the data storage interface and selectively storing the data using the same data storage interface in either a local or a remote networked storage location. Firmware for the common data storage interface assigns a unique identifier that classifies an I/O request as a local or remote networked I/O request and adds the I/O request to a common stack for local and remote networked data storage elements. When an I/O request is removed from the stack, the unique identifier is used to identify the I/O request as a local or remote networked I/O request. Local I/O requests are executed via a local bus such as PCI, or SCSI. Remote networked I/O requests require a connection to one or more remote networked storage elements via a network. Memory space in a cache may be allocated for both local or remote networked I/O requests. DMA transfer may be employed for both local and remote networked I/O requests. Both local and remote networked I/O requests are executed using the same firmware and the same data interface.

Combined local and network storage interface

A method and related computer program product for combining resources of multiple RAID controllers and managing them as a single entity, comprising searching the RAID controllers for the most appropriate version of the firmware to be executed, determining whether a more appropriate version of the firmware was previously loaded into system memory, unloading inappropriate versions of the firmware, loading the most appropriate version of the firmware and initializing all RAID controllers as a commonly managed entity having combined resources.

Combining resources of multiple BIOS ROMS and managing them as a single entity

A method and related computer program product of preventing write corruption in a redundant array in a computer system, comprising detecting a write failure from a calling application to at least one disk of the redundant array, writing failure information to non-volatile storage; returning an I/O error to the calling application; reading the failure information from the non-volatile storage during the next system reboot; and reconfiguring the array to eliminate the failed disk.

Preventing write corruption in a raid array

A method and related computer program product for achieving high performance I/O write rates in a redundant array using a fully recoverable communication queue stored in NVRAM on a RAID controller comprising, receiving an I/O write request from an application, determining if the I/O request is an inline write command, writing inline write commands into a command queue stored in NVRAM, notifying the application generating the I/O request of command completion and requesting the operating system for further I/Os.

Method and computer program product to increase I/O write performance in a redundant array

A system provides dual use of a general purpose input/output (I/O) line. In an embodiment, the system comprises a controlling circuit having a dual purpose I/O line that is selectively operable in a serial transmit mode or an I/O mode. A first circuit that receives a serial data stream when the controlling circuit operates in the serial transmit mode is coupled to the I/O line. A second circuit that generates and transmits a signal when the controlling circuit operates in the I/O mode is also coupled to the I/O line. Finally, a third circuit is disposed between the second circuit and the I/O line. In an embodiment, when the controlling circuit operates in the serial transmit mode, the third circuit maintains the second circuit in an idle state, and when the controlling circuit operates in the I/O mode, the third circuit permits the second circuit to transmit the signal to the controlling circuit.

System for dual use of an I/O circuit

Method and computer program product for marking errors in BIOS on a RAID controller

An LED interface circuit provides connection options for one or more types of LEDs. In an embodiment, the circuit includes an input node that receives an LED control signal, and an output that has a first output node, and a second output node. A driving circuit is disposed between the input header and the output. The driving circuit has a non-inverted input node and an inverted output node. In an embodiment, the inverted output node is capable of sinking current. The non-inverted input node is coupled to the input header and to the first output node, while the inverted output node is coupled to the second output node. The output of the LED interface circuit is capable of driving a plurality of different types of LED displays.

System and method for driving multiple display types using a single header block

Method and computer program product for combining resources of multiple BIOS ROMS and managing them as a single entity

A finite state machine (FSM) for a redundant array of independent disk includes a single process context that maintains an entire finite state required for input/output operations performed in a RAID system. The finite state is only updated in response to calls and call-backs. The call-backs can include procedure returns and interrupt signals. The call is received directly from an application program, and the call-backs are received from a driver and passed back directly to the application software by the finite state machine.

Finite state machine with a single process context for a RAID system

A fault tolerant method transforms physically contiguous data in-place on a disk by partitioning the physically contiguous data into an empty region physically adjacent to data regions including a first data region and a last data region, the first and last data regions at opposing ends of the physically contiguous data regions. The physically contiguous data are transformed in an order beginning with the first data region and ending with the last data region. The transforming step perform first locking and reading the first data region, second, transforming the first data region, third, writing and unlocking the transformed first data region to the empty region, and fourth, declaring the first data region as the empty region while declaring the empty region as the first region. The first through fourth steps are repeated for each data region, until completion, to transform the physically contiguous data in-place on the disk.

In-place data transformation for fault-tolerant disk storage systems

A method to expand a RAID subsystem from a first array of disk drives to a second array of disk drives. The first array includes a set of data disk drives storing old data and spare space, and the second array includes the first array and at least one new disk drive. First, the old data are distributed among the set of data disk drives and at least one new disk drive while, at the same time, new data are mapped to the spare space. Upon completion of the distribution, the new data are copied from the spare space to the set of data disk drives and at least one new disk drive to enable concurrent expansion of the first array while accessing the old and the new data.

Expansion of RAID subsystems using spare space with immediate access to new space

A configurable RAID subsystem includes a user data array connected to a user application via a block I/O path, and a configuration array connected to a configuration application via the same block I/O path. The user data array processes user data access commands executed by the user application; and the configuration application processes configuration commands, the user data access commands and the configuration commands communicated to the user data array and the configuration array respectively, via the block I/O path. A dynamic identification is assigned to the user data array by the configuration array, and a static identification is assigned to the configuration array.

Growing community of inventors

Merrimack, NH, United States of America

Chris Robert Franklin