Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Gaea LLC

Other

Benhov Gmbh, LLC

Promethean Storage LLC

Christopher J Squires

Curtis Howard Bruner

Jeffrey G Reh

Brian D Wilson

Curt Bruner

Joshua Johnson

Larry Joseph Koudele

Scott E Burton

James Bowling French, Jr

George Christian Cope

Douglas I McCampbell

An apparatus comprises a storage device and a device controller operatively coupled with the storage device. The device controller comprises a memory that stores an application. The application stored on the memory comprises instructions. When executed, the instruction direct the device controller to receive a storage request comprising content. The device controller retrieves a storage device policy from the memory that indicates a set of storage locations on the storage device. The device controller selects one of the storage locations on the storage device based on the storage device policy. The device controller stores the content on the storage device at the selected storage location. The device controller records storage information for the content that indicates the selected location on the memory.

Data storage device with configurable policy-based storage device behavior

In an embodiment, a storage device is provided. A device controller with a memory is coupled with the storage device. The memory stores an application with instructions that direct the controller to receive a storage device policy. The instructions further direct the controller to store content from a storage request in accordance with the storage device policy, and record storage information, including at least a content identifier, to the memory. Subsequent to storing the content, the instructions further direct the controller to retrieve the content according to the storage information received in a storage request. According to an implementation, the instructions further provide instruction to refuse a delete request in accordance with the storage information. According to an implementation, the instructions provide direction to store the storage information at a remote location.

In an embodiment, a storage device is provided. A device controller with a memory is coupled with the storage device. The memory stores an application with instructions that direct the controller to receive a storage device policy. The instructions further direct the controller to store content from a storage request in accordance with the storage device policy, and record storage information, including at least a content identifier, to the memory. Subsequent to storing the content, the instructions further direct the controller to retrieve the content according to the storage information received in a storage request. According to an implementation, the instructions further provide instruction to refuse a delete request in accordance to the storage information. According to an implementation, the instructions provide direction to store the storage information at a remote location.

Herein are data storage devices that transfer a reference to a data object during a storage operation. The data storage devices include a host controller configured to obtain a reference of an object stored in a shared memory system for writing to a storage media controlled by a drive controller. The host controller transfers the reference of the object in the memory system to the drive controller. The host controller also transfers a storage command to the drive controller to write the object to the storage media.

Transfer of object memory references in a data storage device

Described here in are systems, methods and, software to verify storage media and storage subsystems upon deployment. In one example, a computer apparatus to test storage media in a storage subsystem includes processing instructions that direct a computing system to identify initiation of a storage subsystem, initiate a testing process of the storage media, and identify a partition availability event for the storage media. The processing instructions also direct the computing system to, in response to the partition availability event, make a partition of the storage media available to a host processing system, wherein the partition comprises storage locations in the storage media tested via the testing process, and continue the testing process on the storage media. The computer apparatus also includes one or more non-transitory computer readable media that store the processing instructions.

Verification of storage media upon deployment

Embodiments describe Object-based Storage Device (OSD) targets that utilize Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) to allow the OSD target to directly transfer objects requested by a host system to the memory of host system, thereby bypassing an OSD interface of the host system. One embodiment comprises an OSD target that includes an OSD manager, an RDMA manager, and a non-volatile storage device that stores an object. The OSD manager communicatively couples with an OSD interface of a first host system. The RDMA manager communicatively couples with at least one of a first RDMA interface of the first host system and a second RDMA interface of a second host system. The OSD manager receives an OSD command to retrieve the object from the OSD interface, locates the object at the non-volatile storage device, and provides the object to the RDMA manager. The RDMA manager provides the object to at least one of the first RDMA interface of the first host system and the second RDMA interface of the second host system.

Object based storage systems that utilize direct memory access

Systems, methods, and software for distributed file systems (DFS) are provided herein. In one example, the DFS is operable to respond to a write operation for the DFS by transferring a write command to a selected storage system for broadcast of the write command to a plurality of storage devices associated with a network switch fabric of the selected storage system. Further operations of the DFS can include, responsive to a read operation for the DFS, transferring a read command to a selected storage system for broadcast of the read command to a plurality of storage devices associated with a network switch fabric of the selected storage system.

Broadcast data operations in distributed file systems

To provide enhanced operation of data storage devices and systems, various systems, methods, and firmware are provided herein. In a first example, a data storage device is presented. The data storage device includes a network interface configured to receive a data stream for storage on a storage medium, the data stream comprising meta data that precedes payload data. The data storage device includes a processing system configured to process at least the meta data when writing the data stream from the network interface to a memory to identify a data gap for the data stream to establish a byte alignment of at least the payload data in the memory. The processing system is also configured to insert the data gap in the memory and store the data stream in the memory.

Byte alignment in data storage devices

Herein are data storage devices to transfer a data object between memory regions during a storage operation. These data storage devices include a host controller configured to identify an object stored in a host region of a memory system for writing to a storage media controlled by a drive controller. The host controller initiates a memory transfer operation to transfer an object from the host region of the memory system to a drive region of the memory system. The host controller transfers a storage command to the drive controller to write the object to the storage media. The drive controller may be configured to transfer an object from the drive region to the host region when reading the object.

Memory transfer of objects in a data storage device

Metadata based data alignment in data storage systems

Herein are data storage devices to transfer a reference of a data object during a storage operation. These data storage devices include a host controller configured to obtain a reference of an object stored in a shared memory system for writing to a storage media controlled by a drive controller. To the drive controller, the host controller transfers the reference of the object in the memory system. The host controller transfers a storage command to the drive controller to write the object to the storage media. The drive controller may be configured to transfer a reference of an object read into the memory system.

Examples disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and software for network interface controller emulation. In one example, a method of operating a storage subsystem coupled with a host includes emulating, to a main processing system on the host, a network connection through an emulated network interface controller (NIC) to a storage volume. The method further includes receiving, over a bus between the main processing system and the storage subsystem, a data request originated by the main processing system and directed to the emulated NIC that requests access to the storage volume. The method also includes providing the main processing system with the access to the storage volume via the emulated NIC as if the storage volume were accessible over the network connection.

Network interface controller emulation

Tiered mass storage assemblies are presented. The mass storage assembly in one example includes a plurality of drive interfaces configured to couple to a plurality of storage devices, with each drive interface of the plurality of drive interfaces being configured to exchange digital data at a predetermined maximum interface throughput, one or more low-output storage drives coupled to one or more corresponding drive interfaces, with a low-output storage drive exchanging digital data using the predetermined maximum interface throughput, and one or more high-output storage drives, with each high-output storage drive of the one or more high-output storage drives being coupled to two or more drive interfaces and with a high-output storage drive exchanging digital data using two or more predetermined maximum interface throughputs of the two or more drive interfaces.

Growing community of inventors

Westminster, CO, United States of America

Christopher J Squires