Seagate Technology Incorporated

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Digital Equipment Corporation

Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Other

Hewlett-packard Development, L.p.

Xiotech Corporation

Clark Edward Lubbers

Susan Gaye Elkington

Stephen J Sicola

Anuja Korgaonkar

Randy L Roberson

James Francis McCarty

Randy Hess

Jason Leveille

Robert George Bean

Michael D Walker

Robert Lester

David Peter DeCenzo

Robert A Ellis

James Perry Jackson

Ronald H McLean

James Michael Reiser

Tarun Thakur

David William Thiel

Kenneth Hoffman Bates

Wayne Umland

Wayne H Umland

Keith D Woestehoff

R Brian Schow

John Franklin Mertz

Bradford Scott Morgan

Richard Franklin Lary

James S Jackson

Richard Perham Helliwell

Jesse L Yandell

Thomas F Fava

William Pagano

Diana Shen

Steven J Malan

Richard B Wells

Sid Snyder

Randolph Scott Crupper

Peter Rivera

Michael J Hare

Masami Y Hua

Robert Brinham Trace

A data storage system and associated method are provided wherein a policy engine continuously collects qualitative information about a network load to the data storage system in order to dynamically characterize the load and continuously correlates the load characterization to the content of a command queue of transfer requests for writeback commands and host read commands, selectively limiting the content with respect to writeback commands to only those transfer requests for writeback data that are selected on a physical zone basis of a plurality of predefined physical zones of a storage media.

Preferred zone scheduling

Apparatus and method for aggregating storage elements. In accordance with various embodiments, a virtual storage space is formed across a plurality of storage elements each comprising an array of data storage devices. A virtual controller comprises a first storage element aggregator (SEA) configured to issue a first command to a selected storage element in response to receipt by the first SEA of a first host command. The virtual controller further comprises a second SEA configured to concurrently issue a second command to the selected storage element in response to receipt by the second SEA of a second host command.

Aggregating storage elements using a virtual controller

Apparatus and method for arranging a virtual storage space with a cyclical wrapping grid function. The virtual storage space is formed from a physical memory and comprises a plurality of larger grains of selected storage capacity, each divided into a power of two number of smaller grains. Each of the larger grains are distributed across a non-power of two number of storage elements so that each of the storage elements receives the same number of smaller grains.

Virtual storage space with cyclical wrapping grid function

Apparatus and associated methodology involving use of a multiple-core processor. A reserved hard allocation of resources partition (HARP) dedicates physical resources for operably supporting a first processing function. The dedicated resources of the reserved HARP include a reserved physical memory that is sized in relation to data processing requirements of the first processing function. The dedicated resources of the first HARP also include a command buffer residing in the reserved physical memory. The dedicated resources of the first HARP also include a reserved physical core of the multiple core processor. The apparatus also includes a second HARP having resources that are used for operably supporting a different second processing function. The second HARP resources operably put transaction requests from the second processing function to the command buffer in the first HARP.

Hard allocation of resources partitioning

An atomic write descriptor associated with stripe buffer list metadata.

Atomic cache transactions in a distributed storage system

As apparatus and associated method for a dual active-active array storage system with a first controller with top level control of a first memory space and a second controller with top level control of a second memory space different than the first memory space. A seek manager residing in only one of the controllers defines individual command profiles derived from a combined list of data transfer requests from both controllers. A policy engine continuously collects qualitative information about a network load to both controllers to dynamically characterize the load, and governs the seek manager to continuously correlate each command profile in relation to the load characterization.

Request priority seek manager

A method for communicating between devices in a network includes creating an I/O tunnel between a first device and a second device through the network. The I/O tunnel is associated with I/O resources in both the first device and the second device, and wherein at least one of the I/O resources comprises a buffer resource. A data transfer operation may be sent between the first device and the second device by consuming at least some of the I/O resources associated with the I/O tunnel. A plurality of commands or a plurality of responses can be aggregated into a single buffer resource. Upon completion of the data transfer operation, the I/O resources that are consumed are automatically renewed.

Data transfer protocol for data replication between multiple pairs of storage controllers on a SAN fabric

Method and apparatus for adaptive arrangement of data on storage media, such as in a multi-device storage array across which data are stored. A virtual hot space is formed to store frequently accessed data. The virtual hot space comprises at least one hot data zone which extends across storage media of a plurality of arrayed storage devices over a selected seek range less than an overall radial width of the media. The frequently accessed data are stored to the hot data zone(s) in response to a host level request, such as from a host level operating system (OS) or by a user which identifies the data as frequently accessed data. Alternatively or additionally, access statistics are accumulated and frequently accessed data are migrated to the hot data zone(s) in relation thereto. Lower accessed data sets are further preferably migrated from the hot data zone(s) to another location of the media.

Hot data zones

Method and apparatus for flushing cached writeback data to a storage array. Sets of writeback data are accumulated in a cache memory in an array with a view toward maintaining a substantially uniform distribution of the data across different locations of the storage array. The arrayed sets of data are thereafter transferred from the cache memory to the storage array substantially at a rate at which additional sets of writeback data are provided to the cache memory by a host. Each set of writeback data preferably comprises a plurality of contiguous data blocks, and are preferably written (flushed) to the storage in conjunction with the operation of a separate access command within a selected proximity range of the data with respect to the storage array. A stripe data descriptor (SDD) is preferably maintained for each set of writeback data in the array.

Dynamic adaptive flushing of cached data

A generic storage container system is provided for a grid-based storage architecture, comprising a generic storage container comprising a plurality of storage domains along one axis against a plurality of rows of stripes along another axis defining a preselected storage capacity, and configuration information allocating the stripes in response to a storage format specified by an allocation request. A method is provided for storing the data, comprising: providing the generic storage container; providing configuration information adapted for selectively allocating the stripes in relation to a data storage format; specifying a desired storage format; and allocating the stripes in response to the desired format.

Generic storage container for allocating multiple data formats

A data storage system and associated method comprising system configuration information; a first processor adapted for identifying a portion of the system configuration information in response to a configuration change request to the memory space, and for signaling an update request incident with the configuration change request to a second processor; and a second processor adapted for updating the portion in response to the update request and independently of the first processor.

Updating system configuration information

Apparatus and associated method that stores first metadata only at the same addressable storage location of a computer readable medium as that where associated first user data is stored, and afterward satisfies a read request for the first user data by retrieving the first user data from the addressable location of the computer readable medium where the first metadata is stored if the first metadata has a first value, and by reconstructing the first user data from other metadata stored at another addressable location of the computer readable medium than where the first metadata is stored if the first metadata has a second value.

Data reliability bit storage qualifier and logical unit metadata

Apparatus and method for highly efficient data queries. In accordance with various embodiments, a data structure is provided in a memory space with a first portion characterized as a virtual data space storing non-sequential entries and a second portion characterized as a first data array of sequential entries. At least a first sequential entry of the data array points to a skip list, at least a second sequential entry of the data array points to a second data array, and at least a third sequential entry points to a selected non-sequential entry in the first portion.

Data structure for highly efficient data queries

A management interface for a virtualized storage system including a virtualized logical disk object representing a virtual storage container, wherein the logical disk is an abstract representation of physical storage capacity provided by plurality of physical stores. A virtual disk object represents a virtual storage container. The virtual disk object is an abstract representation of one or more logical disk objects, the virtual disk object including an exposed management interface. Wherein the virtual disk object is managed through the management interface to select the one or more logical disk objects represented by the virtual disk object.

System and method for interfacing with virtual storage

Growing community of inventors

Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Clark Edward Lubbers