Emc Corporation

Paul C Wilson

John K Walton

Christopher S MacLellan

Robert A Thibault

Rudy M Bauer

Oren Mano

Daniel Castel

Brian William Gallagher

Stephen Lawrence Scaringella

William R Tuccio

Stephen D MacArthur

Brian K Campbell

Victor W Tung

Robert DeCrescenzo

Ofer Porat

Mark Zani

Matthew Sullivan

Farouk Khan

William Frederick Baxter, Iii

Scott Romano

Jane Xu

Eric J Bruno

Charles S Loewy

Steven Kosto

Waiyaki O Buliro

Steven MacArthur

David S Bither

Kendall A Chilton

A system interface having a cache memory and a plurality of directors. Each one of the plurality of directors includes a data pipe coupled between an input of such one of the directors. The data pipe includes a data pipe memory and a data pipe memory controller for controlling the data pipe memory. Each one of the directors includes microprocessor coupled to the data pipe memory controller. The system includes a switching network coupled to the cache memory to transfer data between the memory and: (a) the input of a selected one of the plurality of directors through the data pipe memory; (b) the microprocessor and the data pipe memory through the data pipe memory controller of a selected one of the plurality of directors; and (c) the microprocessor and the data pipe memory controller while by-passing the data pipe memory of a selected one of the plurality of directors.

Data storage system

An assembly couples first and second backplanes together. The first backplane is configured to carry first electrical backplane signals among a first set of circuit boards. The second backplane is configured to carry second electrical backplane signals among a second set of circuit boards. The assembly includes a first switch configured to convey at least some of the first electrical backplane signals between circuit boards of the first set of circuit boards. The assembly further includes a second switch configured to convey at least some of the second electrical backplane signals between circuit boards of the second set of circuit boards. The assembly further includes a fiber optic cable joining the first and second switches together. The first and second switches are configured to exchange fiber optic signals through the fiber optic cable thus forming a cohesive backplane interconnect system between the first and second sets of circuit boards.

Methods and apparatus for forming a cohesive backplane interconnect system

A system interface includes a plurality of first directors, a plurality of second directors, a data transfer section and a message network. The data transfer section includes a cache memory. The cache memory is coupled to the plurality of first and second directors. The messaging network operates independently of the data transfer section and such network is coupled to the plurality of first directors and the plurality of second directors. The first and second directors control data transfer between the first directors and the second directors in response to messages passing between the first directors and the second directors through the messaging network to facilitate data transfer between first directors and the second directors. The data passes through the cache memory in the data transfer section. A method for operating a data storage system adapted to transfer data between a host computer/server and a bank of disk drives. The method includes transferring messages through a messaging network with the data being transferred between the host computer/server and the bank of disk drives through a cache memory, such message network being independent of the cache memory.

Data storage system having point-to-point configuration

A data storage system for transferring data between a host computer/server and a bank of disk drives through a system interface. The interface includes: a global memory; a plurality of front-end directors coupled between the global memory and the host computer/server; and, a plurality of back-end directors coupled between the global memory and the bank of disk drives. Each one of the first directors and each one of the second directors has a data pipe. Each one of such front-end directors passes front-end data between the global memory and the host computer through the data pipe therein and each one of the second directors passing back-end data between the global memory and the bank of disk drives through the data pipe therein. Each one of the first and second directors includes a data pipe controller, responsive to data fed to the data pipe, for performing a selected one of a plurality of functions on the data passing through the data pipe to obtain data from the global memory or to read such data into the global memory. The function is determined by descriptors associated with the data fed to the data pipe therein. A plurality of different, independently operable state machines is provided. Each one of the state machines is adapted to produce control signals for a corresponding one to the functions. A switching section is coupled to the global memory for passing data therethrough between the global memory and the data pipe in accordance with the control signals produced by the state machines.

A method and system for producing a data storage system for transferring data between a host computer/server and a bank of disk drives through a system interface. The system interface has a plurality of first directors, a plurality of second directors, and a global memory. The method includes: providing a backplane having slots adapted to have plugged therein a plurality of printed circuit board. The printed circuit boards include: a plurality of first director boards having the first directors; a plurality of second printed circuit boards having the second directors; a plurality of memory printed circuit boards providing the global memory; a plurality of dummy first director boards having first jumpers; a plurality of dummy second director boards having second jumpers; a plurality of dummy memory boards having third jumpers. The method includes wiring the backplane to effect a connection among the first, second and third jumpers to interconnect the first plurality of director to the host computer/server, the plurality of second plurality of directors to the bank of disk drives and the global memory to the first plurality of directors and to the second plurality of director. The method and system allows the same wired backplane to be used with systems having a different number of memory and director boards and still enable dual-write and redundancy to the global memory.

Data storage system having dummy printed circuit boards

A method and apparatus for connecting between a serial fibre channel link and a global memory provide a bidirectional high throughput path for enabling reliable communications and translation from the fibre channel format to the format required by the global memory. The apparatus includes, in series from the fibre channel link, a bidirectional physical interface, a bidirectional conversion circuitry for converting between an electrical protocol from the fibre channel and a high speed conventional protocol such as a PCI bus, a bidirectional lower machine controlled by a central processing unit and able to add block protection words to the passing data stream, and for separating the data stream into one of a plurality of pipes as directed by the CPU, an error detection and correction circuitry for adding yet additional error correcting data to the data stream as it written in the global memory and for detecting and correcting, if possible, any errors in data being retrieved from global memory. The apparatus further includes dual port random access memories for buffering between the error detection and correction circuitry and the global memory. A secondary port interface is provided, connected to the CPU bus, for providing information to configure at least conversion circuitry.

Method and apparatus connecting between a fiber channel and a cache memory

A hardware emulation controller permits a high performance processor to be used with system circuitry that is configured for operation with a different processor. The hardware emulation controller is capable of modifying signals from the high performance processor for compatibility with the system circuitry. The hardware emulation controller is also capable of modifying signals from the system circuitry for compatibility with the high performance processor.

Storage controller with hardware emulation controller for emulation between control processor and transfer circuitry compatible to different processor

An interconnect topology providing enhanced fault tolerance to a multi-component data processing system. The topology utilizes a plurality of rings for interconnecting multiple system components, or cards, at least two of which are indirectly connected so that communication therebetween is through a third component. Each of the system components is coupled to a set of at least two different rings and includes interface circuits for routing data and a bridge for permitting data to be transferred between the at least two rings.

Fault tolerant interconnect topology using multiple rings

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Mendon, MA, United States of America

Paul C Wilson