Storage Technology Corporation

Thomas David West

Mark Alan Bakke

George A Rudeseal

Stephen Henry Blendermann

Charles Patrick Schafer

Steven Michael Halladay

Jeffrey Steven Laughlin

Steven A Johnson

Michael C Wojnar

The intelligent data storage manager functions to combine the non-homogeneous physical devices contained in a data storage subsystem to create a logical device with new and unique quality of service characteristics that satisfy the criteria for the policies appropriate for the present data object. In particular, if there is presently no logical device that is appropriate for use in storing the present data object, the intelligent data storage manager defines a new logical device using existing physical and/or logical device definitions as component building blocks to provide the appropriate characteristics to satisfy the policy requirements. The intelligent data storage manager uses weighted values that are assigned to each of the presently defined logical devices to produce a best fit solution to the requested policies in an n-dimensional best fit matching algorithm. The resulting logical device definition is then implemented by dynamically interconnecting the logical devices that were used as the components of the newly defined logical device to store the data object.

Intelligent data storage manager

An input/output processor provides device virtualization &ldquo;on-board&rdquo; through the use of a dedicated IO cache memory. A computer system includes at least one host processor and associated main memory each with access to a system bus. Each input/output processor is also connected to the system bus through an expansion bus. IO adapters within the input/output processor each connect at least one storage device to the expansion bus. Also connected to the expansion bus is the cache memory and a control logic. The control logic receives a data transfer request from a requesting host processor. The data transfer request is mapped to a cache device object. The cache device object has associated data maintained in the cache memory. If any storage device is required for the data transfer, the data transfer request is mapped to the storage device capable of servicing the request. A location in cache memory is determined based on the mapped cache device object. The data transfer is performed based on the location and, if needed, the determined storage devices. This provides the host computer with a virtual view of the storage devices.

Computer system with storage device mapping input/output processor

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Thomas David West