Dell Products Inc.

Dell USA L P

Truc M Nguyen

Jenwei Hsieh

Shaojie Li

Paul W Vancil

Roger M Blood

Herbert A Hollinger

A virtual disk subsystem and method for providing a virtual local drive are disclosed. The virtual disk subsystem includes a channel bridge, such as an Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) bridge, that receives disk commands from a disk controller, as well as a disk emulator in communication with the channel bridge and a network interface. The disk emulator includes control logic that receives disk commands from the disk controller via the channel bridge and, in response, retrieves data from a remote data storage device and forwards the data to the disk controller, such that the disk controller perceives the remote data storage device as a local device. In an exemplary embodiment, the virtual disk subsystem allows a standard operating system (OS) in a data processing system to function as if the data processing system included the emulated drive.

Distributed computer system including a virtual disk subsystem and method for providing a virtual local drive

A first data bus is coupled to communicate information from a subsystem for sensing operating parameters of peripheral components to a computer system. A second data bus is coupled to communicate data between peripheral components and the computer system. A first switch is coupled between the first data bus and the second data bus, the first switch being operable to allow signals from the first data bus to be communicated over the second data bus when operating power to the computer system is powered off. A second switch is coupled between the second data bus and the peripheral components, and the second switch is operable to allow signals from the second data bus to be communicated to the computer system when operating power to the computer system is powered on.

System and method to support out-band storage subsystem management via SCSI bus when operating power to a computer system is off

A system and method for indicating the availability of a controller channel are disclosed. A system incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may include a controller operable to manage an array of data storage devices. The devices may include, for example, disk drives with both read and write functionality. Preferably, the controller will have at least one channel, which may have both an internal and an external connector. The system may also include an indicator operable to indicate when a data storage device is attached to an internal connector of a given channel. As such, employing teachings of the present disclosure may allow a user to accurately and expeditiously determine whether a given controller channel is available.

System for indicating channel availability by having a light emitting diode operative to signal of connection of a data storage device to an internal connector

Method and apparatus is described herein for accommodating two types of hard disks, for example, SCSI disks and FC-AL disks, using a single, dual-purpose backplane. The dual-purpose backplane includes a plurality of drive bays each including a first connector for receiving a complementary connector of an SCSI disk and a second connector for receiving a complementary connector of an FC-AL disk. In a computer system, one or the other of the first and second connectors is mounted upside down to avoid overlapping and structural interference with connection of other hard disks to the backplane. In an external storage system, hard disks are inserted sideways, and thus one connector type is mounted on the backplane in an orientation rotated 180 degrees from the other connector type.

Dual-purpose backplane design for multiple types of hard disks

A shared data storage subsystem having a system controller embedded in a backplane of the shared data subsystem. The system controller monitors the TERMPWR signals of SCSI server busses physically coupled to the shared data subsystem to operably couple and isolate a server SCSI bus with the share data subsystem SCSI bus provides. The system can be used to isolate a server from a data storage subsystem without affecting the operation of other servers operably coupled to the data storage subsystem. The servers and shared data subsystem are implemented in a cluster system. The system controller also monitors environmental conditions of the shared data subsystem. The shared data subsystem includes a plurality of data storage devices such as hard disk drives which can be organized in a RAID configuration.

Growing community of inventors

Round Rock, TX, United States of America

Truc M Nguyen