Emc Corporation

Data General Corporation

William F Baxter

Michael Sgrosso

James Marriott Guyer

Nhut Tran

John K Walton

Kendell Alan Chilton

Christopher S MacLellan

Daniel Castel

Brett D Niver

James Marriot Guyer

Stephen D MacArthur

Jeffrey Kinne

Michael Bermingham

David L Keating

John O'Shea

Robert G Gelinas

Jeff S Kimmell

Michael F Hunt

Dan R Huck

Simon N Yeung

Doug J Tucker

Art A Sherman

Phil J Roux

Tom V Radogna

Rob J Pike

Andrea Heyda

Barry E Gillott

Joseph Cox

Pat J Weiler

Rob P Valentine

Liz M Truebenbach

Yechiel Yochai

Michael Sporer

Man Min Moy

Steven R Chalmer

Almir D Davis

Avinash Kallat

Antonio Fontes

Brian Arsenault

Brian Daniel Kennedy

Alexander Y Aronov

Micheal Sporer

A data storage system having a plurality of disk drive sections, each one of the disk drive sections having a plurality of disk drives. Each one of a plurality of secondary SAS expanders is coupled to a corresponding one of the disk drive sections. Each one of the secondary SAS expanders has: (1) a plurality of first ports each one being connected to a corresponding one of the disk drives in the corresponding one of the plurality of disk drive sections coupled thereto; and (2) a second port. A main SAS expander has: (1) a first port; and (2) N second ports, each one of the N second ports of the main expander being connected to the second port of a corresponding one of the plurality of N secondary expanders. A storage processor is coupled to the second port of the main SAS expander.

Expandable data storage system

A data transfer system includes a PCI Express transaction layer having an input for serially receiving posted and non-posted request packets and completion packets; an application layer coupled to the PCI Express transaction layer for receiving posted and non-posted request packets and completion packets from the PCI Express transaction layer; a first transmission interface coupling the application layer to the PCI Express transaction layer; and a second transmission interface coupling the application layer to the PCI Express transaction layer. The PCI Express transaction layer transmits posted and non-posted request packets to the application layer over the first transmission interface and transmits completion packets to the application layer over the second transmission interface.

Method and system for processing packet transfers

A method is provided for transmitting user data from a selected one of a plurality of data pipes. The method includes having a ring manager select one of the data pipes from a pool of the data pipes for transmission of the user data. The data is transmitted from the selected one of the data pipes at least one packet switching network. The data pipe detects whether there was an error in the transmission. If there an error detected, the data pipe generates an error interrupt for the ring manager. The ring manager detects the error interrupt and generates an error interrupt for a CPU. The ring manager removes the selected one of the data pipes from the pool of data pipes for a predetermined period of time while the ring manager continues to work on other tasks until the time has expired. During pipe retirement, the physical pipe removed from the pool of pipes is disabled and the router will then direct orphan packets to the error ring. When the time has expired, the ring manager returns the selected data pipe to the pool of available data pipes.

Data storage system

Described are techniques for determining a set of routing information for a plurality of components performing routing in a network. Destinations that are directly connected to each of the plurality of components are determined. Each of the plurality of components is associated with one of a plurality of routing tables. Each of the plurality of routing tables stores routing information in accordance with destinations in the network. Cost information is stored in the plurality of routing tables for each destination directly connected to one of the plurality of components. For each of the plurality of components, a set of neighboring components is determined. For each neighboring component, routing information for a destination is adopted from the routing table of said each neighboring component in accordance with an adoption rule. Processing is repeatedly performed until the routing tables have not been modified.

Techniques for fault tolerant routing in a destination-routed switch fabric

A data storage system having protocol controller for converting packets between PCIE format used by a storage processor and Rapid IO format used by a packet switching network. The controller includes a PCIE end point for transferring atomic operation (DSA) requests, a data pipe section having a plurality of data pipes for passing user data; and a message engine section for passing messages among the plurality of storage processors. An acceleration path controller bypasses a DSA buffer in the absence of congestion on the network. Packets fed to the PCIE end point include an address portion having code indicating an atomic operation. An encoder converts the code from a PCIE format into the same atomic operation in SRIO format. Each one of a plurality of CPUs is adapted to perform a second DSA request during execution of a first DSA request.

Data storage system having plural data pipes

A data storage system having protocol controller for converting packets between PCIE format used by a storage processor and Rapid IO format used by a packet switching network. The controller includes a PCIE end point for transferring atomic operation (DSA) requests, a data pipe section having a plurality of data pipes for passing user data; and a message engine section for passing messages among the plurality of storage processors. An acceleration path controller passes a DSA buffer in the absence of congestion on the network. Packets fed to the PCIE end point include an address portion having code indicating an atomic operation. An encoder converts the code from a PCIE format into the same atomic operation in SRIO format. Each one of a plurality of CPUs is adapted to perform a second DSA request during execution of a first DSA request.

Data storage system having acceleration path for congested packet switching network

Data storage system having operation code in address portion for atomic operations

A data storage system having a packet switching network, a cache memory, and a plurality of directors, one portion of such directors being adapted for coupling to a host computer/server and another portion of the directors being adapted for coupling to a bank of disk drives. The plurality of directors and cache memory are interconnected through the packet switching network. Each one of the directors is adapted to transmit different types of information packets to another one of the directors through the network. Each one of the directors is adapted to transmit and receive different types of information packets to another one of the directors or cache memories through the packet switching network. Each one of the cache memories is adapted to receive and transmit different types of information packets to one of the directors through the packet switching network. One type of information packet requires a different degree of latency than another type of information packet. The system includes an arbiter for transmitting the information packets as a function of the latency requirement, a priority assigned to the information packet, and the age of such information packets having been stored in a queue of the transmitting one of the directors, the packet switching network, or one of the cache memories.

Data storage system having packet switching network with latency arbitration

Data storage system having CPUs adapted to perform a second atomic operation request prior to completion of a first atomic operation request

An end point controller includes two of ingress/egress port pairs. A first one of the ingress/egress ports is adapted to send and receive one of a pair of types of information packets and a second one of the ingress/egress ports is adapted to send and receive the other one of the pair of types of information packets. A controller is coupled to the two port pairs for coupling one of ingress/egress ports to an input/output port selectively in accordance with the type of the information packet on the ingress/egress ports and the availability of the end point controller to a network. One of the egress ports is directly coupled to the output port to the network if the information packet is at such port and the end point controller has been granted access to the network while other information at the pair of egress ports is buffered prior to being coupled to the output. In like fashion, the input port from the network is directly coupled to one of the ingress ports if the information packet is of the type of information packet destined for such ingress port, said port being available to transmit the packet.

Packet switching network end point controller

Data storage system having separate atomic operation/non-atomic operation paths

A method is provided for performing arbitration in an information packet controller. The method includes transmitting different types of information packets from an initiator to a receiver. One type of information packet has a quality of service requiring a faster transmission time from the initiator to the receiver than another type of information packet having a quality of service having a slower transmission time from the initiator to the receiver. The transmitting of the information packets from the initiator to the receiver is in accordance with priority assigned to the information packet, the quality of service assigned to the information packet, and the age of such information packets having been stored in a queue of the initiator, such quality of service being a function of the speed at which the packets are required to pass from the initiator to a receiver.

Arbitration method and system

Protocol controller for a data storage system

A queuing system wherein at least one input/output (I/O) interface having an outbound queue. A plurality of processing units is coupled to the at least one I/O interface. Each one of the processing units is coupled to a corresponding processing unit memory. Each one of the processing unit memories has an inbound queue for such coupled processing unit. The at least one I/O interface outbound queue stores outbound information being returned to the I/O interface after being processed by one of the processing units. The I/O interface creates queue indices for storage in the inbound queues of the processor unit memories. The I/O interface includes a translation table, such table storing at a location a producer index for the plurality of processing units and a consumer index for such plurality of processing units.

Data system having a virtual queue

A system interface having a plurality of directors, one portion of such directors being adapted for coupling to a host computer/server and another portion of the directors being adapted for coupling to a bank of disk drives. The plurality of directors are interconnected through a network. A common resource section is provided having a resource shared among the plurality of directors. The common shared resource section includes a shared computer code used by the plurality of directors. The code includes computer code for booting up each one of the plurality directors. The common shared code storage section is interconnected to the directors through the network. A second, redundant common shared resource section is provided. The network is a packet switching network.

Data storage system having shared resource

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Holliston, MA, United States of America

William F Baxter