The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 04, 2003
Filed:
Dec. 29, 1999
Timothy Mulvihill, Lakeville, MA (US);
Andrew Wrobel, Millbury, MA (US);
John Quinn, Berlin, MA (US);
EMC Corporation, Hopkinton, MA (US);
Abstract
A system for coupling data between a host computer and a bank of disk drives. The system includes a plurality of directors for controlling the flow of the data between host computer and the bank of disk drives. Each one of the directors has a primary port and a secondary port. The system includes a first I/O section coupled to a first one of a pair of disk drive sections in the bank of disk drives and a second I/O section coupled to a second one of the pair of disk drive sections in the bank of disk drives. A backplane is provided for electrically interconnecting: the primary port of a first one of a pair of the directors to the first I/O section through a first differential data bus; the secondary port of the first one of the pair of directors to the second I/O section through a first single ended data bus; the primary port of a second one of the pair of directors to the second I/O section through a second differential data bus; and, the secondary port of the second one of the pair of directors to the first I/O section through a second single ended data bus. Each one of the first and second I/O sections includes a single ended/differential data bus converter. The converter of the first I/O section is coupled between the second single ended data bus and the first differential data bus and the converter of the second I/O section is coupled between the first single ended data bus and the second differential data bus. Each one of the directors in the pair thereof includes a processor for, during a normal operating mode, coupling data between such processor and a corresponding one of the pair of disk drive sections through a corresponding one of the first and second differential buses. In the event of a fault in the first one of the pair of directors, data is coupled between the second one of the pair of directors and the first one of the pair of disk drive sections through the second single ended data bus to a first one of the pair of single ended/differential data bus converters to the first differential data bus and the first one of the disk drive sections through the first differential data bus.