Patent EP0756334A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent EP0405861B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0405861B1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Transferring data in a digital data processing system
Assignee: Digital Equipment Corp
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Filing: 1990-06-22
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Granted: 1995-08-16
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Expires: 2010-06-22
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for transferring data between two storage media, and is used in an illustrative embodiment to transfer data between two storage media in a shadow set, the storage media being accessible to one or more host processors. The method of the preferred embodiment includes the steps of: A. receiving a command from one of the host processors, the command specifying data to be transferred from a first storage medium to a second storage medium; B. transferring the data specified in the command received from the host from the first storage medium to the second storage medium in a series of subtransfers, each of the subtransfers transferring a portion of the data; and C. processing one or more I/O requests to the shadow set received from one or more host processors by, for each received I/O request: a. implementing the I/O request if the I/O request does not involve a section of the shadow set currently involved in one of the subtransfers; and b. stalling the I/O request if the I/O request involves a section of said shadow set currently involved in one of the subtransfers, and implementing the I/O request when the subtransfer has completed.
Inventors
- 👤 Scott H. Davis
- 👤 William L. Goleman
- 👤 James A. Zahrobsky
- 👤 David W. Thiel
- 👤 Robert G. Bean
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 01:08
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/07; G06F11/16; G06F11/20; G06F11/2053; G06F11/2056; G06F11/2071; G06F11/0703; G06F11/0706; G06F11/0727; G06F11/0766; G06F11/0772; G06F11/2058
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
187 words
A method of transferring data between two storage media (20) in a shadow set of storage media accessible by one or more host processors (10) for I/O requests, said method comprising the steps of: A. receiving a command from one of said host processors (10), said command specifying data to be transferred from a first said storage medium (20) to a second said storage medium (20); B. transferring said data specified in said command from said first storage medium to said second storage medium in a series of subtransfers, each of said subtransfers transferring a portion of said specified data; and C. processing one or more I/O requests received from said host processors for access to said shadow set by, for each received I/O request: a. implementing said I/O request if said I/O request does not involve a section of said shadow set currently involved in one of said subtransfers; and b. stalling said I/O request if said I/O request involves a section of said shadow set currently involved in one of said subtransfers, and implementing said I/O request when said one of said subtransfers has completed.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising stalling a said subtransfer that has not yet begun if said subtransfer involves a section of said shadow set which is currently involved in one of said I/O requests, and implementing said subtransfer when said one of said I/O requests has completed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising causing each of said host processors (10) to transmit each said I/O request first to said first storage medium (20) and, after said I/O request to said first storage medium has completed, then to said second storage medium (20).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising said command from said one of said host processors (10) by a first processor (24) that manages access to said second storage medium (20).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 4 further comprising causing said first processor (24) that manages access to said second storage medium (20) to transmit second commands to a second processor (24) that manages access to said first storage medium (20), said second commands controlling said substranfers.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said second commands sent from said first processor (24) that manages access to said second storage medium (20) to said second processor (24) that manages access to said first storage medium (20) specify an address in said first storage medium of said data to be transferred.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 wherein each of said storage media (20) is accessible by a plurality of host processors (10).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 7 further comprising allowing said plurality of host processors (10) to simultaneously access one or more of said storage media (20).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising causing each of said host processors (10) to maintain a table including information relating to said data transfer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein each of said storage media (20) is supported by a processor (24) that manages access thereto, and further comprising controlling said subtransfers with said processors (24).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 10 wherein each of said storage media (20) is supported by a different processor (24).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said storage media are disk storage devices (20).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said first storage medium (20) and said second storage medium (20) respectively comprise second and first processors (24), and wherein said step of transferring includes the substeps of: (a) issuing a second command from said first processor (10) to said second processor (10); and (b) transmitting said data from said first storage media (20) to said second storage media (20) in accordance with said second command.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
80 words
The method of claim 1 further including the step of: when said transferring step is occurring, causing each of said host processors to transmit each said I/O request first to said first storage medium (20) and, after said I/O request to said first storage medium has completed, then to said second storage medium (20), and thereafter allowing said host processors (10) to transmit each said I/O request to said first storage medium and said second storage medium in any order.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
201 words
An apparatus for transferring data between two storage media (20) in a shadow set of storage media accessible by one or more host processors (10) for I/O requests, said apparatus comprising : a first processor for receiving a command from one of said host processors (10), said command specifying data to be transferred from a first said storage medium (20) to a second said storage medium (20); first means, responsive to said first processor, for transferring said data specified in said command from said first storage medium to said second storage medium in a series of subtransfers, each of said subtransfers transferring a portion of said specified data; and second means for processing one or more I/O requests received from said host processors for access to said shadow set wherein, for each received I/O request, said second means : a. implements said I/O request if said I/O request does not involve a section of said shadow set currently involved in one of said subtransfers; and b. stalls said I/O request if said I/O request involves a section of said shadow set currently involved in one of said subtransfers, and implementing said I/O request when said one of said subtransfers has completed.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said first processor (24) manages access to said second storage medium.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a second processor (24) that manages access to said first storage medium (20), and operative to receive second commands from said first processor (24) that manages access to said second storage medium.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said second processor (24) that manages access to said first storage medium (20) is operative to control said series of subtransfers in response to said second commands.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said second commands received by said second processor (24) from said first processor (24) specify an address in said first storage medium of said data to be transferred.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
60 words
The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said first means for transferring stalls a said substranfer that has not yet begun if said subtransfer involves a section of said shadow set of storage media which is currently involved in one of said I/O request, said first means for transferring implementing said subtransfer when said one of said I/O request has completed.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
47 words
The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each of said host processors (10) includes third means for sending each said I/O request first to said first storage medium (20) and, after said I/O request to said first storage medium has completed then to said second storage medium (20).
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each of said storage media (20) is accessible by a plurality of said host processors (10).
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said plurality of host processors (10) can simultaneously access one or more of said storage media (20).
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each of said host processors (10) maintains a table including information relating to said data transfer.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said storage media are disk storage devices (20).
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
76 words
The apparatus of claim 15 or any one of claims 19, 21, 22, 23 or 24 further including: a second processor (24) that manages access to said first storage medium and operative to receive a second command from said first processor; and fourth means controlled by said first processor and said second processor for transferring said specified data from said first storage medium (20) to said second storage medium (20) in accordance with said second command.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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