US5732409A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Caching disk controller implemented by hardwired logic
Assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
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Filing: 1997-03-05
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Granted: 1998-03-24
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Expires: 2017-03-05
Abstract
Abstract A disk accelerator being a new design for caching disk controller includes caching disk control unit which contains an address mapper therein, which is a pure hardware logic. The address mapper maps the disk location parameters being accessed into an effective address. A cache memory and a tag memory contained in the disk accelerator are similar to that of normal memory caches, except that the effective address and sector(s) are used as memory address and memory word(s) respectively. The disk accelerator can provide real time response on cache hit or miss, and can also eliminate the overhead for manipulating buffer. The disk accelerator can be implemented by a single VLSI chip with a sizable memory constitutes of SIMMs or DRAM chips or other memory chips.
Inventors
- 👤 Guang-nan Ni
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 13:22
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F12/00; G06F12/02; G06F12/08; G06F12/0802; G06F12/0866
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
161 words
A caching disk controller comprising: a caching disk control unit having an address mapper module and hardwired logic, said hardwired logic being provided for all control functions of said caching disk control unit, said control functions including the functions of determining cache hits and misses, carrying out cache refill, write through, posted write, write back and cache line invalidate operations, and converting disk location parameters into effective addresses, said address mapper module including a plurality of registers; at least one disk drive; a computer system; a device interface between said caching disk control unit and said at least one disk drive; a system interface between said caching disk control unit and said computer system; and a cache connected to said caching disk control unit, said cache including a cache memory and a tag memory, wherein said cache memory holds recorded sectors of a disk being cached, and said tag memory is indexed by said converted effective addresses to access tag information.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
161 words
A caching disk controller comprising: a caching disk control unit having an address mapper module and hardwired logic, said hardwired logic being provided for all control functions of said caching disk control unit, said control functions including the functions of determining cache hits and misses, carrying out cache refill, write through, posted write, write back and cache line invalidate operations, and converting disk location parameters into effective addresses, said address mapper module including a plurality of registers; at least one disk drive; a computer system; a device interface between said caching disk control unit and said at least one disk drive; a system interface between said caching disk control unit and said computer system; and a cache connected to said caching disk control unit, said cache including a cache memory and a tag memory, wherein said cache memory holds recorded sectors of a disk being cached, and said tag memory is indexed by said converted effective addresses to access tag information.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The caching disk controller according to claim 1, wherein said caching disk control unit comprises a single Very Large Scale Integrated circuit chip.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The caching disk controller according to claim 1, further comprising a device bus connected between said disk to be accessed and said device interface, said device bus comprising an Integrated Device Electronics interface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The caching disk controller according to claim 1, wherein said system interface is coupled to said computer system by a system bus, said system bus comprising a Video Electronics Standards Association local bus.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The caching disk controller according to claim 1, wherein said cache memory and tag memory are configured as a direct mapping cache.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The caching disk controller according to claim 1, any one-to-one mapping function can be used including one that converts the location parameters into the number of physical sectors.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The caching disk controller according to claim 1, wherein said functions of determining cache hits and misses are carried out by said hardwired logic of said caching disk control unit in real time.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
51 words
The caching disk controller according to claim 1, wherein said functions of determining cache hits and misses and carrying out cache line refill, write through, posted write, write back, and cache line invalidate operations are all carried out by said hardwired logic of said caching disk control unit in real time.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The caching disk controller according to claim 1, wherein said disk controller can be treated as a normal disk controller when said cache is not installed therewith.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The caching disk controller of claim 1, further comprising a device bus connected between said disk to be accessed and said device interface, said device bus comprising a Small Computer Systems Interface.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
The caching disk controller of claim 1, wherein said system interface is coupled to said computer system by a system bus, said system bus comprising a Peripheral Component Interconnect local bus.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The caching disk controller of claim 1, wherein said cache memory and tag memory can be configured as a set associative cache.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-03-23 | 2001-09-22 | 2002-03-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-03-23 | 2005-09-22 | 2006-03-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-03-23 | 2009-09-22 | 2010-03-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |