Patent US6253271B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6253271B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Bridge for direct data storage device access
Assignee: NetApp Inc
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Filing: 1999-08-11
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Granted: 2001-06-26
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Expires: 2019-08-11
Abstract
Abstract A bridge in a file server provides a direct link to data storage devices in satisfaction of data requests. The file server has one or more function-specific processors, including network processors (NPs) and file storage processors (FSPs), all operating in parallel and communicating over an interconnect bus. Each FSP is also connected to one or more disk controllers which in turn manage one or more data storage devices. To minimize local bus contention between data storage devices and network communications, separate internal buses are provided in the FSP, one internal bus connected to the interconnect bus for network communications and one internal bus connected to disk controllers for performing I/O operations on data storage devices. The bridge provides a path between the FSP's internal buses so that, for disk access requests, data from a particular data storage device may be sent by the disk controller via the bridge over the interconnect bus to the NP servicing the request with minimal involvement of the local FSP processor.
Inventors
- 👤 Tamir Ram
- 👤 John V. Vincenet
- 👤 Kumar Gajjar
- 👤 Sara Abraham
- 👤 Syang Edward Syu
- 👤 Paul Lester Popelka
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 22:57
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F13/00; G06F13/38; G06F13/40; G06F13/4004
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
A method for processing file requests from a client, comprising: receiving a request on a network processor; parsing the request and sending the request to a file storage processor over an interconnect bus; identifying a memory buffer on the network processor for receiving data in response to the request; issuing a command to a disk controller in the file storage processor to send data directly to the memory buffer on the network processor; and sending data to the client via a bridge without assistance from a file storage processor CPU.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
90 words
A method for processing file requests from a client, comprising: receiving a request on a network processor; parsing the request and sending the request to a file storage processor over an interconnect bus; identifying a memory buffer on the network processor for receiving data in response to the request; issuing a command to a disk controller in the file storage processor to send data directly to the memory buffer on the network processor; and sending data to the client via a bridge without assistance from a file storage processor CPU.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of identifying a server, including: extracting a server identification and a file identification from the request; and identifying a server address from the server identification.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of identifying whether the request is a server message block (SMB) read/write request.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 3 , further comprising the step of transferring the request to a host processor for handling if the request is not a server message block (SMB) read/write request.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
94 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the file storage processor manages a file system, the method further comprising a file system handling step, including: sending the request through a filter driver; locating the memory buffer on the requesting network processor for receiving data; creating a memory descriptor location (MDL) pointer for the network processor memory buffer; sending the request through a disk driver; setting the MDL pointer in the request to the disk controller; and requesting the disk controller to access disks and place the requested data on the network processor memory buffer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 5 , wherein the file system is a UNIX file system.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of the claim 5 , wherein the file system is a Windows NT file system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 7 , wherein the file system processing step further comprises a step of submitting the request through a Windows NT-fault tolerant module.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
138 words
A method for satisfying requests from a client in a computer system having a scalable interconnect (SCI) bus and a file storage processor with first and second local buses, the first local bus coupleable to the SCI interconnect bus; one or more data storage device controllers coupled to the second local bus; and a bridge positioned between the first and second local buses for transferring data directly from the data storage controllers to the client over the SCI interconnect bus, the method comprising: (1) receiving requests from the client; (2) identifying a buffer having an SCI address on a network processor; (3) setting the buffer SCI address in a scatter/gather command; (4) issuing the scatter/gather command to a disk controller; and (5) passing data through the bridge to the client without assistance from a file storage processor CPU.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
138 words
A method for satisfying requests from a client in a computer system having a scalable interconnect (SCI) bus and a file storage processor with first and second local buses, the first local bus coupleable to the SCI interconnect bus; one or more data storage device controllers coupled to the second local bus; and a bridge positioned between the first and second local buses for transferring data directly from the data storage controllers to the client over the SCI interconnect bus, the method comprising: (1) receiving requests from the client; (2) identifying a buffer having an SCI address on a network processor; (3) setting the buffer SCI address in a scatter/gather command; (4) issuing the scatter/gather command to a disk controller; and (5) passing data through the bridge to the client without assistance from a file storage processor CPU.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of performing redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) operation on data passing through the bridge.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
141 words
A file server configured to process network information, comprising: a first local bus capable of being connected to a network processor, wherein the network processor can be used to communicate with a client; a second local bus capable of being connected to disk controllers that perform I/O operations on a data storage device; a buffer in the network processor configured to receive data from the data storage device at an address; an interconnect bus operatively coupled to the first local bus, the second local bus, and the network processor wherein the network processor receives information in the buffer through the second local bus and the interconnect and delivers the information to a client, and wherein a file storage processor delivers the information to the buffer through the interconnect and the first local bus without assistance from a file storage processor CPU.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
141 words
A file server configured to process network information, comprising: a first local bus capable of being connected to a network processor, wherein the network processor can be used to communicate with a client; a second local bus capable of being connected to disk controllers that perform I/O operations on a data storage device; a buffer in the network processor configured to receive data from the data storage device at an address; an interconnect bus operatively coupled to the first local bus, the second local bus, and the network processor wherein the network processor receives information in the buffer through the second local bus and the interconnect and delivers the information to a client, and wherein a file storage processor delivers the information to the buffer through the interconnect and the first local bus without assistance from a file storage processor CPU.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The file server of claim 11 , further comprising one or more data storage devices coupled to one or more data storage controllers.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
The file server of claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second local buses is a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
40 words
The file server of claim 11 , the file storage processor CPU being coupled to the first and second local buses, the file storage processor CPU instructing the data storage controller to deposit data to the buffer via a bridge.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
The file server of claim 11 , further comprising a bridge coupled to the first and second local buses to deliver information to the buffer through the interconnect bus.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
42 words
The file server of claim 15 , wherein the bridge further comprises: a memory array for buffering writes to the data storage devices; and an exclusive OR engine coupled to the memory array for performing redundant array of inexpensive disk (RAID) operations.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
18 words
The file server of claim 11 , wherein the interconnect bus is a Scalable Coherent Interface (SCI) bus.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
116 words
A file server configured to process file storage, comprising: a first local bus capable of being connected to a network processor, wherein the network processor can be used to communicate with a client; a second local bus capable of being connected to disk controllers that perform I/O operations on a data storage device; an interconnect bus operatively coupled to the first local bus, the second local bus, and a file storage processor wherein the file storage processor requests information from the data storage device through the second local bus and the data storage device delivers the information without assistance from a file storage processor CPU to the client through the interconnect and the first local bus.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
116 words
A file server configured to process file storage, comprising: a first local bus capable of being connected to a network processor, wherein the network processor can be used to communicate with a client; a second local bus capable of being connected to disk controllers that perform I/O operations on a data storage device; an interconnect bus operatively coupled to the first local bus, the second local bus, and a file storage processor wherein the file storage processor requests information from the data storage device through the second local bus and the data storage device delivers the information without assistance from a file storage processor CPU to the client through the interconnect and the first local bus.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
24 words
The file storage processor of claim 18 , further comprising one or more data storage devices coupled to one or more data storage controllers.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
24 words
The file storage processor of claim 18 , wherein each of the first and second local buses is a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
44 words
The file storage processor of claim 18 , further comprising, the file storage processor CPU being coupled to the first and second local buses, and the file storage processor CPU instructs the data storage controller to deposit data to a buffer via a bridge.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
30 words
The file storage processor of claim 18 , further comprising a bridge coupled to the first and second local buses to deliver information to a buffer through the interconnect bus.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
43 words
The file storage processor of claim 22 , wherein the bridge further comprises: a memory array for buffering writes to the data storage devices; and an exclusive OR engine coupled to the memory array for performing redundant array of inexpensive disk (RAID) operations.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the interconnect bus is a Scalable Coherent Interface (SCI) bus.
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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) | 2004-06-25 | 2004-12-25 | 2005-06-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-06-25 | 2008-12-25 | 2009-06-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-06-25 | 2012-12-25 | 2013-06-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |