IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,032,228
Granted Patent B1
US 7,032,228 · App. 09/797,347 · Granted Apr 18, 2006

Common device interface

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,032,228
App. No.
09/797,347
Granted
Apr 18, 2006
Kind
B1
Abstract

A common device interface for facilitating communication exchanges between physical transport drivers and higher-level software emulations. The common device interface is defined by an input/output control block (IOCB) data structure that allows those portions of different emulations and physical transport drivers that interact with each other to be generic. Thus, the emulation need not know or be concerned with the underlying characteristics of the type of physical transport driver with which it is communicating.

Claims (34)

1. A method of facilitating data storage system communication exchanges in a computer system, the method comprising:

providing a control block data structure that is common to different types of physical transport drivers and a higher-level software, each physical transport driver associated with a different data transport protocol, wherein the control block data structure is defined to isolate unique characteristics of the different types of physical transport drivers from the higher-level software so that those portions of the physical transport drivers and the higher-level software that interact with each other are generic in nature; and

using the control block data structure to pass information between the higher-level software and one of the different types of physical transport drivers, where the higher-level software and at least the one of the different types of physical transport drivers are components of firmware stored in a data storage system controller;

wherein the higher-level software comprises one of a plurality of different emulations to which the control block data structure is common;

wherein the one of the plurality of emulations comprises an emulation for a remote interface that is capable of communicating with a remote data storage system over a data link; and

wherein the control block data structure is formatted to enable the one of the different types of physical transport drivers to act as an originator during a communication exchange with the remote data storage system and a responder during a different communication exchange with the remote data storage system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one of the plurality of emulations comprises a host interface emulation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one of the plurality of emulations comprises a disk interface emulation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control block data structure specifies an operation code and a destination address, and includes an area that is defined according to the specified operation code.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the control block data structure further comprises fields used by the one of the different types of physical transport drivers for event notification.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the operation code corresponds to a data transfer operation and wherein the operation code specific area includes a pointer to a scatter-gather list.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the operation code specific area further includes a pointer to a command payload.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one of the different types of physical transport drivers comprises a Fibre Channel transport driver.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one of the different types of physical transport drivers comprises a SCSI transport driver.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one of the different types of physical transport drivers comprises a Gigabit Ethernet transport driver.

11. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium for facilitating data storage system communication exchanges between physical transport drivers and higher-level software, comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

provide a control block data structure that is common to the higher-level software and different types of physical transport drivers, each physical transport driver associated with a different data transport protocol, wherein the control block data structure is defined to isolate unique characteristics of the different types of physical transport drivers from the higher-level software so that those portions of the physical transport drivers and the higher-level software that interact with each other are generic in nature; and

use the control block data structure to pass information between the higher-level software and one of the different types of physical transport drivers, the higher-level software and at least the one of the different types of physical transport drivers being components of firmware stored in a data storage system controller;

wherein the higher-level software comprises one of a plurality of different emulations to which the control block data structure is common;

wherein the one of the plurality of emulations comprises an emulation for a remote interface that is capable of communicating with a remote data storage system over a data link; and

wherein the control block data structure is formatted to enable the one of the different types of physical transport drivers to act as an originator during a communication exchange with the remote data storage system and a responder during a different communication exchange with the remote data storage system.

12. A common device interface in a computer system, said common device interface comprising:

a control block data structure stored in a memory of a data storage system controller, the control block data structure being used by different types of physical transport drivers and different higher-level software emulations of firmware stored in the data storage system controller for exchanges therebetween, the emulations each corresponding to a combination of software for a different I/O control interface and software implementing an upper level protocol;

wherein the control block data structure is common to the different types of physical transport drivers and the higher-level software, each physical transport driver associated with a different data transport protocol; wherein the control block data structure is defined to isolate unique characteristics of different physical transports supported by the different types of physical transport drivers from the different higher-level software emulations so that those portions of the physical transport drivers and the higher-level software that interact with each other are generic in nature;

wherein the higher-level software comprises one of a plurality of different emulations to which the control block data structure is common;

wherein the one of the plurality of emulations comprises an emulation for a remote interface that is capable of communicating with a remote data storage system over a data link; and

wherein the control block data structure is formatted to enable the one of the different types of physical transport drivers to act as an originator during a communication exchange with the remote data storage system and a responder during a different communication exchange with the remote data storage system.

13. A data storage system in a computer system, said data storage system comprising:

one or more storage devices;

a data storage system controller coupled to the one or more storage devices, and having firmware that includes different types of physical transport drivers and higher-level software, the different types of physical transport drivers and the higher-level software implemented to use a control block data structure for exchanges therebetween;

wherein the control block data structure is common to the different types of physical transport drivers and the higher-level software, each physical transport driver associated with a different data transport protocol, wherein the control block data structure is defined to isolate unique characteristics of different physical transports supported by the different types of physical transport drivers from the higher-level software so that those portions of the physical transport drivers and the higher-level software that interact with each other are generic in nature;

wherein the higher-level software comprises one of a plurality of different emulations to which the control block data structure is common;

wherein the one of the plurality of emulations comprises an emulation for a remote interface that is capable of communicating with a remote data storage system over a data link; and

wherein the control block data structure is formatted to enable the one of the different types of physical transport drivers to act as an originator during a communication exchange with the remote data storage system and a responder during a different communication exchange with the remote data storage system.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (045455/0001) Recorded May 20, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.); DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC CORPORATION (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MAGINATICS LLC); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MOZY, INC.); SCALEIO LLC
Reel/Frame 061753/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (040136/0001) Recorded Apr 26, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.); DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC CORPORATION (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MAGINATICS LLC); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MOZY, INC.); SCALEIO LLC
Reel/Frame 061324/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 3, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL USA L.P.; ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL, L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 058216/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 29, 2016
From: EMC CORPORATION
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 040203/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 21, 2016
From: ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; SPANNING CLOUD APPS LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040136/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 21, 2016
From: ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; SPANNING CLOUD APPS LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040134/0001 →