Methods and systems for converged networking and storage

1. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a block-level request from a host computer across a PCIe bus and onto a physical target storage media controller of a converged input/output controller, wherein the block-level request is an NVMe command for a read transaction, wherein the converged input/output controller further comprises a direct connection gateway circuit and a physical network interface controller, wherein the physical network interface controller comprises a network switch, wherein the physical target storage media controller is exposed to the host computer at the PCIe bus, wherein the physical network interface controller is exposed to the host computer at the PCIe bus, wherein the direct connection gateway circuit is not exposed as an input/output device to the host computer, wherein the block-level request is a request for a block of data controlled by the physical target storage media controller;

(b) sending the block-level request from the physical target storage media controller to the direct connection gateway circuit;

(c) without intervention of the host computer fulfilling the block-level request by setting up a transfer of the block of data from a remote device across a network and onto the converged input/output controller;

(d) without intervention of the host computer transferring the block of data into the converged input/output controller, through the network switch, and to the direct connection gateway circuit;

(e) transferring of the block of data from the direct connection gateway circuit to the physical target storage media controller; and

(f) returning a NVMe transaction completion indication from the converged input/output controller to the host computer.

2. A converged input/output controller for coupling to a host operating system executing on a host computer, the converged input/output controller comprising:

a physical target storage media controller;

a network port;

a physical network interface controller, wherein the physical network interface controller includes a network switch that is coupled to the network port such that network traffic can pass into the converged input/output controller via the network port, and through the network switch, and to the host computer;

a direct connection gateway circuit for communicating block-level storage traffic between the network switch of the physical network interface controller and the physical target storage media controller, wherein a block-level request for a block of data controlled by the physical target storage media controller is received by the physical target storage media controller from the host computer without passing through the direct connection gateway circuit and without passing through the physical network interface controller, wherein the block-level request is an NVMe command, and wherein the block-level request is fulfilled by communicating the block of data through the network switch and to the direct connection gateway circuit and terminating a TCP/IP connection on the direct connection gateway circuit and transferring of the block of data from the direct connection gateway circuit to the physical target storage media controller, wherein the transfer of the block of data is set up and fulfilled without intervention by the host operating system, and wherein the direct connection gateway circuit is not exposed as an input/output device to the host operating system; and

a host computing system port over which the host computer exchanges storage traffic with the physical target storage media controller and also exchanges network traffic with the physical network interface controller, wherein the physical target storage media controller is exposed at the host computing system port to the host operating system, and wherein the physical network interface controller is exposed at the host computing system port to the host operating system.

3. The converged input/output controller of claim 2 , wherein the physical target storage media controller is exposed to the host operating system by virtue of being presented to the host operating system as one or more PCIe virtual functions (VFs), and wherein the physical network interface controller is exposed to the host operating system by virtue of being presented to the host operating system as one or more PCIe virtual functions (VFs), and wherein the host computing system port is a PCIe connector.