Method and system for utilizing multiple storage devices
Systems, devices and methods for interfacing a single bus with multiple buses invisibly to devices using the single bus are presented. More specifically, in one embodiment an I/O bus may be interfaced with multiple other I/O buses of the same or different formats. Commands may be received on one I/O bus and invisibly to a computing device or processor which issues the commands, translated into a set of commands configured to effectuate a received command in conjunction with storage media coupled to the other I/O buses. These storage media may comprise different types of storage media such that data designated as critical may be stored on an appropriate storage media.
1. A device, comprising:
a first interface operable to interface with a first I/O bus of a computing device utilizing a first protocol;
a second interface operable to interface with a plurality of second I/O buses utilizing a second protocol;
a controller comprising one or more queues operable to store commands received on the first I/O bus in a first protocol associated with the first bus and a translator operable to configure a communication in the first protocol or the second protocol wherein the controller is operable to store data designated as critical on a first storage media of a first size coupled to a first one of the plurality of second I/O buses, store data not designated as critical by a user on a second storage media of a second size coupled to a second one the plurality of second I/O buses and the device appears as a single storage device of the combined first and second sizes to the computing device on the first I/O bus, wherein data is designated as critical by the user storing of the data in a first folder using the computing device and data is designated as not critical by the user storing the data in a second folder using the computing device.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first storage media is a solid state storage media.
3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the second storage media coupled to the second I/O bus of the plurality of second I/O buses is a disk drive.
4. The device of claim 3 , further comprising a computer readable medium comprising a set of instructions operable to allow a user to designate data as critical.
5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the device is used with a computing device comprising the computer readable medium.
6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the controller further comprise a map operable to map an address in commands received on the first I/O bus to one or more addresses corresponding to the first storage media coupled to the first one of the plurality of second I/O buses or the second storage media coupled to the second one of the plurality of second I/O buses.
7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the controller is operable to determine if the address in commands received on the first I/O bus corresponds to data designated as critical.
8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the first I/O bus and the plurality of second I/O buses are a SATA, PATA, SCSI, or FC bus.
9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising encryption logic operable to implement one or more encryption algorithms in conjunction with the first storage media or second storage media.
10. A method of interfacing buses using a device, comprising
receiving a first command on a first I/O bus of the device utilizing a first protocol, wherein the device comprises a plurality of second I/O buses utilizing a second protocol, a first storage media of a first size coupled to a first one of the plurality of second I/O buses and a second storage media of a second size coupled to a second one the plurality of second I/O buses;
storing the first command in one or more queues operable to store commands received on the first I/O bus;
translating the first command to one or more second commands operable to implement the first command utilizing a second protocol such that the device appears as a single storage device of the combined first and second sizes to a computing device on the first I/O bus, wherein if the first command corresponds to data designated as critical the one or more second command are operable to utilize the first storage media if the first command corresponds to data not designated as critical by a user the one or more second commands are operable to utilize the second storage media of a second size coupled to a second one the plurality of second I/O buses and wherein data is designated as critical by the user storing of the data in a first folder using the computing device and data is designated as not critical by the user storing the data in a second folder using the computing device.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first storage media is a solid state storage media.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second storage media coupled to the second I/O bus of the plurality of second I/O buses is a disk drive.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising allowing a user to designate data as critical.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising mapping an address in the first command received on the first I/O bus to one or more addresses corresponding to the first storage media or the second storage media coupled to the plurality of second I/O buses.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising determining if the address in commands received on the first I/O bus corresponds to data designated as critical.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first I/O bus and the plurality of second I/O buses are a SATA, PATA, SCSI, or FC bus.
17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising encrypting data in conjunction with the first storage media or the second storage media.