Storage system having plural buses

Details Storage system having plural buses Storage system having plural buses

1999-11-15

2003-06-10

Niebling, John F. (Department: 2812)

Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/

Intrasystem connection

Bus interface architecture

C710S107000, C714S043000, C714S047300

Reexamination Certificate

active

06578100

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage systems which include a storage controller for controlling such a storage device as a magnetic device a magnetic tape device, a semiconductor storage device or an optical disk device connected to a large-scale computer, a network system or the like, and more particularly, to a storage system which is highly extendable and which allows degraded operationand hot replace.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional storage system connected to a large-scale computer, there has been known such a storage system as disclosed in, e.g., JP-B-61-43742 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,946), wherein interfaces (host adaptors) with an higher-rank or host device (computer) (CPU), a cache memory, and interfaces (disk adaptors) with a storage device such as a magnetic disk device are interconnected by hot lines (dedicated lines).
FIG. 20
shows a schematic arrangement of a conventional storage system. In the drawing, reference numerals
201
-
1
to
201
-n denote host adaptors connected to a plurality of host computers (CPUs) (logical modules connected to a host computer),
202
-
1
to
2
-
2
-n denote disk adaptors (logical modules connected to a storage device) connected to a shared large-scale disk device
205
,
203
denotes a cache memory shared with the plurality of host adaptors, and
206
denotes a shared management memory shared therewith. In a conventional storage system, hot lines
207
-
1
to
207
-n and
208
-
1
to
208
-n are connected between the host adaptors
201
-
1
to
201
-n and cache memory
203
, between the cache memory
203
and disk adaptors
202
-
1
to
202
-n, between the host adaptors
201
-
1
to
201
-n and management memory
206
and between the management memory
206
and disk adaptors
202
-
1
to
202
-n respectively. Further, maintenance processors (SVPs, not shown), which carry out monitoring and maintaining operation over these host adaptors and disk adaptors, are connected to the respective host and disk adaptors through respective dedicated lines.
In the above related technology, since the hot lines are wired between the host adaptors (logical modules connected to the host device) to the host device, the disk adaptors (logical modules connected to the storage device) to the storage device, and the cache memory (cache memory module), the system configuration becomes more complicated, the host adaptors, cache memory, disk adaptors and disk device are poorer in extendability, which leads to impossibility of realization of a so-called scalable (extendable and reducible) system configuration. Further, in the related art system, no consideration is paid to the fact that multiplexing of the system enables degraded operation(one of the system multiplexers is stopped and the other alone is operated) at the time of failure occurrence or Hot replace (a substrate or a circuit part is inserted for its exchange while the system is being operated). For this reason, the related art system has had a problem that, when it is desired to perform part exchange at the time of failure occurrence or to grade up a system control program, the system must be temporarily stopped for that purpose.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a storage system which solves the above problem in the related art and which employs a common bus system in such a manner that such logical modules as host adaptors and memory adaptors, a cache memory and a storage medium can be connected according to the system configuration (scale or size) to realize a scalable system. Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage system which can realize degraded operation by multiplexing respective logical modules, a storage medium and a common bus and also which can realize hot replace of the respective logical modules and storage medium to thereby allow system maintenance without halt of the system.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage system which comprises a plurality of logical units connected to a host device to form interfaces with the host device, a storage unit, a plurality of logical units connected to the storage unit to form interfaces with the storage unit, and cache memories (shared with the plurality of logical units connected to the host device and with the plurality of logical units connected to the storage unit) for temporarily storing therein data to be transferred between these devices and units, and wherein the plurality of logical units connected to the host device the plurality of logical units connected to the storage unit, and the cache memories are interconnected by a common bus shared with these devices and units. As a result, there can be obtained a scalable system which realizes extension and modification of the plurality of logical units connected to the host device, the plurality of logical units connected to the memories, and the cache memory merely adding or modifying these on the common bus, and which realizes easy attainment of its upgrade based on the extended system provision.
Since the plurality of logical units connected to the host device, the plurality of logical units connected to the memories, and the cache memories are arranged in a duplexed form and the common bus is wired between these logical units and memory as divided into 2 channels, even when one of these units becomes faulty, the other unit can be used to perform degrade operation. In this connection, information indicative of the degraded operation status at the time of the failure occurrence is written in the shared memory.
In this case, since any of the plurality of logical units connected to the host device, the plurality of logical units connected to the storage unit, and the cache memories are provided with a connector allowing hot replace, the system allows its maintenance and inspection for exchange of a faulty part and also allows addition of parts for system extension while eliminating the need for halt of the system in operation.


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M. A

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