Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090003197 | Isolation of unverified devices in a SAS expander - When a new device is attached to a SAS expander, malfunctioning devices can cause many BCNs to be generated, which in turn can cause excessive re-discovery processes to be performed by initiators in a storage network. Therefore, the isolation of devices from the storage network until they can be validated as healthy is disclosed. Any device malfunctions during this time of isolation do not cause BCNs to be generated and do not cause re-discovery processes to be performed. Once the device is validated (via a port-test-before-insertion approach) and found to be healthy, the fabric is notified via a BCN, and the device can be made visible to the network. | 01-01-2009 |
20090007154 | SAS expander-side optimization for the re-discovery process - A simplification of the re-discovery process for initiators due to changes in the network is disclosed. If an initiator subscribes to change reports from a SAS expander, when that SAS expander detects a change in the network, it sends an SMP command back to the initiator, indicating the specific change in the network. Initiator BCN management and re-discovery of the entire network is therefore avoided. | 01-01-2009 |
20090007155 | Expander-based solution to the dynamic STP address problem - The persistent binding of STP SAS addresses to SATA devices is disclosed so that SATA devices can be moved to different insertion points (ports) within a SAS expander and still properly receive I/O requests. When a SATA device is inserted into the SAS expander, it is interrogated to obtain information about the attached device. This information may be combined using a hashing function to obtain a unique ID for the SATA device. A table can be used to assign a STP SAS address to the Phy connected to the device based in the unique ID. In this manner, the same STP SAS address will be assigned to the Phy connected to a particular SATA device, regardless of where the device is connected to the SAS expander. | 01-01-2009 |
20090125655 | ENABLING SAS EXPANDER LOOPS FOR INCREASED FAIRNESS AND PERFORMANCE - The use of loops in SAS networks is enabled by designating ports connected to loop connections as table loop ports (TLPs). Under normal operating conditions, each TLP is blocked from receiving BCNs, appears to the expander to have nothing connected to it, and is made invisible to initiators. The loop connection and TLPs may be enabled and used to access devices when a problem is detected. In particular, the TLP will now appear in a list of destination ports within the expander to which a BCN should be propagated. In addition, during a subsequent self-configuration, the TLP is allowed to populate its route table with devices accessible through it, and the existence of the TLP is also reported back to initiators. After re-discovery is complete, communications between the initiator and a target can resume, with traffic re-routed through the TLPs as needed, bypassing the failure point. | 05-14-2009 |
20090150643 | SAS reference Phys for virtualization and traffic isolation - Enabling virtualization in a SAS expander is disclosed. For each SAS address to be virtualized through one or more physical or virtual Phy, a reference Phy associated with each SAS address is created within the expander. Next, a route table is generated that includes an entry for each of the SAS addresses being virtualized, each entry associated with one or more of the physical or virtual Phy through which the SAS address is being virtualized. With the route table so established, requests for a virtualized SAS address are routed to a particular one of the one or more physical or virtual Phy associated with the virtualized SAS address in the route table. | 06-11-2009 |
20090172706 | SAS EXPANDER BASED PERSISTENT CONNECTIONS - Embodiments of the present invention provide for creating and using persistent connections in SAS networks. A persistent connection may be a connection that persists for longer than the usual SAS connection. More specifically, it is a connection that is not subject to periodic tear downs by SAS devices according to existing SAS protocols (such as, by using CLOSE or BREAK primitives). Instead, persistent connections may be removable by a link reset. Persistent connections may be used in situations in which the overhead associated with the usual tear down and re-establishment of connections in a SAS network may be considered too high in comparison with its intended benefits. Persistent connections may also be used to provide virtual direct attachment between two different SAS connected devices or between a SAS connected device and an expander. | 07-02-2009 |
20110107002 | SAS Expander-Based SAS/SATA Bridging - Described herein is an improved mechanism for bridging between SAS and SATA drives based upon existing SAS expanders in a SAS domain. In particular, a bridge capable of translating between SAS and SATA protocols is embedded in or coupled to an expander. When a SAS initiator request is received at the expander, the expander can route the request, based on a routing table, either directly to a destination SAS device or to the bridge for necessary translation before it is transmitted to a destination SATA drive. The routing table includes corresponding relationships between all SAS addresses and Phys through which those SAS and SATA devices are attached to the expander. SATA devices can be virtualized in the expander through a few assigned addresses in the routing table in a SAS discovery process. | 05-05-2011 |