Patent ID: 6615284
Filing Date: 2003-09-02
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for improving the data throughput associated with a storage system having sequential input/output transactions, said storage system having at least one requesting device, each said requesting device attached to a request controller having a memory, said request controller attached to at least two disk controllers, each said at least two disk controllers attached to at least two storage devices, said storage devices portioned into a plurality of tracks, said method comprising the steps of:responsive to a write access request from said requesting device said request controller segmenting a continuous section of data into a plurality of even datum and a plurality of odd datum; providing a plurality of device identification tables located in the memory of said request controller, each of said identification tables corresponding to one of said storage devices, each of said plurality of identification tables partitioned into a first partial identification table having even track identification tables and a second partial identification table having odd track identification tables, said plurality of track identification tables having track location information used to locate said track in said memory of said storage device; said request controller using said identification tables to interleave said even datum and said odd datum over two of said storage devices using said even track identification tables corresponding to a first of said two storage devices and said odd track identification tables corresponding to a second of said two storage devices using said device identification tables; providing a cross reference table in each of said at least two disk controllers, each said cross reference table relating said tracks to said storage device attached to said disk controller; a first of said disk controllers depositing said even datum on said first of said storage devices using a first of said cross reference tables; a second of said disk controllers depositing said odd datum on said second of said storage devices using a second of said cross reference tables; responsive to a read access request from said requesting device for a continuous section of data, said request controller generating corresponding storage devices and track location information from said identification tables for said plurality of even datum and said plurality of odd datum; substantially simultaneously retrieving said plurality of even datum and said plurality of odd datum by said disk controllers; transmitting said plurality of even datum and said plurality of odd datum to said request controller; and assembling said plurality of even datum and said plurality of odd datum into the single continuous section of data.