Patent ID: 7263476
Filing Date: 2007-08-28
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A high speed mass storage system which is readily expandable to increase its storage capacity while the system is in operation comprising: a first server including a first controller and at least one first computer connected in communication with said first controller, each said at least one first computer including at least one CPU; a second server including a second controller and at least one second computer connected in communication with said second controller, each said at least one second computer including at least one CPU; first and second mass storage modules each including: (a) a plurality of plug-in storage devices for storing information; (b) a storage device bypass circuit board associated with each storage device, each storage device being plugged into a connector on the storage device bypass circuit board, and each of said storage device bypass circuit boards of said first and second mass storage modules including first and second electronic switches, each of said first and second electronic switches including input and output electrical connections to said first and second controllers, respectively, each of said first and second electronic switches including input and output electrical connections to a corresponding one of said plug-in storage devices, and a fault signal output produced by said corresponding one of said plurality of storage devices being connected to each of said first and second electronic switches to control switching of said first and second electronic switches to alternatively route signals from and to said first and second controllers to and from said corresponding one of said plurality of storage devices, or to bypass said corresponding one of said plurality of storage devices; (c) a module bypass circuit board including an optical input/output connector for outputting electrical signals from the module as light signals and for inputting light signals into the module as electrical signals, and wherein the optical input/output connectors of the module bypass circuit boards of the first and second mass storage modules are connected by a fiber optic transmission medium such that signals are communicated between the first and second mass storage modules in the form of light; said first controller providing a communication path between the first server and each said storage device through its associated storage device bypass circuit board and through the module bypass circuit board, said second controller providing a communication path between the second server and each said storage device through its associated storage device bypass circuit board and the module bypass circuit board; and at least one of said servers being operative to establish direct communication between the first and second controllers, and said first and second controllers being operative to maintain direct communication between the first and second controllers independent of said at least one first computer of said first server and said at least one second computer of said second server.