Patent ID: 7890698
Filing Date: 2011-02-15
Classification: G06F,G11B

Abstract:
1. A disk array apparatus including a storage unit and a storage control unit for controlling storing of data to said storage unit, and being controllable in RAID format, the apparatus comprising: said storage control unit configured by interconnecting control packages including boards, wherein each of said control packages comprises a base package serving as a base for interconnection and a plurality of functional packages hierarchically connected to said base package, individually separate functions being mounted on each of the plurality of functional packages, said base package includes a first junction for said interconnection, a second junction coexisting with and capable of connecting a plurality of different kinds of said functional packages, and an intra-package connection network for communicating between said functional packages and with said storage control unit, each of said functional packages includes a junction for being connected to said base package, and said storage control unit is configured to perform a processing including a transfer of said data by using communication between said functional package and said base package and communication between said base packages, wherein said storage control unit further comprises a global cache memory coupled to each of said control packages via said intra-package connection and configured to be used for caching data during data transfer, wherein said controller packages includes a first controller package and a second controller package, said first controller package includes a first plurality of I/F packages and a first memory package as said functional packages, said first plurality of I/F packages includes an I/F package, which is coupled to an external device corresponding to a first I/F protocol and is configured to perform communication protocol treatment with the external device according to said first I/F protocol, and an other I/F package, which is coupled to a external device corresponding to a second I/F protocol and is configured to perform communication protocol treatment with the external device according to said second I/F protocol, and wherein said first memory package mounts a first local cache memory used to caching data during data transfer, said second controller package includes a second plurality of I/F packages and a second memory package as said functional packages, said second plurality of I/F packages includes an I/F package, which is coupled to an external device corresponding to a first I/F protocol and configured to perform communication protocol treatment with the external device according to said first I/F protocol, and an other I/F package, which is coupled to a external device corresponding to a second I/F protocol and configured to perform communication protocol treatment with the external device according to said second I/F protocol, and wherein said second memory package mounts a second local cache memory configured to be used for caching data during data transfer, wherein said control unit is configured to cache data in said first local cache memory during data transfer based on a first access request from a first host computer being coupled to one of said first plurality of I/F packages to a first storage unit being coupled to one of said first plurality of I/F packages, said control unit is configured to cache data in said global cache memory during data transfer based on a second access request from said first host computer to a second storage unit being coupled to one of said second plurality of I/F packages.