Patent ID: 6397292
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A data storage system comprising:a first array of data storage devices; a second array of data storage devices; and a storage controller coupled to the first array of storage devices and the second array of storage devices for accessing mirrored data contained in the first array of data storage devices and also contained in the second array of data storage devices, the storage controller being programmed to respond to a request to access a specified portion of the mirrored data by accessing the specified portion of the mirrored data in the first array of data storage devices when the specified portion of the mirrored data cannot be accessed in the second array of data storage devices, and by accessing the specified portion of the mirrored data in the second array of data storage devices when the specified portion of the mirrored data cannot be accessed in the first array of data storage devices; wherein each data storage device in the first array of data storage devices contains a respective share of the mirrored data, each data storage device in the second array of data storage devices contains a respective share of the mirrored data, each data storage device in the second array of data storage devices contains a respective share of the mirrored data contained in said each data storage device in the first array of data storage devices, and each data storage device in the first array of data storage devices contains a respective share of the mirrored data contained in said each data storage device in the second array of data storage devices; wherein the mirrored data contained in the first array of data storage devices and also contained in the second array of data storage devices is subdivided into respective data blocks, each data storage device in the first array of data storage devices contains the same number of the data blocks so that the data blocks are cells in a first matrix, each data storage device in the second array of data storage devices contains the same number of the data blocks so that the data blocks are cells in a second matrix, and the second matrix is the transpose of the first matrix.