Patent ID: 7206901
Filing Date: 2007-04-17
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. The storage control system, comprising: a storage device that stores data; a storage device control unit that reads or writes data with respect to the storage device; a plurality of channel control units that operate as servers; one or more memories for storing the data exchanged between the storage device control unit and a channel control unit selected from among the plurality of channel control units, a data communication medium connected to the storage device control unit, the plurality of channel control units, and the one or more memories, that constitutes a communication medium for data exchanged between the storage device control unit, the selected channel control unit and the one or more memories; and an interserver communication medium connected to the plurality of channel control units, that constitutes a communication medium for interserver messages exchanged between the plurality of channel control units, wherein the plurality of channel control units are mounted in the same enclosure and comprise two or more Network Attached Storage (NAS) head members that constitute a scale out NAS head group and a scale up NAS head which has a higher-performance NAS head than the scale out NAS head group, wherein the enclosure comprises a plurality of general-purpose slots each being a slot into which a NAS head member and another type of channel control unit that differs from the NAS head member can be inserted, wherein each of the two or more NAS head members is inserted in one of the general-purpose slots, wherein the scale up NAS head is mounted within the enclosure in a different location from the plurality of general-purpose slots, and wherein each of said scale out NAS head group and said scale up NAS head processes block-level data, wherein at least one of the scale out NAS head group, the scale up NAS head and the storage device control unit comprises a first processor that performs the processing of block-level data, wherein the scale out NAS head group comprises one or more first memories that are different from the one or more memories, and one or more second processors of a higher performance than the first processor, each of the one or more first memories being used by one second processor among the one or more second processors rather than being shared by the one or more second processors, and wherein the scale up NAS head comprises a second memory that is different from the one or more memories, and a plurality of third processors of a higher performance than the first processor, the second memory being shared by the plurality of processors.