Patent ID: 6615315
Filing Date: 2003-09-02
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A data storage system wherein a host computer is coupled to a bank of disk drives through a system interface, such interface comprising a plurality of directors and a memory interconnected by a plurality of busses for controlling data transfer between the host computer and the bank of disk drives as such data passes through the memory, a front-end portion of the directors being coupled to the host computer through front-end input/output adapters, each one of the front-end directors, comprising:a fibre channel hub, such hub being configured to provide a selected one of a plurality of fibre channel loops between one of the front-end directors and a selected one, or more, of a plurality of host computer sections, such fibre channel hub comprising: a plurality of transceivers each one being adapted to communicate with a corresponding one of the plurality of host computer sections; a plurality of multiplexer sections coupled to said one of the directors through a configurable fibre channel loop, each one of such multiplexer sections being coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of host computer sections through a corresponding one of the transceivers, each one of the multiplexer sections being responsive to a control signal for coupling, or decoupling, the one of the host computer sections coupled thereto to, or from, the loop selectively in accordance with the control signal.