Patent Publication Number: US-2012047302-A1

Title: Storage system

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to China Application Serial Number 201010264310.6, filed Aug. 23, 2010, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a data storage system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a storage device using a plurality of hard drive array units. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     With the development of networks, performance of servers as a network device is improved progressively. As the network resources become more and more abundant, there are increasing requirements for a storage device dedicated for data storage. Among these servers, the storage device is a device dedicated for network data storage which is usually used in combination with a server. Since the storage device needs to be mounted on a rack together with the server, the appearance of the storage device is very similar to that of the server. The storage device has a chassis with a front panel at a front end thereof. When the chassis is mounted on the rack, the front is exposed at the front end of the rack for users to operate. A hard drive is the most important component in the storage device, and the storage capacity of a storage device, that is, how many hard drives can be plugged, is the most important technical indicator of the storage device. Usually, the hard drives of the storage device are hot-plug, and for easy operation, interfaces for plugging the hard drives are arranged on the front panel. However, the front panel has a limited space, so the number of the hard drives is restricted by the space of the front panel. 
     In view of this, it is a topic to be addressed by those skilled in the art that how to provide a flexibly expandable storage system, which is capable of providing a storage unit when it is externally connected to a server or is capable of expanding a storage capacity when it is externally connected to a storage device. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention provides a novel data storage system directed to solving the above defects of a data storage device in use in the prior art. 
     According to one aspect of this invention, a data storage system is provided, including: 
     a power module, for supplying electric energy to the data storage system; 
     a control module, having at least one expansion interface, for externally connecting at least one server to provide a storage unit for the server, or for externally connecting at least one storage device to expand the storage capacity of the storage device; 
     an adapter plate, for connecting the power module and the control module; and 
     a plurality of hard drive array units, each of which includes: 
     a hard drive backplane, coupled to the adapter plate; and 
     a plurality of hard drives, separately coupled to the hard drive backplane. 
     The control module includes a first control plate and a second control plate, which are redundant to each other. Preferably, the first control plate has a general-purpose input/output port connected to a reset signal input terminal of the second control plate, and the second control plate has a general-purpose input/output port connected to a reset signal input terminal of the first control plate. Preferably, the first control plate has an enable control port connected to in a first voltage, and the second control plate has an enable control port connected to a second voltage. 
     Each of the hard drive array units also includes a hard drive expansion card module, inserted on the hard drive backplane for expanding hard drive interfaces of the hard drive backplane. Preferably, the hard drive expansion card module includes a first hard drive expansion card and a second hard drive expansion card, which are redundant to each other. The first control plate controls the first hard drive expansion card, and the second control plate controls the second hard drive expansion card. The first hard drive expansion card and the second shard drive expansion card each include a plurality of first connecting terminals and a second connecting terminal, the hard drive backplane is coupled to the plurality of hard drives through the plurality of first connecting terminals and coupled to the adapter plate through the second connecting terminal. 
     The adapter plate also includes a plurality of SAS connectors, each of which is coupled to the hard drive backplane of the respective hard drive array unit. 
     Each of the hard drive array units also includes a connecting finger, and is connected to the hard drive backplane through the connecting finger. 
     Each of the hard drive array units also includes a plurality of temperature sensors, in which the temperature sensors detect a working temperature of the plurality of hard drives, the temperature data of the plurality of hard drives is transferred to the control module through the adapter plate, and the control module performs a unified management of fans based on a received fan control signal and the temperature data of the plurality of hard drives. Preferably, the control module performs data transmission with the adapter plate via an I 2 C bus. 
     The adapter plate also includes a SBB connector and is connected to the control module through the SBB connector. 
     The data storage system also includes an ON/OFF panel connected to the adapter plate, in which the ON/OFF panel has an ON/OFF button, through which an ON/OFF signal is sent out to perform an ON or OFF operation of the data storage system. 
     The expansion interface of the control module is a host bus adapter. 
     By using the data storage system of this invention, the number of hard drive interfaces is extended through the hard drive expansion card on the hard drive backplane of the respective hard drive array unit. When the storage system is connected to a server through the expansion interfaces thereof, it can provide a plurality of hard drives with large capacity for the server; and when the storage system is connected to a storage device through the expansion interfaces thereof, it can expand the storage capacity of the storage device. Furthermore, the control module and the hard drive expansion card on the hard drive backplane in the storage system of this invention each have a redundant mechanism, so that when one of the components fails, the storage system remains running normally. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be more fully understood by reading the following to detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows: 
         FIG. 1  shows a stereogram of a storage system according to an embodiment of this invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a stereogram of a hard drive array unit  140  placed between two adjacent partition boards in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of this invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows a circuit principle diagram of all components in the storage system according to an embodiment of this invention; and 
         FIG. 4  shows a circuit connection diagram of two control plates redundant to each other in a control module of the storage system according to an embodiment of this invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
       FIG. 1  shows a stereogram of a storage system according to an embodiment of this invention. Referring to  FIG. 1 , a storage system  10  mainly includes an adapter plate  110 , a control module  120 , a power module (not shown) and a plurality of hard drive array units  140  placed between two adjacent partition boards. A chassis of the storage system  10  includes a bottom plate and two side plates parallel to each other, in which the side plates are uprightly positioned on the bottom plate at both opposite sides. The adapter plate  110  is located between the two side plates, and is arranged to be perpendicular to the two side plates. The control module  120  has at least one expansion interface. When it is externally connected to a server through the expansion interface, the storage system  10  of this invention provides a storage unit for the server, for example, at this time, the expansion interface may be a host bus adapter; and when it is externally connected to a storage device through the expansion interface, the storage system  10  of this invention can expand the storage capacity of the storage device. In addition, the power module of the storage system  10  provides electric energy to this system. 
     According to an embodiment, the control module  120  includes a first control plate  122  and a second control plate  124 , which are redundant to each other. In more detail, the first control plate  122  and the second control plate  124  are parallel to the bottom plate, and are perpendicularly connected to the adapter plate  110 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a stereogram of a hard drive array unit  140  placed between two adjacent partition boards in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of this invention. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the hard drive array unit  140  includes a hard drive backplane  142  and a plurality of hard drives  144  arranged on the hard drive backplane  142 . Each of the hard drive array units  140  of the storage system  10  is coupled to the adapter plate  110  through the hard drive backplane  142 , and the plurality of hard drives  144  are separately coupled to the hard drive backplane  142 . 
     In one embodiment of this invention, in order to effectively extend the number of the hard drives  144  that can be controlled by the control module  120 , each of the hard drive array units  140  also includes a hard drive expansion card module  148 , which is inserted on the hard drive backplane  142  for expanding hard drive control interfaces of the hard drive backplane  142 . Preferably, the hard drive expansion card module  148  includes a first hard drive expansion card  147  and a second hard drive expansion card  149 , which are redundant to each other and control all hard drives  144  in the corresponding hard drive array unit  140  respectively. For example, when the control module  120  is provided with the first control plate  122  and the second control plate  124  which are redundant to each other, the first control plate  122  is used to control the first hard drive expansion card  147  and the second control plate  124  is used to control the second hard drive expansion card  149 . That is to say, the control module  120  of the storage system  10  controls the hard drive expansion card module  148  of the plurality of hard drive array units  140 , and the hard drive expansion card module  148  further controls the plurality of hard drives  144  in the corresponding hard drive array unit  140 . In this manner, the storage system  10  may extend the number of the hard drives  144  that can be controlled by the control module  120  through the hard drive expansion card module  148 . 
     The first hard drive expansion card  147  and the second hard drive expansion card  149  may both be configured to have a plurality of first connecting terminals and a second connecting terminal. The hard drive backplane  142  is coupled to the plurality of hard drives  144  through the plurality of first connecting terminals in the respective hard drive expansion card and coupled to the adapter plate  110  through the second connecting terminal in the respective hard drive expansion card. 
       FIG. 3  shows a circuit principle diagram of all components in the storage system according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the storage system includes a control module  120 , an adapter plate  110 , a plurality of hard drive array units  140 , and a power module (not shown) for providing electric energy to the storage system. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that each of the hard drive array units  140  in the system is coupled to the adapter plate, and that  FIG. 3  only shows any one of the hard drive array units to illustrate a connection relationship among them. 
     In the forgoing, the control module  120  may be configured to include the first control plate  122  and the second control plate  124  which are redundant to each other. The adapter plate  110  has a plurality of SAS connectors, which are coupled to the first control plate  122  and the second control plate  124  respectively. In addition, the adapter plate  110  is coupled to the hard drive backplane  142  through the SAS connectors. In one embodiment, each of the hard drive array units  140  in the storage system has a hard drive expansion card module  148  inserted on the hard drive backplane  142 , and the hard drive backplane  142  is coupled to the adapter plate  110  and the plurality of hard drives  144  through the hard drive expansion card module  148 . For example, the hard drive expansion card module  148  may be configured to include a first hard drive expansion card  147  and a second hard drive expansion card  149  which are redundant to each other. The first hard drive expansion card  147  controls all the hard drives  144  by the plurality of second connecting terminals, and the second hard drive expansion card  149  also controls all the hard drives  144  by the plurality of second connecting terminals. When the first hard drive expansion card  147  or the second hard drive expansion card  149  fails, a spare hard drive expansion card is put into service immediately, so that the storage system remains running normally. 
     In one embodiment, each of the hard drive array units  140  includes a connecting finger and is connected to the hard drive backplane  142  through the connecting finger. In addition, each of the hard drive array units  140  also includes a plurality of temperature sensors. The temperature sensors detect a working temperature of the plurality of hard drives  144 , the temperature data of the plurality of hard drives  144  is transferred to the control module  120  through the adapter plate  110 , and the control module  120  performs a unified management of fans based on a received fan control signal and the temperature data of the plurality of hard drives  144 . Preferably, the control module  120  performs data transmission with the adapter plate  110  via an I 2 C bus. 
     Furthermore, the storage system  10  also includes an ON/OFF panel (not shown) connected to the adapter plate  110 . The ON/OFF panel has an ON/OFF button, through which an ON/OFF signal is sent out to perform an ON or OFF operation of the storage system of this invention. 
       FIG. 4  shows a circuit connection diagram of two control plates redundant to each other in a control module of the storage system according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in  FIG. 4 , a control module  120  includes a first control plate  122  and a second control plate  124 , which are redundant to each other. When the storage system is running normally, one of the control plates is used to control all the hard drives  144  in each of the hard drive array units  140 , and the other control plate is in a standby state. 
     In order to achieve the redundancy function between the two control plates, in one embodiment, a general-purpose input/output port (for example, Pin GPIO_ 6 ) of the first control plate  122  is connected to a reset signal input terminal (Pin RESET_N) of the second control plate  124 , and meanwhile a general-purpose input/output port (for example, Pin GPIO_ 6 ) of the second control plate  124  is connected to a reset signal input terminal (Pin RESET_N) of the first control plate  122 . In addition, an enable control port of the first control plate  122  may be connected to a first voltage (for example, 3.3 V), and an enable control port of the second control plate  124  is connected to a second voltage (for example, 0 V). 
     By using the storage system of this invention, the number of hard drive interfaces is extended through the hard drive expansion card on the hard drive backplane of the respective hard drive array unit. When the storage system is connected to a server through its expansion interfaces, it can provide a plurality of hard drives with large capacity for the server; and when the storage system is connected to a storage device through its expansion interfaces, it can expand the storage capacity of the storage device. In addition, the control module and the hard drive expansion card on the hard drive backplane in the storage system of this invention each have a redundant mechanism, so that when one of the components fails, the storage system remains running normally. 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Various alternations and modifications can be made to these certain embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing the spirit and scope of the present invention. Such alternations and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appending claims.