Patent ID: 8521916

Claim:
A connection scheme from a host to multiple memory devices via an optical link comprising: a host, comprising a transmitting end for transmitting commands and a receiving end for receiving commands; two or more optical couplers, wherein a first optical coupler has a third branch that is optically linked to said receiving end of said host and a fourth branch that is optically linked to a second branch of a second optical coupler, wherein said second optical coupler also has a first branch that is optically linked to said transmitting end of said host; two or more input/output (IO) controllers, each comprising a transmission end and a receiving end, wherein said transmission end of said first IO controller is optically linked to a first branch of said first optical coupler, said transmission end of said second IO controller is optically linked to a second branch of said first optical coupler, said receiving end of said first IO controller is optically linked to a third branch of said second optical coupler, and said receiving end of said second IO controller is optically linked to a fourth branch of said second optical coupler; and two or more memory devices each connected to one of said IO controllers via an input and an output, wherein said IO controllers, in accordance with at least one of a read command and a write command given from said transmission end of said host, perform selective transitions between active mode and snoop mode, and between snoop mode and recovery mode.