Patent ID: 8032700

Claim:
A data storage system for storing and retrieving computer data using at least one logical address without intervention from an external host, the data storage system comprising: an IO processor for controlling data input or output of the data storage system; a disk drive for storing a first block of data, the first block of data comprising data transferred from the external host and control data for the IO processor, the disk drive associated with a disk drive address; a flash memory means that includes at least one flash memory that is disposed to store a second block of data, the second block of data comprising data transferred from the external host, a cached portion of data stored in the disk drive and control data for the IO processor, the flash memory associated with a flash address; and a LBA-Flash-HDD table that includes a first portion disposed to map a logical address to the flash address and a second portion disposed to map the logical address with the disk drive address, the LBA-Flash-HDD table for enabling the IO processor to perform a memory operation on the flash memory, the disk drive, or both without intervention by the external host; wherein the FAST memory means comprises: SDRAM memory means for storing one or more block of data, the data comprising the data transferred from the external host, the cached portion of data stored in the flash memory means and the control data for the IO processor; SRAM memory means comprising one or more SRAM for storing the one or more block of data, the data comprising the control data for the IO processor means; wherein the LBA_FAST table is stored in the SDRAM memory means and cached in the SRAM memory means; wherein the LBA-Flash-HDD table is stored in the flash memory means and cached in the FAST memory means wherein a first cached portion is stored in the SRAM memory means and a second cached portion containing the remainder of the LBA-Flash-HDD table is stored in the SDRAM memory means; and wherein a back-up copy of the LBA-Flash-HDD table is stored in the disk drive.