Patent ID: 6988152

Claim:
A data storage system wherein end-user data is transferred between a host computer and a bank of disk drives through an interface, such interface, comprising: a memory; a plurality of directors, at least one front-end one of the directors being in communication with the host computer and at least one rear-end one of the directors being in communication with the bank of disk drives, each one of the directors comprising: a central processing unit; an interface state data bus section, for carrying interface state data, such interface state data bus section being in communication with both: (a) the at least one front-end one and the at least one rear-end one of the directors; and (b) the memory; a plurality of end-user data busses, for carrying end-user data, each one of the plurality of end-user data busses having a first end coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of directors and a second end coupled to the memory; and wherein the central processing units of such plurality of directors control the end-user data transfer between the host computer and the bank of disk drives through the memory via the end-user data busses in response to interface state data generated by the directors, such generated interface state data being transferred among the directors via the interface state data bus section.