Patent ID: 7480765

Claim:
A disk array system connectable to a host computer via an external network which is external of said disk array system, said disk array comprising: a controller receiving data from said host computer via said external network and controlling read/write of data; a plurality of communication paths coupled to the controller and being used to relay data within said disk array system by control of the controller via a Fibre Channel (FC) interface, wherein said communication paths are different from said external network; two or more first disk drives coupled to a first communication path of the communication paths and receiving/transferring data via the FC interface on said first communication path and being controlled to read/write said data received via the FC interface under control by said contoller, wherein said first communication path conducts receiving/transferring of data at a first communication speed; and two or more second disk drives coupled to a second communication path of the communication paths and receiving/transferring data via the FC interface on said second communication path and being controlled to read/write said data received via the FC interface under control by said controller, wherein said second communication path conducts receiving/transferring of data at a second communication speed, wherein the first communication speed is different from the second communication speed.