Disclosed is a disk array system that can be expanded effectively in scale by increasing the number of input/output channels and disk adapters and improved in such performance as the number of input/output operations per second, data transfer rate. The disk array system is provided with input/output channels to be coupled to a host computer, cache memories coupled to each of input/output channels respectively and used to store input/output data temporarily, disk drives, disk adapters coupled to ...

Disclosed is a disk array system that can be expanded effectively in scale by increasing the number of input/output channels and disk adapters and improved in such performance as the number of input/output operations per second, data transfer rate. The disk array system is provided with input/output channels to be coupled to a host computer, cache memories coupled to each of input/output channels respectively and used to store input/output data temporarily, disk drives, disk adapters coupled to ...

In multiprocessor machines and chip multiprocessor systems in particular, the object of the present invention is to reduce data communication between the LSI chip and external components and to avoid restrictions in communication volume resulting from the LSI pin count. Sets in tag and data blocks of a shared cache include a shared bit S. When data is replaced for a cache miss, the contents of the shared bit S are checked and the side with the shared bit S set to 0 in the tag and data block is s...

A storage system having disk drives, a first and a second cache memory for temporarily storing data sent from a host system so as to be written in the disk drives and a duplicate of the data, a first FIFO buffer for temporality storing the duplicate data in order to transfer the duplicate data from the first cache memory to the second cache memory, and a second FIFO buffer for temporality storing the duplicate data in order to transfer the duplicate data from the second cache memory to the first...

A storage system is arranged to speed up the operation and easily duplicate data without the capacity of the cache memory being so large even if lots of host computers are connected with the storage system. This storage system includes channel adapters, disk drives, disk adapters, and network switches. Further, the front side cache memories connected with the channel adapters and the back side cache memories connected with the disk adapters are provided as two layered cache system. When a reques...

A storage system coupled to host computers, includes: a plurality of disk drives; a plurality of processors, each controlling data reception and data transmission between the host computers and the disk drives; a shared memory for storing control information; and a plurality of shared memory control units provided for a plurality of the processors, respectively for controlling access to the shared memory from the processors. The processor transmits a plurality of first requests to the shared mem...

A storage includes: host interface units; file control processors which receives a file input/output request and translates the file input/output request into a data input/output request; file control memories which store translation control data; groups of disk drives; disk control processors; disk interface units which connect the groups of disk drives and the disk control processors; cache memories; and inter-processor communication units. The storage logically partitions these devices to cau...

A storage system using flash memories includes a storage controller and plural flash memory modules as storage media. Each flash memory module includes at least one flash memory chip and a memory controller for leveling erase counts of blocks belonging to the flash memory chip. The storage controller combines the plural flash memory modules into a first logical group, translates a first address used for accessing the flash memory modules belonging to the first logical group to a second address u...

The present invention provides a storage system capable of having a large-scale configuration for maintaining a write access response speed and reliability upon an occurrence of a failed cache and its control method. Plural clusters that control a disk drive connected thereto and have a cache memory are connected to one another through a cross coupling network, and write data in the cache memory of another cluster is mutually made redundant in the cache memories in two clusters that jointly use ...

A storage includes: host interface units; file control processors which receives a file input/output request and translates the file input/output request into a data input/output request; file control memories which store translation control data; groups of disk drives; disk control processors; disk interface units which connect the groups of disk drives and the disk control processors; cache memories; and inter-processor communication units. The storage logically partitions these devices to cau...