Fibre channel data storage system fail-over mechanism
US6571355B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 29, 1999 |
| Grant date | May 27, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 29, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L12/437
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A fibre channel system having a plurality of disk drives. Each one of the disk drives has a pair of redundant ports. A pair of sources of data is provided. The system includes a pair of fibre channel port by-pass cards. Each one of the cards has an input/output port connected to a corresponding one of the sources of data. Each one of the port by-pass cards provides a fiber channel loop between the input/output port thereof and a corresponding one of the pair of ports of a one, or ones, of the disk drives selectively in accordance with a control signal fed to such port by-pass card by the one of the pair of sources coupled to the input/output port thereof. Each one of the port by-pass cards has a fail-over controller and a switch, such switch being coupled to the input/output port of such one of the port by-pass cards. Each one of the fail-over controllers produces a control signal from the source coupled thereto indicating a fault in the other one of the sources. The control signal activates the switch in the port by-pass card coupled to said other one of the sources to de-coupled such other one of the sources from the disk drives.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.