Storage Control Module SAS Address Invocation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing bus technology for storage control devices is complex and inflexible, making it difficult to modify the bus address, leading to potential operator errors and inefficiencies in managing hard disk drives.
Innovation Solution
A storage control device comprising a storage control module and a memory module with separate address and firmware memory areas, allowing the storage control module to invoke a first SAS address independently of a second SAS address stored in the configuration file, enabling flexible and error-reduced bus address modification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bus address is burned into the storage control device with the configuration file during manufacturing, then the address is fixed and reliable, but the modification process becomes complex and difficult to execute
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the address storage from the configuration file by introducing a separate address register that stores the bus address independently. This allows the address to be modified without changing the configuration file structure, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining address stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an address register as an intermediary component between the configuration file and the bus interface. This intermediary allows the address to be invoked dynamically from the configuration file without being permanently burned into the device, reducing modification complexity while preserving reliability.
2Ease of operation
If the configuration file contains the bus address, then the address can be read during operation, but the address cannot be separately changed without opening the server case
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the address dynamic by allowing it to be invoked from the configuration file during runtime rather than being fixed at manufacturing. The address register can be updated with new address values, enabling flexible address changes without physical access to the device internals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the address from the immutable configuration file structure and places it in a separate, modifiable address register. This extraction allows the address to be changed independently of the configuration file, improving adaptability while maintaining ease of operation through standard access methods.
3Manufacturing precision
If the address is burned into the device during manufacturing, then the address assignment is fixed, but errors cannot be corrected easily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables parameter changes by allowing the address value in the address register to be modified after manufacturing. This maintains the precision of the original address assignment while providing the flexibility to correct errors by simply updating the register value through standard interfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage control device comprises storage control and memory modules coupled with each other. The memory module keeps a first Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) address. In one embodiment the memory module further keeps a firmware which the storage control module executes to invoke the first SAS address to facilitate data communication. To invoke the first SAS address, in one embodiment the storage control module fetches a bit string from the memory module. The bit string is written into a data structure that is returned to the storage control module when it is determined that the bit string is a SAS address. In one embodiment the memory module further keeps a configuration file which the storage control module invokes to operate. The configuration file comprises a second SAS address, which is not invoked by the storage control module unless the bit string is not a SAS address.