SATA to SAS Frame Translation for Bandwidth Optimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing SATA tunneling protocol through SAS fabric consumes significant bandwidth due to handshake and keep-alive communications, reducing the number of devices that can communicate in parallel and the speed of the SAS fabric, and fails to utilize performance-enhancing features of the SAS protocol.

Innovation Solution

The method involves translating SATA information into SAS-like frames and transmitting it using the Serial SCSI Protocol (SSP), eliminating the need for shadow registers and STP-specific primitives, and only transmitting essential protocol elements within SAS frames, thereby reducing bandwidth consumption and enabling concurrent communication with more SATA drives.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If SATA protocol is tunneled through SAS fabric using STP, then SATA devices can communicate over SAS fabric, but bandwidth is significantly consumed by handshake and keep alive communications

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveSATA device compatibilityVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary handshake and keep-alive communications from the SATA tunneling protocol, transmitting only essential protocol elements over the SAS fabric. This removes the bandwidth-consuming overhead while preserving core SATA functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a protocol translation layer that acts as an intermediary, converting SATA protocol elements into optimized SAS-like frames. This mediator translates and transmits only essential information, reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining compatibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If SATA protocol is tunneled through SAS fabric, then SATA devices can be connected, but the number of devices that can communicate in parallel is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveSATA device connectivityVSAvoidparallel communication capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

By extracting and removing redundant handshake and keep-alive communications from each SATA transaction, the patent frees up bandwidth resources on the SAS fabric, enabling more devices to communicate in parallel simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the communication parameters by transmitting only essential protocol elements rather than full SATA protocol sequences, reducing the time and bandwidth required per transaction and increasing overall parallel communication capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If SATA protocol is tunneled through SAS fabric, then SATA devices can communicate, but the speed of SAS fabric is reduced to the maximum speed of SATA drive

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveSATA protocol supportVSAvoidSAS fabric transmission speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes unnecessary protocol overhead and handshake communications that slow down transmission, allowing data to be transmitted at full SAS fabric speeds without being constrained by SATA protocol timing requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the transmission parameters by using optimized SAS-like frames instead of traditional SATA tunneling frames, enabling faster transmission speeds that match the SAS fabric's native performance capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Adaptability or versatility

If SATA protocol is tunneled through SAS fabric using STP, then SATA communication is enabled, but performance-enhancing features of SAS protocol are not utilized

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveSATA protocol encapsulationVSAvoidprotocol performance optimization

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the communication system universal by enabling SATA devices to utilize SAS fabric performance features through protocol translation. The optimized frame format allows SAS performance-enhancing features to be applied while maintaining SATA device compatibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the protocol parameters and structure to be compatible with SAS performance optimizations, transmitting essential SATA information in an optimized format that leverages SAS fabric capabilities for improved throughput and efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10019405B2Apparatus and method for transmitting serial ATA information

Publication Date: 2018.07.10 MICROSEMI SOLUTIONS US INC

AI summary

A method and system are provided for transmitting SATA (serial advanced technology attachment) information. In an implementation, SATA commands are passed to an expander, rather than SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) commands. In an example implementation, SATA protocol elements are encapsulated into SAS (Serial Attached SCSI)-like frames and transmitted using the SSP (Serial SCSI protocol) and using SSP hardware.