Richard C Byrne

US Patent:

7526606, Apr 28, 2009

Filed:

Sep 8, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/518543

Inventors:

Richard J. Byrne - Hillsborough NJ, US
Silvester Tjandra - Singapore, SG
Eu Gene Goh - Singapore, SG

Assignee:

Agere Systems, Inc. - Allentown PA

International Classification:

G06F 12/00

US Classification:

711114, 711158, 711170, 711202, 709214, 709251, 714 6

Abstract:

Various apparatus and methods for controlling data for a redundant array of inexpensive/independent disks (RAID) are presented. For example, in one illustrative embodiment, a controlling apparatus can include a translation device capable of reading data from a plurality of N disks, wherein the data of the N disks has a format consisting of a sequence of block stripes with each block containing one or more sector stripes, and wherein each sector stripe is formatted such that N−1 of the sectors contain contiguous target data and the remaining sector contains parity data for the other N−1 target data sectors.

US Patent:

7610507, Oct 27, 2009

Filed:

Sep 8, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/518544

Inventors:

Richard J. Byrne - Hillsborough NJ, US
Silvester Tjandra - Singapore, SG
Eu Gene Goh - Singapore, SG

Assignee:

Agere Systems Inc. - Allentown PA

International Classification:

G06F 11/00

US Classification:

714 6

Abstract:

Various apparatus and methods for controlling data for a redundant array of inexpensive/independent disks (RAID) are presented. For example, in one illustrative embodiment, a controlling apparatus can include a translation device composed substantially entirely of gate-level electronic hardware, wherein the translation device includes a sector sequencer capable of arranging sector units of target data and parity data on a plurality of N disks as a function of block location.

US Patent:

7644303, Jan 5, 2010

Filed:

Oct 6, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/544445

Inventors:

Richard J. Byrne - Hillsborough NJ, US
Eu Gene Goh - Singapore, SG
Nevin C. Heintze - Bethlehem PA, US
Nigamanth Lakshminarayana - Bangalore, IN
Jesse Thilo - Saylorsburg PA, US
Silvester Tjandra - Singapore, SG

Assignee:

Agere Systems Inc. - Allentown PA

International Classification:

G06F 11/00

US Classification:

714 6

Abstract:

In one embodiment, a method for reading data from a storage-device array including three or more storage devices. The array has a plurality of sector levels, each sector level containing one sector on each storage device in the array at corresponding addresses across the storage devices. Each sector level includes (i) parity data stored on a first storage device and (ii) information stored on the two or more remaining storage devices. The parity data for a current sector level is generated from the information stored at the current sector level on the remaining storage devices. The method includes: (a) generating an instruction for reading (i) the parity data from the first storage device at the current sector level and (ii) the information from the remaining storage devices at the current sector level; (b) receiving an indicator indicating whether one of the remaining storage devices is a degraded storage device; (c) if the indicator does not indicate a degraded storage device, then providing as output the information read from the remaining storage devices at the current sector level; and (d) if the indicator does indicate a degraded storage device, then: (d1) reconstructing information previously stored on the degraded storage device at the current sector level based on (i) the parity data read from the first storage device at the current sector level, and (ii) the information read from each remaining non-degraded storage device at the current sector level; and (d2) providing as output (i) the information read from the one or more non-degraded storage devices at the current sector level and (ii) the reconstructed information.

US Patent:

7653783, Jan 26, 2010

Filed:

Oct 6, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/544456

Inventors:

Richard J. Byrne - Hillsborough NJ, US
Eu Gene Goh - Singapore, SG
Silvester Tjandra - Singapore, SG

Assignee:

Agere Systems Inc. - Allentown PA

International Classification:

G06F 12/00
G06F 11/00
G06F 3/00

US Classification:

711114, 710 52, 714 6, 711E12035, 711E12082

Abstract:

In one embodiment, an apparatus for reading from a physical storage-device array including a plurality of storage devices. The physical storage-device array has a plurality of sector levels, each sector level containing one sector on each storage device in the array at corresponding addresses on across the storage devices. The apparatus includes: (1) a memory adapted to store two or more profiles, each profile defining (i) a virtual array associated with a selected set of the storage devices and (ii) one or more parameters used for accessing information from the virtual array; (2) a buffer (i) having a first portion and a second portion and (ii) coupled to receive data from the storage devices; and (3) a state machine (i) coupled to the buffer and the memory and (ii) adapted to generate two or more successive pairs of instructions. The first instruction of each pair of instructions (i) is based on one or more parameters of a first profile and (ii) is an instruction to read, into the first portion of the buffer, one sector of data from each storage device of a first virtual array; and the second instruction of each pair of instructions (i) is based on one or more parameters of a second profile and (ii) is an instruction to read, into the second portion of the buffer, one sector of data from each storage device of a second virtual array.

US Patent:

7769948, Aug 3, 2010

Filed:

Oct 6, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/544442

Inventors:

Richard J. Byrne - Hillsborough NJ, US
Eu Gene Goh - Singapore, SG
Jesse Thilo - Saylorsburg PA, US
Silvester Tjandra - Singapore, SG

Assignee:

Agere Systems Inc. - Allentown PA

International Classification:

G06F 12/00

US Classification:

711114, 711E12016

Abstract:

In one embodiment, a method for accessing a physical storage-device array comprising a plurality of storage devices. The method includes (1) obtaining at least one parameter from a profile selected from two or more profiles concurrently defining two or more virtual arrays, each profile defining (i) a different virtual array associated with a corresponding set of storage devices and (ii) a parameter set of one or more parameters used for accessing the virtual array; and (2) generating an instruction, based on the at least one parameter, for accessing information to the virtual array defined by the selected profile.

US Patent:

7840756, Nov 23, 2010

Filed:

Oct 31, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/982262

Inventors:

Richard Joseph Byrne - Hillsborough NJ, US

Assignee:

Agere Systems Inc. - Allentown PA

International Classification:

G06F 12/16

US Classification:

711114, 711163, 711165

Abstract:

An improved RAID storage system adapted to selectively and automatically store the same data “in tandem” using two different storage profiles. In one embodiment, a first store operation occurs in accordance with first storage profile and, if a flag in the first storage profile is set, a second store operation automatically occurs in accordance with a second storage profile but with the same data as stored in the first store operation. The first and second storage profiles are stored sequentially in profile registers within a controller in the storage system. To speed the tandem operation, the data may be held in a re-readable FIFO buffer in the controller. The buffer is sized to hold the minimum size of data that can be stored to the physical disks in the storage system. Preferably, the size of the buffer is substantially equal to the minimum size.

US Patent:

7861036, Dec 28, 2010

Filed:

Sep 18, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/857024

Inventors:

Richard J. Byrne - Hillsborough NJ, US
Eu Gene Goh - Singapore, SG
Zhi Ping He - Shanghai, CN
Nevin C. Heintze - Sunnyvale CA, US
Yun Peng - Shanghai, CN
Silvester Tjandra - Singapore, SG
Xing Zhao - Shanghai, CN

Assignee:

Agere Systems Inc. - Allentown PA

International Classification:

G06F 12/00

US Classification:

711114

Abstract:

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for accessing a physical storage-device array comprising a plurality of storage devices. The method includes (1) obtaining at least one parameter from a profile selected from two or more profiles concurrently defining two or more virtual arrays, each profile defining (i) a different virtual array associated with a corresponding set of storage devices and (ii) a parameter set of one or more parameters used for accessing the virtual array; and (2) generating an instruction, based on the at least one parameter, for accessing, or disallowing access to, information in the virtual array defined by the selected profile, wherein a parameter in each the parameter set defined by each profile indicates whether two or more storage devices in the corresponding virtual array are degraded.

US Patent:

8001417, Aug 16, 2011

Filed:

Dec 30, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/967248

Inventors:

Richard J. Byrne - Hillsborough NJ, US
Thomas Klucsarits - Northampton PA, US
Nevin C. Heintze - Sunnyvale CA, US
Ambalavanar Arulambalam - Macungie PA, US
Michael J. Hunter - Mertztown PA, US
Xing Zhao - Shanghai, CN
Zhi Ping He - Shanghai, CN
Yun Peng - Shanghai, CN
Qian Gao Xu - Shanghai, CN
Eu Gene Goh - Singapore, SG
Silvester Tjandra - Singapore, SG

Assignee:

Agere Systems Inc. - Allentown PA

International Classification:

G06F 11/00

US Classification:

714 613, 714 51, 714 611

Abstract:

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for repairing a defective storage device in a physical storage-device array having a plurality of storage devices. The method comprises the steps of identifying a disk error associated with the defective storage device; effecting an error recovery pause based on the disk error; processing one or more outstanding data storage or retrieval requests; and generating a new data storage request instructing the physical disk device array having the defective storage device to store valid data associated with the data storage or retrieval request corresponding to the disk device error, whereby the defective storage device is repaired.