Patents Represented by Attorney Richard A. Holland & Hart LLP Bachard, Esq.
  • Patent number: 5831393
    Abstract: A redundant array computer system having a high-speed CPU bus and lower-speed I/O buses, in which parity blocks are generated for a plurality of data blocks from multiple CPU bus logical channels in a randomly-interleaved manner to provide enhanced I/O transfer rates. For example, such a system may have two channels for processing two sets of data. The parity generation technique employs switching means to switch channels on the CPU bus between the first set and the second set, generating parity information that can be transferred independently over two I/O buses. The parity generation technique achieves an effective I/O bus transfer rate more closely matched to the speed of the CPU bus. The invention shares a single XOR gate and related support circuitry between multiple logical channels by providing a configurable electronic memory, thus achieving economies in implementation. For certain system applications, it may be desirable to utilize the RAM as a large, unified FIFO.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald Lee Hohenstein, Michael E. Nielson, Tin S. Tang, Richard D. Carmichael, William A. Brant