Patents Assigned to Liqid Inc.
  • Publication number: 20200073841
    Abstract: Various computer peripheral cards, devices, systems, methods, and software are provided herein. In one example, a storage apparatus includes a plurality of storage device connectors in a stacked arrangement, each configured to mate with associated storage devices and carry Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) signaling for the associated storage devices. The storage apparatus also includes a PCIe switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the PCIe signaling of the plurality of storage device connectors and PCIe signaling of a host connector of the storage apparatus, where the PCIe switch circuit is configured to receive storage operations over the PCIe signaling of the host connector of the storage apparatus and transfer the storage operations for delivery over the PCIe signaling of selected ones of the plurality of storage device connectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata, Jason Breakstone
  • Publication number: 20200045843
    Abstract: A storage card insertable into a host system is provided that includes a plurality of storage devices connectors. The storage card include slot offset features to offset a circuit board of the storage card from a host system slot alignment. This offset provides for storage device connector placement on both sides of the storage card. The storage card also can include a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the PCIe signaling of the plurality of storage device connectors and PCIe signaling of a host connector of the storage card, where the PCIe switch circuit is configured to receive storage operations over the PCIe signaling of the host connector of the storage card and transfer the storage operations for delivery over the PCIe signaling of selected ones of the plurality of storage device connectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan Schramm, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Brenden Michael Rust, Christopher R. Long, Sumit Puri
  • Patent number: 10540185
    Abstract: Disaggregated computing architectures, platforms, and systems are provided herein. In one example, a method of operating a data processing system is provided. The method includes instructing a PCIe fabric communicatively coupling a plurality of physical computing components including one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more storage modules and one or more PCIe switches to establish a first PCIe communication path between the management processor and a storage module of the one or more storage modules. The method also includes storing at least an operating system to the storage module using the first PCIe communication path and instructing the PCIe fabric to remove the first PCIe communication path between the management processor and the storage module. Moreover, the method includes instructing the PCIe fabric to establish a second PCIe communication path between a CPU of the one or more CPUs and the storage module comprising the operating system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Henry Lee Harris, James Scott Cannata
  • Publication number: 20200004302
    Abstract: A data storage sled is provided. The data storage sled includes a circuit card assembly comprising a plurality of drive connectors for coupling to drive module modules and a host connector for coupling the data storage sled to an external connector, wherein at least a portion of the drive connectors are configured to mount a set of drive modules aligned lengthwise along the circuit card assembly. The data storage sled also includes drive module mounting assembles configured to hold individual ones of the drive modules into associated drive connectors by at least including mounting features to accommodate lengths of the individual ones of the drive modules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Brenden Michael Rust, Seth Walsh, Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long
  • Publication number: 20190391951
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and architectures for storage interposers are provided herein. In one example, an apparatus includes a host connector configured to couple to one or more host systems over associated host Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interfaces, and PCIe switch circuitry configured to receive storage operations over the host connector that are issued by the one or more host systems. The PCIe switch circuitry is configured to monitor when ones of the storage operations correspond to an address range and responsively indicate the ones of the storage operations to a control module. The control module is configured to selectively direct delivery of the ones of the storage operations to corresponding storage areas among one or more storage devices based at least on addressing information monitored for the ones of the storage operations in the PCIe switch circuitry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher R. Long, Phillip Clark, Jason Breakstone, Huiji Wang, Sumit Puri
  • Patent number: 10503618
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for data storage systems are provided herein. In one example, a data storage system is provided that includes a plurality of storage drives each comprising a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interface, and configured to store data and retrieve the data stored on associated storage media responsive to storage operations. The data storage system includes one or more processing modules comprising one or more processors communicatively coupled to the plurality of storage drives over a PCIe fabric comprised of one or more PCIe switches. The processors are configured to share a PCIe address space associated with the PCIe fabric for transfer of the storage operations to appropriate ones of the processors that manage ones of the plurality of storage drives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
  • Patent number: 10496504
    Abstract: Data storage systems are provided that include network interfaces each configured to receive storage operations issued by one or more host systems for handling by the data storage system, and transfer the storage operations over a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) fabric. The data storage systems also include processors configured to receive the storage operations over the PCIe fabric, process properties of the storage operations against allocation information of a shared PCIe address space to determine target processors to handle the storage operations, and selectively transfer ones of the storage operations to the target processors for handling of the storage operations with associated storage drives coupled over the PCIe fabric. The data storage systems also identifie failed ones of the processors and responsively initiate backup ones of the processors to handle portions of the shared PCIe address space handled by the failed ones of the processors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
  • Patent number: 10474608
    Abstract: Various computer peripheral cards, devices, systems, methods, and software are provided herein. In one example, a storage card insertable into a host system includes a plurality of storage device connectors in a stacked arrangement, each configured to mate with associated storage devices and carry Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) signaling for the associated storage devices. The storage card also includes a PCIe switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the PCIe signaling of the plurality of storage device connectors and PCIe signaling of a host connector of the storage card, where the PCIe switch circuit is configured to receive storage operations over the PCIe signaling of the host connector of the storage card and transfer the storage operations for delivery over the PCIe signaling of selected ones of the plurality of storage device connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
  • Patent number: 10467166
    Abstract: Various computer peripheral cards, devices, systems, methods, and software are provided herein. In one example, a storage card insertable into a connector of a host system includes a plurality of M.2 device connectors in a stacked arrangement comprising a first horizontal row of one or more M.2 device connectors positioned vertically higher in the stacked arrangement than a second horizontal row of one or more M.2 device connectors, the plurality of M.2 device connectors each configured to mate with associated M.2 devices. The storage card also includes a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the plurality of M.2 device connectors and a connector of the storage card, wherein the PCIe switch circuit is configured to receive storage operations over the connector of the storage card and transfer the storage operations for delivery to ones of the plurality of M.2 device connectors over associated PCIe interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
  • Patent number: 10423547
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for data storage systems are provided herein. In one example, a data storage platform includes data storage assemblies each comprising one or more storage drives that service data storage operations over associated storage interfaces. A control processor is coupled to ones of the data storage assemblies over at least two types of sideband communication interfaces different than the storage interfaces of the storage drives. During an initialization process for the one or more storage drives, the control processor configured to transfer initialization data to each of the data storage assemblies over a first type of sideband communication interface and transfer further initialization data to at least one of the data storage assemblies over a second type of sideband communication interface when the at least one of the data storage assemblies does not respond to the initialization data over the first type of sideband communication interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher R. Long, Jason Breakstone
  • Patent number: 10416731
    Abstract: A data storage sled is provided. The data storage sled includes a circuit card assembly comprising connectors for coupling to drive modules and a host connector for coupling the data storage sled to an external connector, an enclosure comprising apertures in the enclosure through which individual ones of the drive modules can be inserted into an associated connector on the circuit card assembly. The data storage sled also includes drive module mounting assembles configured to hold the individual ones of the drive modules into the associated connector by at least including movable mounting features to accommodate varying lengths among the individual ones of the drive modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Brenden Michael Rust, Seth Walsh, Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long
  • Patent number: 10402363
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and architectures for storage interposers are provided herein. In one example, a storage interposer module includes Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) switch circuitry receives storage operations over a host connector that are issued by one or more host systems and transfers the storage operations for storage by one or more storage devices over drive PCIe interfaces. The storage interposer module also includes a control module configured to monitor the storage operations in the PCIe switch circuitry via a control interface coupled between the PCIe switch circuitry and the interposer control module, and selectively direct delivery of each of the storage operations to corresponding storage areas among the one or more storage devices based at least on information monitored about the storage operations in the PCIe switch circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher R. Long, Phillip Clark, Jason Breakstone, Huiji Wang, Sumit Puri
  • Patent number: 10402197
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for data systems are provided herein. In one example, a data system is presented. The system includes a processing system configured to execute an operating system that comprises a network module for handling data frames directed to a plurality of kernel threads and received over one or more network interfaces of the data system. The network module is configured to establish a plurality of data buffers individually associated with the kernel threads, store associated ones of the data frames for the kernel threads in the data buffers as the data frames are processed through a network stack of the data system, and maintain data exclusivity locks for the plurality of data buffers and individually associate the data exclusivity locks with the kernel threads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventor: James Scott Cannata
  • Publication number: 20190236044
    Abstract: Enhanced data storage devices in various form factors are discussed herein. In one example, a storage drive includes a 2.5-inch form factor chassis that structurally supports elements of the storage drive, and at least one host connector. The storage drive also includes a plurality of M.2 storage device connectors, and a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) switch circuit configured to receive storage operations over the at least one host connector and transfer the storage operations for delivery to ones of the plurality of M.2 storage device connectors over associated device PCIe interfaces. The storage drive also includes power circuitry configured to provide holdup power to ones of the plurality of M.2 storage device connectors after loss of input power over the at least one host connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Brenden Michael Rust, Christopher R. Long, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Sumit Puri, Bryan Schramm, Seth Walsh, Jason Breakstone
  • Patent number: 10362107
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for data storage systems are provided herein. In one example, a data storage system is provided that includes processing systems configured to receive storage operations for storage drives coupled over a communication fabric. The data storage system includes a control processor configured to establish a timer synchronization signal and distribute the timer synchronization signal to the processing systems. Each of the processing systems is configured to assign timestamps to received storage operations based on a timestamp counter synchronized among the processing systems using the timer synchronization signal. The processing systems are configured to order committing of the storage operations to the storage drives based at least on the timestamps associated with the storage operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata, Phillip Clark
  • Publication number: 20190179555
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for data storage systems are provided herein. In one example, a data storage system is provided that includes a processor and a network interface having a tunneled network connection established with another network interface associated with another processor. The processor is configured to receive one or more packets indicating the network interface as a network destination and comprising a storage operation, and inspect at least a storage address included in a header of the one or more packets to determine that the storage operation corresponds to a storage drive managed by the other processor. The processor is configured to establish one or more further packets comprising the storage operation and having a header modified from the one or more packets to indicate a network address of the other network interface, and transfer the one or more further packets for delivery to the other network interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: James Scott Cannata, Jason Breakstone
  • Publication number: 20190171395
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for data storage systems are provided herein. In one example, a data storage apparatus includes a processor configured to assign service levels in a queue for handling storage operations directed to one or more data storage drives. The processor can pre-allocate resources in the queue for selected ones of the service levels before ones of the storage operations associated with the selected ones of the service levels are received by the processor. The processor receives the storage operations, and based at least on the service levels, services the storage operations from the queue with the one or more data storage drives.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Phillip Clark, James Scott Cannata, Jason Breakstone
  • Publication number: 20190155519
    Abstract: A data storage device is presented that includes a plurality of storage drives each comprising an associated drive Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interface. The data storage device also includes a control system configured to receive, over a host PCIe link, write operations for storage of data by the data storage device. The control system is configured to process the write operations against storage allocation information to apportion the data for storage among more than one of the storage drives, and transfer corresponding portions of the data to associated storage drives over corresponding drive PCIe interfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Alok Gupta, Himanshu Desai, Angelo Campos
  • Publication number: 20190146942
    Abstract: Disaggregated computing architectures, platforms, and systems are provided herein. In one example, a method of operating a data system is provided. The method includes initiating an isolation function in a communication fabric to form a peer arrangement between graphics processing units (GPUs) coupled to the communication fabric. The isolation function isolates a first address domain associated with the GPUs from at least a second address domain associated with the host by at least establishing synthetic devices representing the GPUs in the second address domain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: German Kazakov, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata, Jason Breakstone
  • Publication number: 20190146889
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for computing systems are provided herein. In one example, a computing system includes a first processor configured to establish a network connection with a target system, and transfer to a second processor information describing the network connection comprising a network address and a network port. The computing system includes the second processor configured to identify when the first processor has failed, and responsively inherit the network connection with the target system based at least on the information describing the network connection and packet sequence information received from the target system to resume packet acknowledge or sequence counts established between the first processor and the target system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: James Scott Cannata, Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long