Patents by Inventor Christopher R. Long

Christopher R. Long has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • 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
  • 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: 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
  • Patent number: 10255215
    Abstract: Enhanced data storage devices in various form factors are discussed herein. In one example, a storage drive includes a plurality of storage devices configured to store and retrieve data responsive to operations received over Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interfaces, a PCIe switch circuit communicatively coupled to the PCIe interfaces of the storage devices and configured to receive over a host connector the operations issued by a host system and transfer the storage operations for ones of the storage devices over associated ones of the PCIe interfaces. The storage drive includes holdup circuitry configured to provide holdup power the storage devices. The storage drive includes a first circuit board assembly comprising three storage device connectors that couple to corresponding storage devices, and a second circuit board assembly comprising a further storage device connector that couples to a further storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Brenden Michael Rust, Christopher R. Long, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Sumit Puri, Bryan Schramm, Seth Walsh
  • Patent number: 10223315
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for data storage systems are provided herein. In one example, a data storage system is provided that includes storage drives each comprising a PCIe interface, and configured to store data and retrieve the data stored on associated storage media responsive to data transactions received over a switched PCIe fabric. The data storage system includes processors configured to each manage only an associated subset of the storage drives over the switched PCIe fabric. A first processor is configured to identify first data packets received over a network interface associated with the first processor within a network buffer of the first processor as comprising a storage operation associated with at least one of the plurality of storage drives managed by a second processor, and responsively transfer the first data packets into a network buffer of the second processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
  • Patent number: 10206297
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for data systems are provided herein. In one example, a meshed computing architecture is presented that includes a midplane comprising PCIe interconnect, storage modules configured to couple to a first portion of the PCIe interconnect, controller modules configured to couple to a second portion of the PCIe interconnect, and fabric modules configured to couple to a third portion of the PCIe interconnect. The first portion of the PCIe interconnect communicatively couples each of the storage modules to each of the controller modules and each of the fabric modules, the second portion of the PCIe interconnect communicatively couples each of the controller modules to each of the fabric modules, and third portion of the PCIe interconnect communicatively couples the controller modules to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Andrew R. Heyd, Seth Walsh, Christopher R. Long, Michael D. Harrington
  • Patent number: 10180924
    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 communicatively coupling graphics processing units (GPUs) over a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) fabric. The method also includes establishing a peer-to-peer arrangement between the GPUs over the PCIe fabric by at least providing an isolation function in the PCIe fabric configured to isolate a device PCIe address domain associated with the GPUs from at least a local PCIe address domain associated with a host processor that initiates the peer-to-peer arrangement between the GPUs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, German Kazakov, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
  • Patent number: 10180889
    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 first processor configured to establish a network connection with an external system, and receive first storage operations transferred by the external system over the network connection, the first storage operations related to storage and retrieval of data on at least one storage drive. The first processor is configured to transfer information describing the network connection for delivery to at least a second processor. The second processor is configured to identify when the first processor has failed, responsively establish the network connection with the external system based at least on the information describing the network connection, and receive second storage operations transferred by the external system over the network connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: James Scott Cannata, Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long
  • Publication number: 20180322082
    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 communicatively coupling graphics processing units (GPUs) over a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) fabric. The method also includes establishing a peer-to-peer arrangement between the GPUs over the PCIe fabric by at least providing an isolation function in the PCIe fabric configured to isolate a device PCIe address domain associated with the GPUs from at least a local PCIe address domain associated with a host processor that initiates the peer-to-peer arrangement between the GPUs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, German Kazakov, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
  • Publication number: 20180322081
    Abstract: Disaggregated computing architectures, platforms, and systems are provided herein. In one example, a data system is provided. The data system includes a first assembly comprising a plurality of modular storage bays populated with one or more graphics processing modules each including a graphics processing unit (GPU), wherein the plurality of modular storage bays each comprise a bay connector that includes a bay Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) connection. The first assembly further comprises PCIe switch circuitry configured to communicatively couple the bay PCIe connections to a PCIe fabric over one or more external PCIe links.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long, German Kazakov, James Scott Cannata
  • Publication number: 20180314654
    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: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher R. Long, Jason Breakstone
  • Publication number: 20180314667
    Abstract: A connectivity card insertable into a connector of a host system is provided. The connectivity card includes a plurality of Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) connectors configured to provide external PCIe ports on the connectivity card, each of the plurality of PCIe connectors capable of carrying PCIe traffic. The connectivity card also includes a PCIe switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the plurality of connectors to a shared connectivity interface carried over a host connector of the connectivity card. The connectivity card further includes control circuitry configured to monitor for connectivity issues that arise with regard to the plurality of PCIe connectors, and responsively mitigate the connectivity issues by at least reconfiguring a communication pathway in the PCIe switch circuit for at least a portion of the PCIe traffic affected by the connectivity issues.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher R. Long, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, James Scott Cannata, Sumit Puri, Bryan Schramm
  • Publication number: 20180260352
    Abstract: Rackmount Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) switch assemblies are provided herein. One example PCIe switch assembly includes an enclosure that encases elements of the PCIe switch assembly, a first plurality of PCIe interconnect ports positioned on a front side of the PCIe switch assembly, and a second plurality of PCIe interconnect ports positioned on a rear side of the PCIe switch assembly. One or more redundancy cross-link ports are provided to handle failover traffic with at least another PCIe switch assembly. PCIe switch circuitry is communicatively coupled to the first plurality of PCIe interconnect ports and the second plurality of PCIe interconnect ports that form a cluster interconnect PCIe fabric. A control processor is configured to control operation of at least the PCIe switch circuitry and the one or more redundancy cross-link ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2018
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher R. Long, Jason Breakstone, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Brenden Michael Rust, Seth Walsh, Bryan Schramm
  • Publication number: 20180210519
    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: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Applicant: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Brenden Michael Rust, Seth Walsh, Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long
  • Patent number: 10019388
    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: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher R. Long, Jason Breakstone
  • Patent number: 10001819
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and assemblies for data storage systems are provided herein. In one example, a data processing assembly is presented. The data processing assembly includes a midplane assembly configured to electrically couple on a first side to storage modules, compute modules, or graphics modules, electrically couple on a second side to communication modules and one or more power supply modules. The data processing assembly includes a chassis configured to mechanically house and structurally support each of the storage modules, the compute modules, the communication modules, and the one or more power supply modules when coupled to the midplane assembly to form the data processing assembly and allow installation of the data processing assembly into a rackmount environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Liqid Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Seth Walsh, Brenden Michael Rust, Christopher R. Long, Jason Breakstone