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).
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Publication number: 20200073841Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2019Publication date: March 5, 2020Applicant: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata, Jason Breakstone
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Publication number: 20200045843Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 3, 2018Publication date: February 6, 2020Applicant: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Bryan Schramm, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Brenden Michael Rust, Christopher R. Long, Sumit Puri
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Publication number: 20200004302Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: September 12, 2019Publication date: January 2, 2020Applicant: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Brenden Michael Rust, Seth Walsh, Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long
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Publication number: 20190391951Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 28, 2019Publication date: December 26, 2019Applicant: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Christopher R. Long, Phillip Clark, Jason Breakstone, Huiji Wang, Sumit Puri
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Patent number: 10503618Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 24, 2017Date of Patent: December 10, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
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Patent number: 10496504Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: June 16, 2017Date of Patent: December 3, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
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Patent number: 10474608Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 28, 2016Date of Patent: November 12, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
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Patent number: 10467166Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 27, 2016Date of Patent: November 5, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
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Patent number: 10423547Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 9, 2018Date of Patent: September 24, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Christopher R. Long, Jason Breakstone
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Patent number: 10416731Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 23, 2018Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Brenden Michael Rust, Seth Walsh, Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long
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Patent number: 10402363Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: June 9, 2017Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Christopher R. Long, Phillip Clark, Jason Breakstone, Huiji Wang, Sumit Puri
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Publication number: 20190236044Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: April 8, 2019Publication date: August 1, 2019Applicant: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Brenden Michael Rust, Christopher R. Long, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Sumit Puri, Bryan Schramm, Seth Walsh, Jason Breakstone
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Patent number: 10362107Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 4, 2015Date of Patent: July 23, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata, Phillip Clark
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Publication number: 20190146942Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: January 14, 2019Publication date: May 16, 2019Applicant: Liqid Inc.Inventors: German Kazakov, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata, Jason Breakstone
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Publication number: 20190146889Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: January 14, 2019Publication date: May 16, 2019Applicant: Liqid Inc.Inventors: James Scott Cannata, Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long
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Patent number: 10255215Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 27, 2017Date of Patent: April 9, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Brenden Michael Rust, Christopher R. Long, Andrew Rudolph Heyd, Sumit Puri, Bryan Schramm, Seth Walsh
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Patent number: 10223315Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 19, 2017Date of Patent: March 5, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
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Patent number: 10206297Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 22, 2016Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Jason Breakstone, Andrew R. Heyd, Seth Walsh, Christopher R. Long, Michael D. Harrington
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Patent number: 10180924Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 20, 2017Date of Patent: January 15, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: Jason Breakstone, German Kazakov, Christopher R. Long, James Scott Cannata
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Patent number: 10180889Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: June 23, 2015Date of Patent: January 15, 2019Assignee: Liqid Inc.Inventors: James Scott Cannata, Jason Breakstone, Christopher R. Long