Patents by Inventor Tim K. Emami

Tim K. Emami 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: 10915405
    Abstract: Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, and computing devices that determine when a storage element of a data storage device has failed. Address(es) mapped to the failed storage element are identified, when the determining indicates that the storage element has failed. Data corresponding to the address(es) is regenerated according to a data loss protection and recovery scheme (e.g., a RAID scheme). The regenerated data is written to other storage element(s) of the data storage device in order to remap the address(es) to the other storage element(s). This technology allows a data storage device (e.g., an SSD) to be repaired in-place following a failure of storage element(s) (e.g., a die) of the data storage device. Advantageously, entire data storage devices do not have to be failed with this technology as a result of a failure of an individual storage element, thereby reducing data storage device failure rates and associated overhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: NETAPP, INC.
    Inventors: Tim K. Emami, Charles Binford, Ratnesh Gupta
  • Publication number: 20180341554
    Abstract: Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, and computing devices that determine when a storage element of a data storage device has failed. Address(es) mapped to the failed storage element are identified, when the determining indicates that the storage element has failed. Data corresponding to the address(es) is regenerated according to a data loss protection and recovery scheme (e.g., a RAID scheme). The regenerated data is written to other storage element(s) of the data storage device in order to remap the address(es) to the other storage element(s). This technology allows a data storage device (e.g., an SSD) to be repaired in-place following a failure of storage element(s) (e.g., a die) of the data storage device. Advantageously, entire data storage devices do not have to be failed with this technology as a result of a failure of an individual storage element, thereby reducing data storage device failure rates and associated overhead.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Inventors: Tim K. Emami, Charles Binford, Ratnesh Gupta
  • Patent number: 9304704
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for enabling communication between a SAS communication port of a SAS communication component and multiple storage devices. In a first example, a first SAS to SATA bridge chip and a second SAS to SATA bridge chip may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. In a second example, a SAS to SATA bridge chip and a port multiplier may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. In a third example, a four port SAS to SATA bridge comprising two SAS ports and two SATA ports may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. Supporting two or more storage devices with a single SAS communication port allows storage enclosures to increase storage capacity, while decreasing cost per slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Hansen, Radek Aster, Tim K. Emami
  • Publication number: 20140143460
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for enabling communication between a SAS communication port of a SAS communication component and multiple storage devices. In a first example, a first SAS to SATA bridge chip and a second SAS to SATA bridge chip may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. In a second example, a SAS to SATA bridge chip and a port multiplier may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. In a third example, a four port SAS to SATA bridge comprising two SAS ports and two SATA ports may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. Supporting two or more storage devices with a single SAS communication port allows storage enclosures to increase storage capacity, while decreasing cost per slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: NetApp Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Hansen, Radek Aster, Tim K. Emami
  • Patent number: 8677048
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for enabling communication between a SAS communication port of a SAS communication component and multiple storage devices. In a first example, a first SAS to SATA bridge chip and a second SAS to SATA bridge chip may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. In a second example, a SAS to SATA bridge chip and a port multiplier may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. In a third example, a four port SAS to SATA bridge comprising two SAS ports and two SATA ports may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. Supporting two or more storage devices with a single SAS communication port allows storage enclosures to increase storage capacity, while decreasing cost per slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: NetApp Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Hansen, Radek Aster, Tim K. Emami
  • Publication number: 20130219101
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for enabling communication between a SAS communication port of a SAS communication component and multiple storage devices. In a first example, a first SAS to SATA bridge chip and a second SAS to SATA bridge chip may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. In a second example, a SAS to SATA bridge chip and a port multiplier may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. In a third example, a four port SAS to SATA bridge comprising two SAS ports and two SATA ports may be configured to route data from a SAS communication component to multiple storage devices. Supporting two or more storage devices with a single SAS communication port allows storage enclosures to increase storage capacity, while decreasing cost per slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: NetApp
    Inventors: Robert Hansen, Radek Aster, Tim K. Emami
  • Patent number: 8289641
    Abstract: A mass data storage system including a data storage device comprising block groups each comprising a plurality of data blocks determines when one of the block groups is faulty and the data storage device continues to operate as a partially failed data storage device with respect to the remaining block groups which are not faulty. A striped parity data storage device array comprises data storage devices capable of operating as partially failed data storage devices allows copying of data from the block groups not associated with determined to be faulty of a partially failed data storage device to a spare data storage device which reduces the amount of data that must be rebuilt in the rebuild process, thereby reducing the amount of time the array spends in degraded mode exposed to a total loss of data caused by a subsequent data storage device failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Network Appliance, Inc.
    Inventor: Tim K. Emami
  • Patent number: 8049980
    Abstract: A mass data storage system including a hard disk drive comprising heads and platter surfaces determines when a head of the disk is faulty and the disk continues to operate as a partially failed disk with respect to the remaining heads which are not faulty. A striped parity disk array comprises disks capable of operating as partially failed disks allows copying of data from the platter surfaces not associated with a faulty head of a partially failed disk to a spare disk which reduces the amount of data that must be rebuilt in the rebuild process, thereby reducing the amount of time the array spends in degraded mode exposed to a total loss of data caused by a subsequent disk failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Network Appliance, Inc.
    Inventor: Tim K. Emami
  • Patent number: 7653840
    Abstract: A storage management module for evaluating and repairing errors during monitoring or testing of storage devices of a storage system is described herein. When a storage device exhibits errors that reaches (in number) an error threshold, the storage management module determines whether any errors are due to damaged sectors localized in a single physical area of a predetermined size (referred to as a “patch”) of a platter of the storage device using the physical addresses of the errors. Two or more errors may be grouped as a single error if they are located within a predetermined threshold distance from each other on a platter and counted as a single error against the error threshold. A patch containing two or more damaged sectors is referred to as a “damaged” patch. In some embodiments, all sectors of a damaged patch (including undamaged sectors) are reassigned to spare sectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Net App, Inc.
    Inventors: James A. Taylor, Sharon A. Gavarre, Faris Hindi, Tim K. Emami
  • Patent number: 6515819
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a seek request on a disk drive apparatus having a disk drive head is disclosed. The seek request is processed. During the seek request, the disk drive head is traversed across an actual distance. At least one expected seek time associated with the actual distance is obtained from a set of seek time data. One or more measurements are performed on the disk drive apparatus to obtain an update value. At least one expected seek time is then updated such that at least part of the update value is included in the at least one expected seek time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: Thorsten Schmidt, Tim K. Emami, Fred Hansen