DROBO, INC. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20140281228 | System and Method for an Accelerator Cache Based on Memory Availability and Usage - The storage processor of a data storage system such as a storage array automatically configures one or more accelerator caches (“AC”) upon detecting the presence of one or more solid-state storage devices (e.g., SSD drives) installed in the data storage system, such as when a storage device is plugged into a designated slot of the data storage system, without requiring any user configuration of the AC or specification by the user of the type(s) of data to be cached in the AC. The AC therefore provides a zero configuration cache that can be used to cache any of various types of data in the data storage system. The AC cache can be used in any of a wide variety of data storage systems including, without limitation, file servers, storage arrays, computers, etc. Multiple ACs may be created to cache different types of data. | 09-18-2014 |
20140068182 | Storage Virtualization In A Block-Level Storage System - A data storage system that stores data has a logical address space divided into ordered areas and unordered areas. Retrieval of storage system metadata for a logical address is based on whether the address is located in an ordered area or an unordered area. Retrieval of metadata regarding addresses in ordered areas is performed using an arithmetic calculation, without accessing a block storage device. Retrieval of metadata regarding addresses in unordered areas is performed using lookup tables. In some embodiments, a mixture of ordered and unordered areas is determined to permit the data storage system to store its lookup tables entirely in volatile memory. | 03-06-2014 |
20130198456 | Fast Cache Reheat - Embodiments of the present invention allow for fast cache reheat by periodically storing a snapshot of information identifying the contents of the cache at the time of the snapshot, and then using the information from the last snapshot to restore the contents of the cache following an event that causes loss or corruption of cache contents such as a loss of power or system reset. Since there can be a time gap between the taking of a snapshot and such an event, the actual contents of the cache, and hence the corresponding data stored in a data store, may have changed since the last snapshot was taken. Thus, the information stored at the last snapshot is used to retrieve current data from the data store for use in restoring the contents of the cache. | 08-01-2013 |
20130070415 | Push-Push Eject Disk Drive Chassis - A push-push eject disk drive chassis user-swappably accepts a disk drive, without tools or a caddy and is sufficiently narrow, such that two such chassis may be disposed side-by-side within a housing having a standard disk drive form factor and accept disk drives having smaller form factors. A data storage system that conforms to a disk drive form factor and that can be installed into a disk drive bay of a user computer includes a plurality of such disk drive chassis user-swappably accepts a plurality of side-by-side disk drives, without tools or caddies. The data storage system may include electronics that manage storage space on any disk drives installed in the chassis and present the cumulative storage space (less space used for overhead and redundancy) as a single virtual disk drive to the user computer. | 03-21-2013 |
20120198152 | SYSTEM, APPARATUS, AND METHOD SUPPORTING ASYMMETRICAL BLOCK-LEVEL REDUNDANT STORAGE - A block-level storage system and method support asymmetrical block-level redundant storage by automatically determining performance characteristics associated with at least one region of each of a number of block storage devices and creating a plurality of redundancy zones from regions of the block storage devices, where at least one of the redundancy zones is a hybrid zone including at least two regions having different but complementary performance characteristics selected from different block storage devices based on a predetermined performance level selected for the zone. Such “hybrid” zones can be used in the context of block-level tiered redundant storage, in which zones may be intentionally created for a predetermined tiered storage policy from regions on different types of block storage devices or regions on similar types of block storage devices but having different but complementary performance characteristics. | 08-02-2012 |