200809464 九、發明說明： 【發明所屬之技術領域】 本發明係關於-種磁碟介面卡，尤指可搭配磁碟陣列卡而構成外 接式儲存裝置。 【先前技術】 目前CPU及圖形子系統的性能正在不斷地躍升中，但因磁碟系統 性能難以提昇’已逐漸成為整體系統性能表現的瓶頸。雖然磁碟 技術也快速地提升中，但所有磁碟系統規範無法從根本上提升磁 片子系統的能力。 為進一步提升磁碟系統性能，RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Drive)被提出後確實有了明顯的進步（這裏我們特 指IDE RAID技術）。所謂RAID技術，就是指用兩個以上的物理硬 碟進行串接’提供資料冗余容錯協同工作，以此來全面提升磁片 子系統的性能。以前RAID技術主要被應用於高性能的工作站或伺 服态上，且都爲SCSI RAID結構（即用兩塊以上的scsi進行串接 來實現磁碟陣列系統)。現在由於IDE硬碟性能的突飛猛進以及價 格的不斷下降，IDE RAID技術已經基本趨於成熟。 不同的RAID級別可以滿足用戶對存儲系統可用性、性能和容量的 要求。常用的RAID級別有以下幾種·· NRAID，JB〇D，RAID〇，骱而， 5 200809464 能’常使用RAID5 RAIDO+l，RAID3，RAID5等。爲提高可靠性和性 和 RAID (0+1)。 為了讓使用者方便享用_的技術，使用者只需講買並安裝磁碟 陣列卡至其所擁有的電腦中（尤其是主機板），只是使用者必須針 對不同的作業糸統安裝相對的驅動程式。200809464 IX. Description of the Invention: [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a magnetic disk interface card, and particularly to an external storage device that can be combined with a disk array card. [Prior Art] At present, the performance of the CPU and graphics subsystem is continually rising, but it is difficult to improve the performance of the disk system, which has gradually become a bottleneck for the performance of the overall system. While disk technology is rapidly gaining momentum, all disk system specifications do not fundamentally improve the capabilities of the disk subsystem. In order to further improve the performance of the disk system, RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Drive) has made significant progress (here we specifically refer to IDE RAID technology). The so-called RAID technology refers to the use of more than two physical hard disks for serial connection to provide data redundancy and fault tolerance collaborative work, in order to comprehensively improve the performance of the disk subsystem. Previously, RAID technology was mainly used in high-performance workstations or servos, and both were SCSI RAID structures (that is, a disk array system was implemented by serially connecting more than two scsis). Now due to the rapid development of IDE hard disk performance and the continuous decline in price, IDE RAID technology has basically matured. Different RAID levels can meet user requirements for storage system availability, performance, and capacity. Commonly used RAID levels are as follows: · NRAID, JB〇D, RAID〇, and then, 5 200809464 can often use RAID5 RAIDO+l, RAID3, RAID5, etc. To improve reliability and performance and RAID (0+1). In order to make it easy for users to enjoy the technology, users only need to buy and install the disk array card to the computer they own (especially the motherboard), but the user must install the relative driver for different operating systems. Program.
若安裝有磁礙翔卡的電腦紐，f要分享其磁辦_儲存能 力時，不是透過麟連接就是用速度較慢的_直接連接。除了 額㈣加對於網路連接或魏連接上的設定、安裝上的步驟外， 在資料傳輸上也會是個問題。 雖然市面上已有外接式磁辦龍，但其價格十分昂貴，不像上 述内接式磁碟陣列卡那麼低廉，只是磁碟陣列卡需要較高的安裝 技術’因此如何充分利用價格低廉的磁碟陣列卡，而達到類似於 外接式磁碟陣列櫃的型態，確實具有其市場需求。 【發明内容】 本發明之主要目的在提供—種磁碟介面卡，藉著其内建的磁碟介 面、暫存記憶體、隨齡面和微處理H，在透過磁碟纜線電性 連接至主機端的主機磁碟介面後，並另配合習知磁碟陣列卡後， 對主機端而言變成是透過磁碟缦線的單一台硬碟（類似於外接式 磁碟陣列櫃），但實際上所搭配的磁碟陣列卡可連接數台硬碟。不 過，正因為被視為硬碟，故只能被動地利用暫存記憶體暫存來自 6 200809464 的存取命令，轉待__卡取得此存取命令。 關於本發把優轉精神可關由町的伽詳述 到進一步的瞭艇。 ^ 【實施方式】 请參閱第1圖，第i圖為本發明磁碟介面卡之示意圖。如第i圖 所示，本發明磁碟介面卡10主要包含磁碟介面12、暫存記憶體 _ 16、匯流齡面18、微處理H 14。雜本發明補介面卡1〇和 絶大夕數的PCI卡非常她，但基於本發明特殊的設計與應用， 其所屬的外接介面(例如VGA)是非常特有的，即磁碟介面12是非 常特有的。 磁碟介面卡10的匯流排介面18、磁碟陣列卡21(如第2圖所示） 可分別採PCI、ISA、EISA、LPC作電性連接。磁碟介面則可為可 為小型電腦介面（Small Computer System Interface，SCSI)、光 _ 纖通道介面(Fibre Channel Interface，FC)、串列式儲存架構 (Serial Storage Architecture, SSA)、電子集成驅動器 (Integrated Drive Electronics，IDE!)、通用序列匯流排 (Universal Serial Bus，USB)、IEEE1394、個人電腦存儲卡國際 協會(Personal Computer Memory Card International Association，PCMCIA)介面、Serial ATA (SATA)、Parallel ATA (PATA) 〇 200809464 簡單來-兄’本發明磁碟介面卡1〇可簡單視為sATA_te_pci，而習 知磁碟陣列卡21可簡單視為pci_tQ_Multip。冰例如遞），因 此本發明磁碟介面卡1〇在搭配習知磁碟陣列卡21後，彼此將訊 號經過變換後，就可讓構鋪似於外接式磁碟陣列櫃。If you install a computer keyboard with a magnetic card, you need to share its magnetic storage capacity, either through the lining connection or directly using the slower _. In addition to the amount (4) plus the settings on the network connection or the Wei connection, the installation steps will also be a problem in data transmission. Although there is an external magnetic dragon in the market, its price is very expensive, not as low as the above-mentioned internal disk array card, but the disk array card requires a high installation technology. So how to make full use of the inexpensive magnetic Disc array cards, which are similar to external disk array cabinets, do have their market needs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic disk interface card, which is electrically connected through a magnetic disk cable through its built-in disk interface, temporary storage memory, age-related surface and micro-processing H. After the host disk interface to the host side, and with the conventional disk array card, it becomes a single hard disk (similar to the external disk array cabinet) through the disk to the host side, but the actual The disk array card that is paired with it can be connected to several hard disks. However, because it is regarded as a hard disk, it can only passively use the temporary memory to temporarily store the access command from 6 200809464 and transfer the __ card to obtain the access command. We have you go to the further boat in detail. ^ Embodiments Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram of a disk interface card of the present invention. As shown in Fig. i, the disk interface card 10 of the present invention mainly comprises a disk interface 12, a temporary storage memory _16, a sinking age surface 18, and a micro processing H14. The hybrid card of the present invention is very unique, but based on the special design and application of the present invention, the external interface (such as VGA) to which it belongs is very unique, that is, the disk interface 12 is very unique. of. The bus interface interface 18 of the disk interface card 10 and the disk array card 21 (shown in FIG. 2) can be electrically connected by PCI, ISA, EISA, and LPC, respectively. The disk interface can be a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), a Fibre Channel Interface (FC), a Serial Storage Architecture (SSA), or an electronic integrated drive ( Integrated Drive Electronics, IDE!), Universal Serial Bus (USB), IEEE1394, Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) interface, Serial ATA (SATA), Parallel ATA (PATA) 〇 200809464 Simple come - brother 'The disk interface card 1 of the present invention can be simply regarded as sATA_te_pci, and the conventional disk array card 21 can be simply regarded as pci_tQ_Multip. The ice is, for example, delivered, so that the disk interface card 1 of the present invention, after being matched with the conventional disk array card 21, converts the signals to each other, so that the configuration is similar to that of the external disk array cabinet.
請錢第2圖，第2圖為基於本發明磁碟介面卡之實施示意圖。 如第2圖所示，為了讓本發明磁碟介面卡、習知磁碟陣列卡a 能夠協同運作，此二張卡均必須分卿人主機板2()所屬的插槽 2〇a、2〇b(例如PCI插槽），並且習知磁碟陣列卡已如既有模式 連接至㈣裝置22a〜22d。在本發明磁碟介面卡1()搭配主機板 2〇、習純碟陣列卡2卜硬碟裝置孤〜22d之後，可形成如同具 有SATA介面（即磁碟介面12)的虛擬硬碟裝置％。 為了讓主機端26能夠實際存取硬碟裝置22a~22d的資料，此主機 板20已被略作修改，能夠讓本發明磁碟介面卡ι〇成為主機端％、 硬碟裝置22a〜22dU是習知磁碟陣列卡21)之間的橋接元件。 在完成上述工作後，可磁魏線28分別連接至主機端％的 主機磁碟介面施、本侧_介針㈣_介面12，這使得 本發明磁碟介面卡1G能經過磁魏線28接收到來自主機端％的 存取命令(例如讀取硬碟裝置22a〜22d中的資料）。 、 由於接收到存取命令的本發明磁碟介面卡1〇本身，並非如同㈣ 般能夠對磁碟陣列卡21發出命令，因此其所接收到的存取命人益 法麵遞給磁碟陣列卡21，必縣暫時存放在暫存記憶體… 8 200809464 以等待磁碟陣列卡21來讀取。 當磁碟陣列卡21讀取此存取命令後，就會按照RAID相關技術完 成相對處雜序。若在此處理餅結束後，需要回報給主機端％ 或需要資料傳遞至主機端26時，均需經由磁碟陣列卡21傳遞至 本發明磁碟介面卡10，並在其内建的微處理器14的控制下，為回 應存取命令進行回報或資料傳遞至主機端26。 藉由以上祕具體實關之詳述，係希望能更加清楚描述本發明 • 之特徵與精神’而並非以上述所揭露的較佳具體實施例來對本發 明之範脅加錄制。相反地，其目的是希望能涵蓋各觀變及具 相等性的安排於本發崎欲申請之翻細的範相。 【圏式簡單說明】 第1圖為本發明磁碟介面卡之示意圖。 第2圖為級本發_媒介面卡之實施示 【主要元件符號說明】 10磁碟介面卡 12磁碟介面 14微處理器 16暫存記憶體 18匯流排介面 200809464 20主機板 20a、20b 插槽 21磁碟陣列卡 22a〜22d硬碟裝置 24虛擬硬碟裝置 26主機端 26a主機磁碟介面 ^ 28磁碟纜線Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a schematic diagram of the implementation of the disk interface card based on the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, in order to enable the disk interface card and the conventional disk array card a of the present invention to work together, the two cards must be divided into slots 2〇a and 2 to which the motherboard 2() belongs. 〇b (e.g., a PCI slot), and conventional disk array cards have been connected to (4) devices 22a-22d as in the existing mode. After the disk interface card 1 () of the present invention is combined with the motherboard 2, the pure disk array card 2, and the hard disk device is isolated, the virtual hard disk device having the SATA interface (ie, the disk interface 12) can be formed. . In order to enable the host 26 to actually access the data of the hard disk devices 22a-22d, the motherboard 20 has been slightly modified to enable the disk interface card of the present invention to become the host terminal %, and the hard disk devices 22a to 22dU are A bridging element between the conventional disk array cards 21). After the above work is completed, the magnetic fiber line 28 is respectively connected to the host disk interface of the host end%, and the side disk (four)_interface 12, which enables the disk interface card 1G of the present invention to receive through the magnetic wire 28 Access commands from the host terminal % (for example, reading data in the hard disk devices 22a to 22d). Since the disk interface card 1 of the present invention that receives the access command does not issue a command to the disk array card 21 as in (4), the received access method is forwarded to the disk array. Card 21, must be temporarily stored in the temporary memory... 8 200809464 Wait for the disk array card 21 to read. When the disk array card 21 reads the access command, the relative order is completed in accordance with the RAID related technique. If the processing of the cake ends, the need to report back to the host end% or the need to transfer data to the host side 26, all need to be transferred to the disk interface card 10 of the present invention via the disk array card 21, and the built-in micro-processing therein Under the control of the device 14, a reward or data is delivered to the host terminal 26 in response to the access command. The detailed description of the present invention is intended to provide a more detailed description of the features and spirit of the invention, and is not intended to be a On the contrary, the purpose is to cover the various aspects of the change and the equivalence of the arrangements for the application of this issue. [Simple description of the 】] Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the disk interface card of the present invention. Figure 2 shows the implementation of the _ media face card [main component symbol description] 10 disk interface card 12 disk interface 14 microprocessor 16 temporary memory 18 bus interface 200809464 20 motherboard 20a, 20b plug Slot 21 disk array card 22a-22d hard disk device 24 virtual hard disk device 26 host side 26a host disk interface ^ 28 disk cable