92nd Dot Hill Patent

Dot Hill Systems Corp. has patented a method to improve the reliability of data transfers between storage controllers and storage devices over SAS interconnections, enabling errors to be detected and remediated without terminating communications.

Dot Hill serves customers in core vertical markets including media and entertainment, telecommunications, oil and gas, big data and analytics, and digital imaging. This type of innovation maximizes performance and value for customers.

Storage controllers are used to detect target device errors, which can often be caused by circumstances such as poor quality cables or overheating. While previous methods simply disabled links that experienced such errors, rather than attempting to run at reduced speed, Dot Hill’s innovation maintains the availability of SAS connections to hosts even when errors are present.

By downshifting the data transfer rate, links can often continue working until the cable is replaced or the system cools down to the point where it can be returned to higher/original speeds. Patented innovation uses timestamps to record errors types, and if the frequency reaches a particular threshold, a downshift takes place to maintain the availability of SAS connections between controllers and JBODs. This method of speed adjustment achieves stronger performance as links continue to transfer data through an error period. Once disruptions are corrected, the system returns to higher speeds, resulting in a self-repair scenario. Higher speeds enable customers to achieve higher utilization of storage assets to improve business results.

“Reliability is a hallmark of Dot Hill AssuredSAN storage systems,” said Ken Day, CTO, Dot Hill. “The Dot Hill engineering team is always looking for ways to innovate and improve upon our highly reliable solutions, which deliver 99.999% data availability. As a significant segment of our customer base uses SAS-connected storage, this speed-adjusting approach will improve reliability and availability that can turn into a competitive advantage for many organizations.”

Dot Hill’s 92nd U.S. patent is numbered 8,510,606, Method and apparatus for SAS speed adjustment.