Apparatus and system for object-based storage solid-state device

Abstract

An object-based storage system comprising a host system capable of executing applications for and with an object-based storage device (OSD). Exemplary configurations include a call interface, a physical layer interface, an object-based storage solid-state device (OSD-SSD), and are further characterized by the presence of a storage processor capable of processing object-based storage device algorithms interleaved with processing of physical storage device management. Embodiments include a storage controller capable of executing recognition, classification and tagging of application files, especially including image, music, and other media. Also disclosed are methods for initializing and configuring an OSD-SSD device.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for processing object-based storage device (OSD) commands on one or more user objects having data that is stored in an OSD-SSD device, the apparatus comprising:
 a host system capable of executing applications, the host system comprising at least an OSD call interface; and   at least one inter-system physical layer interface between the host system and the OSD-SSD device,   wherein the OSD-SSD device comprises two or more processors capable of processing object storage device algorithms interleaved with processing of physical storage device management algorithms.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the physical storage device management algorithms is a wear-leveling algorithm. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the OSD-SSD device comprises a plurality of non-volatile memory arrays. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising communication link media between the host system and the OSD-SSD device, the communication link media between the host system and the OSD-SSD device being capable of communicating T10-OSD protocols. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the host system is capable of executing code in a partition for executing applications. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a system call interface. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the OSD call interface implements a T10-OSD specification for OSD commands. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the at least one inter-system physical layer interface between the host system and the OSD-SSD device is adapted to process communications over both USB and IEEE 1394. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the at least one inter-system physical layer interface between the host system and the OSD-SSD device is adapted to process communications over at least two of, USB, IEEE 1394, SATA1, SATA2, IDE, ATA, eSATA, SAS, PCI-Express, Compact Flash. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the OSD-SSD device comprises at least two solid state storage devices, and wherein the at least two solid state storage devices are configured in at least one of, RAID level 0, RAID level 1, RAID level 3, RAID level 5, RAID level 6, or RAID level 10. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the at least one inter-system physical layer interface between the host system and the OSD-SSD device includes an expansion port. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the at least one inter-system physical layer interface between the host system and the OSD-SSD device includes an interface capable to serve as primary storage to at least one of, a personal computer, a server, a handheld device, a mobile device, a game console, a DVR, an NVR, a PVR, a media server, or a notebook computer. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the at least one inter-system physical layer interface between the host system and the OSD-SSD device includes an interface capable to serve as backup storage to at least one of, a personal computer, a server, a handheld device, a mobile device, a game console, a DVR, an NVR, a PVR, a media server, or a notebook computer. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the object storage device algorithms is identified by a code value that maps to an internet address location where the object storage device algorithm resides. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein at least one of the two or more processors is configured to translate at least one storage command into one or more commands to execute on the user objects using the object storage device algorithms. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein at least one of the two or more processors is configured retrieve, using the code value that maps to the internet address location, the object storage device algorithms. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein at least one of the two or more processors are configured execute the object storage device algorithms to map at least one logical construct of the one or more user objects to a physical aspect of the data that is stored in an OSD-SSD device. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the at least one logical construct is one of, a file or a database entry.