US 11,704,023 B2
Extensible storage system and method
Rajesh Koul, San Jose, CA (US); Rodney N. Mullendore, San Jose, CA (US); and James J. Walsh, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to Western Digital Technologies, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Western Digital Technologies, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/700,362.
Application 17/700,362 is a continuation of application No. 17/210,277, filed on Mar. 23, 2021, granted, now 11,314,418.
Application 17/210,277 is a continuation of application No. 16/821,918, filed on Mar. 17, 2020, granted, now 10,990,293, issued on Apr. 27, 2021.
Application 16/821,918 is a continuation of application No. 16/452,465, filed on Jun. 25, 2019, granted, now 10,642,503, issued on May 5, 2020.
Application 16/452,465 is a continuation of application No. 15/662,170, filed on Jul. 27, 2017, granted, now 10,372,346, issued on Aug. 6, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/368,938, filed on Jul. 29, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0214816 A1, Jul. 7, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06F 3/06 (2006.01); G06F 13/10 (2006.01); G06F 13/40 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 3/0613 (2013.01) [G06F 3/0607 (2013.01); G06F 3/0659 (2013.01); G06F 3/0664 (2013.01); G06F 3/0683 (2013.01); G06F 3/0688 (2013.01); G06F 13/102 (2013.01); G06F 13/4045 (2013.01); Y02D 10/00 (2018.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A data storage system, comprising:
a first controller and one or more second controllers,
wherein:
the first controller is visible to a host, and the one or more second controllers are invisible to the host;
visibility and invisibility of the first controller and the one or more second controllers are configurable;
the one or more second controllers comprise a second controller different from the first controller;
the first controller is configured to receive a first command from the host using a first port and configured to transmit some or all of the first command to the second controller using a second port; and
a bandwidth of the first port is configured to be split among the first controller and the one or more second controllers,
wherein each of the first controller and the second controller is configured to access and set the other controller's internal registers.