Interfacing Strategies For Optical Digital Data Devices In Mass Storage Systems
Bernard T. O'Lear, D. Kitts · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1987
Part 1: Review of the CRAY-1A/StorageTek (STK) 0,0'3 interface strategy. Part one of the paper is based on a previous publication and will discuss the problems involved in constructing a high-speed data path between a CRAY-1A and the STK optical digital data disk (0D3) utilizing Network Systems Corporation (NSC) HYPERchannel* adapters. The test connection architecture, data structures, data rate experience, and resulting inter-face designes for a Local Device Network (LDN) will be discussed. Part 2: Examination of the interface strategy currently being implemented for a CRAY X-MP/ 4800 Part two of the paper will discuss an interface strategy being put in place for two large-scale computers, a CRAY X-MP/4800 and a CRAY-1A using a new NSC adapter. This strategy can be expanded to a number of large-scale host computers within a local network. At present, this interface does not deal with any optical device. It is being constructed to interface high-speed host computers to IBM-compatible storage devices which are also accessed by a Mass Storage Control Processor (MSCP) node in the NCAR Local Network (NLN). This portion of the paper emphasizes the interface that will be in place whenever an OD**3 device becomes available. Thus, we hope to show (ahead of device availability) what a typical large user of such OD 3 devices expects in the way of interface requirements and logical data formatting of the devices.