USB and Flash Disk

[Daffa]

This has struck my mind for quite a time.

Is it possible to have a sort of flash disk that can have multiple ports to connect two computers to it?

The target is that both computer are connected to the disk and (optionally) to each other. This way, the disk will act as a hub/connector as well as a data storage which can be acceased and used simultaneously by both computers.

 

[Dr Super Good]

Is it possible to have a sort of flash disk that can have multiple ports to connect two computers to it?

The target is that both computer are connected to the disk and (optionally) to each other. This way, the disk will act as a hub/connector as well as a data storage which can be acceased and used simultaneously by both computers.

Usually done by plugging the USB stick into a server and having both computers connected via LAN. Some modern "home hub" router systems such as the BT Home Hub support this where they act as an Ethernet switch, wireless network provider, fibreoptic broadband modem and USB storage server at the same time.

The way flash memory is interfaced is serial in manner requiring that multi-access be managed by some kind of multiplexing logic, such as a controller or server. This is what storage servers do, allowing multiple clients to manipulate the drive at the same time in an abstract way.

Having a USB cable connecting two computers together will not automatically allow them to communicate with each other. First one has to make sure that it does not cause hardware damage due to shorting each other out as both supply power over USB. Then a network stack driver has to be written to transform the USB link into a valid transport layer for IPv4/6 packets complete with MAC addresses. Other drivers have to be written so that it appears as a valid top level network and that both clients assign themselves valid IP addresses and build correct ARP tables. The end result would be that the connection appears as any other network connection which operates using IPv4/IPv6.

 

[Daffa]

Didn't expect such a response.

Well, I found it pretty amusing how this idea requires a complex amount of rework and not just by "adding another port gate" as it goes. Quite difficult to actually make it applicable in short frame as far as it goes, especially the driver and the logic needed.