The invention is directed to techniques for transferring data within a data storage system that includes, among other things, an interconnection mechanism having a point-to-point channel between an interface circuit (e.g., a director) and a volatile memory cache circuit. The point-to-point channel allows the interface circuit and the volatile memory cache circuit to have contention free access to each other. One arrangement of the invention is directed to a data storage system having a volatile memory cache circuit that buffers data elements exchanged between a storage device and a host, an interface circuit that operates as an interface between the volatile memory cache circuit and at least one of a storage device and a host, and a point-to-point channel interconnected between the volatile memory cache circuit to the interface circuit.