Abstract: In one embodiment a method of creating a clustered computing system, comprises storing license information for a computing cluster in a memory module associated with a computing node, wherein the licensing information includes a bundle-type parameter that identifies a characteristic of the cluster and one or more node license parameters that identifies a characteristic of a computing node, initializing the computing cluster in a first computing node, adding one or more available computing nodes to the computing cluster; and activating the computing cluster when the computing cluster includes a number of nodes that complies with the bundle-type parameter.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to digitally encoded hierarchical timestamps that are stored in computer readable mediums. The hierarchical timestamps of the present invention include a first field that stores a timestamp value and a second field that stores a processing-level indication that indicates the scope of the timestamp within a hierarchical processing system.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide methods, in distributed data-storage systems that associate one or more timestamps with each data block in each data-storage-component, for deciding whether or not a data block has been written. In certain embodiments of the present invention, a sparse database of timestamps associated with data blocks is maintained, each timestamp having a field that contains one of an indication of a time or sequence and a sentinel value indicating that the timestamp is garbage collected. When a timestamp is not found associated with a data block in a timestamp database, the data block is associated with a garbage-collected-timestamp state. In various embodiments of the present invention, data structures are maintained that store status information indicating whether or not any of a number of data blocks in each of a number of data-block-allocation units have been written.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing a fault tolerant system are disclosed. In one implementation a system for managing a fault tolerant system comprises a configuration manager that receives configuration events from the fault tolerant system, a fault normalizer that receives fault events from the fault tolerant system; and a fault tolerance logic engine that constructs a model of the fault tolerant system based on inputs from the configuration manager and generates reporting events in response to inputs from the fault normalizer.