Abstract: A method of device-mirroring via a packetized networking infrastructure may include: receiving, at a storage node N in a daisy-chained architecture, a write command from an entity representing a node N?1 in the daisy-chained architecture; representing the write command as an original set of one or more packets; making M copies of each packet of the original set; sending each packet of the original set to a storage node N+1 in the daisy-chained architecture via the networking infrastructure; and sending the M copies of each packet in the original set to the storage node N+1 via the networking infrastructure.

Abstract: A mirroring device includes an interface capable of coupling a primary storage array and a secondary storage array to a network. The interface further includes a logic that monitors traffic for a network packet destined for the primary storage array and selectively identifies a storage array write operation and associated data in the network packet, constructs a network packet targeted to the secondary storage array, and transmits the packet to the primary storage array and the secondary storage array.

Abstract: A disk array having an internal mirror architecture may include: a plurality of disk drives configured to provide a primary logical storage device (LDEV), a first instance of an internally-mirroring secondary LDEV and a second instance of an internally-mirroring secondary LDEV.

Abstract: A data synchronization method (for a redundant data storage arrangement in which there are at least a primary storage entity and mirroring first and second remote storage entities in communication therewith, respectively, writes to the first and second remote storage entities being tracked via respective first and second sidefiles, the first and second storage entities having different levels of write-currency relative to each other) may include: comparing the first sidefile with the second sidefile; and updating writes stored at the second remote storage entity based upon the comparison of the first and second sidefiles.

Abstract: An exemplary storage network and methods of operation are disclosed. The exemplary storage network comprises a plurality of storage cells. At least one storage cell comprises physical storage media and a storage media controller that controls data transfer operations with the storage media. The exemplary storage network further comprises a plurality of host computers configurable to execute write operations to at least one storage cell, at least one write control server that regulates the write operations of one or more host computers, and a communication network that provides communication connections between the storage cells, the host computers, and the write control server. In exemplary methods of operation the write control server regulates write access by the host computers. In another exemplary method of operation the write control server broadcasts a write failure signal to one or more host computers in the network.

Abstract: A method of operating a daisy-chained device-mirroring architecture (where such an architecture may include a storage node N configured to mirror data on an entity representing node N?1, a storage node N+1 daisy-chain-coupled via a first main link to, and configured to mirror data on, the node N, and a storage node N+2 daisy-chain-coupled via a second main link to, and configured to mirror data on, the node N+1, each of the nodes N and N+1 being operable under normal circumstances to forward writes received thereby to the nodes N+1 and N+2 via the first and second main links, respectively), where such a method may include: tracking, at the node N, acknowledgments by the node N+1 and by the node N+2 of writes that the node N has forwarded.

Abstract: A storage network architecture is disclosed. The network comprises a first storage site comprising a first set of disk drives, a second storage site communicatively connected to the first storage site and comprising a storage medium, and a third storage site communicatively connected to the second storage site and comprising a second set of disk drives. The second storage site provides a data write spool service to the first storage site.

Abstract: A hybrid LUN copy operation that ultimately produces a full LUN copy, but involves a transient snapshot-copy-like intermediate stage. In one embodiment, a statically pre-allocated copy LUN is initialized with references pointing back to the primary LUN. Over time, the sectors, blocks, or other data-storage units of the primary LUN are copied to the copy LUN, so that, in the end, a full copy LUN in completed. In a second, alternative embodiment, both the primary LUN and copy LUN are READ and WRITE accessible immediately following the nearly instantaneous initialization of the copy LUN. In both embodiments, the copy LUN may be statically allocated. The immediate-full-LUN-copy operations provided by the present invention further enable rotatable copy-LUN groups, each copy LUN within a copy-LUN group representing a full, robust copy LUN.

Abstract: A database system is capable of executing a database application that transfers a logical object in multiple fragments. The database system comprises a main storage site, a remote storage site, a main protocol executable on the main storage site, and a remote protocol executable on the remote storage site. The remote storage site is capable of linking to the main storage site and mirroring information stored in the main storage site. The remote storage site includes a storage and a cache sidefile divided into a plurality of array sidefile recordsets. The main protocol is capable of including information indicative of logical object fragment commencement and completion in the multiple fragment database application transfer. The remote protocol is capable of controlling the cache sidefile to cache the multiple fragments as received and to enable destaging of the logical object to the storage on receipt of all fragments.

Abstract: A storage system comprises a storage array containing an hierarchy of storage devices of at least three types and having a respective class hierarchy, and a controller. The controller is coupled to the storage device hierarchy and can execute an hierarchical storage management capability that selectively controls access to the hierarchy of storage devices.

Abstract: Described herein are exemplary storage network architectures and methods for block size allocation in copy operations. A copy operation from a first storage cell to a second storage cell is initiated. The copy operation initially utilizes a first write block size. The write block size is changed to utilize a second write block size, different from the first write block size, and a performance parameter is measured at the second write block size. The second write block size is maintained if the performance parameter exceeds a threshold.

Abstract: A system and method for interconnecting electronic components for facilitating shared communication. The system comprises a translucent optical layer, a plurality of access slots in the translucent optical layer providing access thereto, and at least one electronic component having an optical communicator, and an optical interface connector. The optical interface connector is complementarily matched to at least one of the plurality of access slots. The optical communicator accesses the translucent optical layer when the at least one electronic component is inserted into at least one of the plurality of access slots.

Abstract: A storage system comprises an interface capable of interconnecting a network infrastructure via a plurality of communication links. The plurality of communication links has a diversity of data-carrying capacity and performance. The storage system further comprises a controller coupled to the interface that assigns the plurality of communication links into at least one link affinity group based on performance criteria and controls link selection based on link affinity group assignment.

Abstract: A server cluster quorum disk composed of two or more separate, intercommunicating disk drives or LUNs. The disk drives or LUNs that together compose a quorum disk may be physically separated by significant distances to form a geographically dispersed quorum disk, or may be more closely physically associated to form a distributed quorum disk. In either case, the two or more disk drives or LUNs closely cooperate to provide the virtual quorum disk interface identical to that of a single, currently available quorum disk with the exception that, upon failure of a disk LUN component of a distributed or geographically dispersed quorum disk, the distributed or geographically dispersed quorum disk continues to function without interrupting or degrading the server cluster in which the quorum disk is employed.

Abstract: A method and system for providing logically consistent backup copies of a logical unit provided by a data storage device, and for managing and maintaining a pool of increasingly stale backup copies within the data storage device. Backup logical units within the pool are continuously recycled, so that the least recently current backup logical unit is next synchronized and activated to receive mirror I/O requests. A trigger I/O request is provided to allow an application program running on a host computer to signal points within a stream of I/O requests that represent logically consistent states.

Abstract: A method and system for decreasing the time needed for a mirror split operation in a data storage device by preparing for the mirror split operation during a time interval between notification of an intended mirror split operation and the subsequent time of the mirror split operation. In general, local writes are processed preferentially and asynchronously with respect to corresponding mirror writes, but, after receiving a split advance warning, the data storage device controller preferentially processes backlogged mirror writes in order that the mirrored data storage units are nearly consistent at the time that the intended mirror split operation request is received.

Abstract: A method and system for decreasing the time needed for a mirror split operation in a data storage device by preparing for the mirror split operation during a time interval between notification of an intended mirror split operation and the subsequent time of the mirror split operation. In general, local writes are processed preferentially and asynchronously with respect to corresponding mirror writes, but, after receiving a split advance warning, the data storage device controller preferentially processes backlogged mirror writes in order that the mirrored data storage units are nearly consistent at the time that the intended mirror split operation request is received.

Abstract: An additional communications link between two mass-storage devices containing LUNs of a mirrored-LUN pair, as well as incorporation of a fail-safe mass-storage-device-implemented retry protocol to facilitate non-drastic recovery from communications link failures within the controllers of the two mass-storage devices, prevents build-up of WRITE requests in cache and subsequent data loss due to multiple communications-link and host computer failures. The combination of the additional link and the retry protocol together ameliorates a deficiency in current LUN-mirroring implementations that often leads to data loss and inconsistent and unrecoverable databases.

Abstract: A virtual storage and computing device includes an array control processor, a virtual device blueprint and a transceiver. Shared and cache memory are linked to the array control processor. The array control processor uses a wireless link to request additional resources from at least one component selected from the group of disk controllers, disk drives, cache memory, shared memory and channel adapters to assemble a virtual device described by the virtual device blueprint. The shared memory and the cache memory have hardwired and/or wireless links to the array control processor. The array control processor receives the virtual device blueprint from a host computer that is linked to the array control processor using a channel adapter or via a wireless link between a host computer and the array control processor.

Abstract: A method and system for providing logically consistent backup copies of a logical unit provided by a data storage device, and for managing and maintaining a pool of increasingly stale backup copies within the data storage device. Backup logical units within the pool are continuously recycled, so that the least recently current backup logical unit is next synchronized and activated to receive mirror I/O requests. A trigger I/O request is provided to allow an application program running on a host computer to signal points within a stream of I/O requests that represent logically consistent states.