Abstract: An LRU buffer configuration for performing parallel IO operations is disclosed. In one example, the LRU buffer configuration is a doubly linked list of segments. Each segment is also a doubly linked list of buffers. The LRU buffer configuration includes a head portion and a tail portion, each including several slots (pointers to segments) respectively accessible in parallel by a number of CPUs in a multicore platform. Thus, for example, a free buffer may be obtained for a calling application on a given CPU by selecting a head slot corresponding to the given CPU, identifying the segment pointed to by the selected head slot, locking that segment, and removing the buffer from the list of buffers in that segment. Buffers may similarly be returned according to slots and corresponding segments and buffers at the tail portion.

Abstract: Command list processing in performing parallel IO operations is disclosed. In one example, handling IO requests directed to an operating system having an IO scheduling component entails allocating a command to a thread in association with an IO request. The command is allocated from one of a plurality of command lists accessible in parallel, and the command is also linked to one of a plurality of active command lists that are accessible in parallel. The command lists can be arranged as per-CPU command lists, with each per-CPU command list corresponding to one of a plurality of CPUs on a multi-core processing platform on which the IO requests are processed. Similarly, each of the active command lists can respectively correspond to one of the plurality of CPUs on the multi-core processing platform. Per-volume queues can also be implemented for respective volumes presented to applications.

Abstract: A node based architecture that supports arbitrary access to any node in a system for data representation and access, while still providing virtual volume coherency that is global to all of the nodes in the system, and while providing underlying data management services that are also variously accessible from any node in the system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for data request scheduling in performing parallel IO operations are disclosed. In one example, IO requests directed to an operating system having an IO scheduling component are processed. There, an IO request directed from an application to the operating system is intercepted. A determination is made whether the IO request is subject to immediate processing using available parallel processing resources. When it is determined that the IO request is subject to immediate processing using the available parallel processing resources, the IO scheduling component of the operating system is bypassed. The IO request is directly and immediately processed and passed back to the application using the available parallel processing resources.

Abstract: Command list processing in performing parallel IO operations is disclosed. In one example, handling IO requests directed to an operating system having an IO scheduling component entails allocating a command to a thread in association with an IO request. The command is allocated from one of a plurality of command lists accessible in parallel, and the command is also linked to one of a plurality of active command lists that are accessible in parallel. The command lists can be arranged as per-CPU command lists, with each per-CPU command list corresponding to one of a plurality of CPUs on a multi-core processing platform on which the IO requests are processed. Similarly, each of the active command lists can respectively correspond to one of the plurality of CPUs on the multi-core processing platform. Per-volume queues can also be implemented for respective volumes presented to applications.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for data request scheduling in performing parallel IO operations are disclosed. In one example, IO requests directed to an operating system having an IO scheduling component are processed. There, an IO request directed from an application to the operating system is intercepted. A determination is made whether the IO request is subject to immediate processing using available parallel processing resources. When it is determined that the IO request is subject to immediate processing using the available parallel processing resources, the IO scheduling component of the operating system is bypassed. The IO request is directly and immediately processed and passed back to the application using the available parallel processing resources.

Abstract: A node based architecture that supports arbitrary access to any node in a system for data representation and access, while still providing virtual volume coherency that is global to all of the nodes in the system, and while providing underlying data management services that are also variously accessible from any node in the system.

Abstract: A stream architecture for data representation is disclosed. A stream is retained with respect to write transactions to a given volume. The stream includes the write transactions and provides a sequence of the write transactions according to the order in which the write transactions were received for the given volume. By way of example, a stream image can be associated to the stream. The stream image provides a representation of the data in the given volume for a point in time by referencing a non-contiguous subset of the sequence of write transactions in the stream.

Abstract: Responding to IO requests made by an application to an operating system within a computing device implements IO performance acceleration that interfaces with the logical and physical disk management components of the operating system and within that pathway provides a system memory based disk block cache. The logical disk management component of the operating system identifies logical disk addresses for IO requests sent from the application to the operating system. These addresses are translated to physical disk addresses that correspond to disk blocks available on a physical storage resource. The disk block cache stores cached disk blocks that correspond to the disk blocks available on the physical storage resource, such that IO requests may be fulfilled from the disk block cache.

Abstract: Disclosed are network managed volumes that enable simplified and more efficient use of information technology assets by allocating physical disk drives as needed. A pool of storage can be defined and populated with physical disks that are accessible in a storage area network. Virtual volumes are created from the storage pool, with each virtual volume being separately allocable to a host device (e.g., client, application server, etc.). Thus, host devices that have been allocated these virtual volumes perceive ownership of the entire volume, without requiring a present allocation of physical storage space having the same characteristics, but with seamless introduction of physical resources as needed.

Abstract: Responding to IO requests made by an application to an operating system within a computing device implements IO performance acceleration that interfaces with the logical and physical disk management components of the operating system and within that pathway provides a system memory based disk block cache. The logical disk management component of the operating system identifies logical disk addresses for IO requests sent from the application to the operating system. These addresses are translated to physical disk addresses that correspond to disk blocks available on a physical storage resource. The disk block cache stores cached disk blocks that correspond to the disk blocks available on the physical storage resource, such that IO requests may be fulfilled from the disk block cache.

Abstract: Multiple devices are provided access to a common, single instance of data and may use it without consuming resources beyond what would be required if only one device were using that data in a traditional configuration. In order to retain the device-specific differences, they are kept separate, but their relationship to the common data is maintained. All of this is done in a fashion that allows a given device to perceive and use its data as though it was its own separately accessible data.

Abstract: Responding to IO requests made by an application to an operating system within a computing device implements IO performance acceleration that interfaces with the logical and physical disk management components of the operating system and within that pathway provides a system memory based disk block cache. The logical disk management component of the operating system identifies logical disk addresses for IO requests sent from the application to the operating system. These addresses are translated to physical disk addresses that correspond to disk blocks available on a physical storage resource. The disk block cache stores cached disk blocks that correspond to the disk blocks available on the physical storage resource, such that IO requests may be fulfilled from the disk block cache.

Abstract: Multiple devices are provided access to a common, single instance of data and may use it without consuming resources beyond what would be required if only one device were using that data in a traditional configuration. In order to retain the device-specific differences, they are kept separate, but their relationship to the common data is maintained. All of this is done in a fashion that allows a given device to perceive and use its data as though it was its own separately accessible data.

Abstract: Multiple devices are provided access to a common, single instance of data and may use it without consuming resources beyond what would be required if only one device were using that data in a traditional configuration. In order to retain the device-specific differences, they are kept separate, but their relationship to the common data is maintained. All of this is done in a fashion that allows a given device to perceive and use its data as though it was its own separately accessible data.

Abstract: Responding to IO requests made by an application to an operating system within a computing device implements IO performance acceleration that interfaces with the logical and physical disk management components of the operating system and within that pathway provides a system memory based disk block cache. The logical disk management component of the operating system identifies logical disk addresses for IO requests sent from the application to the operating system. These addresses are translated to physical disk addresses that correspond to disk blocks available on a physical storage resource. The disk block cache stores cached disk blocks that correspond to the disk blocks available on the physical storage resource, such that IO requests may be fulfilled from the disk block cache.

Abstract: Mirroring write operations from a local storage system to a remote storage system. Such mirroring comprises intercepting I/O transactions to a storage disk of the local storage system, identifying a series of write transactions to said storage disk from the intercepted I/O transactions, storing an exact copy of the series of write transactions within a series of files that are created on a file-system of the local storage system, and transmitting the series of files from the local storage system to the remote storage system to accommodate a reproduction at the remote storage system of the series of write transactions as issued to said storage disk of the local storage system.

Abstract: Responding to IO requests made by an application to an operating system within a computing device implements IO performance acceleration that interfaces with the logical and physical disk management components of the operating system and within that pathway provides a system memory based disk block cache. The logical disk management component of the operating system identifies logical disk addresses for IO requests sent from the application to the operating system. These addresses are translated to physical disk addresses that correspond to disk blocks available on a physical storage resource. The disk block cache stores cached disk blocks that correspond to the disk blocks available on the physical storage resource, such that IO requests may be fulfilled from the disk block cache.

Abstract: Responding to IO requests made by an application to an operating system within a computing device implements IO performance acceleration that interfaces with the logical and physical disk management components of the operating system and within that pathway provides a system memory based disk block cache. The logical disk management component of the operating system identifies logical disk addresses for IO requests sent from the application to the operating system. These addresses are translated to physical disk addresses that correspond to disk blocks available on a physical storage resource. The disk block cache stores cached disk blocks that correspond to the disk blocks available on the physical storage resource, such that IO requests may be fulfilled from the disk block cache.

Abstract: A system and method that mirrors data between two geographically separate locations. A preferred embodiment of the software includes three components: an AIM driver, an AIM service coordinator and an AIM manager. The AIM driver intercepts all disk I/Os to the local storage system and encapsulates the write transactions into a series of files. The AIM service coordinator transmits these files over any or all remote networks having remote storage systems connected to the local storage system and to which the data is to be mirrored. In a preferred embodiment, particular destinations for each write transaction may be user specified. These files, as they are received at the remote storage system, are placed into the file system of the remote storage system. The AIM service coordinator on the remote storage system detects the arrival of the files and accesses them.