Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for use with a microprocessor chip, for storing selected reliability information in an on-chip non-volatile storage device. An on-chip reliability controller coupled to one or more on-chip resources of the microprocessor chip, collects raw reliability information from the one or more on-chip resources of the microprocessor chip. The on-chip reliability controller analyzes the raw reliability information to identify selected reliability information for the one or more resources of the microprocessor chip. The on-chip reliability controller stores the selected reliability information in the on-chip non-volatile storage device. The on-chip non-volatile storage device stores the selected reliability information even in the event of an overall failure of the microprocessor chip in which the microprocessor chip loses power.

Abstract: A storage management program is provided with a function of determining a suspension/continuation of a remote backup based on an operation-at-failure management table, and accomplishes the suspension/continuation of the backup based on the application in which a failure has occurred and the mode of this failure. The storage management program is also provided with a function of computing a change in the quantity of data from the last backup before the occurrence of the failure until the first backup after the occurrence of the failure, and determining the suspension/continuation of the backup, enabling to suspend/continue the backup in line with the operating status of the application.

Abstract: A controller updates a partition arrangement table and a backup-disk management table. The controller also creates, in a first disk, a logical memory area for storing a backup directory that has been stored in the first disk and that corresponds to a primary directory stored in a second disk of a processing element in which a failure has occurred.

Abstract: An industrial automation system for controlling the operating means of a technical process. The system includes fail-safe modules for interchanging process data with the operating means, i.e., actuating and measurement signals, stations having slots for modules, which slots are inter-connected by a backplane bus, a central processing unit at least for processing process signals from the technical process, and a field bus for transmitting data between the central processing unit and the stations. In accordance with the invention, the address relationship for the addressing of a fail-safe module by the central processing unit over the field bus for data processing purposes is permanently stored in a first memory in the respective module and is additionally permanently backed-up in the associated station.

Abstract: Computer systems forming the computer system group each have a plurality of servers, a plurality of I/O devices, a plurality of servers, and one or more I/O switches coupled to the plurality of I/O devices, and it is possible to change the combination of the servers and I/O devices in each of the computer systems. If a fault has occurred in one of the current servers, firstly, it is judged whether or not there exists a spare server capable of taking over processing in a computer system including the server which has generated the fault. If the judgment result is negative, then a server switching process is carried out by searching another computer system capable of constructing a particular combination corresponding to the combination of the faulty server and the I/O devices allocated thereto.

Abstract: A system comprising a first memory, a second memory, and a controller. The first memory may be configured to store a first firmware. The second memory may be configured to store a second firmware similar to the first firmware stored on the first memory. The controller may be configured to (i) operate the first firmware stored on the first memory, (ii) discontinue operating the first firmware in response to a failure of the first firmware, and (iii) begin operating the second firmware after discontinuing operation of the first firmware.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for validating application server replication errors. The method includes receiving a first information message with a test sequence from a caller. The caller is engaged in a communication session with a callee according to a communication protocol and the communication session is managed by a first application server. The method also includes storing the test sequence in a replicable data structure on the first application server. The replicable data structure is replicated to a second application server to form a replicated data structure and both servers operate within an active-active configuration. The method also includes receiving a second information message from the caller. The second information message includes a confirmation sequence. In addition, the method includes determining a replication error in response to comparing the stored test sequence in the replicated data structure with the confirmation sequence.

Abstract: A flash memory system includes a flash controller for controlling operation of at least two flash memory devices. A page buffer is allocated within each flash memory device, such that one page buffer functions as a designated target buffer and another page buffer functions as a mirror buffer. The flash controller transmits the page data to two flash memory devices simultaneously, such that no backup of the page data is required to be kept in the flash controller. Hence, there is no delay in writing the next page data from a host computer to the flash controller.

Abstract: A system and associated method for replicating data based on capacity optimization. A local node receives the data associated with a key. The local node within a local domain communicates with nodes of remote domains in a system through a communication network. Each domain has its own distributed hash table that partitions key space and assigns a certain key range to an owner node within the domain. For new data, the local node queries owner nodes of domains in the system progressively from the local domain to remote domains for a duplicate of the new data. Depending on a result returned by owner nodes and factors for replication strategies, the local node determines a replication strategy and records the new data in the local node pursuant to the replication strategy.

Abstract: An aspect of the present disclosure relates to implementing a temporary reassignment of data based on a vibration condition. An exemplary method includes implementing a data operation for a portion of data and detecting a data error during the data operation. The method further includes obtaining an indication of a vibration condition associated with a device with which the data operation is performed and implementing a temporary reassignment of the portion of data based on the vibration condition.

Abstract: A method and system for copying operating system information to said at least two storage devices, selectively hiding at least one, but not all, of the storage devices from being accessed by the operating system, and selectively revealing one or more of said hidden storage devices as needed to permit access to the information stored therein.

Abstract: Fault tolerant operation is disclosed for a primary instance, such as a process, thread, application, processor, etc., using an active copy-cat instance, a.k.a. backup instance, that mirrors operations in the primary instance, but only after those operations have successfully completed in the primary instance. Fault tolerant logic monitors inputs and outputs of the primary instance and gates those inputs to the backup instance once a given input has been processed. The outputs of the backup instance are then compared with the outputs of the primary instance to ensure correct operation. The disclosed embodiments further relate to fault tolerant failover mechanism allowing the backup instance to take over for the primary instance in a fault situation wherein the primary and backup instances are loosely coupled, i.e. they need not be aware that they are operating in a fault tolerant environment.

Abstract: A remote copy system includes a plurality of first storage systems and a plurality of second storage systems. Each first storage system assigns a sequential number to write data received from the host and sends the write data with the sequential number to the second storage system. One of the first storage systems defers the processing of the write request received from the host and instructs each of the first storage systems to create a marker, whereupon each of the first storage systems defers the processing of the write request, creates a marker including a sequential number and having a marker number, and sends the marker to the second storage system. Each of the second storage systems, when receiving a marker from the first storage system, stores the marker number included in the marker.

Abstract: Backing up data blocks is disclosed. An indication that a first set of one or more backed up data blocks are related at an application level to one or more other sets of one or more backed up data blocks is received. An associating data that associates the first set of backed up data blocks with the one or more other sets of backed up data blocks is stored. The associating data is used to ensure that the first set and the one or more other sets remain stored together.

Abstract: The active server A101 notifies its own operating status to the administration server 106, and the administration server 106 acquires a snapshot and copies a disk according to the policy established by a user. When the active server A101 or the active disk 113 fails, the administration server 106 chooses a backup server A104 and a status storage disk A114 to be booted and restarts them by using the snapshot according to the policy.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a storage system including a storage subsystem providing a data storage service to a host computer, and a management device managing the storage subsystem. The management device issues a command to a controller in the storage subsystem for migrating data on a migration-source volume to a migration-destination volume in accordance with a predetermined task. When the migration-destination volume is not available for use for some reason, and when the data migration is not completed normally, the management device searches an alternative volume in accordance with migration-destination requirements including essential and arbitrary requirements, and then issues a command for data migration to thus found alternative volume. With such a configuration, even if a migration-destination volume is not available for use for some reason during data migration, any other volume can be used as a migration destination in accordance with the migration-destination requirement(s).

Abstract: Example embodiments provide various techniques for creating a test bed for testing failover and failback operations. In an example, data is stored on a primary storage system, while a backup copy of the data is stored on a secondary storage system. A test bed may be created by replicating the data on the primary storage system and replicating the backup copy on the secondary storage system. The replicated copies of the data and the backup copy, as well as a process used to backup the data, comprise the test bed, which may be used to test the failover and failback operations.

Abstract: In a storage device incorporating a plurality of kinds of disk drives with different interfaces, the controller performs sparing on a disk drive, whose errors that occur during accesses exceed a predetermined number, by swapping it with a spare disk drive that is prepared beforehand.

Abstract: A backup method for a computer system network avoids generating hashes from data that may be inaccurate due to network errors affords verification of source data written to backup media includes reading at a network client a portion of the source data from a source storage volume and generating a hash of the source data at the client. The source data and hash are transmitted to a backup server and written to the backup media. The hash is written to the backup media is associated with the backup data corresponding to the source data from which the hash was generated. Verification of the backup data is performed by reading the backup data from the backup media, generating a hash from the backup data read, and comparing that hash with the hash originally stored on the backup media.

Abstract: When failure occurs in a virtualization apparatus in storage network circumstances in which the virtualization apparatus is operated, a storage management server judges volume position information, cache configuration information and pair configuration information which are configuration information of the virtualization apparatus and external storage collectively to decide candidates of recovery methods of volume and candidates of recovery methods of data in the volume, so that construction of a physical volume and a pair and recovery of data are performed and an access path is then changed to the recovered physical primary volume. Consequently, change to the system configuration in which operation is performed without passing through the virtualization apparatus can be made in a short time and continuous operation can be attained.

Abstract: This storage system includes a first storage sub system having a first logical volume where a first data area is dynamically allocated to each prescribed area, and which stores data transmitted from a host computer in the first data area, and a second storage sub system having a second data area for backing up the first logical volume; wherein the first storage sub system includes: a first management unit for managing the status of the first data area allocated to each of the areas of the first logical volume; a transfer unit for transferring the data stored in the first data area allocated to each of the areas of the first logical volume to the second storage sub system; and a restoration unit for restoring the first logical volume based on the status of the first data area managed by the first management unit and/or the data transferred from the second storage sub system.

Abstract: Data written in the primary logical volume of the first storage device are transmitted to the third storage device via the second storage device, the data being written in the same location as the primary logical volume within the secondary logical volume in the third storage device; when transmission of the data stops among the first to the third storage devices, the respective second storage device and the third storage device manage locations in the secondary logical volume where the data held thereby are to be written; and, when transmission of the data resumes among the first to the third storage devices, the locations in the secondary logical volume managed by the respective second and the third storage devices are aggregated, the data to be written in the respective aggregated location in the secondary logical volume being transmitted from the first storage device to the third storage device via the second storage device.

Abstract: An architecture for protecting against failure in a switched storage network using virtualization.

Abstract: Exemplary systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may provide a plurality of data services by employing splittable, mergable and transferable redundant chains of data containers. The chains and containers may be automatically split and/or merged in response to changes in storage node network configurations and may be stored in erasure coded fragments distributed across different storage nodes. Data services provided in a distributed secondary storage system utilizing redundant chains of containers may include global deduplication, dynamic scalability, support for multiple redundancy classes, data location, fast reading and writing of data and rebuilding of data due to node or disk failures.

Abstract: A storage device includes first-storage-module having a storage region for storing data transmitted from a higher-order-device, a plurality of second-storage-module temporarily storing data, reception-processing-module receiving data transmitted from the higher-order-device, first-storage-processing-module storing data received from the higher-order-device in the first-storage-module and storing data received from the higher-order-device in the second-storage-module following the order of reception, data-group-output-module outputting a data group including data stored in each of second-storage-module, data-group-storage-region-securing-module detecting an abnormality in output processing by the data-group-output-module and securing a data-group-storage-region for storing the data group in the first-storage-module or third-storage-module, evacuation-processing-module reading out the data group from the second-storage-module and evacuating to the data-group-storage-region depending on the usage state of the se

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for providing a backup configuration image to a programmable hardware device. A receiving module receives a configuration file for the programmable hardware device. The configuration file comprises a synchronization key and a configuration image. An image write module writes the configuration image to a first section of a memory device. The memory device comprises the first section and a second section that stores a synchronization key and a backup configuration image. A key write module writes at least a portion of the synchronization key to the first section of the memory device in response to the image write module completing the write of the configuration image to the first section of the memory device. During a loading cycle, the programmable hardware device searches the memory device for a valid synchronization key, and loads the configuration image that corresponds to the valid synchronization key.

Abstract: A failover module generates a user interface to enable an administrative user to define a failover plan for a primary site. The failover plan includes user-specified information for use by multiple operations of a failover process for failing over a server system from the primary site to a failover site. The failover plan can be stored as a data object on a computer system at the failover site. In the event of a serious failure at the primary site, the failover process can be invoked and carried out on the failover site with little or no human intervention, based on the failover plan, to cause the server system to be failed over to the failover site, thereby substantially reducing downtime of the server system and its data.

Abstract: To provide a write amplifier that is connected to bit lines, a read amplifier that is connected to the bit lines via a first switch, and a relief memory element that includes a write port that is connected to the bit lines via a second switch, and a read port that is connected to the read amplifier via a third switch. When there is a request to access a defective memory cell, during a write operation, the second switch is turned on and write data is supplied from the write amplifier to the relief memory element via the bit lines, and during a read operation, the first switch is turned off and the third switch is turned on, and then read data read from the relief memory element is supplied to the read amplifier without being routed via the bit lines.

Abstract: The method begins with a processing module determining whether to reconstruct data corresponding to a plurality of data slices when the plurality of data slices is to be transferred from a first type of memory device to a second type of memory device. The method continues with the processing module retrieving the plurality of data slices from a first set of memory devices that are of the first type of memory, reconstructing at least a portion of the data from the plurality of data slice in accordance with a first error coding dispersal function to produce reconstructed data, encoding the reconstructed data in accordance with a second error coding dispersal function to produce a second plurality of data slices, and storing the second plurality of data slices in a second set of memory devices that are of the second type of memory when the data is to be reconstructed.