Abstract: A method and apparatus for verifying the content contained on components of a distributed network is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of selecting at least one parameter specifying at least one content associated with a first selected component, comparing the at least one content associated with the selected parameter associated with the first selected component to the at least one content associated with the selected parameter associated with a second selected component, and providing an indication when the value of the at least one content associated with the first and second components is not the same. In one aspect of the invention, the method disclosed is further repeated for each component in the system by comparing a prior tested component with a next selected component.

Abstract: Apparatus includes a chassis assembly, a computing device configured to connect to a housing of the chassis assembly, and a line cord supplying power to the chassis assembly. The line cord has a first portion external to the chassis assembly and a second portion internal to the chassis assembly. The second portion has a shielding member that is in conductive contact with the housing to provide electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding for the chassis assembly.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer-program product for determining the status of a connection among a plurality of elements in a distributed system is disclosed. The method comprising the steps of determining an initial configuration of the connections among selected ones of the plurality of elements as a relationship of one of said selected elements to another of said elements, wherein at least one of said relationships is associated with a root element of an associated connection, responsive to a stimulus, determining a second configuration of the connections among the selected elements, determining a current condition of the connections among the selected elements is based on at least the second configuration; and providing an indication when at least a significant change has occurred. The device discloses, in one aspect, a processor executing code for implementing the method steps described and the computer product providing code to a processor for implementing the method steps described.

Abstract: This invention is a system and method for managing one or more data storage networks using a new architecture. A method for handling logical to physical mapping is included in one embodiment with the new architecture. A method for handling errors is included in another embodiment with the new architecture.

Abstract: A matching graphical user interface (GUI) for a storage area network (SAN) management tool is disclosed. The matching GUI allows a user to match a managed object that corresponds to a unit of a SAN with a component of the SAN management tool, so the SAN management tool may validate the configuration of the SAN. The GUI receives information describing a managed object and displays the information and a result of an attempted match of the information with a component. A result indicates a current status of the attempted match. The GUI provides a user-selectable listing of components for the displayed result. The selection of a component from the user-selectable listing of components by a user creates a match between the received information for the unit and the selected component.

Abstract: A storage area network management application provides a data collection agent that processes storage information concerning storage entities such as file systems in a storage area network environment by receiving a data collection policy identifying storage information to be collected concerning a set of storage entities in a storage area network environment. The agent collects storage information concerning the set of storage entities according to the data collection policy and processes the collected storage information to produce at least one summary record of the storage information for the set of storage entities. The summary record(s) contain a summary of the collected storage information for the set of storage entities calculated according to the data collection policy. The agent transfers the summary record(s) from the data collection agent to a storage management application for presentation to a user of the storage management application.

Abstract: A local area network includes a plurality of devices and a firewall for interfacing the LAN to a wide area network. In the LAN, each device generates a message packets for transmission over the network in which a time to live field contains an initial value that is preferably selected to be a function of the maximum path length for transfer of message packets within the local area network. Similarly, the firewall, when it receives message packets from the WAN for transmission to a device on the LAN provides in the time to live field an initial value that is preferably selected to be a function of the maximum path length for transfer of message packets within the local area network. When the firewall received a message packet from the LAN for transmission over the WAN, it provides a default initial value that is selected for use for message packets transmitted over the WAN in the time to live field, which typically will be significantly higher than the initial value that is used in the local area network.

Abstract: Configurations herein present a multi-segment perspective of the SAN that models the SAN as an interconnection of protocol independent segments, each operable according to a particular transport mechanism and connected to other segments by an intersegment device such as a network bridge. Each segment is operable to include a fabric of manageable entities, such as storage arrays, switches, and hosts, that operate according to particular protocols and transport mechanisms employed by the fabric. Groups of manageable entities operable according to a particular protocol or transport mechanism are enumerated as a separate segment, and managed as a separate entity from the management application. The intersegment connections occur via an inter segment device operable to perform the mapping or translation from the respective address space of the segments. Therefore, a path from an initiator to a receiver manageable entity may be enumerated and managed by the management application as a multi-segment connection.

Abstract: A method of protecting data during transmission from an ECC protection scheme to a parity protection scheme, including reading a data word and an associated ECC from an upstream device; generating parity for the data word; generating a new ECC from the data word; computing a syndrome of the associated ECC and the new ECC; determining, based on the syndrome, if an error is present in the data word or the associated ECC; correcting a correctable error in the data word; correcting the parity for the data word; and transmitting the corrected data word and the corrected parity for the data word to a downstream device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining causality mapping between causing events and detectable events among a plurality of nodes in a distributed system is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of automatically generating a causality mapping model of the dependences between causing events at the nodes of the distributed system and the detectable events in a subset of the nodes, the model suitable for representing the execution of at least one system operation. In one aspect the generation is perform by selecting nodes associated with each of the detectable events from the subset of the nodes and indicating the dependency between a causing event and at least one detectable event for each causing event at a node when the causing event node is a known distance from at least one node selected from the selected nodes.

Abstract: An architecture, system, and method for managing a data storage system by contacting a single processor in a data storage system having more than one processor. The single processor contacts each other peer processor in the data storage system and merges selected data from the single processor with data from the peer processor to determine the state of the data storage system.

Abstract: An agent in a storage area network stores a first identifier (e.g., a checksum value) for first zone configuration data previously used to configure a zone in the storage area network. The agent derives the first identifier from contents of the first zone configuration data. Further, the agent retrieves second zone configuration data presently used to configure the zone in the storage area network. The second zone configuration data is potentially different than the first zone configuration data. Based on contents of the second zone configuration data, the agent then produces a second identifier for the second zone configuration data. The agent then compares the first identifier and the second identifier to identify whether the first zone configuration data is different than the second zone configuration data. A user can control behavior of zoning importation and activation depending whether current zone configuration data has been changed.

Abstract: A network compliance application performs a method of coalescing violation data based on rule and policy violations by retrieving network event data indicative of compliance with a set of policies, in which each of the policies has a set of rules. The application computes, for each of the policies, violations, each violation indicative of a deviation from a particular rule, and displays a summary view indicative of a plurality of policies in the set of policies, the summary view indicative of violations attributable to each of the policies. From the displayed summary view, the application receives a detail selection corresponding to a subset of the displayed violations in the summary view; displays, for the received detail selection, a violation view having a sequence of ranked violation entries corresponding to the detail selection.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for multi-realm system modeling (MRSM) for dividing systems into components, defining realms containing objects representing system components, defining relationships between the system components, defining relationships and/or associations between realms sufficient to unify objects in the realms, and unifying objects in the realms based on the relationships and/or associations.

Abstract: A data packet arbitration system for routing data transfers from a plurality of clients to a data transmission line is described. The system includes multiple arbitration stages for transferring data from the plurality of clients to the data transmission line. Data transfers are routed through the system based on arbitration logic that prioritizes by function in a primary arbitration stage and by client in a subsequent arbitration stage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for multi-realm system modeling (MRSM) for dividing systems into components, defining realms containing objects representing system components, optionally defining relationships between the system components, defining associations between realms sufficient to unify objects in the realms when needed, and unifying objects in the realms based on the associations. The realms are defined in a way that enables unified processing for various applications of MRSM.

Abstract: Representing a number of assets on an originating computer begins with selecting the assets to be represented. Cryptographic hash asset identifiers are generated; each of the asset identifiers is computed using the contents of a particular asset. The asset identifier is a content-based or content-addressable asset name for the asset and is location independent. An asset list is generated that includes the asset identifiers computed from the assets. A cryptographic hash asset list identifier is generated that is computed from the asset list. The asset list identifier is stored for later retrieval. The assets selected are also stored for safekeeping either locally or on a computer network. In the event of loss of the files from the originating computer, the asset list identifier is retrieved. Using the asset list identifier, the original asset list is found and retrieved from its safe location.

Abstract: An access control agent is advantageously deployed at a host device to prevent malicious use of a storage system by unauthorized hosts and users. In one embodiment the access control agent is disposed in a processing path between the application and the storage device. An application is mounted as an image file by a loop device to provide a virtual file system. The virtual file system is populated with access control information for each block of the file. Application I/O requests are mapped to physical blocks of the storage by the loop device, and the access control information is used to filter the access requests to preclude unauthorized requests from being forwarded to the storage client (and consequently the storage devices). With such an arrangement, access rights can be determined at I/O accesses, file and block granularity for each user.

Abstract: A method and system for managing the presentation or display of information items or context are described. In one aspect of the invention, the method comprises the steps of selecting an entity of a context type associated with a first display, determining at least one second display associated with the context of the selected entity; and making available information associated with the selected entity to each of the determined associated at least one second display. In another aspect of the invention, the method further provides for inhibiting the availability of information associated with the selected entity to a selected one of said determined associated second displays when the selected second display is the same as the first display. An “activate/deactivate” capability is provided such that a display (or window) can be configured to listen to selected context or to stop listening dynamically.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer-program product for modeling distributed systems is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of representing selected ones of a plurality of physical and logical elements as a plurality of objects, organizing the selected ones of the objects within each of the plurality of model layers, the model layers representing at least one function of the distributed network, determining behavioral relationships among objects within each of the model layers and determining behavioral relationships among selected ones of the objects among each of the model layers, said selected objects representing layer endpoints, wherein information between model layers is passed through said layer endpoints. The apparatus recites a processor for performing the steps of the disclosed method and the computer-program product provides code or instruction to a processor for executing the disclosed method steps.