Abstract: A SAN management system including the ability to generate perspectives of a SAN topology is provided. The SAN management system includes a SAN manager program to monitor a SAN. The SAN management system further includes a SAN management database linked with the SAN manager program, wherein the SAN management database maintains information identifying devices included within the SAN and connections between the devices. In addition, the SAN management system includes a plurality of sensor agents positioned within the devices included within the SAN, wherein the sensor agents gather information pertaining to the connections between the devices and provide the gathered information to the SAN manager program for inclusion within the SAN management database.

Abstract: A method for reducing data loss and unavailability by integrating multiple levels of a storage hierarchy is provided. The method includes receiving a read request. In addition, the method includes recognizing a data failure in response to the read request. The method further includes locating an alternate source of the data to be read in response to recognizing the data failure. The alternate source includes data cached at devices in the storage hierarchy, data in a backup system, and cumulative changes to the data since the last backup. Moreover, the method includes responding to the read request with data from the alternate source.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for ensuring that data stored on rewritable storage is immutable. The method includes initializing selected user-addressable blocks of storage to a writable state. In addition, the method includes accepting data to be stored in specified user-addressable blocks. Also, the method includes determining if the specified block(s) is writable. Also, the method includes storing the accepted data to the rewritable storage. Moreover, the method includes setting the state of the specified block(s) to non-writable. In one embodiment, the writable/non-writable state associated with each block is encoded and stored in the contents of the corresponding block. In another embodiment, the steps of determining whether the specified block(s) is writable, storing the accepted data to the rewritable storage, and setting the state of the specified block(s) to non-writable, are integrated and indivisible.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a method for ensuring that data stored on rewritable storage is immutable. The method includes initializing selected user-addressable blocks of storage to a writable state. In addition, the method includes accepting data to be stored in specified user-addressable blocks. Also, the method includes determining if the specified block(s) is writable. Also, the method includes storing the accepted data to the rewritable storage. Moreover, the method includes setting the state of the specified block(s) to non-writable. Each user-addressable block of storage is mapped to at least one block of rewritable storage and initializing selected user-addressable blocks of storage to a writable state includes storing predetermined bit patterns into the corresponding blocks of rewritable storage such that for each selected user-addressable block of storage, the contents of the corresponding blocks of rewritable storage satisfy a predetermined mathematical relationship.

Abstract: A method for reducing data loss and unavailability by integrating multiple levels of a storage hierarchy is provided. The method includes receiving a read request. In addition, the method includes recognizing a data failure in response to the read request. The method further includes locating an alternate source of the data to be read in response to recognizing the data failure. The alternate source includes data cached at devices in the storage hierarchy, data in a backup system, and cumulative changes to the data since the last backup. Moreover, the method includes responding to the read request with data from the alternate source.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of annotation for electronic document, a method for creating, modifying and browsing an annotation in an electronic document, and an apparatus and system for editing, browsing annotations in electronic document. The method of annotation for electronic document includes: storing annotation contents for one or more electronic documents into a shared dictionary; and when a reader browses an electronic document, providing the reader with annotations for the electronic document based on the shared dictionary.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a method for reliably storing data in a computer system. The method includes receiving a piece of data to be stored at a storage system. In addition, the method includes writing a first copy of the data to the storage system according to a first data redundancy scheme. Also, the method includes writing a second copy of the data to the storage system according to a second data redundancy scheme. Also, the system includes maintaining metadata of the data written to the storage system according to the second data redundancy scheme. In addition, the method includes copying the data written to the storage system according to the second data redundancy scheme to a backup storage system, wherein the copying is performed in response to a defined condition being met. Moreover, removing the data written to the storage system according to the second data redundancy scheme after it has been copied to the backup storage system.

Abstract: A system for minimizing downtime in an appliance-based business continuance architecture is provided. The system includes at least one primary data storage and least one primary host machine. The system includes an intercept agent to intercept primary host machine data requests, and to collect information associated with the intercepted data requests. Moreover, at least one business continuance appliance in communication with the primary host machine and in communication with a remote backup site is provided. The appliance receives information associated with the intercepted data requests from the intercept agent. In addition, a local cache is included within the business continuance appliance. The local cache maintains copies of primary data storage according to the information received. Furthermore, the remote site is provided with the intercepted data requests via the business continuance appliance, wherein the remote site maintains a backup of the primary data storage.

Abstract: A three-dimensional computer infrastructure cooling system is provided. The three-dimensional computer infrastructure cooling system includes at least one compute, storage, or communications brick. In addition, the three-dimensional computer infrastructure cooling system includes at least one coldrail to facilitate the removal of heat from the at least one compute, storage, or communications brick. Also, the three-dimensional computer infrastructure includes a brick-internal carrier within the at least one compute, storage, communications brick, wherein the brick-internal carrier is attached to the at least one coldrail. Moreover, the three-dimensional computer infrastructure includes a power dissipating electronic element within the at-least-one compute, storage, or communications brick, wherein the power dissipating element is attached to the brick-internal carrier.

Abstract: A cost-adaptive cache including the ability to dynamically maximize performance in a caching system by preferentially caching data according to the cost of replacing data. The cost adaptive cache includes a partitioned real cache, wherein data is stored in each of the real cache partitions according to its replacement cost. Also, the cost-adaptive cache includes a partitioned phantom cache to provide a directory of information pertaining to blocks of data which do not qualify for inclusion in the real cache. The partitions in the phantom cache correspond to the partitions in the real cache. Moreover, the cost-adaptive cache maximizes performance in a system by preferentially caching data that is more costly to replace. In one embodiment of the system, the cost of replacing a block of data is estimated by the previous cost incurred to fetch that block of data.

Abstract: A multi-stage login procedure and system involves a first stage in which a login ID and a public key (encrypted) is transmitted from a client computer to a server computer and a key-exchange key (encrypted) is provided from the server computer to the client computer. In a second stage, a first split symmetric key and a server authentication string is generated and encrypted by the client computer and then transmitted to the server computer. In addition, the server computer generates a second split symmetric key and combines the same with the first split symmetric key to obtain a complete symmetric key for encrypting further communications from the server to the client computer. The server also generates a client authentication string, encrypts the same and transmits the encrypted string, the server authentication string (encrypted and incremented) and the second split symmetric key (encrypted) to the client computer.

Abstract: Described is a modulation encoder having a finite state machine for converting input bits into output bits in which the number of alternating output bits is limited to j+1 where j is a predefined maximum number of transitions in the output bits, and in which the number of like output bits is limited to k+1 where k is a predefined maximum number of non-transitions in the output bits. The modulation encoder may be employed in encoding apparatus for converting an input bit stream into an output bit stream. Such apparatus may comprise partitioning logic for partitioning the input bit stream into a first group of bits and a second group of bits. A plurality of the aforementioned modulation encoders may be connected to the partitioning logic for converting the first group of bits into coded output bits. Combining logic may be connected to the or each modulation encoder and the partitioning logic for combining the coded output bits and the second group of bits to generate the output bit stream.

Abstract: Images in an image database are indexed according to semantic labels from a surface color code book in order to allow querying and retrieving of images based on color content. Regions of unsegmented images in a database are localized and described with semantic labels from a surface color code book. A database index is then built using this image region information and corresponding labels. This pre-generated color-region index allows querying by semantic labels in order to locate and retrieve similar images from a database. Querying for similar images by presenting a target image is also possible using the described color-region index. In this second type of query mode a target image is analyzed to determine semantic labels of color surfaces present in that image and these labels, in turn, are used to locate similar entries in the color-region index.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for a lease-based timeout scheme that addresses fencing's shortcomings. Unlike fencing, this scheme (or protocol) enables an isolated computer to realize it is disconnected from the distributed system and write its dirty data out to storage before its locks are stolen. In accordance with the invention, data consistency during a partition in a distributed system is ensured by establishing a lease based protocol between in the distributed system wherein a client can hold a lease with a server. The lease represents a contract between a client and a server in which the server promises to respect the client for a period of time. The server respects the contract even when it detects a partition between the client and itself.

Abstract: Browsing of digital video data is performed using a fast forward or fast reverse play mode. The digital video is analyzed and processed to produce a content-based variable-rate video playback sequence for fast browsing. To create the playback sequence, each shot in a video is sped-up at a relatively slow rate at the beginning of the shot by selecting many frames and then the speedup rate is increased as the shot progresses by selecting progressively fewer frames. This method and apparatus of variable-rate frame selection can be used to add and index to a video, play an original video in fast forward/backward mode or to create a new video—a fast forward playback video summary.

Abstract: In a multiprocessing system, access to a shared resource is arbitrated among multiple computing nodes. The shared resources has a membership view resulting from a predetermined membership protocol performed by the shared resource and the computing nodes. Preferably, this membership protocol includes a termination condition guaranteeing asymmetric safety among all members of the multiprocessing system. The shared resource arbitrates access to itself by fencing computing nodes outside shared resource's membership view. In one embodiment, the shared resource may comprise a data storage facility, such as a disk drive. Illustratively, computation of the shared resource's membership view may employ a procedure where each computing node subscribes to the resource during prescribed membership intervals.

Abstract: A device connected to an interface has operational logic and power control logic. The device further has multiple power modes, including a first mode and a second, lower power mode. In the first mode, the operational logic is coupled to the interface, and is able to communicate over the interface. In the second mode, the power control logic is coupled to the interface, and the operational logic is decoupled, and substantially powered down. This provides a low interface power mode. In this mode, the power control logic monitors the interface for command activity. The power control logic returns the device to the first mode when the device must be in the first mode to process or reply to the command. The power control logic thus provides for the restoration of function from a low interface power mode without the need for a special “wake-up” command, thereby making the low interface power mode transparent to the host.

Abstract: A shared device environment having multiple nodes (4a-4c), each node containing a computer (6a-6c), an adaptor (8a-8c) and multiple storage devices (10a-10c). Adaptors (8a-8c) facilitate read access to storage devices (10a-10c) such that the data records accessed are the latest version data records. Adaptors (8a-8c) are operative to provide the latest version of data blocks requested by computers (6a-6c) by first searching the read cache of each adaptor for data blocks requested by computers (6a-6c). If the requested data blocks are not found in the read cache of any adaptors, then data structures (155, 156 and 158) within the adaptors are searched for any data blocks waiting to be added to the read cache of any adaptors. If no data blocks are found, then the read access is conducted directly from the storage device itself.