Abstract: A system and method for performing diagnostics on a computer system having a plurality of physical hardware devices includes associating a logical device with a physical hardware device of the computer system. The logical device is provided with a programmatic interface that abstractly reproduces a functionality of the physical hardware device associated with the logical device and insulates the logical device from device-specific particulars needed to communicate with the physical hardware device. The logical device is associated with a translator that is capable of communicating with the physical hardware device associated with the logical device using the device-specific particulars needed to communicate with that physical hardware device.

Abstract: Tracking several open data connections is difficult with a large number of connections. Checking for timeouts in software uses valuable processor resources. Employing a co-processor dedicated to checking timeouts uses valuable logic resources and consumes extra space. In one embodiment, a finite state machine implemented in hardware increases the speed connections can be checked for timeouts. The finite state machine stores a last accessed time stamp for each connection in a memory, and loops through the memory to compare each last accessed time stamp with a current time stamp of the system minus a global timeout value. In this manner, the finite state machine can efficiently find and react to timed out connections.

Abstract: A system for biometrically securing business transactions uses speech recognition and voiceprint authentication to biometrically secure a transaction from a variety of client devices in a variety of media. A voiceprint authentication server receives a request from a third party requestor to authenticate a previously enrolled end user of a client device. A signature collection applet presents the user a randomly generated signature string, prompting the user to speak the string, and recording the user's as he speaks. After transmittal to the authentication server, the signature string is recognized using voice recognition software, and compared with a stored voiceprint, using voiceprint authentication software. An authentication result is reported to both user and requestor. Voiceprints are stored in a repository along with the associated user data. Enrollment is by way of a separate enrollment applet, wherein the end user provides user information and records a voiceprint, which is subsequently stored.

Abstract: In a file server, a file system is built upon a volume of data storage. The file system includes multiple cylinder groups. Each cylinder group includes file system blocks. The file system blocks include allocated blocks and free blocks. The volume includes slices of storage, and each slice stores at least one of the cylinder groups. A hierarchical slice map has a top level that includes a count of free blocks in the file system, an upper level that includes a count of free blocks in groups of the slices, an intermediate level that includes a count of the free blocks in sub-groups of the slices, and a bottom level that includes a count of the free blocks in each slice of storage. To find a free block for allocation to a file, the slice map hierarchy is searched in a top-down fashion.

Abstract: This invention is a system and a method for performing an I/O in a virtual data storage environment using a new architecture. The system of performing an I/O includes a mapping client integrated into a client of the storage server which in communication with the mapping server included in the storage server retrieves the mapping of the special data sharing storage objects and caches the shared objects in the data cache include in the client environment. The method of accessing the data sharing storage objects by one or more applications running on a client reduces the number of I/O on the storage objects by caching the storage objects in the data cache and bringing the knowledge of data sharing into the client environment.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media for triggering and coordinating pool storage reclamation are disclosed. According to one example, the method includes receiving an issued hint triggered by the execution of a data storage optimization operation applied to a mapped logical unit (MLU), wherein the MLU is one of a plurality of MLUs residing in a storage array, and computing an unused portion amount of an allocated storage space in the MLU, wherein the allocated storage space comprises a plurality of slices. If the unused portion amount exceeds a predetermined threshold value, detecting at least one of the slices to be released from the allocated storage space. The method also includes transferring data contained in a detected slice to at least one of the remaining slices in the allocated storage space, and removing the detected slice from the allocated storage space in the MLU to a common storage pool in the storage array, wherein the removed slice is allocated to any one of the plurality of MLUs.

Abstract: Hardware faults in data storage systems are diagnosed. User I/O errors are received. Disk drive port error counters, primary port error counters, and expansion port error counters are read. A user I/O error threshold is modified based on the error counter readings. Depending on the type of errors counted, the user I/O error threshold may be increased or decreased. Once a first quantity of user I/O errors exceeds the modified user I/O error threshold, a faulty component is identified.

Abstract: Deduplicated data objects are scrubbed by a executing a priority scrubbing task that scans the deduplicated data objects and applies a condition that enables priority data scrubbing based on the value of at least one attribute of the de-duplicated data objects. For example, a low priority task scrubs a deduplicated data object when a reference count of the deduplicated object reaches a threshold. A high priority task scrubs a deduplicated data object when a priority attribute indicates that the deduplicated data object is used by a critical source data object. A medium priority task scrubs a deduplicated data object when the access frequency of the deduplicated data object reaches a threshold. The condition may encode a scrubbing policy or heuristic, and may trigger further action in addition to scrubbing, such as triggering an update of the access rate.

Abstract: Inter-process communication management allows a first data storage system management application to execute a second data storage system management application. For example, when a user directs a client device to execute a second application while executing a first application, the client device establishes an inter-process communication (IPC) channel between the two applications to allow for security and navigation commands to be passed from the first application to the second application. With such a configuration, the first application does not require the user to re-enter information, such as a target IP address, and encrypted password to execute the second application. In one arrangement, the IPC channel is configured to detect the termination of either the first or the second application. Once detected, the client device can safely terminate the IPC channel between the two applications and execute the remaining, non-terminated application as a standalone product.

Abstract: Phrase matching processes for matching phrases comprising a plurality of keywords in document text construct hit lists of the keywords in a document text, and operate on the keywords in either phrase order or without regard to the order of occurrence of the keywords in the phrase. The processes form sorted sets of all keywords, and compare occurrences of the keywords in the sorted sets to a predefined proximity constraint. For unordered phrases, the proximity constraint defines a maximum span between keywords in the highest and lowest positions in the sorted set as MaxSpan=p(k?1), where p is a proximity and k is the number of keywords in the phrase. For ordered phrases, the distances between successive phrase keywords in phrase order must be less than or equal to the proximity p.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system and method that that allows device administrators to set disk quotas for each share of a server. Quotas are set and enforced per share. The quota specifies the total disk space the share may consume on the device. When a share reaches or exceeds the set quota the share can no longer be written to.

Abstract: Based on a count of the number of dirty pages in a cache memory, the dirty pages are written from the cache memory to a storage array at a rate having a component proportional to the rate of change in the number of dirty pages in the cache memory. For example, a desired flush rate is computed by adding a first term to a second term. The first term is proportional to the rate of change in the number of dirty pages in the cache memory, and the second term is proportional to the number of dirty pages in the cache memory. The rate component has a smoothing effect on incoming I/O bursts and permits cache flushing to occur at a higher rate closer to the maximum storage array throughput without a significant detrimental impact on client application performance.

Abstract: A system for storing encrypted data comprises a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to receive an encrypted segment. The encrypted segment is determined by breaking a data stream, a data block, or a data file into one or more segments and encrypting each of the one or more segments. The processor is further configured to determine whether the encrypted segment has been previously stored, and in the event that the encrypted segment has not been previously stored, store the encrypted segment. The memory is coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

Abstract: In one example, a method of restoring data backed up in a content addressed storage system may include retrieving a recipe and appended storage addresses from a first storage node of content addressed storage, where the recipe may include instructions for generating a data structure from two or more data pieces, and the two or more data pieces may be resident in locations identified by the appended storage addresses. The example method may further include populating a cache with the appended storage addresses for the two or more data pieces. As well the method may further include retrieving, and populating the cache with, the two or more data pieces without looking up a storage address for any of the two or more data pieces in an index, and restoring the data structure using the retrieved two or more data pieces in the cache.

Abstract: Providing information classification in a computer system for use in an information management system. Information management provides services such as data protection, backup, retention, compliance, etc., by classifying the objects and/or environment of an entity according to its value to the entity. Initially a series of rules are identified relating to information management services. Using these rules, information is classified into categories by using a series of plugins that relate to specific characteristics of information within data. Often, classification includes the collection and/or generation of metadata. After the data is classified, service level objectives can be identified and mapped to service levels. After service levels are selected, the corresponding actions can be orchestrated such that the objects of the entity received the selected services in the service level.

Abstract: A subset of de-duplicated is outputted. In some embodiments, the output includes a subset of data stored in de-duplicated form in a plurality of containers each including a plurality of data segments comprising the data. For each container that includes one or more data segments comprising the subset, a corresponding container data is included in the output. Each container may include one or more segments not included in the subset. For each container the corresponding container data of which is included in the output, a corresponding value in a data structure including for each container stored on the de-duplicated storage system a data value indicating whether or not the corresponding container data has been included in the output is updated.

Abstract: Provided are methods and systems for multi-caching. The methods and systems provided can enhance network content delivery performance in terms of reduced response time and increased throughput, and can reduce communication overhead by decreasing the amount of data that have to be transmitted over the communication paths.

Abstract: A method for providing direct access to distributed managed content is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a request to perform an operation with respect to content associated with a set of managed content and obtaining information required to respond to the request. The method further comprises providing in response to the request one or more content locators, each content locator being usable to perform the requested operation through direct communication with an associated one of a plurality of content systems used to store at a portion of the distributed managed content.

Abstract: A system for index searching includes a first index, a second index, a processor, and a memory. The processor is configured to determine, using a Bloom filter for the second index of fingerprints, whether the Bloom filter indicates that an entry corresponding to a segment has been previously stored in the second index. The processor is further configured to, in the event that the Bloom filter indicates that an entry corresponding to the segment has been previously stored in the second index, retrieve a second index entry associated with the segment that has been previously stored. The memory is coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

Abstract: Described are techniques for storage configuration. Defined are one or more initiator groups each including one or more initiator ports, one or more target groups each including one or more target ports, and one or more storage groups each including one or more devices. A masking view is created where the masking view includes a first of the initiator groups, a first of the target groups, and a first of the storage groups. The masking view indicates which devices of the first storage group are accessible using one or more paths. Each of the one or more paths is specified using an initiator port from the first initiator group and a target port from the first target group.