Abstract: A power consumption threshold is implemented to manage power consumed by a plurality of devices. A power consumption threshold may be selected for a data storage system having multiple drives. Policies may control operation of storage devices such as hard disk drives to ensure the power consumption threshold is not exceeded. The policies may implement procedures for scheduling hard disk drive operations based on disk drive power characteristics, scheduling maintenance tasks, managing device power states, and strategically scheduling device operations based on their current state. The policies may be implemented by a data manager application in communication with multiple tiers of a data storage system.

Abstract: Data state rollover is performed based on data state snapshots and deltas. A series of snapshots is taken of the current data state, an original data state, and data states in between. Deltas are then generated between two sequential snapshots. This results in numerous deltas which represent the difference between consecutive snapshots. Once the deltas are acquired, the deltas may be stored along with the snapshot of the present data state. As such, previous data states may be rolled back to by determining the number of deltas to apply to the current data state to achieve the desired previous data state. In cases where the rollback or rollover fails, deltas may be played against the current data state to a point where the last known trusted and working data point existed.

Abstract: In accordance with some implementations, a method for evaluating large scale computer systems based on performance is disclosed. A large scale, distributed memory computer system receives topology data, wherein the topology data describes the connections between the plurality of switches and lists the nodes associated with each switch. Based on the received topology data, the system performs a data transfer test for each of the pair of switches. The test includes transferring data between a plurality of nodes and determining a respective overall test result value reflecting overall performance of a respective pair of switches for a plurality of component tests. The system determines that the pair of switches meets minimum performance standards by comparing the overall test result value against an acceptable test value. If the overall test result value does not meet the minimum performance standards, the system reports the respective pair of switches as underperforming.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a micro ethernet connector includes an outer housing that has a recessed front end and a back end. The micro ethernet connector further includes an inner housing that is disposed within the recessed front end of the outer housing. The inner housing has an exposed end. The exposed end includes a recessed channel. The volume of the recessed channel is substantially equal to the volume of a correspondingly shaped protruding printed circuit board of a male micro ethernet connector. A plurality of spring-biased connectors are disposed within the recessed channel of the inner housing.

Abstract: A coupler engagement mechanism includes a female member that detachably couples to a corresponding male member. The female member may include a central axis opening and a telescopically slidable outer sleeve. The outer sleeve may be spring-biased in a forward direction towards the central axis opening. A pull member may be coupled to the outer sleeve and may extend from the outer sleeve in a direction other than parallel to the radius of the outer sleeve.

Abstract: A bootloader uses a TCP server to install and verify upgrades on a networked computing device such as a storage enclosure. A data management server client may connect to a bootloader on the storage enclosure using TCP. Once the connection is established, an upgrade image (upgrade data) can be provided directly to the bootloader and installed by the bootloader at the storage enclosure. The TCP server allows for the upgrade to be installed with minimal steps and a simple interface.

Abstract: A cluster of computer system nodes connected by a storage area network include two classes of nodes. The first class of nodes can act as clients or servers, while the other nodes can only be clients. The client-only nodes require much less functionality and can be more easily supported by different operating systems. To minimize the amount of data transmitted during normal operation, the server responsible for maintaining a cluster configuration database repeatedly multicasts the IP address, its incarnation number and the most recent database generation number. Each node stores this information and when a change is detected, each node can request an update of the data needed by that node. A client-only node uses the IP address of the server to connect to the server, to download the information from the cluster database required by the client-only node and to upload local disk connectivity information.

Abstract: A high performance computing system is provided with an ASIC that communicates with another device in the system according to a protocol defined by the other device. The ASIC is coupled to a reconfigurable protocol table, in the form of a high speed content-addressable memory (“CAM”). The CAM includes instructions to control the execution of the protocol by the ASIC. The CAM may include instructions to control the ASIC in the event that unanticipated signals or other errors are encountered while executing the protocol. Internal ASIC state data may be routed to the CAM to permit the ASIC to generate a reasonable response to errors either in the design or fabrication of the ASIC or the device with which it is communicating.

Abstract: A modular first-in first-out circuit including at least three non-addressable memory blocks forming a data pipeline is disclosed. At least two of the memory block including a data storage structure for receiving as input data from a global data bus and a control logic structure including logic for determining whether data should be added to the data storage structure from the global data bus and whether any data within the data storage structure should be transferred to the output of the memory block. The data storage structure of the at least two memory blocks includes a first data input for selectively receiving data from the global data bus and a second data input for selectively receiving data from a previous memory block in the modular first-in first-out circuit.

Abstract: Error data is read from error registers and written into a buffer. A computing node uses a BIOS to read the error data, rearm the error register and write the data into a memory mapped buffer. A hub chip supports creation of a shared memory system of computing nodes. A management controller in the computing node extracts error data from the buffer. The error data preferably consists essentially of the error register identifiers and the contents of the error registers. A system management node receives the error data from the management controllers in the computing nodes. The system management node may be coupled to but separate from the computing nodes.

Abstract: A system and method for conveying data include the capability to determine whether a transaction request credit has been received at a computer module, the transaction request credit indicating that at least a portion of a transaction request message may be sent. The system and method also include the capability to determine, of a transaction request message is to be sent, whether at least a portion of the transaction request message may be sent and to send the at least a portion of the transaction request message if it may be sent.

Abstract: A method for maintaining data coherency in a shared-memory computer system having a plurality of nodes divides the local memory of a given node into one or more blocks and stores a data record for each block indicating a plurality of node groups and a selection of the node groups. Each selected node group represents a number of nodes, and selected node groups represent at least one node that has requested access to the block. In response to receiving an access request from a requesting node that may or may not be in a selected node group, the method and system update the data record to indicate the correct selection. If the requesting node is not in any node group, the data record is adjusted to have new node groups, one of which represents the requesting node.

Abstract: A computer system with read/write access to storage devices creates a snapshot of a data volume at a point in time while continuing to accept access requests to the mirrored data volume by copying before making changes to the base data volume. Multiple snapshots may be made of the same data volume at different points in time. Only data that is not stored in a previous snapshot volume or in the base data volume are stored in the most recent snapshot volume.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for remote rendering of computer graphics. The system includes a graphics application program resident at a remote server. The graphics application is invoked by a user or process located at a client. The invoked graphics application proceeds to issue graphics instructions. The graphics instructions are received by a remote rendering control system. Given that the client and server differ with respect to graphics context and image processing capability, the remote rendering control system modifies the graphics instructions in order to accommodate these differences. The modified graphics instructions are sent to graphics rendering resources, which produce one or more rendered images. Data representing the rendered images is written to one or more frame buffers. The remote rendering control system then reads this image data from the frame buffers. The image data is transmitted to the client for display or processing.

Abstract: A high performance computing system includes one or more blade enclosures having a cooling manifold and configured to hold a plurality of computing blades, and a plurality of computing blades in each blade enclosure with at least one computing blade including two computing boards. The system further includes two or more cooling plates with each cooling plate between two corresponding computing boards within the computing blade, and a fluid connection coupled to the cooling plate(s) and in fluid communication with the fluid cooling manifold.

Abstract: A high performance computing system includes one or more blade enclosures configured to hold a plurality of computing blades, a connection interface, coupled to the one or more blade enclosures, having one or more connectors and a shared power bus that distributes power to the one or more blade enclosures, and at least one power shelf removably coupled to the one or more connectors and configured to hold one or more power supplies. The system may further include the computing blades and the power supplies. The power shelf may include a power distribution board configured to connect the power supplies together on the shared power bus.

Abstract: Techniques for balancing processing loads when performing parallel tasks on one or more processing nodes that share memory resources are provided. For some embodiments, the techniques involve distributing work according to an alternate block cyclic distribution scheme of at least one dimension, wherein work processes are assigned to sets of threads in at least first and second adjacent blocks based on round-robin manner according to a first sequence and an alternate round-robin manner according to a second sequence that is a mirror image of the first sequence, respectively.

Abstract: A processor (600) in a distributed shared memory multi-processor computer system (10) may initiate a flush request to remove data from its cache. A processor interface (24) receives the flush request and performs a snoop operation to determine whether the data is maintained in a one of the local processors (601) and whether the data has been modified. If the data is maintained locally and it has been modified, the processor interface (24) initiates removal of the data from the cache of the identified processor (601). The identified processor (601) initiates a writeback to a memory directory interface unit (24) associated with a home memory 17 for the data in order to preserve the modification to the data. If the data is not maintained locally or has not been modified, the processor interface (24) forwards the flush request to the memory directory interface unit (22).

Abstract: Resource acquisition requests for a filesystem are executed under user configurable metering. Initially, a system administrator sets a ratio of N:M for executing N read requests for M write requests. As resource acquisition requests are received by a filesystem server, the resource acquisition requests are sorted into queues, e.g., where read and write requests have at least one queue for each type, plus a separate queue for metadata requests as they are executed ahead of any waiting read or write request. The filesystem server controls execution of the filesystem resource acquisition requests to maintain the ratio set by the system administrator.

Abstract: A computer system with read/write access to storage devices creates a snapshot of a data volume at a point in time while continuing to accept access requests to the mirrored data volume by copying before making changes to the base data volume. Multiple snapshots may be made of the same data volume at different points in time. Only data that is not stored in a previous snapshot volume or in the base data volume are stored in the most recent snapshot volume.