Abstract: A modular storage system includes a modular storage system module, or “brick,” housing a disk drive array containing computer data. Each brick includes a backplane, fan(s) and a skin and has self-describing attributes that allow external control logic to auto-configure for each brick. The brick backplane includes a non-volatile memory device, such as a serial EEPROM, that can maintain and provide static and dynamic information regarding the brick and any disk drives in the disk drive array housed in the brick. The bricks can be attached to one or more base stations implementing and/or incorporating application-specific features and/or functions. Each base station also includes means for supplying power to the bricks and the disk drives contained in the bricks, RAID or other disk drive array control logic. Mounting apparatus ensures that a brick mounted to a base station, is immobilized, thus protecting the brick and electrical connection between the brick and the base station.

Abstract: A method of duplicating electronically stored data that includes coupling a duplicating device between an original information storage device and a destination storage device, and streaming data from the original information storage device to the duplicating device. An embodiment of the method also includes segmenting the streaming data, determining a length of an uncompressed data segment, and calculating a length of the data segment when compressed. This embodiment further includes determining if the length of the data segment when compressed is less than some threshold, and copying a compressed data segment to the destination storage device if the length of the compressed data segment is less than the threshold, otherwise copying the uncompressed data segment to the destination storage device.

Abstract: An MD5 processing apparatus is a hardware-implemented MD5 process in a programmable device such as an FPGA or the like. The programmable device is programmed to include four processing engines, each of which performs a single MD5 stage having four MD5 operations performed by the MD5 stage. Each stage begins with four 32-bit values in an A register, a B register; a C register; and a D register. These values are processed using four sub-stages in the MD5 stage using a number of adders along with fixed nonlinear function processing units and fixed 32-bit-shift units. The fixed nonlinear function processing units in a given stage implement only the nonlinear function needed for the MD5 round being performed by the stage. Likewise, each fixed 32-bit-shift unit uses direct bit routing to effect bit shifts taking advantage of the cyclic nature of shifts required by the MD5 hashing algorithm.

Abstract: A bridge device access system permits access to a locked bridge device coupled between a host and a storage device. The bridge device is unlocked by sending an unlock sequence of storage device verify commands from the host to the bridge device. Each verify command includes a start address and a length parameter, wherein the sequence of start addresses in the sequence of storage device verify commands is a pseudorandom sequence of hexadecimal values. The bridge device detects the unlock sequence and is unlocked. The host can send a bridge-access command as the first command after the unlock sequence. Bridge-access commands can include storage device commands that are interpreted by the bridge device as queries and/or instructions for performing various tasks. The bridge device processes the bridge-access command, performing a prescribed operation in response to the bridge-access command, and then immediately re-enters its locked state.

Abstract: A remote power sensing system for a hard disk bridge coupled to a drive bay uses a power sensor connecting a bridge to an energization control in the drive bay. The power sensor can be a cable or the like to provide a power detection signal to the bridge. The drive bay energization control selectively provides power to the drive bay (for example, by a key switch or the like). Energization of the drive bay may also energize a drive bay device such as a fan that also functions as an energization proxy. The power sensor connects the bridge to the energization proxy so that energization of the drive bay can be detected via the energization proxy and power sensor. When the sensor detects power provided to the drive bay, the bridging function of the bridge is enabled.

Abstract: A computer communication system includes a host computer system executing software and a computational unit coupled to the host computer via an interface. The computational unit employs a plurality of computational resources and communicates with the host computer using a storage interface protocol, such as a block-oriented storage device protocol. The interface can be a common interface, such as a FireWire USB interface. The host computer uses an application level code that communicates with the computational unit using the storage interface protocol and can include an operating system that includes support for the storage interface protocol. The host computer can transmit request packets to the computational unit, wherein each request packet comprises an atomic unit of work.

Abstract: Password recovery utilizes a hardware accelerator operating in connection with a host computer system that runs software to generate and format password candidates for computational processing. The hardware accelerator accepts formatted password candidates and can store a number of these candidates in a memory that is managed by a memory controller. A processing matrix is made up of a number of FPGAs which each can be programmed to run a number of computational blocks that are configured to “consume” or process a request packet containing a single password candidate. This multiple FPGA, multiple computational block configuration allows parallel processing of numerous password candidates by the hardware accelerator, a process that is normally computationally expensive. Processing of a request packet by a computational block generates a response packet that includes computational results corresponding to the single password candidate contained in the consumed request packet.

Abstract: A host computer system is coupled via an interface to a computational unit that includes an input, a gateway and a sea of computational resources. The interface can be a hard disk storage interface. In some embodiments, the gateway is a gateway master device, such as an FPGA, and a memory that are configured to control transfer of data between the host computer and the memory and/or control transfer of data between the memory and the computational resources. The computational resources can be FPGAs interconnected to perform atomic units of work using a nearest neighbor protocol. The host computer can execute software that generates the atomic units of work for the computational resources, wherein generating the atomic units of work in the form of request packets that are consumed by the computational resources by processing each request packet and generating a corresponding response packet that is sent to the host computer.

Abstract: A sea of computational resources includes a number of computational resources, each of which is a member of one or more nearest neighbor pairings. Each nearest neighbor pairing has an upstream neighbor and a downstream neighbor, and each nearest neighbor pairing transfers data between the upstream neighbor and the downstream neighbor using a nearest neighbor protocol. Generally, atomic units of work are selectively passed from the highest upstream computational resource, which can be accessed by a gateway device or the like, to one or more downstream computational resources, one of which eventually performs the work (for example, data processing, etc.) and then passes the computational result from that work upstream. The atomic units of work can be configured and/or formatted as request packets that can utilize a signature word as a work unit identifier. The computational results can likewise be configured and/or formatted as response packets that also utilize the signature word as a work product identifier.

Abstract: A remote power sensing system for a hard disk bridge coupled to a drive bay uses a power sensor connecting a bridge to an energization control in the drive bay. The power sensor can be a cable or the like to provide a power detection signal to the bridge. The drive bay energization control selectively provides power to the drive bay (for example, by a key switch or the like). Energization of the drive bay may also energize a drive bay device such as a fan that also functions as an energization proxy. The power sensor connects the bridge to the energization proxy so that energization of the drive bay can be detected via the energization proxy and power sensor. When the sensor detects power provided to the drive bay, the bridging function of the bridge is enabled.