Abstract: A method of scheduling requests from various services to a data storage resource, includes receiving service requests, the service requests including metadata specifying a service ID and a data size of payload data associated with the request, at least some of the service IDs having service throughput metadata specifying a required service throughput associated therewith; arranging the requests into FIFO throttled queues based on the service ID; setting a deadline for processing of a request in a throttled queue, the deadline selected in dependence upon the size of the request and the required service throughput associated therewith; providing a time credit value for each throttled queue, the time credit value including an accumulated value of the time by which a deadline for that queue has been missed; comparing the time credit value of a throttled queue to the time required to service the next request in that throttled queue.

Abstract: A method of controlling the capacity of a virtual storage system provided on a physical storage system, the method including: providing a control program on the physical storage system; coupling additional virtual storage to the virtual storage system on the physical storage system; providing control data on the additional virtual storage; with the control program, reading the control data and configuring the virtual storage system accordingly. A corresponding virtual storage system is also provided.

Abstract: There is provided an optical waveguide comprising an optical core having transverse sides, the optical core extending along a curved path; an optical cladding on the transverse sides of the optical core, wherein the distribution of the optical cladding on the transverse sides of the optical core is asymmetric about the centre of the core.

Abstract: There is disclosed a controller (120) for controlling the speed of a cooling device (118) in an electronic apparatus (100), an apparatus (100), a storage enclosure (102) and a method of configuring an apparatus (100). The controller (120) is constructed and arranged to determine a speed value for the cooling device (118) in accordance with a temperature input received from a temperature sensor (122) associated with the apparatus, the speed value being selected from a set of N speed values. The controller is arranged to control the speed of the cooling device in accordance with the selected speed value. The step between at least one pair of adjacent speed values in the set is different from the step between another pair of adjacent speed values in the set.

Abstract: An apparatus for receiving and positioning a read/write head to a disk and related methods are disclosed. The apparatus includes: a deck; a spindle on the deck; a safety enclosure surrounding at least the spindle; and a movable carriage having at least one head receiving portion. The carriage is movable between a first position wherein the head receiving portion is outside the safety enclosure and a second position wherein the head receiving portion is inside the safety enclosure. The apparatus further includes an automated mechanism arranged to pick up the head from the head receiving portion when in the second position and to load the head to the disk for testing.

Abstract: There is disclosed a storage enclosure, a carrier, a method of receiving and/or removing disk drive units to/from a storage enclosure, methods of manufacturing a storage enclosure, and a method of mounting a disk drive unit in a storage enclosure. In an aspect of the invention, a storage enclosure (10) comprises: a housing (11); and, at least one drawer (20) movable mounted to the housing such that the drawer is able to move between a received position and a withdrawn position relative to the housing. The or each drawer has a plurality of bays (22) for receiving respective disk drive units (100) with the disk drive units being orientated on their sides. Each bay having an upwardly facing opening which is accessible for insertion and/or removal of the disk drive unit therethrough when the drawer is in the withdrawn position.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and a tool for handling storage media in carriers, the tool comprising: a tool body; a first jaw to engage a first side of the storage media in carrier; a second jaw to engage a second opposed side of the storage media in carrier; wherein at least the second jaw is pivotally mounted on the main body so as to be movable between a first position in which the jaw is positioned so as to enable a disk drive in carrier to be freely moved into an engagement position with the tool and a second position in which the jaw engages the disk drive carrier so as to releasably lock the disk drive in carrier to the tool.

Abstract: There is disclosed a storage unit for high performance computing system, a storage network and a method of providing storage and of accessing storage. The storage unit includes an enclosure constructed and arranged to receive plural storage devices to provide high density, high capacity storage. The unit also includes a network connector and at least one integrated application controller constructed and arranged to run a scalable parallel file system for accessing data stored on the storage devices and providing server functionality to provide file access to a client via the network connector.

Abstract: The invention provides storage enclosure, comprising an enclosure housing; one or more drawers slidably arranged within the enclosure housing, wherein each drawer has a pivotably mounted midplane having storage media coupled thereto wherein the storage media are coupled to both sides of the pivotably mounted midplane.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for the temperature control of a component within a storage system wherein the storage system includes a heat exchanger in thermal communication with the component, the method comprising: generating a flow of heat transfer fluid through the heat exchanger, to transfer heat to or from the heat exchanger; receiving a set point signal indicative of the desired temperature of the component in the storage system; receiving temperature data regarding the component and the heat transfer fluid, and in dependence on set point signal and the temperature data regarding the component and the heat transfer fluid generating an output signal to control the flow of heat transfer fluid.

Abstract: The invention provides an amplification module for an optical printed circuit board, the optical printed circuit board including plural polymer waveguide sections from independent waveguides, each of the sections being doped with an amplifying dopant, wherein the plural waveguide sections are routed so as to pass through an amplification zone in which the plural polymer waveguide sections are arranged close or adjacent to one another, the amplification module including: a pump source including plural light sources arranged to provide independently controllable levels of pump radiation to each of the plural waveguide sections. In an embodiment, the amplification module also includes plural polymer waveguide sections corresponding to the plural polymer waveguides of the printed circuit board on which in use the amplification module is to be arranged, each of the sections being doped with an amplifying dopant.

Abstract: A method of writing data to a distributed file system including a file system client, a server and a storage resource target, includes generating, on the client, a write request including a byte stream to be written to the storage resource target; formatting, on the client, the byte stream into sectors in accordance with the T10 protocol, the sectors including a data field and a protection information field, the protection information field including a guard field, an application field and a reference field; computing, on the client, checksum data for the guard field; sending, across a network, the data and the protection information to the server; verifying, in T10-capable hardware on the server, the checksum data for the guard field; verifying, on the storage resource target, the checksum data for the guard field; and storing the data on the storage resource target.

Abstract: A method of, and apparatus for, predicting the performance of a data storage resource forming part of a networked electronic data store is described. The method includes representing the data storage resource as a plurality of separate virtual storage components, each virtual storage component representing a part of the data storage resource and having at least one operational state selectable from a pool of operational states. The method further includes obtaining resource profile data from the data storage resource, and modeling the performance of the data storage resource by assigning, from the pool, an operational state to each virtual storage component to fit the resource profile data. Thus, the data storage resource can be represented as a collection of virtual storage components, each having a dynamically-assignable operational state. This enables the modeling of the performance of the data storage resource to be simplified significantly.

Abstract: A switch for connection in a network of other like switches and includes memory for storing data packets, a control system arranged to control the switch to, upon receipt at one of the ingress or egress ports of notification of congestion at a downstream congested port, either store at said ingress port or egress port data packets received for said congested port or to communicate with an upstream port for storage at said upstream port of data packets destined for the congested port, and in dependence on the current of stored data, to send a message to a further upstream port informing the further upstream port of the congestion downstream. The memory is provided substantially only at the ingress ports or the egress ports of the switch.

Abstract: There is provided a method and apparatus for implementing a virtual mirror of a primary storage device (106) on a secondary storage device (108). The method comprises providing a map (124a) for translating primary data storage locations on said primary storage device (106) to secondary data storage locations on said secondary storage device (106) and utilizing said map (124a) to enable data stored on said secondary storage device (108) to mirror data stored on said primary storage device (106). By providing such a method, the requirements of the primary and secondary disks (106, 108) can be decoupled such that a smaller secondary disk (108) could be used with a larger primary (106) which will not be filled to capacity. This reduces the unused capacity on the secondary disk (108) which would otherwise be wasted.

Abstract: There is provided a method of writing data to a data sector of a storage device. The data sector has at least one parity sector associated therewith, each sector being configured to include a data field and a data integrity field. The data integrity field including a guard field, an application field and a reference field. The method includes providing data to be written to an intended sector; generating, for the intended sector, version information for the sector; generating a version vector based on the version information for the data sector; and writing the data to the data field of the data sector; writing the version information to the application field of the data sector; and writing the version vector to the application field of the parity sector.

Abstract: There is provided a method of making an optical polymer waveguide having an arbitrary refractive index profile, the method including: a) providing a first input optical beam having a first beam intensity profile and a second input optical beam having a second beam intensity profile; b) combining the first and second input optical beams to form an output optical beam having an output beam intensity profile; and c) forming the optical waveguide on a substrate by: exposing the optical materials of the waveguide to the output optical beam; and curing the optical materials using said output optical beam.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical printed circuit board, comprising: plural polymer waveguide sections from independent waveguides, each of the sections being doped with an amplifying dopant; an optical pump source to pump the plural polymer waveguide sections, wherein the plural waveguide sections are arranged close or adjacent to one another such that a the optical pump source is able to pump plural of the optical waveguide sections.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical waveguide and a method of making an optical waveguide. The waveguide has a curved section having an asymmetric refractive index profile, in which the refractive index varies asymmetrically across the waveguide cross-section in dependence on the radius of the curved section of the waveguide.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical connector assembly for arrangement on a first optical printed circuit board and for connecting the first optical printed circuit board to a second optical device on a second electro optical printed circuit board, the connector assembly comprising: an electrical connector; and an optical connector; the optical connector being arranged in a housing that is fixed relative to the electrical connector, the optical connector being movably mounted in the housing so that the optical connector can move relative to the electrical connection, such that when electrical connection is made, the optical connector can still move with at least three degrees of freedom.