Abstract: A method for providing notification of a predictable memory failure includes the steps of: obtaining information regarding at least one condition associated with a memory; calculating a memory failure probability as a function of the obtained information; calculating a failure probability threshold; and generating a signal when the memory failure probability exceeds the failure probability threshold, the signal being indicative of a predicted future memory failure.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present description, mirroring is provided for a pair of storage units in bidirectional synchronous mirror relationships, and a tertiary storage unit. The mirroring includes multi-target mirroring to write updates written to the first storage unit to both the second storage unit and to a third storage unit. Similarly, for updates written to the second storage unit, multi-target mirroring is employed to write those to both the first storage unit and to the third storage unit. Other aspects are described.

Abstract: For write cache protection of purpose built backup appliances in a computing environment, backup data of the write cache is created using a server memory that includes the write cache in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) system. The server memory is not controlled by a failing RAID card and/or NVRAM card that controls the write cache. The backup data in the server memory is flushed to a persistent storage device subsequent to detecting a failure of the write cache for enabling recovery of the backup data using the persistent storage device during a reboot operation.

Abstract: A method begins by storage units of a dispersed storage network (DSN) receiving a set of encoded data slices for storage. The method continues with a first storage unit determining whether to store a first encoded data slice as a first set of encoded data sub-slices. The method continues with the first storage unit encoding the first encoded data slice in accordance with a first dispersed storage error encoding function to produce the first set of encoded data sub-slices. The method continues by a second storage unit of the storage units determining whether to store a second encoded data slice as a second set of encoded data sub-slices. The method continues with the second storage unit encoding the second encoded data slice in accordance with a second dispersed storage error encoding function to produce the second set of encoded data sub-slices.

Abstract: Automating testing of a software product under system resource constraints. One or more SQAs are received and, for each SQA, a confidence level and an importance are received. For one or more system resources, an amount of each system resource available for testing is received. Each amount of system resource available for testing is apportioned to the SQAs, based on the confidence level and the importance of each SQA. Each test in a set of tests is prioritized, based on the number of SQAs associated with the test and any previous results of the test. For each SQA, a subset of the set of tests is selected, based on the test priorities, an expected consumption of system resources by each test, and the apportionment of the system resources to the SQA; the selected subset of tests is executed; and the test results for the selected subset of tests is updated.

Abstract: A deviance monitoring module is provided for examining various parameters of an operating system for deviance from a baseline behavior at specified intervals. A range of acceptable deviance values from a baseline behavior is set for parameters of an operating system. The parameters of the operating system are then monitored at specified intervals for deviance from the baseline behavior. In response to detecting that the deviance exceeds a predetermined threshold, the method triggers diagnostic data gathering on the parameters of the operating system according to an embodiment.

Abstract: A method, system and program product for performing automated tests on a system under test. A set of test blocks is provided, with each test block triggering at least one user activity on the system under test. The following is performed iteratively to execute multiple test blocks consecutively: defining a subset of executable test blocks; scoring the executable test blocks based on at least one scoring parameter; selecting a test block to be executed out of the subset of executable test blocks by randomly selecting a test block based on the scores, where the probability of selection of a test block depends on the score; executing the selected test block; updating the data of the status repository based on data of the system under test; and updating the data of the history log by adding data regarding the executed test block and the results of the test block execution.

Abstract: A deviance monitoring module is provided for examining various parameters of an operating system for deviance from a baseline behavior at specified intervals. A range of acceptable deviance values from a baseline behavior is set for parameters of an operating system. The parameters of the operating system are then monitored at specified intervals for deviance from the baseline behavior. In response to detecting that the deviance exceeds a predetermined threshold, the method triggers diagnostic data gathering on the parameters of the operating system according to an embodiment.

Abstract: A management method for a memory system executes a first memory system management sequence upon determining that the memory system was normally powered off, and a second sequence upon determining that the memory system was abnormally powered off. The first sequence allows immediate execution of a program operation at a valid data page location extracted from stored metadata, while the second sequence allows execution of a program operation only after programming dummy data to at least one erroneous page.

Abstract: A method includes a processing module receiving data to store and determining error coding dispersal storage function parameters based on an error profile of one or more hard drives. The method continues with the processing module encoding at least a portion of the data in accordance with the error coding dispersal storage function parameters to produce a set of data slices. The method continues with the processing module defining addressable storage sectors within the one or more hard drives based on a number of data slices within the set of data slices to produce a set of addressable storage sectors. The method continues with the processing module storing data slices of the set of data slices in corresponding addressable storage sectors of the set of addressable storage sectors.

Abstract: Automating testing of a software product under system resource constraints. One or more SQAs are received and, for each SQA, a confidence level and an importance are received. For one or more system resources, an amount of each system resource available for testing is received. Each amount of system resource available for testing is apportioned to the SQAs, based on the confidence level and the importance of each SQA. Each test in a set of tests is prioritized, based on the number of SQAs associated with the test and any previous results of the test. For each SQA, a subset of the set of tests is selected, based on the test priorities, an expected consumption of system resources by each test, and the apportionment of the system resources to the SQA; the selected subset of tests is executed; and the test results for the selected subset of tests is updated.

Abstract: Embodiments of apparatus, computer-implemented methods, systems, devices, and computer-readable media are described herein for a computing device with a platform entity such as an interrupt handier configured to notify an operating system or virtual machine monitor executing on the computing device of an input/output error-containment event. In various embodiments, the interrupt handler may be configured to facilitate recovery of a link to an input/output device that caused the input/output error-containment event, responsive to a directive from the operating system or virtual machine monitor.

Abstract: A computer program product for provision of prioritization metrics for post-Si failure localization is provided. The computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. The program instructions are readable and executable by a processing circuit to cause the processing circuit to, receive an output of a failure localization tool applied to hardware verification debug processing, recognize, from the output, numbers of mis-compared resources to which each instruction of the failure localization tool is related, apply a priority gradient to each instruction based on the corresponding numbers of the mis-compared resources and conduct further debug processing with respect to each instruction in accordance with the applied priority gradient.

Abstract: Automating testing of a software product under system resource constraints. One or more SQAs are received and, for each SQA, a confidence level and an importance are received. For one or more system resources, an amount of each system resource available for testing is received. Each amount of system resource available for testing is apportioned to the SQAs, based on the confidence level and the importance of each SQA. Each test in a set of tests is prioritized, based on the number of SQAs associated with the test and any previous results of the test. For each SQA, a subset of the set of tests is selected, based on the test priorities, an expected consumption of system resources by each test, and the apportionment of the system resources to the SQA; the selected subset of tests is executed; and the test results for the selected subset of tests is updated.

Abstract: A processor device with debug capabilities has a central processing unit, debug circuitry including a trace module and an external interface, wherein the trace module generates a trace stream including information about executed instructions, wherein the trace stream is output through the external interface, and wherein the trace module is further operable to detect a trigger signal and upon detection to insert a trace packet into the generated trace stream.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus, method, and/or sequence that adaptively provide the recovery of data after a power cycle sequence, wherein only minimal updates are provided for control blocks associated with the data.

Abstract: It is disclosed a method for protecting a computer network against a failure. The method comprises: identifying a number of possible failures which might occur within the computer network, the number of possible failures comprising at least one possible failure; and, based on detected availability of resources in the computer network, determining a protection state of the computer network allowing to circumvent the possible failure and dynamically updating the determined protection state based on changes of the detected availability. The method further comprises, upon occurrence of the failure, if the occurred failure corresponds to the possible failure, bringing the computer network into an operative protection state corresponding to the determined and dynamically updated protection state.

Abstract: A recovery consumer framework provides for execution of recovery actions by one or more recovery consumers to enable efficient recovery of information (e.g., data and metadata) in a storage system after a failure event (e.g., a power failure). The recovery consumer framework permits concurrent execution of recovery actions so as to reduce recovery time (i.e., duration) for the storage system. The recovery consumer framework may coordinate (e.g., notify) the recovery consumers to serialize execution of the recovery actions by those recovery consumers having a dependency while allowing concurrent execution between recovery consumers having no dependency relationship. Each recovery consumer may register with the framework to associate a dependency on one or more of the other recovery consumers. The dependency association may be represented as a directed graph where each vertex of the graph represents a recovery consumer and each directed edge of the graph represents a dependency. The framework may traverse (i.e.

Abstract: An apparatus and method detect the use of stale data values due to weak consistency between parallel threads on a computer system. A consistency error detection mechanism uses object code injection to build a consistency error detection table during the operation of an application. When the application is paused, the consistency error detection mechanism uses the consistency error detection table to detect consistency errors where stale data is used by the application. The consistency error detection mechanism alerts the user/programmer to the consistency errors in the application program.

Abstract: A method for managing garbage collection of memory locations in an DSD having a plurality of dies each having a plurality of memory blocks includes: selecting a physical region of memory to be garbage collected, the selected physical region being a subset of a block management region; and garbage collecting the selected physical region. The garbage collecting includes: determining one or more journals corresponding to the selected physical region, the journal comprising transaction entries indicating what logical data are written to memory locations in the selected physical region; determining whether the memory locations within the physical region contain valid data based on a comparison of information in the journal and a mapping table; and if valid data exists, copying valid data into memory locations in memory regions other than the selected physical region of memory. The selected physical region of memory is erased when the block management region is erased.