Abstract: Transactional memory (TM) may be used in conjunction with various synchronization mechanisms, such as that copy a current version of an object, update the copy, and then cause the copy to become current atomically by changing a “current version” indicator. Software operations to modify an object may first make a private copy of the object, modify the private copy, and atomically make the private copy the current version while verifying that no other software operation or transaction has concurrently updated the object. A transaction may be used to update the current copy of a collection of data “in place” and thereby avoiding the necessity to make a copy of the data being modified. If the transactional memory mechanism is unable to complete the transaction to modify the collection of data in place, a set of software operations may be used to modify the collection of data.
Abstract: Applications are protected from being exposed to exploits and instabilities due to memory operations involving zero byte allocations. Memory operations involving a zero byte allocation are handled by a zero byte memory manager. When an application requests a zero byte allocation, a pointer to a protected part of memory is returned such that when the application attempts to read and/or write to the location the program flow is interrupted.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 29, 2007
Date of Patent:
October 12, 2010
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Thomas S. Coon, Michael R. Marcelais, Christopher C. White
Abstract: It has been discovered that globally indicating read-write conflicts and semi-transparent read sharing in a transactional memory space allows for a more expedient validation. Without being aware of particular transactions, a writing transaction can determine that a read-write conflict will occur with some transaction that has read one or more memory locations to be modified by the writing transaction. With semi-transparent reading, reading transactions can validate quickly. If a read-write conflict has not occurred since a reading transaction began (or since the last validation), then the previous reads are valid. Otherwise, the reading transaction investigates each memory location or ownership record to determine if a read-write conflict affected the investigating transaction.
Abstract: A data storage system having protocol controller for converting packets between PCIE format used by a storage processor and Rapid IO format used by a packet switching network. The controller includes a PCIE end point for transferring atomic operation (DSA) requests, a data pipe section having a plurality of data pipes for passing user data; and a message engine section for passing messages among the plurality of storage processors. An acceleration path controller bypasses a DSA buffer in the absence of congestion on the network. Packets fed to the PCIE end point include an address portion having code indicating an atomic operation. An encoder converts the code from a PCIE format into the same atomic operation in SRIO format. Each one of a plurality of CPUs is adapted to perform a second DSA request during execution of a first DSA request.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 28, 2007
Date of Patent:
April 27, 2010
Assignee:
EMC Corporation
Inventors:
Nhut Tran, Michael Sgrosso, William F. Baxter, III, Christopher S. MacLellan
Abstract: An apparatus and method for managing of common storage in a storage system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a storage system receives a request to set a space reservation for a volume associated with a logical aggregation of physical storage. In response, the storage system sets the space reservation to indicate that the logical aggregation of physical storage is to provide a specified amount of space to the volume. In one embodiment, space within the logical aggregation of physical storage is automatically reclaimed to set a delayed space reservation if the amount of unused space within the logical aggregation of physical storage is insufficient to set the space reservation. In one embodiment, the volume is either a space-reclaimable volume or a non-space-reclaimable volume. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 25, 2005
Date of Patent:
April 20, 2010
Assignee:
Network Appliance, Inc.
Inventors:
Peter Griess, David A. Grunwald, Jason A. Lango, Qinghua Zheng
Abstract: An interface between memories having different write times is described. The interface includes a latch for capturing address and data information during a memory access by a processor of a first memory device. The interface also includes an index counter for providing frame management. The interface also includes a variable identity array logic for determining what data is to be written into a second memory device and address generation logic to determine where the data is to be stored in the second memory device. Additionally, the interface includes data validity logic to ensure that the data being written into the second memory device is valid. As a result, the processor can operate in substantially real time and can restore itself after detecting an event upset using the data stored in the second memory device.
Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for establishing copy relationships to copy source data to target data. A request is received to establish a copy relationship indicating to copy source data to target data. A determination is made as to whether the source data defined in the request comprises target data defined in a preexisting copy relationship. A determination is made as to whether base source data copied to the target data in the preexisting copy relationship also comprises the source data indicated in the request in response to determining that the source data defined in the request comprises target data in the preexisting copy relationship. A new copy relationship is defined to copy the determined base source data to the target data indicated in the request.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 1, 2005
Date of Patent:
January 12, 2010
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
John Jay Wolfgang, Kenneth Wayne Boyd, Kenneth Fairclough Day, III
Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide for receiving a request from an initiating device to initiate a data transfer into a local memory for execution of one or more programs therein, the local memory being operatively coupled to a first of a plurality of parallel processors capable of operative communication with a shared memory; facilitating the data transfer into the local memory; and producing a synchronization signal indicating that the data transfer into the local memory has been completed.
Abstract: Admission of a new disk stream is based on the probability of overcommitting disk bandwidth based on parameters related to the disk. These fixed parameters are determined either by retrieval from the disk or by investigating the disk. Probability functions of the disk parameters may be obtained. Exemplary disk parameters may be average disk seek time, probabilistic determination of the amount of data exchange during a single exchange, and probabilistic information about reading versus writing.
Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for improving network virtualization in a storage area network. A virtualization engine is divided into a front end virtualization engine and a back end virtualization engine cluster. The front end virtualization is associated with one or more virtual enclosure ports. The back end virtualization engine cluster performs resource intensive virtual address to physical address mapping. Virtualization engine resources can be dynamically added to a back end virtualization engine cluster while presenting a consistent interface to hosts connected to a storage area network.
Abstract: The storage control device of the present invention uses a temporary volume to move data rapidly between volume groups. The storage control device forms a plurality of volume groups by grouping volumes of the same performance. At least one or more temporary volumes are each pre-provided in the respective volume groups. The control section calculates and manages the priority levels of the respective data. The data with the highest priority level in the lower volume group are copied beforehand to the temporary volume in the upper volume group at a time when the data are not being accessed by the host. As a result, data can be moved rapidly when data migration is executed and so forth.
Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products are presented for transiently clearing a reservation on a device, where the reservation belongs to a host that owns the device and the reservation blocks a host that does not own the device from performing an operation with the device. The reservation is cleared transiently by the host that does not own the device. While the reservation is cleared, the operation is performed with the device using the host that does not own the device.
Abstract: A ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) system and method of operating the same can enable a user to configure the system to operate as either a pseudo TCAM or full TCAM system. Control logic (206) can have an address modification circuit (250) coupled between multiple inputs and row decoders (206-0 and 206-1) for simultaneously writing the same mask value to mask fields of a predetermined number of memory locations in a full TCAM array.
Abstract: An interface unit 20 assigns different SDRAMs 1 and 2 to adjacent drawing blocks in a frame-buffer area. In processing that extends across the adjacent drawing blocks, active commands, for example, are issued alternately to the SDRAMs 1 and 2 to reduce waiting cycles resulting from the issue interval restriction. Furthermore, since individual clock enable signals CKE1 and CKE2 are output to the SDRAMs 1 and 2 so that burst transfers of the SDRAMs 1 and 2 can be stopped individually, no cycle is necessary to stop the burst transfers.
Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for maintaining consistency when mirroring data using different copy technologies. Update groups having updates to primary storage locations are formed using a first copy technology. The updates in the update groups are copied to secondary storage locations. Update groups having updates to primary storage locations are formed using a second copy technology, wherein the updates in the update groups are copied to secondary storage locations. Indication is made in a data structure of a time of an update in response to including the update in one of the update groups formed using the first copy technology. Indication is also made in the data structure of a time of the update group formed using the second copy technology.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 3, 2006
Date of Patent:
June 23, 2009
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Robert Frederic Kern, Kenneth Wayne Boyd, Gregory Edward McBride, Gail Andrea Spear, Robert Francis Bartfai, William Frank Micka, Kenneth Fairclough Day, III
Abstract: A computer system having a plurality of host computers and a storage system is provided which allows any one host computer to perform a global copy operation on any arbitrary or all storage areas in the storage system. To this end, storage areas provided by the disk devices are grouped into groups by allocating group numbers to a plurality of specified storage areas. The copy operation can be performed by specifying desired groups. Each of the groups is made up of sub-groups and the sub-groups are defined for each computer to assure a consistency of copy order of the sub-groups.
Abstract: A digital signal processor is adapted to a working RAM, which is capable of storing a plurality of data in a rewritable manner and whose storage area is divided into a plurality of sub-areas that are designated by addresses in read/write operations, wherein an operation circuit performs calculations on the data of the working RAM in accordance with a program, and wherein upon detection of a non-access event in which the program does not need to access the working RAM, a write circuit compulsorily writes ‘0’ into the working RAM with regard to each of the prescribed addresses of the prescribed sub-areas subjected to initialization, which are designated by address data. Thus, it is possible to actualize the selective initialization on the prescribed sub-areas within the working RAM without increasing the scale of the peripheral circuitry, without requiring complicated controls, and without increasing the overall processing time therefor.
Abstract: A method of intra-block memory usage analysis for a program can include identifying a memory block that has been allocated to the program and determining at least one intra-memory block usage characteristic for the allocated memory block.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 6, 2004
Date of Patent:
May 26, 2009
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Kirk J. Krauss, Allan K. Pratt, Jonathan M. Sanders
Abstract: A system and method for hot cloning in a distributed network is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for cloning a virtual machine from a source system to a target system includes freezing writes to a storage file having storage blocks such that subsequent writes create new storage blocks for the original virtual machine. The method further including freezing writes to a memory content such that subsequent writes store in buffers. The method further including copying the memory content onto the target system wherein the copied memory content creates a clone. The method further including unfreezing the memory content by merging the writes stored in the buffers and unfreezing the writes to the storage file such that subsequent writes take place normally. The method further including configuring the clone based on the target system. The method further including creating a new storage block for any writes to the storage file whereby the new storage block is not shared.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 9, 2004
Date of Patent:
May 19, 2009
Assignee:
Dell Products L.P.
Inventors:
Balasubramanian Chandrasekaran, Timothy E. Abels
Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus for maintaining colors and color boundaries across multiple storage controllers by instructing a polling storage controller to poll a color control node for current color information, changing the current color to a new color, and instructing the polling storage controller to cease polling the color control node for the current color information.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 30, 2005
Date of Patent:
March 10, 2009
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Shira Ben Dor, Amir Kredi, Aviad Zlotnick, Henry Butterworth