Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to taking a snapshot of an origin volume in conjunction with a backup process in response to receiving a snapshot request by a snapshot service. A persistent time stamp associated with the creation time of the snapshot may be recorded on the origin volume. The persistent time stamp is accessible to the file system process associated with the origin volume in most embodiments. If access to a file is requested, the time the file was last modified may be compared with the persistent time stamp, and if the file modified time is earlier than the persistent time stamp, the file's archive bit can be reset. Otherwise, the archive bit is not reset. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Abstract: A system has a read command signal that includes an Address field, Byte Data field, and Starting Address field. If the tag data read from the memory address identified by the Address field is the same as the Byte Data, the tag sends a response signal with Page Data read from the memory location identified by the Starting Address field and the tag ID. A write command signal includes an Address field, Byte Data field, Starting Address field, and Page Data field. If the tag data is the same as the Byte Data, the tag writes the data from the Page Data field to the memory location identified by the Starting Address field. Accordingly, data is read from and written to the tags in a single step, and the reader need not wait for the tag to respond with a tag ID before requesting that data be read from or written to that tag.

Abstract: To eliminate duplicated caching in a storage system with plural disk cache partitions, which are obtained by dividing a disk cache. A storage system includes non-volatile medium that stores data; a disk cache that temporarily stores data to be stored in the non-volatile medium; a control unit that controls input and output of data to and from the non-volatile medium; and a memory unit that stores information used by the control unit. The control unit divides the disk cache into at least one of independent disk cache partitions. The memory unit stores the first information that describes states of respective memory areas in the disk cache, and the second information that indicates states of respective memory areas in the disk cache used by the divided disk cache partitions. The second information includes information that identifies the first information corresponding to the respective memory areas in the disk cache.

Abstract: A FLASH memory controller is disclosed. The controller comprises a microcontroller. The microcontroller including firmware for providing different mappings for different types of FLASH memory chips. The controller also includes FLASH control logic for communicating with the microcontroller and adapted to communicate via a FLASH data bus to at least one FLASH memory chip. The FLASH control logic including mapping logic for configuring the FLASH data bus based upon the type of FLASH memory chip coupled thereto. A method and system in accordance with the present invention provides the following advantages: Configurable data bus on the FLASH memory controller through software to simplify routing complexity. Configurable chip select and control bus for flexibility of FLASH memory placement. Elimination of external resistor network for layout simplicity. A scalable architecture for higher data bus bandwidth support. Auto-detection of FLASH memory type and capacity configuration.

Abstract: A method for storing a data block in a storage pool, including receiving a write operation for the data block, writing the data block into the storage pool, determining a first indirect block to store in the storage pool, wherein the first indirect block references the data block, writing the first indirect block to a first location in the storage pool, creating a copy of the first indirect block, and writing the copy of first indirect block to a second location in the storage pool.

Abstract: A method for storing a first block and a second block, the includes storing the first block and the second block in a storage pool, and storing a third block in the storage pool, wherein the third block references the first block and second block and comprises a first fill count and a second fill count, wherein the first fill count corresponds to one selected from the group consisting of a number of data blocks directly referenced by the first block, a number of data blocks indirectly referenced by the first block, if the first block is an indirect block, wherein the first fill count is one if the first block is a data block.

Abstract: A method of setting a storage device that a storage management program is built in an application system is used to set a disk label of the storage device and without specially developed application program is set between the application system and the storage device. Some command codes are set as default in the storage device to detect whether the disk label of the storage device is set by the application system includes command codes or not to execute operations are set by the command codes so as to operate the storage device.

Abstract: A data processing system can establish or maintain data coherency by issuing a data flush operation. The data processing system can be configured as a host executing one or more independent processes using one or more lower level devices. The lower level devices can be viewed as peer devices. Any of the host or the plurality of peer devices can be configured to initiate the flush operation. A device can determine whether the initiator of a flush operation is the host or a peer device. The device can perform a flush limited to local memory, or a subset of all available memory, if a peer device initiates the flush operation.

Abstract: In general, the invention relates to a method for storing data. The method includes receiving an Input/Output (I/O) request to store data in a storage pool, determining whether the I/O request is a resilvering I/O request, if the I/O request is a resilvering I/O request: associating the I/O request with a first deadline, wherein the first deadline is associated with a low priority, and determining the quantized deadline for the I/O request using the first deadline. If the I/O request is not the resilvering I/O request: associating the I/O request with a second deadline, determining the quantized deadline for the I/O request using the second deadline, placing the I/O request in the I/O queue using the quantized deadline, and issuing the I/O request to the storage pool using the I/O queue.

Abstract: An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is configured to perform image processing tasks on a printer or other multi-function device. The ASIC includes a processor, a dedicated cache memory, a cache controller and additional Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) normally employed in image processing tasks. This additional SRAM may be dynamically allocated as a cache memory when not otherwise occupied.

Abstract: A method for assigning element addresses in an automated data storage library includes determining if a data storage device, such as a tape cartridge, belongs to a particular host's cartridge assignment policy. If so, the data storage device is issued a virtual import/export element address taken from a set of non-common virtual import/export element addresses, if available. If no non-common address is available, then a common virtual import/export element address is assigned to the data storage device. If no addresses, either common or non-common, are available, then the data storage device is queued until an address becomes available.

Abstract: A storage system comprises a primary storage device having a primary storage area, a first secondary storage device having a first secondary storage area, and a second secondary storage device having a second secondary storage area. Responsive to host request from a host computer, the primary storage device writes requested host data to the primary storage area. Furthermore the primary storage device sends a first and second copy request to the first and second secondary storage devices, respectively, to store copy data in the first and second secondary storage areas, the first and second copy request containing the copy data which is a copy of the host data. Here the second secondary storage area is identified by a virtual identifier used to identify the second secondary storage area as the virtual storage area within the primary storage device.

Abstract: A method for write protection in a storage system using both the “file-level WORM function” and the “block-level WORM function”. The block-level WORM function has two modes: the first mode is to prohibit both file access and block access, and the second mode is to prohibit block access only. When a user uses the file-level WORM function to prohibit write access to a file in a volume, a file access invokes the first mode of the block-level WORM function to prohibit write access to the volume where the write prohibited file resides.

Abstract: A method is disclosed to write data to an information storage and retrieval system comprising (n) volumes and a data cache, where that information storage and retrieval system is capable of communicating with one or more host computers. The method receives from a host computer an update for the (i)th volume, and determines the (i)th delay, where that (i)th delay is associated with the (i)th volume. The method then writes the update to said data cache interposing the (i)th delay without indicating to said host computer that the information storage and retrieval system is unavailable.