Abstract: A backup system in accordance with an implementation of the present invention includes one or more light-weight (i.e., stateless) storage nodes that are positioned close enough to one or more assigned production servers to enable as rapid and efficient a data recovery as possible. The one or more light-weight storage nodes are driven by, and implement backup policies in accordance with, control settings determined by and received from a centralized backup server. Changes to the control settings are simply produced at the centralized backup server and propagated to each storage node in the system. In addition to efficient backup times, general backup administration can be greatly simplified at least in part since a large number of production serves can be serviced through a small or large number of light-weight storage nodes, which in turn can be managed by a single centralized backup server.

Abstract: A processor includes a fetch pipeline, out-of-order (OOO) logic and a strand selector. The fetch pipeline is configured to provide instructions from an instruction store to a fetch buffer responsive to receiving a plurality of fetch requests for a first strand, selected from a plurality of active strands. The OOO logic is coupled to the fetch pipeline and is configured to detect an OOO packet in the fetch pipeline in response to the fetch requests for the first strand. The strand selector is coupled to the OOO logic and the fetch pipeline and selects a second strand for processing in the fetch pipeline, from the active strands, when the OOO logic detects the OOO packet associated with the first strand.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a processor comprises a branch prediction array, an index generator coupled to the branch prediction array, and a control unit coupled to the index generator. The branch prediction array is configured to store a plurality of branch predictions for conditional branches. The index generator is configured to generate an index to the branch prediction array responsive to at least a portion of a fetch address corresponding to a fetch request that is at a first pipeline stage of the processor and further responsive to a branch history. The control unit is configured to update the branch history responsive to a first fetch request at the first pipeline stage and to defer the update for a second fetch request to a second pipeline stage subsequent to the first pipeline stage.

Abstract: A system that suppresses duplicative prefetches for branch target cache lines. During operation, the system fetches a first cache line into in a fetch buffer. The system then prefetches a second cache line, which immediately follows the first cache line, into the fetch buffer. If a control transfer instruction in the first cache line has a target instruction which is located in the second cache line, the system determines if the control transfer instruction is also located at the end of the first cache line so that a corresponding delay slot for the control transfer instruction is located at the beginning of the second cache line. If so, the system suppresses a subsequent prefetch for a target cache line containing the target instruction because the target instruction is located in the second cache line which has already been prefetched.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method for efficiently inventorying a plurality of items of media contained in a library is provided. The method includes reading a barcode located on an item of media that contains contents and determining whether the barcode is known. Optionally, the method may also determine if the know item of media was previously offline. If it is determined that the barcode is known, the media is identified as known. However, if it is determined that the barcode is not known, a detailed inventory of the contents of the item of media is performed. In one embodiment, if it is determined that the barcode is not known, a user is notified that a new item of media has been identified.

Abstract: A method for creating an archive protection plan for archiving a backup of data is provided. An indication of an archive data protection kind and an archive data protection duration are received. In response to receiving the archive data protection kind and the archive data protection duration, an archive scheme is determined and an archive protection plan representative of the archive scheme is generated.

Abstract: In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, in a data protection system having a production location, a storage location, and a communication path for transmitting data between the production location and the storage location, a method for creating a makeup archive job is provided. The method includes determining if a task of an archive job was successful and, if it is determined that the task was not successful, including the task in an archive makeup job. Additionally, the method determines if there are any tasks of the archive job that are dependent upon the failed task. If there are dependent tasks, those dependent tasks are also included in the archive makeup job.

Abstract: Composite materials for electronic packages are disclosed. The composite materials comprise a core layer and first and second cladding layers. The core and cladding layer compositions and thicknesses are selected to maximize thermal and electrical conductivity and to minimize the coefficient of thermal expansion of the composite. The composite material may be employed to fashion the package base, the leadframe, a heat spreader or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, a portion of the first cladding layer is removed so that an electronic device may be mounted directly to a high thermal conductivity core.