Abstract: Described are techniques for configuring one or more physical devices of a data storage system for use in connection with provisioning storage for an application. A policy including one or more sets of data storage system best practices is received. Each of the one or more sets specifies data storage system best practices for a different type of data storage system including a first type associated with said data storage system. One or more physical devices are added to the data storage system. Configuration processing is performed in connection with configuring a first portion of said one or more physical devices for use with one or more storage pools. The policy is used in performing the configuration processing.

Abstract: Described are techniques for performing indication forwarding. At an indication consolidator, a request is received from a client to receive indications about a plurality of nodes in accordance with first filter information. A communication structure for forwarding indications is determined. Subscription requests including said first filter information are forwarded from said indication consolidator to others of said plurality of nodes to establish communication connections between said plurality of nodes in accordance with said communication structure. Indications fired from any of said plurality of nodes in accordance with said first filter information are forwarded to said indication consolidator node in accordance with said communication structure. The client is notified of any indications received at said indication consolidator node in accordance with said first filter information.

Abstract: Described are techniques for processing a data storage configuration request for an application A first user level of a plurality of user levels at which said data storage configuration request is made is determined. One or more rule sets defining mappings between different ones of said plurality of user levels are provided. Each of the different user levels is associated with a different level of abstraction with respect to processing performed in the data storage system for implementing the data storage configuration request. One of the rule sets is selected in accordance with the application, a data service requested in said data storage configuration request, and a user grouping including said plurality of user levels. The data storage configuration request is serviced using rules of the selected rule set.

Abstract: A data replication facility for distributed computing environments. A computer network having a plurality of network nodes utilizes a distributed directory provider service (DPS) having an established master node. The DPS supports a file replication service (FRS). The FRS establishes one of the nodes as originator node which receives new or updated files from one or more user/GUIs and/or from one or more software providers such as a security provider. The originator node in cooperation with the master node establish a backup copy of the new or updated file in the master node. Thereafter, the originator node publishes a File Version Variable (FVV) representation of the new or updated file to other network nodes (slave nodes) which obtain such file from the originator or, if need be, from the backup master node.

Abstract: Described are techniques for processing a data storage configuration request for an application A first user level of a plurality of user levels at which said data storage configuration request is made is determined. One or more rule sets defining mappings between different ones of said plurality of user levels are provided. Each of the different user levels is associated with a different level of abstraction with respect to processing performed in the data storage system for implementing the data storage configuration request. One of the rule sets is selected in accordance with the application, a data service requested in said data storage configuration request, and a user grouping including said plurality of user levels. The data storage configuration request is serviced using rules of the selected rule set.

Abstract: A translator-compiler for converting legacy architecture. In the area of management software or distributed management software, a standard architecture is evolving from legacy or proprietary architecture, and the standard embraces CIM/XML (Common Information Model/eXtensible Markup Language) computer language. Many vendors have developed proprietary languages for their respective management products that are incompatible with such standard. To accomplish compatibility between standard architecture and various different proprietary architectures, a substantial amount of code must be written at great effort and expense, unless an automatic, easily-applied and universal solution can be achieved. A translator-compiler is disclosed which meets these solution criteria and therefore solves this incompatibility problem. Flowcharts depicting algorithms along with sample input and output code in C++, as well as an example of the final XML result are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method apparatus and computer program product for providing access to host attribute information in a storage area network is disclosed. The storage area network is composed of a plurality of hosts coupled to at least one initiator. Each initiator is coupled to one or more targets and each initiator has an associated identifier. In each host, the identifier of the initiator is related to other host attribute information. The identifier may be, for example, a world wide name. The host attribute information including the identifier is sent from each of the plurality of hosts to the one or more targets and stored in memory of an associated storage array. Either a host or requestor remote from the storage array may request the collected host attribute information from the storage array. A topology of the storage area network may then be formed from the host attribute information of each host.

Abstract: There is disclosed an improvement to a system, apparatus, method, and computer program product relating to a novel events-notification activity occurring within computer network environments including SAN, NAS and client server environments. A user at a convenient, single user-interface location in a network is enabled to establish such activity by creating and deploying template software objects which are configurable with respect to both events of interest and genre of notifications of such events. Accordingly, such user, operating at the user-interface at a client or head-end station and employing such templates, can select: (1) which particular network-failure events (from complete failures to measured degradations), such as those occurring in peripherals including disk array storage devices, are to be reported; (2) to whom such events shall be reported, worldwide; and, (3) the mode of communication by which such events shall be reported such as email, telephone, pager, etc.

Abstract: A technique for easily making modifications to a graphical user interface (GUI). XML files each containing different rules for making a tree display are easily written by code developers. The files are merged into a document object model (DOM) stored in memory. The GUI display presentation can thus be easily updated by the code developers by modifying the rules stored in the DOM by merging additional XML files containing rule additions, deletions and/or modifications into the DOM. The DOM is parsed for certain object classes for which object instances are needed. The object instances having certain display properties are retrieved from the system or network with which the GUI is operative and are combined with certain display attributes or display rules stored in the DOM. The object instances including their display properties and attributes are returned to the GUI to be displayed on the terminal screen in accordance therewith.

Abstract: There is disclosed a technique for achieving scalable communication within a distributed system using dynamic communication trees. In a client server environment, and particularly in such an environment in which storage systems and storage area networks are managed by distributed management software, embodiments of the present invention are presented by which communication trees are built in a manner that evenly distributes load throughout nodes in the network, whereby scalability is enhanced allowing a larger number of nodes than otherwise allowable without such trees. Other advantages achievable by utilization of such trees are also disclosed.

Abstract: There is disclosed a technique for creating a plug and play interface for user actions on a graphical user interface (GUI) on a computer system such as might be used in a client-server network. A text file is prepared in XML language containing all possible user actions. The text file is read by GUI framework application software running on the operating system, and the results are stored in at least one table as Java code. The framework application software calls the Java code in response to user requests. The technique lends itself to modularization and therefore to ease of manufacture of such software plug and play interface. Such software can be easily modified at any time up to runtime.

Abstract: A technique for robust indication processing. In client server network environments running object oriented software, there is a need for monitoring the operating state or status of objects in the network. Prior monitoring schemes involved many specific and frequent inquiries or requests of multitudinous objects, for which the connections were constructed and destroyed on an as-needed basis, thereby taking an immense toll on the network's processing capacity. Subsequently, asynchronous monitoring has been employed as an improvement over the prior monitoring schemes, wherein an observer object monitors a subject object and is set at “hair-trigger” to fire back indications to an interested client if and when the subject object's state changes. Asynchronous monitoring limitations include an inability to detect client and/or server failure, insecure and unreliable connections through which indications are intended to be fired back, and other drawbacks.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system, method, apparatus and computer program product for managing a storage system including a SAN within a computer network. The storage system can be managed in object-oriented computer language. Object trees of each component in the storage system or SAN are obtained and combined on each storage processor in the storage system. The user interface (UI) can therefore select one storage processor within the storage system, and request such combined object tree information for the entire storage system or SAN from only that singular storage processor on which such combined information is stored. This eliminates a severe computational drain on the UI, which otherwise would be required to make these object tree combinations, and further allows a single point of storage management contact between UI and storage system or SAN by way of that singular storage or portal processor.

Abstract: In a computer network having a plurality of computer nodes, a directory database (DDB) distributed throughout the network in each of the nodes, the contents of the DDB being maintained consistent or replicated throughout the network in a manner to avoid a single point of failure through the use of one of its nodes having been appointed as master node. The master node has a privileged status as compared to the other nodes. The master node updates each DDB in each node in its network or domain configuration when the configuration changes, such as when a node fails, a network link fails and/or a node is added or removed. A node can be added to or removed from the configuration through the master node or through a non master node. A node can fail under different circumstances in which it may or may not know which node is its master node. A master node can fail and be replaced or can be replaced for other reasons.

Abstract: There is disclosed an improvement to a system, apparatus, method, and computer program product relating to a novel events-notification activity occurring within computer network environments including SAN, NAS and client server environments. A user at a convenient, single user-interface location in a network is enabled to establish such activity by creating and deploying template software objects which are configurable with respect to both events of interest and genre of notifications of such events. Accordingly, such user, operating at the user-interface at a client or head-end station and employing such templates, can select: (1) which particular network-failure events (from complete failures to measured degradations), such as those occurring in peripherals including disk array storage devices, are to be reported; (2) to whom such events shall be reported, worldwide; and, (3) the mode of communication by which such events shall be reported such as email, telephone, pager, etc.

Abstract: A technique for handling failure modes which may occur during the processing of indications. In a client-server environment such as a client-server network used in computer data storage running object-oriented software, the client may subscribe for certain indications on certain objects in the servers. When the state of any of those certain objects change, an indication is fired back to the client to indicate a state change. Failures in the client, server, or connection therebetween reduce the effectiveness of this state-change notification scheme. The present invention mitigates the impact of such failures, employing a technique by which a failed storage processor in a server can failover to another storage processor in the same server to enable the seamless transition of the processing of such indications to the other processor without stopping and by which the server can destroy any of its resources that were dedicated to the processing of indications for a specific client if and when such client fails.

Abstract: A data replication facility for distributed computing environments. A computer network having a plurality of network nodes utilizes a distributed directory provider service (DPS) having an established master node. The DPS supports a file replication service (FRS). The FRS establishes one of the nodes as originator node which receives new or updated files from one or more user/GUIs and/or from one or more software providers such as a security provider. The originator node in cooperation with the master node establish a backup copy of the new or updated file in the master node. Thereafter, the originator node publishes a File Version Variable (FVV) representation of the new or updated file to other network nodes (slave nodes) which obtain such file from the originator or, if need be, from the backup master node.

Abstract: There is disclosed improved apparatus and methodology for customizing software. With respect to GUI resources such as splash-screens, a dynamic link library containing a customer's customized resources and a default link library containing the manufacturer's default resources are prepared at design time. Source code is normally not included in the customized dynamic link library. At run time, the customer resources are automatically included by operation of a resource manager algorithm and appear on the computer terminal screen unless they were not made available initially in which case the equivalent default resource is shown on the screen. If there are any bugs which are induced by the customer's specifications to be corrected, or if the customized dynamic link library is changed for some other reason, the source code does not have to be rewritten as it is not included in the dynamic link library.

Abstract: There is disclosed a technique for achieving scalable communication within a distributed system using dynamic communication trees. In a client server environment, and particularly in such an environment in which storage systems and storage area networks are managed by distributed management software, embodiments of the present invention are presented by which communication trees are built in a manner that evenly distributes load throughout nodes in the network, whereby scalability is enhanced allowing a larger number of nodes than otherwise allowable without such trees. Other advantages achievable by utilization of such trees are also disclosed.

Abstract: A protocol translator for use in a storage system or storage area network for translating between incompatible communication protocols. Apparatus, methodology, computer program product and interface embodiments are disclosed, and code examples are provided, for translating between Common Information Model/eXtensible Markup Language/Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (CIM/XML/HTTP) and Windows Management Interface/Distributed Component Object Model (WMI/DCOM) communication protocols for distributed management software used within a storage system or storage area network in a client server environment.