Abstract: A method for managing a data storage system includes maintaining a record predictive of locations to which data are to be written on the primary storage subsystem by a host processor. Upon receiving data from the host processor at the primary storage subsystem to be written to a specified location on the first non-volatile storage media, if the specified location is not included in the record, the record is updated responsively to the specified location. The primary storage subsystem signals the host processor that the data have been stored in the data storage system responsively to receiving the data and, if the specified location was not included in the record, responsively to updating the record.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for forming a consistency group of data. Information is provided on a consistency group relationship indicating a plurality of slave controllers and, for each indicated slave controller, a slave storage unit managed by the slave controller. A command is transmitted to each slave controller in the consistency group relationship to cause each slave controller to transmit data in the slave storage unit to a remote storage in a manner that forms the consistency group. A determination is made as to whether all the slave controllers successfully transmitted the data in the slave storage units that is part of the consistency group to the remote storage.

Abstract: A method to coordinate interconnected information storage and retrieval systems, where each of the information and storage systems is capable of communicating with one or more host computers. The method provides a plurality of controllers and one or more information storage and retrieval systems, where each of the plurality of controllers is disposed in one of the one or more information storage and retrieval systems. The method designates one of the plurality of controllers as a master controller and the remaining controllers as target controllers. The method then generates one or more master controller commands by the master controller, and provides those one or more master controller commands to each of said target controllers, where the one or more master controller commands cause said target controllers to adjust the flow of data into and out of the one or more information storage and retrieval systems.

Abstract: A method for storing data received from a host processor at a primary storage subsystem in a data storage system includes writing the data to a first volatile cache memory in the primary storage subsystem and copying the data from the primary storage subsystem to a secondary storage subsystem. The second subsystem writes the copied data to a second volatile cache memory and returns an acknowledgment to the primary storage subsystem responsively to writing the copied data to the second volatile cache memory and prior to saving the data in the second non-volatile storage media. The primary storage subsystem signals the host processor that the data have been stored in the data storage system responsively to the acknowledgment from the secondary storage subsystem.

Abstract: A method for managing a data storage system includes copying data stored on a first storage subsystem to a second storage subsystem in an asynchronous mirroring process. A record is maintained on the second storage subsystem, indicative of locations at which the data have been updated on the first storage subsystem and have not yet been copied to the second storage subsystem. Upon receiving at the second storage subsystem, from a host processor, a request to access the data stored at a specified location on the data storage system, if the specified location is included in the record, the second storage subsystem initiates a synchronous transfer of the data at the specified location from the first storage subsystem.

Abstract: A method for managing a file system includes assigning a price to at least one resource of the file system. Upon receiving an application program interface (API) call from a user of the file system asking to access the at least one resource, the at least one resource is provided to the user in response to the API call while charging the user for use of the resource in accordance with the assigned price.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for accessing a resource. Requests are generated to access a resource in a first access mode and a second access mode. The requests are processed to access the resource in the second mode before processing at least one request to access the resource in the first access mode. The processing of the requests to access the resource in the first access mode is delayed for a time period after processing all the requests to access the resource in the second access mode in order to wait to receive a subsequent request to access the resource in the second access mode.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method, system, and program for determining which data to remove from storage. A first policy is used to determine when to remove a block of data of a first type. A second policy is used to determine when to remove a block of data of a second type.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method, system, and program for reducing an mount of data transferred. Indicators of sub-blocks modified for a block of data since the block of data was last sent to remote storage are maintained until the block of data is demoted. The maintained indicators are used to identify sub-blocks on the block of data for transfer to the remote storage.

Abstract: A method for processing an input image includes automatically selecting reference areas on each of a plurality of different templates. Reference areas on the input image are compared to the selected reference areas on at least some of the templates, so as to identify the template that most closely matches the input image, and information is extracted from the input image based on the identified template. Typically, the input image is an image of a form document, having fields defined by one of the templates, which fields are filled in with the information. The input image is registered with the identified template in order to extract the information from the fields.

Abstract: A method for data key-in includes receiving images of documents containing characters and receiving character codes entered by one or more key-in operators, the codes corresponding respectively to the characters in the documents. For at least some of the character codes, respective areas of the images that contain the corresponding characters are identified, such that each of the areas contains one of the characters. A group of the areas of the images is displayed together responsive to the corresponding character codes, so as to facilitate verification of the codes by a verifying operator.

Abstract: A method for displaying data includes receiving an input image of alphanumeric characters appearing on first and second lines. The characters are concatenated into a single line so as to generate an output image in which the characters from the second line follow the characters from the first line substantially without interruption therebetween, while maintaining a visual distinction between the characters from the first line and the characters from the second line.

Abstract: A method for compressing an electronic image of an object including gray-level information includes processing the gray-level information to identify a kernel of pixels in the image having respective gray-level values darker than a given kernel threshold. A locus of the pixels in the kernel is stored in a memory, along with the gray-level values of the pixels in the kernel, in order to reconstruct a gray-level image of the object by applying the stored gray-level values to the pixels in the locus.

Abstract: A method for recognition of features appearing in an input image includes upsampling the input image to generate an enlarged image including an increased number of pixels relative to the input image. The enlarged image is decimated to generate a plurality of intermediate images, each of the intermediate images including a different subset of the pixels in the enlarged image. An image recognition algorithm is applied to the intermediate images so as to generate respective recognition results, which are compared to generate an identification of the features appearing in the input image.

Abstract: A system for identifying distinguishing features between an input new blank form and another blank form. The system includes a processor and memory capable of identifying a property in the input form which is sufficiently from a corresponding property in the other form. The identified property complies with a criterion that relates to the likelihood that the property is retained substantially invariable under use of the form. The specified property constitutes a verification property. In the case that no property is identified as a verification property, identifying a property in the other form which is sufficiently distinguishable from a corresponding property in the input form. This identified property complies with a criterion that relates to the likelihood that the property is retained invariable under use of the input form. The latter property constitutes a rejection property.

Abstract: A method for automated coding of a text phrase relative to a catalog of codes. The method includes finding a plurality of the codes that are candidates for coding of the phrase and identifying a category to which one or more of the candidate codes belong. The phrase is conveyed together with the one or more candidate codes in the identified category to a human operator specialized in the identified category, for verification by the operator of one of the candidate codes in the category for assignment to the phrase.

Abstract: A method for processing an input image includes applying one or more transformations to the input image, whereby different shifts are applied to different pixels in the input image, so as to generate an output image. A region containing content of interest is selected in the output image, and the region corresponding to the selected region in the output image is located in the input image. The content of the located region in the input image is substituted for the content of the selected region in the output image.

Abstract: An execution engine synchronizes test suite execution to run multiple independent operations concurrently or in parallel. The execution engine operates by stepping through the test suite. At each step it runs the required number of independent operations and waits for their completion. It then checks the results, and continues to the next step of the test suite. If at any step, the actual results are different from the expected results, then the exact sequence that triggered the fault is known. The sequence can be repeated when a correction is provided for the fault. Furthermore, the execution engine allows the user to interactively step through a test case when debugging a fault. A synchronization pattern generator may be incorporated in the system to generate minimal numbers of repetitions of test cases to guarantee varying degrees of interaction coverage.

Abstract: A method for processing images includes receiving a group of the images having similar characteristics, the group comprising multiple classes, such that each image belongs to one of the classes and comprises a fixed portion common to all of the images in the class to which it belongs, and a variable portion, which distinguishes the image from the other images in the class. A reference area is found in the images, in which the fixed portion of the images in a first one of the classes differs consistently from the fixed portion of the images in a second one of the classes. The images are sorted into the classes based on the reference area.

Abstract: A method for compression of an input image that includes a plurality of pixels having respective input pixel values. The method includes quantizing the input pixel values so as to generate respective quantized pixel values, and generating a quantized image by substituting the quantized pixel values for the respective input pixel values in the input image. The input pixel values in the input image are reordered so as to generate a reordered image in which the input pixel values are grouped by their respective quantized values. The quantized image and the reordered image are compressed so as to generate a compressed output image file.