Abstract: Systems and methods for improving performance of a re-synchronization process in a RAID level 1 storage system. In one aspect a local cache memory associated with the second or mirrored disk drive is enabled during the re-synchronization operation but left disabled during normal operation processing host requests. The cache is flushed to the persistent medium of the second disk drive before resuming normal I/O request processing. In another aspect normal I/O request processing is interleaved with portions of the processing for re-synchronization of the mirrored disk drive. Normal I/O request processing proceeds for a first period of time. Re-synchronization processing for a portion of the mirrored information then proceeds (with local cache memory of the mirrored disk drive enabled) for a second period of time.

Abstract: Systems and methods for improving performance of a re-synchronization process in a RAID level 1 storage system. In one aspect a local cache memory associated with the second or mirrored disk drive is enabled during the re-synchronization operation but left disabled during normal operation processing host requests. The cache is flushed to the persistent medium of the second disk drive before resuming normal I/O request processing. In another aspect normal I/O request processing is interleaved with portions of the processing for re-synchronization of the mirrored disk drive. Normal I/O request processing proceeds for a first period of time. Re-synchronization processing for a portion of the mirrored information then proceeds (with local cache memory of the mirrored disk drive enabled) for a second period of time.

Abstract: Circuits and associated methods for testing internal operation of an application integrated circuit. Features and aspects hereof add configurable test interrupt circuits to an application circuit design to permit dynamic, configurable interrupt generation from an integrated circuit based on conditions determined from monitoring of internal signals of the application circuit. The internal signals that may be tested and used to generate test interrupts are those not exposed to the external processor interface of the integrated circuit and thus may be configured to interrupt based on any internal state of the application specific functional circuits of the integrated circuit.

Abstract: A code efficient transfer method in response to a single host I/O request generates a single scatter gather list. The disk array controller transforms the single host I/O request into multiple physical I/O requests. Each of these multiple physical I/O requests uses the single scatter gather list to perform the data transfer operation. Each physical I/O request corresponds to the data transfer of one data stripe. The data stripe is an initial or header stripe of about 0.5K or a stripe of at least 64K.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for dynamically enabling and disabling interrupt coalescing in a data processing system. The present invention involves consistently monitoring IO load on an IOP of an IO adapter. The firmware on the IO adapter may have a global variable that stores counters for PCI function registers. Each counter tracks the number of outstanding IOs of a corresponding PCI function register. The counter is incremented whenever a new IO is received and is decremented upon posting the completed message back to the OS. A timer interrupt is generated periodically so that an ISR may be periodically performed. In the ISR, the maximum value stored of each counter seen since last timer interrupt is analyzed. When the maximum value stored is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the interrupt coalescing is enabled.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for embedding information from a first configuration data set having data structures into an embedded processing system, wherein embedding the information maintains user-defined variables. Embedding information includes comparing a first identifier from the first configuration data set with a second identifier from a second configuration data set having data structures to determine if the first identifier differs from the second identifier. In response to a determination of the first identifier differing from the second identifier, a decision is made to merge the first configuration data set with the second configuration data set to form a merged configuration data set. Afterwards, the merged configuration data set is written to the embedded processing system, wherein the merged configuration data set includes maintained user-defined variables.

Abstract: In a computer system, a bus adapter processes bus operation information structures for performing bus operations by automatically starting processing each bus operation information structure after completing processing the previous bus operation information structure. A processor forms the bus operation information structures and sets control over each bus operation information structure to a sequencer for processing. When a next bus operation information structure is ready for processing after completing processing the previous bus operation information structure, the sequencer checks whether it has control over the next bus operation information structure, and if so, begins processing the next bus operation information structure without being instructed to do so by the processor.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for dynamically enabling and disabling interrupt coalescing in a data processing system. The present invention involves consistently monitoring IO load on an IOP of an IO adapter. The firmware on the IO adapter may have a global variable that stores counters for PCI function registers. Each counter tracks the number of outstanding IOs of a corresponding PCI function register. The counter is incremented whenever a new IO is received and is decremented upon posting the completed message back to the OS. A timer interrupt is generated periodically so that an ISR may be periodically performed. In the ISR, the maximum value stored of each counter seen since last timer interrupt is analyzed. When the maximum value stored is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the interrupt coalescing is enabled.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for embedding information from a first configuration data set having data structures into an embedded processing system, wherein embedding the information maintains user-defined variables. Embedding information includes comparing a first identifier from the first configuration data set with a second identifier from a second configuration data set having data structures to determine if the first identifier differs from the second identifier. In response to a determination of the first identifier differing from the second identifier, a decision is made to merge the first configuration data set with the second configuration data set to form a merged configuration data set. Afterwards, the merged configuration data set is written to the embedded processing system, wherein the merged configuration data set includes maintained user-defined variables.

Abstract: A code efficient transfer method in response to a single host I/O request generates a single scatter gather list. The disk array controller transforms the single host I/O request into multiple physical I/O requests. Each of these multiple physical I/O requests uses the single scatter gather list to perform the data transfer operation. Each physical I/O request corresponds to the data transfer of one data stripe. The data stripe is an initial or header stripe of about 0.5K or a stripe of at least 64K.