Abstract: A method of operating a computer system for monitoring a service network that comprises a plurality of systems and that provides a plurality of services, the method comprising displaying a list of the plurality of services, receiving a selection of a first service from the list of the plurality of services, displaying a list of the plurality of layers associated with the first service, receiving a selection of a first layer from the list of the plurality of layers, processing the selection of the first layer to determine a first group of systems, displaying a list of a first group of systems associated with the first service, receiving a selection of a first system from the list of the first group of systems, displaying a graphical representation of the first service, displaying a graphical representation of the first system, monitoring a performance of the first system, and displaying the performance of the first system with the graphical representation of the first system.

Abstract: A data storage infrastructure is disclosed for a communication network that produces network data. The data storage infrastructure comprises a plurality of data storage systems and a storage management system. The data storage systems are configured to store the network data. The storage management system is configured to identify characteristics for each of the data storage systems and to display the characteristics for each of the data storage systems, wherein the characteristics indicate a number of servers connected to each of the data storage systems and a number of connections between the servers and each of the data storage systems.

Abstract: A method is provided for designing a service which is made up of one or more service applications in which availability definitions are displayed on a graphical user interface in the class selection process. The method involves displaying classes and class definitions on a graphical user interface, selecting a class for each of the service applications, displaying an availability definition for each of the selected classes, and prompting a user to confirm the selection of the class based on the availability definition. If the selection of the class is confirmed, a design profile indicating the resources required for the class is generated and displayed. If the selection of the class is not confirmed, the classes are redisplayed.

Abstract: A method of operating a service availability system to monitor the availability of a communication service having a plurality of service layers provided by a plurality of service elements comprises receiving performance data from each of the service elements indicating the performance of each of the service elements, processing the performance data to determine availability levels of each of the service layers, and displaying on a graphical user interface the availability levels of each of the service layers.

Abstract: A data storage infrastructure is disclosed for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data. The data storage infrastructure comprises a plurality of data storage systems and a storage management system. The data storage systems are configured to store the network data. The storage management system is configured to identify characteristics for the data flows, score the characteristics for the data flows, and process the scores to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of the data storage systems.

Abstract: A data storage infrastructure is disclosed for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data. The data storage infrastructure comprises a plurality of data storage systems and a storage management system. The data storage systems are configured to store the network data using a plurality of service classes, wherein different ones of the data storage systems provide different ones of the service classes. The storage management system is configured to process characteristics for the data flows to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of a plurality of information classes and to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of the data storage systems based on the information class assignments.

Abstract: A storage management system comprising a processing system and an interface, wherein the processing system is configured to access a first plurality of data, process the first plurality of data to determine a plurality of entities associated with the first plurality of data, determine a first constraint associated with the first plurality of data, and process the first plurality of data to determine if the first plurality of data satisfies the first constraint, and wherein the interface is configured to transmit a first action request to a first entity of the plurality of entities associated with the first plurality of data in response to determining that the first plurality of data satisfies the first constraint, and receive a first action response from the first entity indicating a first action to be performed on the first plurality of data.

Abstract: A data storage infrastructure is disclosed for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data. The data storage infrastructure comprises a plurality of data storage systems and a storage management system. The data storage systems are configured to store the network data using a plurality of data storage service classes, wherein different ones of the data storage systems provide different ones of the data storage service classes. The storage management system is configured to process characteristics for the data flows to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of the data storage systems.

Abstract: A data storage infrastructure is disclosed for a communication network. The data storage infrastructure comprises data storage systems and a storage management system. The data storage systems are comprised of disk systems that are comprised of disks. The storage management system displays a first view of the infrastructure including the data storage systems, receives a first input selecting one of the data storage systems, and in response, displays a second view of the disk systems in the selected data storage system. The storage management system receives a second input selecting one of the disk systems in the selected data storage system, and in response, displays a third view of the disks in the selected disk system. The storage management system receives a third user input selecting one of the disks in the selected disk system, and in response, displays product information for the selected disk.

Abstract: A data storage infrastructure is disclosed for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data. The data storage infrastructure comprises a plurality of data storage systems and a storage management system. The data storage systems are configured to store the network data using a plurality of service classes, wherein different ones of the data storage systems provide different ones of the service classes. The storage management system is configured to process characteristics for the data flows to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of a plurality of data classes and to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of the data storage systems based on the data class assignments.

Abstract: An application system comprising an application server configured to run first version software for an application and second version software for the application. The application system further comprises a staging database server configured to initially interface with the second version software to populate a staging database system with second data for the application generated by the second version software. The application system further comprises a production database server configured to initially interface with the first version software to populate a production database system with first data for the application generated by the first version software, synchronize the first data with the second data to replicate the second data to the production database system, cease interfacing with the first version software and begin to interface with the second version software to populate the production database system with the second data generated by the second version software.

Abstract: A storage network comprising a production database configured to store a first production section on a first tier production storage system and a second production section on a second tier production storage system, a backup database configured to store a first backup section on a first tier backup storage system and a second backup section on a second tier production storage system, and a storage control system configured to replicate the first production section to the first backup session at a first frequency and replicate the second production section to the second backup section at a second frequency that is less than the first frequency.

Abstract: A data storage infrastructure is disclosed for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data. The data storage infrastructure comprises a data storage systems and a storage management system. The data storage systems store the network data using a plurality of data storage service classes, wherein different data storage systems provide different data storage service classes, and wherein the different data storage service classes have different service class values for a plurality of data storage service variables. The storage management system processes characteristics for the data flows to assign data flow values to the data storage service variables for the data flows, compares the data flow values to the service class values, and assigns individual data flows to individual data storage systems based on the comparison of the data flow values to the service class values.

Abstract: A data storage infrastructure is disclosed for a communication network that produces network data. The data storage infrastructure will be modified through a series of projects. The data storage infrastructure comprises data storage systems that store the network data. The data storage infrastructure comprises a management system that determines preliminary storage budgets for the projects based on total budgets for the projects. The management system determines storage savings for the projects based on the preliminary storage budgets for the projects. The storage management system determines final storage budgets for the projects based on the preliminary storage budgets and the storage savings for the projects. The storage management system displays a funding forecast that indicates future storage funding that will be required for all of the projects based on the final storage budgets for the projects.