Patents by Inventor CHRISTOPHER NATHAN WATSON

CHRISTOPHER NATHAN WATSON has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10089191
    Abstract: Application program data stored in system memory may be selectively persisted. An indication may be provided to an application program that an application data object or a range of application data stored in system memory may be treated as persistent. Data backup may be enabled for the application data object or range of application data in the event of a system failure, copying the application data object or range of application data from system memory to non-volatile data storage. Upon recovery from a system failure, further data backup for the application data object or the range of application data may be disabled. In some embodiments, at least some of the application data object or range of application data may be recovered for the application program to access. Data backup for the application data object or the range of application data may also be re-enabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel James McKelvie, Yan Valerie Leshinsky, Ian P. Nowland, Darin Lee Frink, Anurag Windlass Gupta, Adam Douglas Morley, Christopher Nathan Watson, Michael David Marr
  • Publication number: 20180232308
    Abstract: A data storage system includes a head node and mass storage devices. The head node is configured to flush data stored in a storage of the head node, based at least in part on one or more triggers being met, from the storage of the head node to a set of the mass storage devices of the data storage system. The flushed data is written to a segment of free storage space across the set of the mass storage devices allocated for the given data flush operation. In some embodiments, a head node may flush both current version data and point-in-time version data to the set of mass storage devices. Also, the data storage system maintains an index that indicates storage locations of data for particular portions of a volume before and after the data is flushed to the set of mass storage devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2017
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Norbert Paul Kusters, Nachiappan Arumugam, Andre Podnozov, Shobha Agrawal, Shreyas Ramalingam, Danny Wei, David R. Richardson, Marc John Brooker, Christopher Nathan Watson, John Luther Guthrie, II, Ravi Nankani
  • Publication number: 20180232165
    Abstract: A data storage system includes a head node and mass storage devices. The head node is configured to flush data stored in a storage of the head node to a set of the mass storage devices of the data storage system. A head node may flush both current version data and point-in-time version data to the set of mass storage devices. Also, the data storage system maintains an index that indicates storage locations of data for particular portions of a volume before and after the data is flushed to the set of mass storage devices. In some embodiments an index includes a current version reference for a volume or portion of a volume and one or more point-in-time snapshot references.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2017
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Norbert Paul Kusters, Nachiappan Arumugam, Andre Podnozov, Shobha Agrawal, Shreyas Ramalingam, Danny Wei, David R. Richardson, Marc John Brooker, Christopher Nathan Watson, John Luther Guthrie, II, Ravi Nankani
  • Publication number: 20180181330
    Abstract: A data storage system includes multiple head nodes and data storage sleds. The data storage sleds include multiple mass storage devices and a sled controller. Respective ones of the head nodes are configured to obtain credentials for accessing particular portions of the mass storage devices of the data storage sleds. A sled controller of a data storage sled determines whether a head node attempting to perform a write on a mass storage device of a data storage sled that includes the sled controller is presenting with the write request a valid credential for accessing the mass storage devices of the data storage sled. If the credentials are valid, the sled controller causes the write to be performed and if the credentials are invalid, the sled controller returns a message to the head node indicating that it has been fenced off from the mass storage device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: NORBERT P. KUSTERS, NACHIAPPAN ARUMUGAM, CHRISTOPHER NATHAN WATSON, MARC JOHN BROOKER, DAVID R. RICHARDSON, DANNY WEI, JOHN LUTHER GUTHRIE, II, LEAH SHALEV
  • Publication number: 20180181315
    Abstract: A data storage system includes multiple head nodes and multiple data storage sleds mounted in a rack. For a particular volume or volume partition one of the head nodes is designated as a primary head node for the volume or volume partition. The primary head node is configured to store data for the volume in a data storage of the primary head node and cause the data to be replicated to a secondary head node. The primary head node is also configured to cause the data for the volume to be stored in a plurality of respective mass storage devices each in different ones of the plurality of data storage sleds of the data storage system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: NORBERT P. KUSTERS, NACHIAPPAN ARUMUGAM, CHRISTOPHER NATHAN WATSON, MARC JOHN BROOKER, DAVID R. RICHARDSON, DANNY WEI, JOHN LUTHER GUTHRIE, II
  • Publication number: 20180183868
    Abstract: A data storage system includes a rack, multiple head nodes, multiple data storage sleds, and at least two networking devices. The at least two network devices are configured to implement at least two redundant networks within the data storage system. Also, each of the head nodes is assigned at least two network addresses for communication with the data storage sleds of the data storage system via the at least two networking devices. The data storage sleds each include multiple mass storage devices and a sled controller that is configured to couple with the at least two network switches. In some embodiments, the data storage system further includes redundant power systems within a rack in which the head nodes, the data storage sleds, and the at least two networking devices are mounted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: NORBERT P. KUSTERS, NACHIAPPAN ARUMUGAM, CHRISTOPHER NATHAN WATSON, MARC JOHN BROOKER, DAVID R. RICHARDSON, DANNY WEI, JOHN LUTHER GUTHRIE, II
  • Publication number: 20180181348
    Abstract: A data storage system includes multiple data storage units and a zonal control plane. The zonal control plane assigns volumes to respective ones of the data storage units. The data storage units include multiple head nodes and data storage sleds. At least one of the head nodes implements a local control plane for the data storage unit. Also, the head nodes of each data storage unit are configured to service read and write requests directed to one or more volumes serviced by the data storage unit independent of the zonal control plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: NORBERT P. KUSTERS, NACHIAPPAN ARUMUGAM, CHRISTOPHER NATHAN WATSON, MARC JOHN BROOKER, DAVID R. RICHARDSON, DANNY WEI, JOHN LUTHER GUTHRIE, II
  • Patent number: 9910472
    Abstract: A power monitoring system monitors the actual configurations of power distribution systems which supply power to computer systems, based on data signals received at the computer systems via the power lines from the power distribution systems. The system determines if an actual power system configuration of a computer system is distinct from a target power system configuration of the computer system. A target configuration can be associated with particular computing operations performed on the computer system and can specify particular power system configurations of computer systems which execute such computing operations. The system can, in response to a determined distinction, adjustably control computing operation execution on the computer system, including adjustably routing data traffic. The system can, in response to a determined distinction, command power distribution system adjustments which mitigate the distinction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Max Jesse Wishman, Christopher Nathan Watson
  • Patent number: 9466964
    Abstract: A rack-mountable computer system includes a horizontal divider that divides a chassis interior of the computer system into a first level and a second level. A plurality of electronic components are mounted on the first level and a plurality of electronic components are mounted on a moveable tray of the second level. The horizontal divider includes one or more elongated openings and a plurality of cables that pass through the one or more elongated openings. The plurality of cables connect the electronic components mounted on the first level to the electronic components mounted on the moveable tray. The one or more elongated openings guide the plurality of cables to slide within the one or more elongated openings as the moveable tray is moved into or out of the chassis interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Nathan Watson, Christopher Strickland Beall
  • Publication number: 20160077930
    Abstract: Application program data stored in system memory may be selectively persisted. An indication may be provided to an application program that an application data object or a range of application data stored in system memory may be treated as persistent. Data backup may be enabled for the application data object or range of application data in the event of a system failure, copying the application data object or range of application data from system memory to non-volatile data storage. Upon recovery from a system failure, further data backup for the application data object or the range of application data may be disabled. In some embodiments, at least some of the application data object or range of application data may be recovered for the application program to access. Data backup for the application data object or the range of application data may also be re-enabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Inventors: SAMUEL JAMES MCKELVIE, YAN VALERIE LESHINSKY, IAN P. NOWLAND, DARIN LEE FRINK, ANURAG WINDLASS GUPTA, ADAM DOUGLAS MORLEY, CHRISTOPHER NATHAN WATSON, MICHAEL DAVID MARR
  • Patent number: 9223664
    Abstract: An energy storage device included in a data center environment can supply energy to a set of solid state drives in the data center environment when power failure or another power event has occurred. In some embodiments, there can be a controller for each solid state drive. The controller can be configured to detect or determine the occurrence of the power failure or other power event and, in response, transmit a command to a respective solid state drive instructing the solid state drive to perform a graceful and atomic shutdown operation, so that data stored on the drive is made durable and the drive enters a quiescent state (e.g., sleep mode, hibernate mode, power-off mode, etc.). As such, the energy storage device can provide protection against power events to solid state drives that lack native (e.g., built-in, inherent, etc.) power protection mechanisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Nathan Watson, Adam Douglas Morley, David Edward Bryan, Michael David Marr
  • Patent number: 9209622
    Abstract: A system includes a rack, computing devices coupled to the rack, a rack PDU, and one or more input power cables. The rack PDU includes an enclosure, two or more power input receptacles on the enclosure, and two or more power output receptacles on the enclosure. The output power receptacles supply power to the computing devices. The input power cables are coupled in one or more of the power input receptacles. The input power cables supply electrical power from an electrical power system to the rack PDU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Max J. Wishman, Darin Lee Frink, Peter George Ross, Chao Chen, Christopher Nathan Watson
  • Patent number: 9195542
    Abstract: Application program data stored in system memory may be selectively persisted. An indication may be provided to an application program that an application data object or a range of application data stored in system memory may be treated as persistent. Data backup may be enabled for the application data object or range of application data in the event of a system failure, copying the application data object or range of application data from system memory to non-volatile data storage. Upon recovery from a system failure, further data backup for the application data object or the range of application data may be disabled. In some embodiments, at least some of the application data object or range of application data may be recovered for the application program to access. Data backup for the application data object or the range of application data may also be re-enabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel James McKelvie, Yan Valerie Leshinsky, Ian P. Nowland, Darin Lee Frink, Anurag Windlass Gupta, Adam Douglas Morley, Christopher Nathan Watson, Michael David Marr
  • Publication number: 20150084419
    Abstract: A system includes a rack, computing devices coupled to the rack, a rack PDU, and one or more input power cables. The rack PDU includes an enclosure, two or more power input receptacles on the enclosure, and two or more power output receptacles on the enclosure. The output power receptacles supply power to the computing devices. The input power cables are coupled in one or more of the power input receptacles. The input power cables supply electrical power from an electrical power system to the rack PDU.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: MAX J. WISHMAN, DARIN LEE FRINK, PETER GEORGE ROSS, CHAO CHEN, CHRISTOPHER NATHAN WATSON