Patents by Inventor Curtis C. Ballard

Curtis C. Ballard 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: 11960414
    Abstract: In some examples, a controller for a storage system separate from a host system checks whether a storage cartridge in a storage system is associated with an indication set, in an electronic memory, during a configuration operation in the storage system to indicate write protection is enabled for the storage cartridge. In response to determining that the storage cartridge is associated with the indication, the controller triggers the write protection for the storage cartridge to prevent writing of data to the storage cartridge if the storage cartridge already contains previously written data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Richard Arthur Bickers, Curtis C. Ballard
  • Publication number: 20230135502
    Abstract: Examples described herein relate to configuring access to management interface of a storage system. Examples may obtain network adapter information of the host devices coupled to the storage system using credentials of a management controller of the host devices. Examples may create an allow-list or deny-list containing the network adapter information of the host devices. Examples may allow or deny connections to the management interface from the host devices based on the allow-list or deny-list. Examples may allow dynamic updating of the allow-list and deny-list based on a change in a network adapter of the host device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2021
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher HILLIER, Curtis C. BALLARD, Luis E. Luciani, JR.
  • Patent number: 11595298
    Abstract: In one implementation, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that upon execution cause a processor to: determine, by a network device, path information for a plurality of paths in a computing fabric, the path information identifying alternative paths to access namespaces; determine, by the network device, a first portion of the path information that is associated with a first host; and provide, by the network device the first portion of the path information to the first host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Krishna Babu Puttagunta, Rupin Mohan, Vivek Agarwal, Curtis C. Ballard
  • Patent number: 11467994
    Abstract: In some examples, an adapter device includes a bridge to determine that a storage device includes a plurality of bus controllers, where the plurality of bus controllers are communicatively coupled to respective adapter devices. The bridge determines a quantity of supported connections over the network to the storage device, and in response to determining that the storage device comprises the plurality of bus controllers, the bridge computes an identifier based on the quantity of supported connections and to which respective bus controller of the plurality of bus controllers the adapter device is connected, and assigns the identifier to a connection from the host to the storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventor: Curtis C. Ballard
  • Publication number: 20220188256
    Abstract: In some examples, an adapter device includes a bridge to determine that a storage device includes a plurality of bus controllers, where the plurality of bus controllers are communicatively coupled to respective adapter devices. The bridge determines a quantity of supported connections over the network to the storage device, and in response to determining that the storage device comprises the plurality of bus controllers, the bridge computes an identifier based on the quantity of supported connections and to which respective bus controller of the plurality of bus controllers the adapter device is connected, and assigns the identifier to a connection from the host to the storage device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventor: Curtis C. Ballard
  • Publication number: 20220085983
    Abstract: In some examples, a storage system includes a controller to receive a request for a data encryption key from the host system, in response to the request, retrieve, from a key manager system, the data encryption key for the host system, and encrypt the data encryption key retrieved from the key manager system using a first key, to produce an encrypted data encryption key. The controller sends the encrypted data encryption key to the host system, and receives, from the host system, encrypted data encrypted using the data encryption key.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Grant Hillier, Curtis C. Ballard
  • Publication number: 20220067218
    Abstract: In some examples, a controller for a storage system separate from a host system checks whether a storage cartridge in a storage system is associated with an indication set, in an electronic memory, during a configuration operation in the storage system to indicate write protection is enabled for the storage cartridge. In response to determining that the storage cartridge is associated with the indication, the controller triggers the write protection for the storage cartridge to prevent writing of data to the storage cartridge if the storage cartridge already contains previously written data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Richard Arthur Bickers, Curtis C. Ballard
  • Publication number: 20220035575
    Abstract: In some examples, a computer receives a command to transport a storage cartridge in a storage system from a physical storage slot to a storage drive, and determines whether the storage cartridge is associated with a restricted transport indication set by a configuration operation in the storage system. In response to determining that the storage cartridge is associated with the restricted transport indication, the computer checks for an indication of receipt of an access secret information, and denies processing of the command to transport the storage cartridge if the indication of receipt of the access secret information is not present.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Grant Hillier, Curtis C. Ballard
  • Publication number: 20210099381
    Abstract: In one implementation, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that upon execution cause a processor to: determine, by a network device, path information for a plurality of paths in a computing fabric, the path information identifying alternative paths to access namespaces; determine, by the network device, a first portion of the path information that is associated with a first host; and provide, by the network device the first portion of the path information to the first host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Krishna Babu Puttagunta, Rupin Mohan, Vivek Agarwal, Curtis C. Ballard
  • Patent number: 10880205
    Abstract: In one implementation, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that upon execution cause a processor to: determine, by a network device, path information for a plurality of paths in a computing fabric, the path information identifying alternative paths to access namespaces; determine, by the network device, a first portion of the path information that is associated with a first host; and provide, by the network device the first portion of the path information to the first host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Krishna Babu Puttagunta, Rupin Mohan, Vivek Agarwal, Curtis C. Ballard
  • Patent number: 10770109
    Abstract: A method comprising: determining, by a tape library, respective tape densities supported by each of a plurality of tape drives and respective tape densities indicated for each of a plurality of tape cartridges; receiving, by the tape library, a command to load a given one of the tape cartridges into a given one of the tape drives; determining, by the tape library, that the indicated tape density for the given tape cartridge matches a tape density supported by the given tape drive; and in response to the determination that the tape densities match, configuring, by the tape library, the given tape drive to initialize the given tape cartridge to the tape density indicated for the given tape cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Curtis C Ballard, Carl R Hoerger
  • Patent number: 10540298
    Abstract: Examples described herein include a tape drive with a drive memory, an opening, and a key engine. The drive memory is to store a shared secret. The opening is to receive a tape cartridge that stores a protected dataset and an authorization code. The key engine is to generate a decryption key for the protected dataset based on the authorization code and the shared secret.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Carl R. Hoerger, Curtis C. Ballard
  • Publication number: 20200004467
    Abstract: A method comprising: determining, by a tape library, respective tape densities supported by each of a plurality of tape drives and respective tape densities indicated for each of a plurality of tape cartridges; receiving, by the tape library, a command to load a given one of the tape cartridges into a given one of the tape drives; determining, by the tape library, that the indicated tape density for the given tape cartridge matches a tape density supported by the given tape drive; and in response to the determination that the tape densities match, configuring, by the tape library, the given tape drive to initialize the given tape cartridge to the tape density indicated for the given tape cartridge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Curtis C. Ballard, Carl R. Hoerger
  • Patent number: 10496305
    Abstract: Storage management is performed by detecting installation of at least one new physical tape drive in a storage system. The storage system may include a plurality of tape drives. The plurality of tape drives include physical tape drives and virtual tape drives. Based on the detection, a unique name of at least one virtual tape drive is transferred to the at least one new physical tape drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Grant Hillier, Curtis C Ballard
  • Publication number: 20190332260
    Abstract: Examples include replication based on a differential multiple write command. Examples include receipt, via a storage protocol path, of a differential multiple write command that specifies to store provided data to a first address range at the first storage array and to a different second address range of a second storage array, generation of storage-processed data representing the provided data in a different form than the provided data, and replication, via a replication path, the storage-processed data from the first storage array to the second storage array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Inventor: Curtis C. Ballard
  • Patent number: 10437478
    Abstract: Examples include replication based on a differential multiple write command. Examples include receipt, via a storage protocol path, of a differential multiple write command that specifies to store provided data to a first address range at the first storage array and to a different second address range of a second storage array, generation of storage-processed data representing the provided data in a different form than the provided data, and replication, via a replication path, the storage-processed data from the first storage array to the second storage array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventor: Curtis C. Ballard
  • Publication number: 20190095353
    Abstract: Examples described herein include a tape drive with a drive memory, an opening, and a key engine. The drive memory is to store a shared secret. The opening is to receive a tape cartridge that stores a protected dataset and an authorization code. The key engine is to generate a decryption key for the protected dataset based on the authorization code and the shared secret.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Carl R. Hoerger, Curtis C. Ballard
  • Patent number: 9875026
    Abstract: Techniques to send and receive access commands are provided. The access commands may include an expected media position. The expected media position may be compared to an actual media position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Curtis C Ballard, Kevin Lloyd Jones
  • Patent number: 9847098
    Abstract: A described read request may be received. An object and a descriptor may be returned in response to the described read request. The object may be retrieved from a volume. The object may be analyzed to generate the descriptor, which may indicate whether the object is a tape mark or a data record.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventor: Curtis C Ballard
  • Publication number: 20170038991
    Abstract: Storage management is performed by detecting installation of at least one new physical tape drive in a storage system. The storage system may include a plurality of tape drives. The plurality of tape drives include physical tape drives and virtual tape drives. Based on the detection, a unique name of at least one virtual tape drive is transferred to the at least one new physical tape drive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Grant Hillier, Curtis C Ballard