Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method including: (a) representing virtual primary disk data and state data of a virtual machine in a unit of storage; (b) exposing the virtual primary disk data of the virtual machine to a guest of the virtual machine to allow the guest to access the virtual primary disk data; and (c) preventing the guest from accessing the state data for the virtual machine.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes a method comprising: (a) representing at least state data of a virtual machine in a unit of network storage of a network storage system; and (b) employing data manipulation functionality of the network storage system to implement a virtual machine operation that manipulates at least the state data of the virtual machine.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system, method, and article of manufacture for agent processing. In particular, an agent may be executed within an address space of an invoking process that invoked the agent or may be executed in a separate address space. While the agent is processing, the execution of the agent within the address space of the invoking process may be switched to execution of the agent within the separate address space. Similarly, while the agent is processing, the execution of the agent in the separate address space may be switched to execution of the agent in the address space of the invoking process. Moreover, if the invoking process terminates before completing processing, when the invoking process restarts, the invoking process redetermines which agents should be executed in separate address spaces based on information stored before the invoking process terminated.

Abstract: A method and system for accessing system operations. Specifically, the present invention describes a method for accessing system administration operations that first comprises creating a shell interface layer. The shell interface layer comprises a plurality of standard routines for performing a plurality of system administration operations. The shell interface layer is supported within a scripting environment. Additionally, interfacing between the plurality of standard routines and a plurality of varying devices is provided. As such, a script that performs a standard routine that is written for a particular device is partially compatible with newer versions of the device. In particular, the script is able to recognize the presence of additional features to the standard routine available in the newer device.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system, method, and article of manufacture for agent processing. In particular, an agent may be executed within an address space of an invoking process that invoked the agent or may be executed in a separate address space. While the agent is processing, the execution of the agent within the address space of the invoking process may be switched to execution of the agent within the separate address space. Similarly, while the agent is processing, the execution of the agent in the separate address space may be switched to execution of the agent in the address space of the invoking process. Moreover, if the invoking process terminates before completing processing, when the invoking process restarts, the invoking process redetermines which agents should be executed in separate address spaces based on information stored before the invoking process terminated.

Abstract: Provided is a method, system, and program for creating a patch including content to apply to a computer. A set of conditional statements is provided that return a boolean response based on a presence of a software or hardware component indicated in a computer object for the computer on which the patch will be applied. A patch attribute statement is called with at least one conditional statement that returns a list of one or more patches if the at least one conditional statement evaluates as true. An attribute defined for the attribute statement is associated with the installation of the patch to the computer if the computer includes the returned list of patches. A script program is provided including at least one patch attribute statement.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, program, and data structures for enabling access to device information. At least one data object includes code providing a representation of elements conforming to a schema specifying details for managing components, wherein the at least one data object includes at least one representation of a device property value. A request for one data object is received and an output data object is generated including the elements from the requested data object and the at least one representation of the device property value. A determination is made of a device property value for the corresponding at least one representation of the device property value in the data object and the at least one determined device property value is included in the output data object. The output data object is returned in response to the request.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system, method, and program for retrieving an object graph. A request for a profile is received in a profile query language. Profile data is retrieved in response to the request. An object graph is generated from the profile using the retrieved profile data.

Abstract: An update system for updating different versions of an original source file that have been generated in different workspaces is implemented in a network of processor-based systems. A first modified version and a second modified version of the source file are stored in the network. First and second change sets, respectively, are generated, representing the net deltas in the first and second modified versions of the source file. The modifications of the first modified version can then be applied to the second modified version by comparing the corresponding modified regions, and applying modifications only to those regions in the target (i.e. second) file that have not been modified relative to the original source file, thus preserving any modifications in the target file which were not present in the first modified version. If target code has moved, its new position is located by a comparison procedure, and modifications are then made.