Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes obtaining information characterizing a level of actual usage of a first item of content; based on the obtained information, determining whether a re-provisioning condition is satisfied and if so, generating a specification of a re-provisioning operation to be executed in association with the resources of a storage environment; and executing the re-provisioning operation. The first item of content is stored on a first set of elements of resources of the storage environment according to a first resource allocation arrangement. The re-provisioning operation includes identifying a second resource allocation arrangement for storing the first item of content; and allocating a second set of elements of the resources of the storage environment according to the second resource allocation arrangement.

Abstract: A distributed system for content storage and access includes a storage platform having at least a first storage component, and an access platform having one or multiple access components. Each access component is associated with at least one access service. The access service may be an administrative service for receiving a service request initiated by a first user, the service request being associated with a first item of content, and for identifying a characteristic of the service request, a content management service for determining, based at least in part on the characteristic of the service request, a specification of a data transfer operation to be executed in association with the first storage component, and a directory service for maintaining information associated with the first item of content.

Abstract: The present invention introduces the notions of a rendezvous component and rendezvous functionality into the communications network environment. Using the invention, an application can express information regarding when an operation requested of a device should complete and at which location, and it enables the device to perform its operations respecting this information while also improving the device's overall behavior. In an embodiment, one or more data objects are distributed across one or more collections of storage devices using a dispersal technique. When access to a data object is desired, a rendezvous component issues a set of constituent requests to the collections of storage devices. These requests typically include location and timing rendezvous parameters specifying a destination location where and a given time when a given data object is to be reconstituted.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a computer graphics system to perform a conditional test on a node in a graphics data structure during the traversal of the graphics data structure by a structure walker. The graphics system is operated to manipulate data contained in a memory to define a value for an operand that is to be tested. The system accesses the operand from the memory. A structure walker performs a test on the value of the operand during traversal of the graphics data structure. Depending upon the result of the test, the structure walker traverses one of several paths in the graphics data structure to create a graphics display.

Abstract: A stand-alone graphics workstation including a digital computer host and a graphics processing subsystem is disclosed. Address data relating to the graphics subsystem components is mapped into the host system virtual memory. The application processes residing in the host are thereby able to communicate directly with the graphics subsystem components, as, e.g. the structure memory, without the need of a direct memory access hardware arrangement or device drivers.

Abstract: A method for operating a computer graphics system to build custom nodes containing commands and data information that is stored in a data structure in the graphics subsystem. A host processor calls routines which build the custome nodes. A structure walker traverses the data structure and extracts the information from the data structure to pass it to the graphics subsystem for display. The use of custom nodes increases the flexibility of advanced graphics data structures bny allowing the creation of other data structures during execution of a first data structure.

Abstract: A host system executes one or more application programs which results in graphic data structures. These graphic data structures are then continuously and asynchronously traversed. Traversal requests by competing application programs are scheduled and performed so that each application views the graphics processing as its own. The traversal and ordering of traversal requests provide efficient use of resources for multiple application programs.