Abstract: A switch may be configured with multiple zones to provide access to an external storage to certain processing systems. For example, the switch may be configured with two zones, in which a first zone configuration provides access to the external storage for a first processing system and a second zone configuration provides access to the external storage for a second processing system. Thus, the switch may provide high availability of the external storage and allow seamless transition from one computer system to another computer system.

Abstract: A switch may be configured with multiple zones to provide access to an external storage to certain processing systems. For example, the switch may be configured with two zones, in which a first zone configuration provides access to the external storage for a first processing system and a second zone configuration provides access to the external storage for a second processing system. Thus, the switch may provide high availability of the external storage and allow seamless transition from one computer system to another computer system.

Abstract: A secure storage appliance is disclosed, along with methods of storing and reading data in a secure storage network. The secure storage appliance is configured to present to a client a virtual disk, the virtual disk mapped to the plurality of physical storage devices. The secure storage appliance is capable of executing program instructions configured to generate a plurality of secondary blocks of data by performing splitting and encrypting operations on a block of data received from the client for storage on the virtual disk and reconstitute the block of data from at least a portion of the plurality of secondary blocks of data stored in shares on corresponding physical storage devices in response to a request from the client.

Abstract: A method for processing input/output request packets (IRPs) directed to Data Volumes having a meta-data extent and at least one data extent begins by initiating an IRP. The IRP is evaluated by a volume filter to determine a meta-data extent to handle the IRP. The IRP is directed by the volume filter to the appropriate meta-data extent. The IRP is redirected from the meta-data extent to at least one data extent associated with the meta-data extent.

Abstract: A method for specifying an operating system (OS) file to use in a computing system after a system reboot begins by copying at least one new OS file to a system disk. An OS file to be installed is selected from the new OS files on the disk. The system is booted into the selected OS file, the selected OS file becoming the currently running OS on the system. A boot pointer on the system disk is updated to point to the selected OS file, such that any subsequent reboot will be into the selected OS file.

Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for allocating a pool of global memory among a set of client/servers so that storage volumes associated with a plurality of client/servers are each allocated a portion of the pool of global memory for caching of data from that volume. The amount of memory to be used for caching the volume's input/output operations (I/Os), the page size, the cache type, the cache replacement policy and the maximum cache read can be specified by volume. The amount of memory to be used for caching the volume's input/output operations, the cache type, the cache replacement policy and the maximum cache read I/O size can be changed dynamically by the changing volume-based attributes.