Abstract: A system, method, and module for reducing power states for storage devices and associated logical volumes are disclosed. In one form, a method of altering an operating state of a storage device can include detecting a request to access a first logical volume over an interval. The method can also include determining an association of a storage device to the first logical volume. The method can further include determining if the storage device is operably associated with a second logical volume, and altering an operating state of the storage device in response to detecting the request and determining the association with the second logical volume.

Abstract: A method for operating a data storage device having a plurality of sectors and at least one port, each port having a transmitter and a receiver, is disclosed. In one embodiment the method includes coupling at least one of the transmitters to at least one of the receivers, providing power to the data storage device, detecting that the transmitter is coupled to the receiver, and executing code for exercising the data storage device.

Abstract: Certain ones of a plurality of SAS hard disk drives are assigned to different SAS zones using a SAS zoning expander(s). A processor and SAS RAID controller have access to only those SAS hard disk drives assigned to the same zone(s) as the processor and SAS RAID controller. Each SAS RAID controller determines when a RAID hard disk drive in its zone fails, and then notifies the RAID hard disk drive failure to a service enclosure processor (SEP) of the SAS zoning expander. The SEP re-allocates an available hot-spare hard disk drive to the zone of the failed RAID hard disk drive. When the SAS RAID controller detects that a functional hard disk drive is now available in its zone, the RAID image is rebuilt using the zone reassigned hot-spare hard disk drive that then becomes one of the RAID hard disk drives of that zone.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus adapted to be connected for use to a media drive apparatus for recording data on or reproduced data from a recording medium having a file system includes a real file system acquiring section that acquires the file system of the recording medium from the media drive apparatus and a virtual file system providing section that converts the file system acquired by the file system acquiring section into a virtual file system having a directory/file structure different from the directory/file structure on the recording medium and provides it to an application program.

Abstract: A blower for a water heater having a flue defining a flue axis. The blower includes a housing at least partially defining a first chamber and a second chamber and having an inlet opening into the first chamber and an outlet communicating between the second chamber and atmosphere, the inlet being alignable with the flue, a ramp extending through the second chamber and having a surface, the surface being oriented at an acute angle with respect to the flue axis, and an impeller positioned in the second chamber and being operable to draw exhaust from the flue into the first chamber through the inlet and being operable to direct the exhaust through the second chamber and across the surface of the ramp, the surface of the ramp directing the exhaust through the outlet in a direction substantially parallel to the flue axis.

Abstract: A digital signal processor includes a functional unit configured to execute instructions. The functional unit determines a first minimum data of a first data and a second data, in parallel with a determination of a second minimum data of a third data and a fourth data. The functional unit outputs processed data including the first minimum data and the second minimum data. Each bit length of the first minimum data and the second minimum data is equal to n bits in length. A bit length of the processed data is equal to 2 n bits in length.

Abstract: An electrical test lead includes an insulated electrical cable having a proximal end and a distal end, an electrical connector disposed at the proximal end of the cable and connected to a test instrument, and an electrically conductive magnetic probe disposed at the distal end. The probe is adapted to magnetically attach to a test point in an electrical system and to provide an electrical connection from the test point through the probe, the cable and the connector to the test instrument. Together, the test lead and the test instrument may be used as an electrical test kit. The test lead may further include an additional electrical test lead component magnetically attached, and electrically connected, to the electrically conductive magnetic probe and extending therefrom. An additional electrically conductive magnetic probe or a non-magnetic electrical connector may be disposed at the distal end of the additional electrical test lead component.

Abstract: An RFID label with embedded tag is passed through an RFID antenna in a printer system, where the RFID antenna allows a roll of such labels to pass in close proximity to the antenna and still allow each individual RFID tag to be read and/or programmed. The RFID antenna module is formed with a transmission line coupled to an RF phase splitter, where in one embodiment, the transmission line is formed from two parallel conductive strips.

Abstract: A method of zoning a fabric-attached (SAS) storage network. For each target attached to an expander, the expander maintains a list of SAS addresses of initiator devices that are permitted access to that's ports target devices. Configuration and management of zones may be accomplished using a management application, such as those using the SMP command protocol.

Abstract: A method of preparing a plasticised particulate polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composition is provided, comprising: mixing, in a mixer, at a mixer speed and for a time sufficient that the mixture attains a temperature of at least 50° C.: particulate PVA resin in an amount from 80% to 90% by weight of the mixture; and plasticiser in an amount from 10% to 20% by weight of the mixture, wherein at least a portion of the plasticiser is water; monitoring the apparent viscosity of the mixture during mixing and continuing mixing until the apparent viscosity of the mixture has peaked to a maximum and dropped off to a substantially constant level, thereby to obtain a plasticised particulate mixture having a moisture content in the range from 7% to 14%; preferably adding an anti-caking agent in an amount from 0.05% to 0.

Abstract: A method for mapping disk drives of a data storage system to server connection slots. The method may be used when an SAS expander is used to add additional disk drives, and maintains the same drive numbering scheme as would exist if there were no expander. The method uses the IDENTIFY address frame of an SAS connection to determine whether a device is connected to each phy of a controller port, and whether the device is an expander or end device (disk drive).

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for encoding a set of configuration data for a given expander and at some later point comparing the configuration data to a discovered configuration derived from an attempt to discover the operability of each phy or connection point of the storage system. The configuration identifies the phys or connection points that are operable and the mapping of operable connection points to wide ports communicatively of an expander.

Abstract: A digital signal processor configured to perform a Viterbi algorithm includes an instruction fetching unit that fetches instructions and a decoding unit that decodes the instructions fetched by the instruction fetching unit. The digital signal processor also includes an execution unit that executes the instructions decoded by the decoding unit. The execution unit includes an arithmetic logic unit configured to perform a register—register arithmetic logic operation. The arithmetic logic unit compares a first data with a second data, in parallel with a comparison of a third data with a fourth data, and the execution unit outputs new path metrics. Each of the first data, the second data, the third data, and the fourth data is one of four results obtained by adding one of two path metrics to one of two branch metrics.

Abstract: A communications system incorporating a plurality of vehicle mounted web cams that collect video information and transmit the video information together with other local information via a wireless network to a server. The video streams from the web cams and associated information are available to users on a internet web page. Each camera has a specific identifier to permit users to access the video of specific individual cameras. Optimization software permits users to take virtual trips along predetermined routes. The system also permits sequential access to multiple video feeds from desired locations. Multiple alternative one way and two way video communication methods taking advantage of the network of mobile web cams are described.

Abstract: An RFID label with embedded tag is passed through an RFID antenna in a printer system, where the RFID antenna allows a roll of such labels to pass in close proximity to the antenna and still allow each individual RFID tag to be read and/or programmed. The RFID antenna module is formed with a transmission line coupled to an RF phase splitter, where in one embodiment, the transmission line is formed from two parallel conductive strips.

Abstract: An integrated cable tester detects cable faults by coupling a single cable to host and expander connectors of an interface module and determining whether each of plural ports of the connectors has an associated PHY Ready signal. An LED interfaced with the cable tester illuminates to indicate a normal cable and fails to illuminate if the cable tests faulty. In one embodiment a module tester determines whether the module has degraded performance when a single cable is detected as coupled to the host and expander connectors of the module. The module tester clears the interface module's error log and initiates a reset of communication between the host and expander ports. Upon completion of the reset, such as detection of all PHY Ready signals for the plural ports, the module tester reads the error log and indicates errors as degrading the performance of the interface module.

Abstract: A system and method for recovering from a drive failure in a storage array is disclosed in which a spare drive array is provided in the event of a failure in one of the active drives of the storage array. The spare drive array is comprised of multiple drives that are comprised in a RAID 0 configuration to reduce the time required to rebuild the content of the failed drive on the spare drive.

Abstract: A cluster network that includes multiple server nodes is disclosed. Each of the multiple nodes of the cluster network is coupled to first and second expander devices. The cluster network includes a number of storage enclosures, each of which includes dual interface and a number of dual port storage devices. Each of the dual port storage devices are coupled to each interface of the storage enclosure. Each interface is coupled to one of the expander devices. If one of the expander devices fails, the server nodes of the cluster network can access each other peer server node and each storage drive of the cluster network.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for identifying the storage drives of a computer network. An identifier associated with an element of the storage network is stored in nonvolatile memory and later retrieved. The identifier associates the elements of the storage network, allowing the storage drives of the storage enclosure to be associated with the storage enclosure itself.

Abstract: A cluster network is disclosed in which of the storage drives of the network are distributed across the nodes of the network. Data is stored to the drives of the network according to a RAID storage methodology and without the necessity for shared external storage.