Abstract: A file management system includes a host computer having one or more virtual machines, a switching layer computer configured to manage a namespace map for the virtual machines in the host computer, and a central storage unit. The host computer is connected indirectly to the central storage unit through an in-band IO path that includes the switching layer computer and directly to the central storage unit through an out-of-band IO path. When a virtual machines issues a file operation, a file operation including a data operation is routed to the central storage unit along an out-of-band IO path and a file operation including a metadata operation is routed to the central storage unit along an in-band IO path that includes the switching layer computer.

Abstract: A filter driver that is loaded during an initial part of the boot process enable operating systems that are not capable of booting from central storage to be booted from central storage. According to this technique, an initial set of operating system files is loaded into system memory from a local storage volume. The initial set of files includes a small subset of all of the operating system files and includes a boot loader, a kernel, boot time drivers, a file system driver, and a filter driver. The filter driver takes control over the loading of the remainder of the operating system files, so that these files are loaded from central storage instead of the local storage volume.

Abstract: A non-fighting fully clocked scan latch is described that is dynamically configurable to support both logic data latching and scan data latching. The described scan latch circuit design reduces a load placed on a logic data latch portion of the described circuit by a scan latch portion of the described circuit, and thereby increases the speed of the described scan latch to that of an output latch without scan capability. Power required to drive the described scan latch is reduced by clocking the circuit to avoid fighting and by reducing the number of transistors included in transistor stacks internal to the scan latch. By reducing drive power requirements, eliminating internal latch fighting, and increasing latch response, a versatile scan latch is achieved that may be successfully implemented in a wide range of circuits despite the use of different supply drive voltage, threshold voltage, source-to-drain voltage, and transistor technology combinations.

Abstract: A file management system includes a host computer having one or more virtual machines, a switching layer computer configured to manage a namespace map for the virtual machines in the host computer, and a central storage unit. The host computer is connected indirectly to the central storage unit through an in-band IO path that includes the switching layer computer and directly to the central storage unit through an out-of-band IO path. When a virtual machines issues a file operation, a file operation including a data operation is routed to the central storage unit along an out-of-band IO path and a file operation including a metadata operation is routed to the central storage unit along an in-band IO path that includes the switching layer computer.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method for a virtual machine to access data from a virtual device, the method including: (a) attaching the virtual device to the virtual machine with a backing store that is a virtual image of a file system conforming to a predetermined file system format, wherein: (i) file system data is stored in one or more files, (ii) the virtual image includes metadata stored apart from the file system data, which metadata corresponds to the predetermined file system format, (iii) the metadata includes one or more directory records, and (iv) the one or more directory records include information that points directly or indirectly to the file system data; (b) issuing a read request for a block of data from the file system as if stored in the predetermined file system format; (c) accessing the metadata and determining the location of the requested block of data in the file system data; and (d) retrieving the requested block of data from the file system data.

Abstract: Virtual machines are managed in centralized manner. Files that are shared by multiple virtual machines are stored in a central storage unit and a management program is executed on one or more of these files on a per file basis. The management program is executed on a file if an 10 operation is issued for that file. A namespace map is used to provide a mapping of filenames used by the different virtual machines to filenames used by the central storage unit.

Abstract: A filter driver that is loaded during an initial part of the boot process enable operating systems that are not capable of booting from central storage to be booted from central storage. According to this technique, an initial set of operating system files is loaded into system memory from a local storage volume. The initial set of files includes a small subset of all of the operating system files and includes a boot loader, a kernel, boot time drivers, a file system driver, and a filter driver. The filter driver takes control over the loading of the remainder of the operating system files, so that these files are loaded from central storage instead of the local storage volume.

Abstract: An enterprise medical billing system receives patient identifying and charge information from a variety of sources, associates the charge data with a guarantor, provides a consolidated statement to the guarantor, and allocates portions of a received payment to the variety of sources based on a series of configurable payment rules.

Abstract: A method of automatically generating and distributing personalized data reports via an electronic network comprising the steps of defining a set of report groups, creating a report template, and associating the report template with appropriate report groups of the set of report groups. The method also includes creating a security class and associating with the security class report groups of the set of report groups accessible to the security class. The method further includes providing the user with access to the report template based upon the security level, checking a user's security level and displaying the appropriate templates based on the check, creating a report output based on the report template, and providing the report output via the electronic network.

Abstract: A method of automatically generating a secure output file that comprises the steps of generating a first random character, generating a second random character, and creating a file path name using the first and second random characters. The method also includes the steps of storing the file path name in a memory, generating a report output and saving the report output to the file path name, and displaying a link to the report output on a user's personalized web page.