Abstract: One or more aspects comprise an apparatus comprising: (a) a base component comprising a flat lower surface and a concave upper surface having a first curvature; and (b) a handle component comprising a convex lower surface having a second curvature; wherein the first curvature and the second curvature conform sufficiently to allow the handle component to rotate three-dimensionally within the base component, and wherein at least one of the concave upper surface and the convex lower surface comprises means to allow the handle component to rotate three-dimensionally within the base component. Other aspects and embodiments, including methods of use and manufacture, will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reviewing the description and drawings provided herein.

Abstract: One or more aspects comprise an apparatus comprising: (a) a base component comprising a flat lower surface and a concave upper surface having a first curvature; and (b) a handle component comprising a convex lower surface having a second curvature; wherein the first curvature and the second curvature conform sufficiently to allow the handle component to rotate three-dimensionally within the base component, and wherein at least one of the concave upper surface and the convex lower surface comprises means to allow the handle component to rotate three-dimensionally within the base component. Other aspects and embodiments, including methods of use and manufacture, will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reviewing the description and drawings provided herein.

Abstract: Described are techniques for controlling performance of a data storage system. As a first part of an interactive dialogue, a policy is selected including one or more I/O classes each representing a logical grouping of I/O requests received at the data storage system. As a second part of the interactive dialogue, performance of said data storage system is monitored for each I/O class included in said policy without enforcing said policy. As a third part of the interactive dialogue, at least one performance goal associated with one of said I/O classes is set. The policy is run as a fourth part of the interactive dialogue causing enforcement of the policy on the data storage system in accordance with the at least one performance goal.

Abstract: A method for optimizing the operation of a data storage system utilizes a genetic algorithm to adjust internal parameters of the system. The method involves determining a set of optimum values of each of two or more different data array parameters, such as data request types that will be processed concurrently, to achieve performance goals that are set by the user for the system. The optimum values are determined by iteratively evaluating the performance of the system while it processes the different combinations of values of the two or more data requests, saving the combinations of numbers that yield performance parameters that approach the goal and eliminating combinations of number of data request types that do not.