Abstract: A storage server receives a control signal indicating that a specific storage device of a plurality of storage devices housed by a specific storage media tray has failed. The storage media tray is in turn housed by the specific storage server, which can house many such trays. In responsive to receiving the control signal, the server activates a visual fault indicator on an external display panel, indicating that the storage server contains a storage media tray housing a failed storage device. An external visual indicator on the specific storage media tray is activated to indicate that the specific storage media tray houses a failed storage device. The specific storage media tray activates an internal visual indicator identifying the specific storage device which has failed in the specific storage media tray. When the specific failed storage device has been replaced with a working storage device, the indicators are deactivated.

Abstract: Techniques of erasure encoding that include receiving data for storage, inspecting the data for purposes of erasure encoding, and beginning preemptive erasure encoding of the data without waiting for the data to be completely delivered. The data may be received in packets over a network through an ordered transmission protocol, for example a reliable protocol such as TCP. Inspection of headers of the packets may determine which of the data will be subject to the step of beginning preemptive erasure encoding. This inspection may be “deep packet inspection” as described in more detail below. Also, systems that may perform the foregoing techniques including via use of network interface cards, processors, and/or logic that perform these techniques.

Abstract: A data transfer mechanism including at least one data buffer through which messages are sent from a message sender to a message receiver, a preemptive recovery mechanism, and a preemptive retransmission mechanism. The preemptive recovery mechanism and the preemptive retransmission mechanism include at least portions of a control data path, an event handler, a processor, and a cache. The preemptive recovery mechanism sends an early warning message to the message sender independently of the message receiver upon detection that the data buffer is nearing overflow. The preemptive retransmission mechanism sends a retransmission request on behalf of the receiver to the sender, independently of the message receiver, upon detection that the receiver's data buffer has overflowed.