Patents by Inventor Michael E. Specht

Michael E. Specht has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12381715
    Abstract: Enabling End-to-End Efficient Encryption (E2EEE) with security chaining in an Information Handling System (IHS) network includes: a data source IHS writing metadata containing a key slot, in a trailer of a data block and sending an out-of-band signal to use the key slot; an IHS security chaining logic regenerates the signal to each next IHS E2EEE data connection segment interface; and an encryption configuration state machine of each interface setting a use slot and an active slot to the key slot, in response to the signal. Disabling E2EEE with security chaining includes: the data source IHS sending an out-of-band signal to not use a key slot; the IHS security chaining logic regenerating the signal to each next interface; and the state machine of each interface changing the state machine state to not use a key slot and to not set an active key slot, in response to the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2025
    Assignee: Dell Products, L.P.
    Inventors: Lejin Du, Oleksandr Babiychuk, Alykhan Nathoo, John T. Fitzgerald, Michael E. Specht, Seema G. Pai, Joann J. Kent
  • Patent number: 12093555
    Abstract: A first storage system receives a request to migrate a volume from the first storage system to a second storage system, and commences a migration process to non-disruptively migrate the volume from the first storage system to the second storage system while the volume is being accessed by a host system. The first storage system sends a first request to the host system to discover information for connecting to the second storage system to allow the host system to access to the volume through the second storage system during the migration process. In addition, the first storage system sends a second request to the host system to discover information for disconnecting from the first storage system during a final stage of the migration process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Rivka Mayraz Matosevich, Mark J. Halstead, Adnan Sahin, Michael E. Specht
  • Patent number: 12056060
    Abstract: In end-to-end efficient encryption with security chaining a data source Information Handling System (IHS) encrypts a data volume, generates and updates metadata in a trailer of the data volume, and generates and updates out-of-band handshake signals indicating an encryption key use slot in the metadata. Data connection segments each include a left-bound interface of one IHS and a right-bound interface of another. Each interface performs synchronous data volume write-encrypt and read-decrypt functions on the data volume in an IHS, perform in-band encryption metadata processing, process out-of-band control signals, and execute an encryption configuration state machine, which uses the metadata and control signals as input to direct write-encrypt and read-decrypt functions on the data volume in the segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignee: Dell Products, L.P.
    Inventors: Lejin Du, Oleksandr Babiychuk, Alykhan Nathoo, John T. Fitzgerald, Michael E. Specht, Seema G. Pai, Joann J. Kent
  • Publication number: 20240048374
    Abstract: Rekeying an Information Handling System (IHS) network End-to-End Efficient Encryption (E2EEE) with security chaining includes locking an encrypted data volume, preventing reading of, and writing to, the encrypted data volume by applications. A data source IHS may request a new key from a key management system and write new metadata in a trailer of the encrypted data block using a different key slot than a currently used and active metadata key slot, wherein the different key slot is updated with the with the new key. The data source IHS then sends an out-of-data signal to change the use key slot from the currently used key slot to the different key slot. Thereafter, the data source IHS unlocks the encrypted data volume, enabling writing and/or reading user data by the data source IHS and encryption and decryption in all IHS E2EEE data connection segment interfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: Dell Products, L.P.
    Inventors: Lejin Du, Oleksandr Babiychuk, Alykhan Nathoo, John T. Fitzgerald, Michael E. Specht, Seema G. Pai, Joann J. Kent
  • Publication number: 20240037043
    Abstract: In end-to-end efficient encryption with security chaining a data source Information Handling System (IHS) encrypts a data volume, generates and updates metadata in a trailer of the data volume, and generates and updates out-of-band handshake signals indicating an encryption key use slot in the metadata. Data connection segments each include a left-bound interface of one IHS and a right-bound interface of another. Each interface performs synchronous data volume write-encrypt and read-decrypt functions on the data volume in an IHS, perform in-band encryption metadata processing, process out-of-band control signals, and execute an encryption configuration state machine, which uses the metadata and control signals as input to direct write-encrypt and read-decrypt functions on the data volume in the segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Applicant: Dell Products, L.P.
    Inventors: Lejin Du, Oleksandr Babiychuk, Alykhan Nathoo, John T. Fitzgerald, Michael E. Specht, Seema G. Pai, Joann J. Kent
  • Publication number: 20240039704
    Abstract: Enabling End-to-End Efficient Encryption (E2EEE) with security chaining in an Information Handling System (IHS) network includes: a data source IHS writing metadata containing a key slot, in a trailer of a data block and sending an out-of-band signal to use the key slot; an IHS security chaining logic regenerates the signal to each next IHS E2EEE data connection segment interface; and an encryption configuration state machine of each interface setting a use slot and an active slot to the key slot, in response to the signal. Disabling E2EEE with security chaining includes: the data source IHS sending an out-of-band signal to not use a key slot; the IHS security chaining logic regenerating the signal to each next interface; and the state machine of each interface changing the state machine state to not use a key slot and to not set an active key slot, in response to the signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Applicant: Dell Products, L.P.
    Inventors: Lejin Du, Oleksandr Babiychuk, Alykhan Nathoo, John T. Fitzgerald, Michael E. Specht, Seema G. Pai, Joann J. Kent
  • Publication number: 20230342059
    Abstract: A first storage system receives a request to migrate a volume from the first storage system to a second storage system, and commences a migration process to non-disruptively migrate the volume from the first storage system to the second storage system while the volume is being accessed by a host system. The first storage system sends a first request to the host system to discover information for connecting to the second storage system to allow the host system to access to the volume through the second storage system during the migration process. In addition, the first storage system sends a second request to the host system to discover information for disconnecting from the first storage system during a final stage of the migration process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Inventors: Rivka Mayraz Matosevich, Mark J. Halstead, Adnan Sahin, Michael E. Specht
  • Patent number: 11487592
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to load balancing application processing between storage platforms. Input/output (I/O) workloads can be anticipated during one or more time-windows. Each I/O workload can comprise one or more I/O operations corresponding to one or more applications. Processing I/O operations of each application can be dynamically migrated to one or more storage platforms of a plurality of storage platforms based on the anticipated workload.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Owen Martin, Michael E. Specht, Benjamin A. Randolph
  • Patent number: 11481138
    Abstract: Snapshots are created on replicated storage systems R1 and R2 in a manner resulting in identical snapshots being generated on R1 and R2. In response to an instruction to create a snapshot on a storage system (R1 and/or R2), command-phase write operations (CWOs) are held and data-phase write operations (DWOs) are completed on the storage system before the snapshot is created. Determining that DWOs includes querying processes, and using information, available on the storage system, by which a state of a write operation—e.g., whether the write operation is a DWO and when the DWO completes—may be determined. A CWO queue may be maintained on the storage system for tracking the status of CWOs. A DWO queue may be maintained on the storage system for tracking DWOs, to determine DWOs when the snapshot is created, and track their processing, including when they are completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Michael Barber, Yaron Dar, Michael E. Specht, Arieh Don
  • Patent number: 11468091
    Abstract: Maintaining consistency for asynchronous replication of LUNs of a local storage system to corresponding LUNs of a remote storage system includes copying application data written to LUNs to cache slots, copying metadata of LUNs to cache slots, associating a first sequence number to all metadata modifications and all application data writes that are begun after a first time and before a second time, associating a second sequence number, different from the first sequence number, to all metadata modifications and all application data writes that are begun after the second time, and, after completion of all metadata modifications and all application data writes associated with the first sequence number, initiating transfer to the remote storage system of all metadata modifications and all application data writes associated with the first sequence number. Each cache slot may include a field that indicates a corresponding sequence number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Bhaskar Bora, Mark J. Halstead, Michael E. Specht, Benjamin Yoder, Deepak Vokaliga
  • Publication number: 20220100380
    Abstract: Snapshots are created on replicated storage systems R1 and R2 in a manner resulting in identical snapshots being generated on R1 and R2. In response to an instruction to create a snapshot on a storage system (R1 and/or R2), command-phase write operations (CWOs) are held and data-phase write operations (DWOs) are completed on the storage system before the snapshot is created. Determining that DWOs includes querying processes, and using information, available on the storage system, by which a state of a write operation—e.g., whether the write operation is a DWO and when the DWO completes—may be determined. A CWO queue may be maintained on the storage system for tracking the status of CWOs. A DWO queue may be maintained on the storage system for tracking DWOs, to determine DWOs when the snapshot is created, and track their processing, including when they are completed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Applicant: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Michael Barber, Yaron Dar, Michael E. Specht, Arieh Don
  • Publication number: 20220083564
    Abstract: Maintaining consistency for asynchronous replication of LUNs of a local storage system to corresponding LUNs of a remote storage system includes copying application data written to LUNs to cache slots, copying metadata of LUNs to cache slots, associating a first sequence number to all metadata modifications and all application data writes that are begun after a first time and before a second time, associating a second sequence number, different from the first sequence number, to all metadata modifications and all application data writes that are begun after the second time, and, after completion of all metadata modifications and all application data writes associated with the first sequence number, initiating transfer to the remote storage system of all metadata modifications and all application data writes associated with the first sequence number. Each cache slot may include a field that indicates a corresponding sequence number.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Applicant: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Bhaskar Bora, Mark J. Halstead, Michael E. Specht, Benjamin Yoder, Deepak Vokaliga
  • Publication number: 20210263874
    Abstract: A storage entity of the data storage system may be visible to the host over a first path and a second path. The first path may operate in accordance with a first protocol and the second path may operate in accordance with a second different protocol. The storage entity may have a first protocol level personality and identity when presented to the host over the first path and a second protocol level personality and identity when presented to the host over the second path. A first native identifier associated of the storage entity on the first path and a second native identifier of the storage entity on the second path may be used to determine that the same storage entity is visible over the first and second paths even though the storage entity may have different protocol level identifiers on the first and second paths that operate using different protocols.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Publication date: August 26, 2021
    Applicant: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Ian Wigmore, Mona S. Tse, Michael E. Specht, Sanjib Mallick, Vinay G. RAO, Arieh Don
  • Patent number: 11099780
    Abstract: The described technology is generally directed towards adaptively tuning storage systems. According to an embodiment, a system can comprise a processor and computer executable components that can comprise an interval determiner to determine a polling interval based on an estimate of a workload of a shared data store on a data storage array, based on a change activity detected by the system. Further, a host controller can receive transactions from a host application, wherein the transactions perform one or more of updating the local data store, or querying the local data store for results, and a daemon process that, at the polling interval, performs one or more of, polling the data storage array for updates to the local data store based on the shared data store, or updating the shared data store based on the local data store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
    Inventors: Xuedong Jiang, Daryl F. Kinney, John S. Copley, Michael E. Specht
  • Patent number: 11100027
    Abstract: A storage entity of the data storage system may be visible to the host over a first path and a second path. The first path may operate in accordance with a first protocol and the second path may operate in accordance with a second different protocol. The storage entity may have a first protocol level personality and identity when presented to the host over the first path and a second protocol level personality and identity when presented to the host over the second path. A first native identifier associated of the storage entity on the first path and a second native identifier of the storage entity on the second path may be used to determine that the same storage entity is visible over the first and second paths even though the storage entity may have different protocol level identifiers on the first and second paths that operate using different protocols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Ian Wigmore, Mona S. Tse, Michael E. Specht, Sanjib Mallick, Vinay G. Rao, Arieh Don
  • Patent number: 11095547
    Abstract: Combinations of host ports and storage ports (e.g., I-T pairs) on a storage network that are zoned but not masked may be determined, without accessing a switch or network administrator. Heartbeat communications (heartbeats) may be transmitted from host systems to each storage device of a storage system of which the host system is aware, along the one or more I/O paths of which the host is aware to the storage port of the I/O path. The storage devices may include one or more nominal devices defined for I-T pairs for which I/O connectivity has not been defined for any storage devices. The storage system may maintain a master heartbeat (heartbeat) table that may include a plurality of entries, each entry corresponding to a combination of a host port, storage port and storage device, and storing a time stamp value for a most recent heartbeat received for the combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Michael E. Specht, Vinay G. Rao, Subin George, Arieh Don
  • Publication number: 20210224137
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to load balancing application processing between storage platforms. Input/output (I/O) workloads can be anticipated during one or more time-windows. Each I/O workload can comprise one or more I/O operations corresponding to one or more applications. Processing I/O operations of each application can be dynamically migrated to one or more storage platforms of a plurality of storage platforms based on the anticipated workload.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Applicant: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Owen Martin, Michael E. Specht, Benjamin A. Randolph
  • Patent number: 10852980
    Abstract: Techniques for performing data migration may include: receiving host information regarding hosts registered on a source data storage system; issuing registration commands from a host to a target data storage system; determining, at the target data storage system in accordance with the registration commands, a host registration table including a corresponding entry for the host, the corresponding entry denoting a host name for the host and initiators of the host that sent the registration commands; and determining a masking view for the host on the target data storage system, the masking view including an initiator group of the initiators of the host that sent the registration commands to the target data storage system, wherein the masking view is used by the target data storage system to determine whether to service received I/O operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Michael E. Specht, Subin George, Arieh Don
  • Publication number: 20200326882
    Abstract: The described technology is generally directed towards adaptively tuning storage systems. According to an embodiment, a system can comprise a processor and computer executable components that can comprise an interval determiner to determine a polling interval based on an estimate of a workload of a shared data store on a data storage array, based on a change activity detected by the system. Further, a host controller can receive transactions from a host application, wherein the transactions perform one or more of updating the local data store, or querying the local data store for results, and a daemon process that, at the polling interval, performs one or more of, polling the data storage array for updates to the local data store based on the shared data store, or updating the shared data store based on the local data store.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventors: Xuedong Jiang, Daryl F. Kinney, John S. Copley, Michael E. Specht
  • Publication number: 20200252319
    Abstract: Combinations of host ports and storage ports (e.g., I-T pairs) on a storage network that are zoned but not masked may be determined, without accessing a switch or network administrator. Heartbeat communications (heartbeats) may be transmitted from host systems to each storage device of a storage system of which the host system is aware, along the one or more I/O paths of which the host is aware to the storage port of the I/O path. The storage devices may include one or more nominal devices defined for I-T pairs for which I/O connectivity has not been defined for any storage devices. The storage system may maintain a master heartbeat (heartbeat) table that may include a plurality of entries, each entry corresponding to a combination of a host port, storage port and storage device, and storing a time stamp value for a most recent heartbeat received for the combination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Applicant: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Michael E. Specht, Vinay G. Rao, Subin George, Arieh Don