Patents by Inventor Neal T. Fachan

Neal T. Fachan 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).

  • Publication number: 20080256545
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate generally to incremental computing. Specifically, embodiments of the invention include systems and methods for the concurrent processing of multiple, incremental changes to a data value while at the same time monitoring and/or enforcing threshold values for that data value. Embodiments of the invention also include systems and methods of managing utilization of a resource of a computer system having a number of threads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2007
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Inventors: Tyler Arthur Akidau, Nate E. Dire, Neal T. Fachan, Peter J. Godman, Zachary M. Loafman
  • Publication number: 20080256103
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate generally to incremental computing. Specifically, embodiments of the invention include systems and methods that provide for the concurrent processing of multiple, incremental changes to a data value while at the same time monitoring and/or enforcing threshold values for that data value. For example, a method is provided that determines whether multiple incremental changes to a data field could pass a threshold based on keeping track of a possible value range for the data field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2007
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Inventors: Neal T. Fachan, Peter J. Godman, Justin M. Husted, Aaron J. Passey
  • Publication number: 20080168458
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing semantic locks and semantic lock requests for a resource is provided. Access to the resource is controlled such that compatible lock requests can access the resource and incompatible lock requests are queued.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Publication date: July 10, 2008
    Inventors: Neal T. Fachan, Aaron J. Passey
  • Publication number: 20080151724
    Abstract: In some embodiments, storage devices, such as a storage drive or a storage node, in an array of storage devices may be reintroduced into the array of storage devices after a period of temporary unavailability without fully rebuilding the entire previously unavailable storage device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Inventors: Robert J. Anderson, Neal T. Fachan, Peter J. Godman, Justin M. Husted, Aaron J. Passey, David W. Richards, Darren P. Schack
  • Publication number: 20080155191
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for using heterogeneous containers where the available space on the containers is of two or more different sizes. In some embodiments, the heterogeneous containers may store some data under one protection scheme and other data under one or more other data protection schemes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Inventors: Robert J. Anderson, Nate E. Dire, Neal T. Fachan, Peter J. Godman, Aaron J. Passey, David W. Richards, Darren P. Schack
  • Patent number: 7386675
    Abstract: Systems and methods using an excitement protocol enable prediction of which blocks of a resource to prefetch and store in memory. The system maintains a set of excitement values corresponding to the resource being accessed. The system also maintains a threshold. As blocks of the resource are requested, the system updates the set of excitement values. The system compares the excitement level to the threshold to determine whether to prefetch the corresponding resource block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Isilon Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Neal T. Fachan
  • Publication number: 20080126365
    Abstract: In one embodiment, systems and methods are provided for nonlinear journaling. In one embodiment, groups of data designated for storage in a data storage unit are journaled into persistent storage. In one embodiment, the journal data is recorded nonlinearly. In one embodiment, a linked data structure records data and data descriptors in persistent storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Inventors: Neal T. Fachan, Peter J. Godman, Justin M. Husted, Aaron J. Passey
  • Patent number: 7346720
    Abstract: The systems and methods manage concurrent access requests to a shared resource. The systems and methods utilize an access management algorithm that permits multiple processes to concurrently obtain shared locks on the shared resource, but also limits access to only one process when an exclusive lock is granted. In doing so, the systems and methods avoid the problems of starvation and deadlock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Isilon Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Neal T. Fachan
  • Publication number: 20080059541
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a user or client device is connected to a distributed file system comprised of one or more physical nodes. The data on each of the physical nodes store metadata about files and directories within the file system. Some of the embodiments permit a user to take a snapshot of data stored on the file system. The snapshot may include a single file, a single directory, a plurality of files within a directory, a plurality of directories, a path on the file system that includes nested files and subdirectories, or more than one path on the file system that each includes nested files and directories.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Inventors: Neal T. Fachan, Justin M. Husted, Eric M. Lemar, Darren P. Schack
  • Publication number: 20080046475
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a user or client device is connected to a distributed file system comprised of one or more physical nodes. The data on each of the physical nodes store metadata about files and directories within the file system. Some of the embodiments permit a user to take a snapshot of data stored on the file system. The snapshot may include a single file, a single directory, a plurality of files within a directory, a plurality of directories, a path on the file system that includes nested files and subdirectories, or more than one path on the file system that each includes nested files and directories.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Inventors: Robert J. Anderson, Neal T. Fachan, Eric M. Lemar, Aaron J. Passey, David W. Richards, Darren P. Schack
  • Publication number: 20080046476
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a user or client device is connected to a distributed file system comprised of one or more physical nodes. The data on each of the physical nodes store metadata about files and directories within the file system. Some of the embodiments permit a user to take a snapshot of data stored on the file system. The snapshot may include a single file, a single directory, a plurality of files within a directory, a plurality of directories, a path on the file system that includes nested files and subdirectories, or more than one path on the file system that each includes nested files and directories.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Inventors: Robert J. Anderson, Neal T. Fachan, Justin M. Husted, Eric M. Lemar, Aaron J. Passey, Darren P. Schack
  • Publication number: 20080046443
    Abstract: In one embodiment, systems and methods are provided for nonlinear journaling. In one embodiment, groups of data designated for storage in a data storage unit are journaled into persistent storage. In one embodiment, the journal data is recorded nonlinearly. In one embodiment, a linked data structure records data and data descriptors in persistent storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Inventors: Neal T. Fachan, Peter J. Godman, Justin M. Husted, Aaron J. Passey
  • Publication number: 20080046444
    Abstract: In one embodiment, systems and methods are provided for nonlinear journaling. In one embodiment, groups of data designated for storage in a data storage unit are journaled into persistent storage. In one embodiment, the journal data is recorded nonlinearly. In one embodiment, a linked data structure records data and data descriptors in persistent storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Inventors: Neal T. Fachan, Peter J. Godman, Justin M. Husted, Aaron J. Passey
  • Publication number: 20080046432
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a user or client device is connected to a distributed file system comprised of one or more physical nodes. The data on each of the physical nodes store metadata about files and directories within the file system. Some of the embodiments permit a user to take a snapshot of data stored on the file system. The snapshot may include a single file, a single directory, a plurality of files within a directory, a plurality of directories, a path on the file system that includes nested files and subdirectories, or more than one path on the file system that each includes nested files and directories.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Inventors: Robert J. Anderson, Neal T. Fachan, Eric M. Lemar, Aaron J. Passey, David W. Richards, Darren P. Schack
  • Publication number: 20080046667
    Abstract: In one embodiment, systems and methods are provided for incremental journaling. In one embodiment, order-independent operations are journaled incrementally for the same storage location. In one embodiment, partially ordered operations are journaled incrementally for the same storage location. In one embodiment, order-independent operations and partially ordered operations are journaled incrementally for the same storage location. In one embodiment, incremental journaling is used to update data that represents accounting, ctime, and parity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Inventors: Neal T. Fachan, Peter J. Godman, Justin M. Husted, Aaron J. Passey