Abstract: An electronic circuit for providing a high voltage alternating current supply from a DC supply to an electroluminescent lamp. The circuit includes an inductive element and an output switching element arranged in series. The output switching element is operable to alternate, in use, between a first state and a second state, whereby in the first state a current path is provided through the inductive element and the output switching element, which current path is interrupted in the second state, such that when the output switching element changes from the first state to the second state, the inductive element generates a voltage at an output of the circuit for charging the electroluminescent lamp. The circuit includes an output diode arranged to prevent current flowing back from the output while the output switching element is in the first state.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system, method, and article of manufacture for maintaining consistent copies of data between a primary site and a secondary site. One or more backup components receive backup messages from the primary site describing transactions. Transactions received from the primary site at the backup components are referred to as “inbound transactions.” The backup components associate these inbound transactions with an identifier such that all transactions associated with a certain identifier comprise all of the activity on the consistency group for a certain period of time. The backup captain periodically notifies the backup components to pause (i.e., stop receiving inbound transactions temporarily), and once all backup components indicate that they have paused, the backup components are notified to resume receiving transactions and associate the newly received transactions with a new identifier. At the same time, the backup components are sending transactions to the secondary storage devices.

Abstract: Disclosed are a system, a method, and a computer program product to efficiently create consistent transaction sets to maintain one or more copies of data at different data storage sites. All transactions sent to a primary backup appliance during a consistent transaction set creation interval are formed into a consistent transaction set by efficiently adding new transactions as they are received and removing unnecessary transfers as newer versions arrive. When the creation interval has expired, the complete consistent transaction set is transferred to a secondary backup appliance to be used to update a consistent backup copy of the primary site data. For each consistent transaction set, there will be a tree data structure (a search tree) created that contains the addressing information for all of the blocks of data in the consistent transaction set.

Abstract: A high voltage AC power supply circuit for a capacitive load CL, such as an electroluminescent lamp, includes a low voltage DC supply, an inductor L and a FET S in series. The FET S can be pulsed so that the inductor L generates a voltage to charge the capacitive load CL via an H-bridge H, which is in parallel with the FET S. A diode D prevents current discharging from the capacitive load CL while the FET S is closed. The total capacitance downstream of the diode D and in parallel with the capacitive load CL is less than the capacitive load CL, so that when the polarity of the H-bridge is reversed, the voltage across the H-bridge collapses to earth and the capacitive load CL is discharged via the low voltage DC supply. The circuits which a employ a large smoothing capacitor in parallel with the H-bridge.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system, method, and article of manufacture for maintaining data integrity. A frequency for creating consistent transactions sets is negotiated. A consistent transactions set creation duration is negotiated. At an interval determined by the frequency, during the consistent transactions set creation duration, processing of a first consistent transactions set is completed, while processing of a second consistent transactions set is delayed until the end of the consistent transactions set creation duration. After the first consistent transactions set have been offloaded to secondary storage, consistent copies of data may be created.

Abstract: A high voltage AC power supply circuit for a capacitive load CL, such as an electroluminescent lamp, includes an inductive component T and an output FET S1 in series. The output FET S1 can be pulsed so that the inductive component T generates a voltage to charge the capacitive load CL via an H-bridge H. A diode D1 prevents current discharging from the capacitive load CL while the output FET S1 Is closed. The circuit also includes a reservoir capacitor CR and a reservoir FET S3 in series with the inductive component T. The reservoir FET S3 can be pulsed so that the inductive component T generates a voltage to charge the reservoir capacitor CR by transferring energy from the capacitive load CL. A diode D2 Prevents current discharging from the reservoir capacitor CR while the reservoir FET S3 is closed. Energy can be transferred from the capacitive load CL to the reservoir capacitor CR and back again to reduce the amount of energy that must be discarded during operation of the circuit.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system, method, and article of manufacture for maintaining consistent copies of data between a primary site and a secondary site.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system, method, and article of manufacture for maintaining data integrity. A frequency for creating consistent transactions sets is negotiated. A consistent transactions set creation duration is negotiated. At an interval determined by the frequency, during the consistent transactions set creation duration, processing of a first consistent transactions set is completed, while processing of a second consistent transactions set is delayed until the end of the consistent transactions set creation duration. After the first consistent transactions set have been offloaded to secondary storage, consistent copies of data may be created.