Abstract: A method and apparatus for manipulating data in a storage device that is coupled to a host computer. Manipulations that can be performed by the storage device include moving non-contiguous blocks of data between the host computer and the storage device in a single operation. Other manipulations can be performed directly by the storage device without passing data to or from the host computer and include copying data from one logical object that is defined on the host computer to another, initializing, backing-up, transforming, or securely deleting a logical object that is defined by the host computer with a single command. In one embodiment, an application programming interface is provided that allows a relationship between logical objects on a host computer and storage locations on a storage device to be communicated between the host computer and the storage device.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for restoring copies of a logical object to a primary computer storage device are disclosed. A copy of the logical object is provided, physical blocks of memory in the primary storage device are allocated, a map of the data blocks will be copied to the physical blocks of the primary storage devices created. The copying may then occur using the created map. The copy of the logical object may be an abstract bloc set, which includes data blocks of the logical object potentially out of order and metadata identifying relative position of the data blocks.

Abstract: A method of generating in a tertiary storage device a backup copy of data, the method including the steps of writing data to a first set of storage volumes; while data is being written to the first set of storage volumes, mirroring the contents of the first set of storage volumes into a second set of storage volumes; after an amount of data has been written to the first set of volumes, terminating the mirroring; while mirroring is terminated, continuing to write data to the first set of volumes thereby causing the second set of volumes to become unsynchronized from the first set of volumes; while the mirroring is terminated, backing up data stored in the second set of volumes to the tertiary storage device; after backing up the second set of volumes, resuming mirroring of the first set of volumes to the second set of volumes; and after resuming mirroring, incrementally resynchronizing the first and set sets of volumes with each other.

Abstract: An on demand method of initializing a data storage medium, the method including the steps of: specifying a region of the data storage medium that is to be initialized in preparation for storing data in that region; setting up a table for keeping track of which portions of the region have been initialized; in response to receiving a request for accessing a specified location within the region, checking the table to determine whether the location to which access is being requested had been previously initialized; if the table indicates that the specified location has not been previously initialized, initializing that specified location within the data storage medium; and updating the table to indicate that the specified location within the data storage medium has been initialized.

Abstract: A method of implementing decision support in an environment including a data storage system and a plurality of host processors at least some of which are connected to the data storage system, wherein the data storage system stores a working database, the method including the steps of through a selected one of the plurality of host processors, updating the working database on an ongoing basis; while the working database is being updated on an ongoing basis, generating a copy of the working database; using the copy of the database to generate a support copy of the database; and through a different one of the plurality of host processors, using the support copy for the purpose of implementing decision support functions.