Abstract: An interlocking panel system for covering a base surface with interlocking panels to prevent water ingress. A first panel is secured to the base surface. A second panel interlocks with the first panel via a hook portion on the second panel entering a receptacle of the first panel. The hook portion expands after entering a retaining portion of the receptacle, thereby preventing the hook portion of the second panel from being withdrawn from the first panel.

Abstract: An interlocking panel system for covering a base surface with interlocking panels to prevent water ingress. A first panel is secured to the base surface. A second panel interlocks with the first panel via a hook portion on the second panel entering a receptacle of the first panel. The hook portion expands after entering a retaining portion of the receptacle, thereby preventing the hook portion of the second panel from being withdrawn from the first panel.

Abstract: Systems and apparatus for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) golf ball testing include, in at least one aspect, an apparatus including: one or more RFID readers having associated read zones; a star wheel unit defining cavities to receive golf balls; golf ball sensors including at least one sensor for each respective path through the read zones; kickers including at least one kicker positioned after each respective path through the read zones and arranged to change a golf ball's direction of travel when the at least one kicker is activated; and a controller coupled with the kickers, the golf ball sensors, and the one or more RFID readers, wherein the controller is configured to activate any of the kickers responsive to the one or more RFID readers inadequately reading an RFID tag in a golf ball detected by the at least one sensor for that kicker's associated path through a read zone.

Abstract: Systems and apparatus for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) golf ball testing include, in at least one aspect, an apparatus including: one or more RFID readers having associated read zones; a star wheel unit defining cavities to receive golf balls; golf ball sensors including at least one sensor for each respective path through the read zones; kickers including at least one kicker positioned after each respective path through the read zones and arranged to change a golf ball's direction of travel when the at least one kicker is activated; and a controller coupled with the kickers, the golf ball sensors, and the one or more RFID readers, wherein the controller is configured to activate any of the kickers responsive to the one or more RFID readers inadequately reading an RFID tag in a golf ball detected by the at least one sensor for that kicker's associated path through a read zone.

Abstract: Data streams may be stored in a chunk store in the form of stream maps and data chunks. Data chunks corresponding to a data stream may be stored in a chunk container, and a stream map corresponding to the data stream may point to the data chunks in the chunk container. Multiple stream maps may be stored in a stream container, and may point to the data chunks in the chunk container in a manner that duplicate data chunks are not present. Techniques are provided herein for localizing the storage of related data chunks in such chunk containers, for locating data chunks stored in chunk containers, for storing data streams in chunk stores in localized manners that enhance locality and decrease defragmentation, and for reorganizing stored data streams in chunks stores.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards a data deduplication technology in which a hash index service's index is partitioned into subspace indexes, with less than the entire hash index service's index cached to save memory. The subspace index is accessed to determine whether a data chunk already exists or needs to be indexed and stored. The index may be divided into subspaces based on criteria associated with the data to index, such as file type, data type, time of last usage, and so on. Also described is subspace reconciliation, in which duplicate entries in subspaces are detected so as to remove entries and chunks from the deduplication system. Subspace reconciliation may be performed at off-peak time, when more system resources are available, and may be interrupted if resources are needed. Subspaces to reconcile may be based on similarity, including via similarity of signatures that each compactly represents the subspace's hashes.

Abstract: A cartridge filter includes a central core member having an axial dimension including a peripheral surface with a hollow interior, and a pervious filter material disposed about the peripheral surface of the core member. The filter material has a length substantially equal to the axial dimension of the core member and the core is an extruded non-woven tubular member having spaced-apart strand segments providing porous segments thereof. Axial ends of the core include solid band regions providing circumferentially continuous axial ends thereof, to thereby eliminate discrete, irregular edges that otherwise would be created by circumferentially spaced apart strand segments at each axial end of the core if the solid band regions were omitted.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards a data deduplication technology in which a hash index service's index is partitioned into subspace indexes, with less than the entire hash index service's index cached to save memory. The subspace index is accessed to determine whether a data chunk already exists or needs to be indexed and stored. The index may be divided into subspaces based on criteria associated with the data to index, such as file type, data type, time of last usage, and so on. Also described is subspace reconciliation, in which duplicate entries in subspaces are detected so as to remove entries and chunks from the deduplication system. Subspace reconciliation may be performed at off-peak time, when more system resources are available, and may be interrupted if resources are needed. Subspaces to reconcile may be based on similarity, including via similarity of signatures that each compactly represents the subspace's hashes.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards a data deduplication technology in which a hash index service's index is partitioned into subspace indexes, with less than the entire hash index service's index cached to save memory. The subspace index is accessed to determine whether a data chunk already exists or needs to be indexed and stored. The index may be divided into subspaces based on criteria associated with the data to index, such as file type, data type, time of last usage, and so on. Also described is subspace reconciliation, in which duplicate entries in subspaces are detected so as to remove entries and chunks from the deduplication system. Subspace reconciliation may be performed at off-peak time, when more system resources are available, and may be interrupted if resources are needed. Subspaces to reconcile may be based on similarity, including via similarity of signatures that each compactly represents the subspace's hashes.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards transforming a file having at least one undeduplicated portion into a fully deduplicated file. For each of the at least one undeduplicated portion, a deduplication mechanism defines at least one chunk between file offsets associated with the at least one undeduplicated portion. Chunk boundaries associated with the at least one chunk are stored within deduplication metadata. The deduplication mechanism aligns the at least one chunk with chunk boundaries of at least one deduplicated portion of the file. Then, the at least one chunk is committed to a chunk store.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards changing a file from a fully deduplicated state to a partially deduplicated state in which some of the file data is deduplicated in a chunk store, and some is recalled into the file, that is, in the file's storage volume. A partial recall mechanism such as in a file system filter tracks (e.g., via a bitmap in a file reparse point) whether file data is maintained in the chunk store or has been recalled to the file. Data is recalled from the chunk store as needed, and committed (e.g., flushed) to the file. Also described is efficiently returning the file to a fully deduplicated state by using the tracking information to determine which parts of the file are already deduplicated into the chunk store so as to avoid their further deduplication processing.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards transforming a file having at least one undeduplicated portion into a fully deduplicated file. For each of the at least one undeduplicated portion, a deduplication mechanism defines at least one chunk between file offsets associated with the at least one undeduplicated portion. Chunk boundaries associated with the at least one chunk are stored within deduplication metadata. The deduplication mechanism aligns the at least one chunk with chunk boundaries of at least one deduplicated portion of the file. Then, the at least one chunk is committed to a chunk store.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards verifying a data recovery component of a volume snapshot service using a managed interface. The managed interface enables interoperability between the data recovery component and one or more complementary data recovery components by converting compatible instructions for the data recovery component and a complementary data recovery component into native data recovery operations for the volume snapshot service and vice versa. Via the managed interface, the complementary data recovery component emulates the native data recovery operations. Using status information associated with such an emulation, the data recovery component is verifiable.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards data deduplication (optimization) performed by phases/modules of a modular data deduplication pipeline. At each phase, the pipeline allows modules to be replaced, selected or extended, e.g., different algorithms can be used for chunking or compression based upon the type of data being processed. The pipeline facilitates secure data processing, batch processing, and parallel processing. The pipeline is tunable based upon feedback, e.g., by selecting modules to increase deduplication quality, performance and/or throughput. Also described is selecting, filtering, ranking, sorting and/or grouping the files to deduplicate, e.g., based upon properties and/or statistical properties of the files and/or a file dataset and/or internal or external feedback.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards a data deduplication technology in which a hash index service's index is partitioned into subspace indexes, with less than the entire hash index service's index cached to save memory. The subspace index is accessed to determine whether a data chunk already exists or needs to be indexed and stored. The index may be divided into subspaces based on criteria associated with the data to index, such as file type, data type, time of last usage, and so on. Also described is subspace reconciliation, in which duplicate entries in subspaces are detected so as to remove entries and chunks from the deduplication system. Subspace reconciliation may be performed at off-peak time, when more system resources are available, and may be interrupted if resources are needed. Subspaces to reconcile may be based on similarity, including via similarity of signatures that each compactly represents the subspace's hashes.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards changing a file from a fully deduplicated state to a partially deduplicated state in which some of the file data is deduplicated in a chunk store, and some is recalled into the file, that is, in the file's storage volume. A partial recall mechanism such as in a file system filter tracks (e.g., via a bitmap in a file reparse point) whether file data is maintained in the chunk store or has been recalled to the file. Data is recalled from the chunk store as needed, and committed (e.g., flushed) to the file. Also described is efficiently returning the file to a fully deduplicated state by using the tracking information to determine which parts of the file are already deduplicated into the chunk store so as to avoid their further deduplication processing.

Abstract: Techniques for garbage collecting unused data chunks in storage are provided. According to one implementation, data chunks stored in a chunk container that are unused are identified based an analysis of one or more stream map chunks indicated as deleted. The identified data chunks are indicated as deleted. The storage space in the chunk container filled by the data chunks indicated as deleted may then be reclaimed. Techniques for selectively backing up data chunks are also provided. According to one implementation, a data chunk is received for storing in a chunk container. A backup copy of the received data chunk is stored in a backup container if the received data chunk is in a predetermined top percentage of most referenced data chunks in the chunk container and has a number of references greater than a predetermined reference threshold.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards data deduplication (optimization) performed by phases/modules of a modular data deduplication pipeline. At each phase, the pipeline allows modules to be replaced, selected or extended, e.g., different algorithms can be used for chunking or compression based upon the type of data being processed. The pipeline facilitates secure data processing, batch processing, and parallel processing. The pipeline is tunable based upon feedback, e.g., by selecting modules to increase deduplication quality, performance and/or throughput. Also described is selecting, filtering, ranking, sorting and/or grouping the files to deduplicate, e.g., based upon properties and/or statistical properties of the files and/or a file dataset and/or internal or external feedback.

Abstract: Data streams may be stored in a chunk store in the form of stream maps and data chunks. Data chunks corresponding to a data stream may be stored in a chunk container, and a stream map corresponding to the data stream may point to the data chunks in the chunk container. Multiple stream maps may be stored in a stream container, and may point to the data chunks in the chunk container in a manner that duplicate data chunks are not present. Techniques are provided herein for localizing the storage of related data chunks in such chunk containers, for locating data chunks stored in chunk containers, for storing data streams in chunk stores in localized manners that enhance locality and decrease defragmentation, and for reorganizing stored data streams in chunks stores.