Abstract: Systems and methods are described for providing recommendations for an improved user experience in online meetings. A recommendation engine can aggregate data from user devices to make recommendations before, during and after online meetings. Before a meeting, the recommendation engine can recommend which of a user's devices to use for the meeting. During the meeting, the recommendation engine can identify current or anticipated issues and recommend changes the user can make to correct or prevent the issue. After meetings, the recommendation engine can aggregate data and identify an ongoing issue for one or multiple users. The recommendation engine can identify the cause of the issue and make recommendations to the user or an administrator accordingly.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for providing recommendations for a user experience in online meetings. A recommendation engine can aggregate data from user devices to make recommendations before, during and after online meetings. Before a meeting, the recommendation engine can recommend which of a user's devices to use for the meeting. During the meeting, the recommendation engine can identify current or anticipated issues and recommend changes the user can make to correct or prevent the issue. After meetings, the recommendation engine can aggregate data and identify an ongoing issue for one or multiple users. The recommendation engine can identify the cause of the issue and make recommendations to the user or an administrator accordingly.

Abstract: An in-line (or foreground) approach to obtaining contiguous ranges of free space in a file system of a data storage system that can select windows having blocks suitable for relocation at a time when one or more blocks within the respective windows are freed or de-allocated. By providing the in-line or foreground approach to obtaining contiguous ranges of free space in a file system, a more efficient determination of windows having blocks suitable for relocation can be achieved, thereby conserving processing resources of the data storage system.

Abstract: An in-line (or foreground) approach to obtaining contiguous ranges of free space in a file system of a data storage system that can select windows having blocks suitable for relocation at a time when one or more blocks within the respective windows are freed or de-allocated. By providing the in-line or foreground approach to obtaining contiguous ranges of free space in a file system, a more efficient determination of windows having blocks suitable for relocation can be achieved, thereby conserving processing resources of the data storage system.

Abstract: An improved technique for managing data storage includes relocating allocated blocks within a range of a physical address space of a file system to free the allocated blocks. The range has a length equal to a length of one or more full stripes of a RAID group that stores content of the file system. In response to receiving data to be written to the file system, the file system arranges the data in the range of contiguous blocks and performs one or more full-stripe writes to write the data to the RAID group.

Abstract: Examples are generally directed towards a file server having a unified file system associated with a unified slice map volume. In one example, the unified file system stores file system metadata and sparse volume metadata within the unified slice map volume. The unified file system performs a unified set of functions using the file system metadata and sparse volume metadata in the unified slice map volume.

Abstract: A technique for managing storage space in a file system applies reference weights to compressed storage extents stored in multi-block segments. Each time a reference weight for a compressed storage extent in a segment changes to a value that indicates that the storage extent is no longer in use, a file system manager increments a freed-fragment counter provided for a range of the file system that includes the segment. The file system manager then determines whether to scavenge for free space in that range of the file system based at least in part on a count of the free-fragment counter.

Abstract: A technique for storage allocation provides a first cursor and a second cursor from which to allocate blocks within a physical address space of a file system. The file system uses the first cursor for allocating blocks for writes directed to sequential logical addresses and uses the second cursor for writes directed to random (non-sequential) logical addresses.

Abstract: A fast rebuild mechanism that includes a background initialization mechanism. The fast rebuild mechanism allows a RAID controller to be made aware of what blocks are actually in use so that only those blocks are rebuilt after a disk drive failure. The fast rebuild mechanism also includes functionality for an IO controller (such as storage controller) to detect whether a block has stored data to indicate that the block has valid data when the block is accessed.

Abstract: An SAS domain map is automatically generated at an SAS concentrator switch by a virtual mapping device that presents itself as a target for discovery by SAS devices interfaced with the concentrator, such as information handling systems and storage devices. During the SAS protocol discovery process, the virtual mapping device generates the SAS domain map by acquiring the device name and the device port for each concentrator port that interfaces with a device. A management application running on the concentrator applies the SAS domain map to provide network functions, such as zoning or diagnostics.

Abstract: An SAS domain map is automatically generated at an SAS concentrator switch by a virtual mapping device that presents itself as a target for discovery by SAS devices interfaced with the concentrator, such as information handling systems and storage devices. During the SAS protocol discovery process, the virtual mapping device generates the SAS domain map by acquiring the device name and the device port for each concentrator port that interfaces with a device. A management application running on the concentrator applies the SAS domain map to provide network functions, such as zoning or diagnostics.

Abstract: An SAS domain map is automatically generated at an SAS concentrator switch by a virtual mapping device that presents itself as a target for discovery by SAS devices interfaced with the concentrator, such as information handling systems and storage devices. During the SAS protocol discovery process, the virtual mapping device generates the SAS domain map by acquiring the device name and the device port for each concentrator port that interfaces with a device. A management application running on the concentrator applies the SAS domain map to provide network functions, such as zoning or diagnostics.

Abstract: A system for a host-based RAID solution in a shared storage environment is provided in which the compute blades of a system are coupled to one or multiple concentrators. The concentrators serve as a switch or expander to couple each of the compute blades to a shared storage resource. Within the shared storage resource, a set of drives is configured in a RAID array. The shared disk drives are partitioned so that each partition is dedicated to one of the compute blades of the system. Multiple sets of drives may be used so that the collective set of drives can be configured as part of a RAID volume that includes mirroring between at least two of the drives of the RAID volume, such as RAID 1 or RAID 0+1, in which each set of drives is a mirror of the other set of drives and the content associated with each of the compute blades is striped across multiple drives in each of the two sets of drives.

Abstract: A fast rebuild mechanism that includes a background initialization mechanism. The fast rebuild mechanism allows a RAID controller to be made aware of what blocks are actually in use so that only those blocks are rebuilt after a disk drive failure. The fast rebuild mechanism also includes functionality for an IO controller (such as storage controller) to detect whether a block has stored data to indicate that the block has valid data when the block is accessed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for data storage and backup are disclosed. A system for data storage and backup may include a storage array comprising one or more storage resources and an agent running on a host device, the agent communicatively coupled to the storage array. The agent may be operable to automatically allocate one or more storage resources for the storage of data associated with a backup job of the hose device and communicate the data associated with the backup job to the allocated storage resources.

Abstract: A fast rebuild mechanism by which a RAID controller is made aware of what blocks are actually in use so that only those blocks are rebuilt after a disk drive failure. The fast rebuild mechanism uses data stored in the disk metadata to indicate whether a virtual disk supports a fast rebuild and on every block to indicate whether the block has valid user data. The fast rebuild mechanism also includes functionality for an IO controller (such as storage controller) to detect whether a block has stored data to indicate that the block has valid data when the block is accessed.

Abstract: A system and method for recovering from a drive failure in a storage array is disclosed in which a spare drive array is provided in the event of a failure in one of the active drives of the storage array. The spare drive array is comprised of multiple drives that are comprised in a RAID 0 configuration to reduce the time required to rebuild the content of the failed drive on the spare drive.

Abstract: A system for a host-based RAID solution in a shared storage environment is provided in which the compute blades of a system are coupled to one or multiple concentrators. The concentrators serve as a switch or expander to couple each of the compute blades to a shared storage resource. Within the shared storage resource, a set drives is configured in a RAID array. The shared disk drives are partitioned so that each partition is dedicated one of the compute blades of the system. Multiple sets of drives may be used so that the collective set of drives can be configured as part of a RAID volume that includes mirroring between at least two of the drive of the RAID volume, such as RAID 1 or RAID 0+1, in which each set of drives is a mirror of the other set of drives and the content associated with each of the compute blades is striped across multiple of the drives in each of the two sets of drives.

Abstract: An SAS domain map is automatically generated at an SAS concentrator switch by a virtual mapping device that presents itself as a target for discovery by SAS devices interfaced with the concentrator, such as information handling systems and storage devices. During the SAS protocol discovery process, the virtual mapping device generates the SAS domain map by acquiring the device name and the device port for each concentrator port that interfaces with a device. A management application running on the concentrator applies the SAS domain map to provide network functions, such as zoning or diagnostics.

Abstract: A method for error correction in a storage array is provided in which a data section comprising multiple data stripes are read following an indication that a volume of the storage array is degraded. An evaluation is made as to whether the data of the data section has been compromised. The evaluation may be performed by an exclusive-OR checksum operation performed on the bits of the data section. If the data of the data section has not been compromised, a rebuild of the multiple data stripes in the affected volume is not required and is not performed. If the data of the data section has been compromised, a rebuild of the data of the data stripes of the evaluated data section is performed in the affected volume. This process continues until all of the data stripes of the storage array have been evaluated.