Abstract: Apparatus and associated method concerning managing access commands with a main storage space, a volatile buffer, and a nonvolatile buffer. The volatile buffer is configured to store a plurality of command nodes that are associated with data access commands received from a remote device and directed to the main storage space. The apparatus also has command prioritizing logic configured for using a prescribed rule in repeatedly identifying two or more candidate command nodes of the plurality that are at least individually favored for execution with respect to the main storage space, for selecting one of the candidate command nodes for the execution, and for transferring a nonselected one of the candidate command nodes from the volatile buffer to the nonvolatile buffer where the nonselected command node continues to be considered for execution with respect to the main storage space but is no longer considered by the prescribed rule when identifying subsequent candidate command nodes in the volatile buffer.

Abstract: Apparatus and associated method concerning managing access commands with a main storage space, a volatile buffer, and a nonvolatile buffer. The volatile buffer is configured to store a plurality of command nodes that are associated with data access commands received from a remote device and directed to the main storage space. The apparatus also has command prioritizing logic configured for using a prescribed rule in repeatedly identifying two or more candidate command nodes of the plurality that are at least individually favored for execution with respect to the main storage space, for selecting one of the candidate command nodes for the execution, and for transferring a nonselected one of the candidate command nodes from the volatile buffer to the nonvolatile buffer where the nonselected command node continues to be considered for execution with respect to the main storage space but is no longer considered by the prescribed rule when identifying subsequent candidate command nodes in the volatile buffer.

Abstract: A multimedia system for delivering multimedia content to customer premises equipment via a circuit of a communications network includes a plurality of servers connected to a plurality of disk systems by a switch and a local area network. The switch includes an arbiter and a plurality of switching elements connected as a crosspoint mesh. Each switching element includes one or more gates and a register connected to a first input of each gate. The arbiter can set the registers to a logical one to allow selected multimedia content to flow through the gate either from the disk systems to the servers, or from the servers to the disk systems in response to customer demands. The local area network is used to transport switching messages from the servers and the disk systems to the arbiter.