Abstract: A client-server based Storage Area Network (SAN) management system provides easy to use and uniform multiple user interfaces such as web interface and windows interface to the administrators to manage the SAN consisting of various types of devices. The integrated object-oriented management agent consists of several components such as object manager, UI module, web server, user interface modules, error and status handler and device handler. The agent functionality can be dynamically expanded to handle new device types without stopping the existing agent, installing new agent and restarting it. The management system uses conglomerate methods to automatically discover SAN devices and their topology. The error and status from SAN devices are handled in a hybrid method consisting of distributed, hierarchical and centralized schemes. A simple and easy device independent user interface is provided to download firmware to various types of devices hiding complex device dependent processes from the administrator.

Abstract: A method, of modeling a storage system that includes an interconnected plurality of devices where there is at least one instance of a multi-link rather than a single-link between two of the plurality of devices, may include: providing a snapshot of the storage system (SSshot); decomposing multi-links of the SSshot into single-link-based arrangements, respectively; associating the single-link-based arrangements with the multi-links, respectively; and modeling the storage system as a graph of singly-linked nodes based upon the SSshot and the associated single-link-based arrangements, where nodes of the graph correspond to the plurality of devices.

Abstract: A method, of validating the configuration of a storage system (SS) via comparison of a snapshot thereof (SSshot) against a desired storage system architecture (SS-architecture) where the storage system includes an interconnected plurality of devices, may include: providing a database representing the desired SS-architecture, the database including a first listing of permissible types of device within the storage system and a second listing of permissible instances of the device types within the storage system; automatically determining, for each device in the SSshot, whether a device type thereof is acceptable based upon the first listing; and automatically determining, at least for each permissible type of device in the SSshot, whether instance details thereof are permissible based upon the second listing.

Abstract: A system and method for downloading software to a plurality of devices in a storage network. A command processor receives commands from an external source to download a software module to a plurality of devices matching a predefined set of criteria. A device selector module receives a command from the command processor and selects devices that satisfy the criteria in the command. A coordinator module coordinates code load for the software module to be downloaded, and a multivendor device download module initiates a software download to a plurality of devices in the network after authentication. The system may implement multiple techniques to discover various devices in a Storage Area Network (SAN), and may perform path and load-based distributed parallel schedulable code load to heterogeneous devices in the storage area network using a unified vendor device independent code load interface. The code load process may utilize host agents that are constructed using a layered architecture.

Abstract: In a video-on-demand system, a disk-less set-top box is configured to download software programs from a video server via a network. The set-top box includes a read-only memory storing a boot program, a control protocol stack, and a video protocol stack. The control protocol stack is connected to a bidirectional control channel of a circuit of the network, and the video protocol stack is connected to a unidirectional video channel of the circuit. Using a handheld remote controller, a consumer makes a request for a software program from the video server. The request is made via the control protocol stack and the control channel. The video server transmits the software program as an encoded video transport stream, which is received via the video channel and the video protocol stack. The transport stream is decoded to reconstruct the requested program in a dynamic random access memory of the set-up box from where the program can be executed in a processor of the set-top box.

Abstract: In a system for interactively viewing videos, a selected video is transmitted as a plurality of frames of digitized video data for playback on a viewing device. The system receives the transmitted video data and includes a memory buffer for storing a segment of a selected one of the videos. The segment includes a predetermined number of frames representing a predetermined time interval of the selected video. In addition, the memory buffer including a write pointer and a read pointer. Software controlled servers are provided for witting and reading video data of the selected video to and from the memory buffer, independently, at locations indicated by the write and read pointers to transfer the selected video to the viewing device. By using a remote controller the viewer can position the read and write pointers to view any portion of the selected video interactively.

Abstract: In a system for distributing videos, a plurality of videos are stored on a mass storage device. Each video includes a plurality of frames of digitized video data for play-back on a viewing device. The system includes a memory buffer for storing a segment of a selected one of the videos. The segment includes a predetermined number of frames representing a predetermined time interval of the selected video. In addition, the memory buffer including a write pointer and a read pointer. Software controlled servers are provided for witting and reading video data of the selected video to and from the memory buffer, independently, at locations indicated by the write and read pointers to transfer the selected video to the viewing device.