Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for providing an enhanced snapshot copy pointer. A data element is stored in a first storage subsystem in the data processing system. A first pointer is created in a pointer table in the first storage subsystem. The first pointer includes an address of the data element. A second pointer is created in the pointer table in the first storage subsystem. The second pointer includes an address of the first pointer.

Abstract: An independent distributed metadata system and method are provided. With the system and method, metadata, which is associated with data at one or more data source locations, may be distributed independently of the data and manipulated independently to generate various computing environments. For example, a user may obtain a copy of metadata and use this metadata, at a remote location from the data source location, to create a computing environment, such as a virtual server, web page or the like. The computing environment created by the user consists entirely of metadata and does not include the actual data to which the metadata is associated. In this way, different users may have independent copies of the metadata and use it to generate their own computing environments without having to have access to the actual data.

Abstract: A method for scaling resources according to workload among virtual servers running on a mainframe computer is provided. The invention comprises monitoring the number of service requests received by a cluster of virtual servers and determining if the service requests exceed a specified service limit for the servers. If the number of service requests exceeds the specified service limit, a new virtual server is automatically deployed by a software solution. This additional virtual server performs identical services as the other virtual servers in the cluster. This process is repeated until there are a sufficient number of servers to handle the workload. Service requests are then allocated among the cluster of virtual servers, until the number of requests falls below a certain threshold, at which point the extra servers are automatically deactivated.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for implementing structure level pointers in a data storage system are provided. With the apparatus and method, a compound pointer system is provided in which fixed level pointers are augmented with associated pointers to metadata describing lower level structures. The companion metadata describes these lower level structures in a manner independent of the actual data stored within the lower level structures. With such an enhanced compound pointer system, an instant copy mechanism can process the pointers to the underlying structures and take instant copies of much finer detail. This allows individual records of data to be represented by the pointer system without having the overhead of carrying a pointer to all the individual records. The instant copy mechanism not only copies the fixed level pointers, but resolves the companion pointers to individual subsets of a general granularity for the instances of the instant copy domains.

Abstract: A system and method for managing data updates by cascading those updates through a virtual copy hierarchy from parent copies to child copies are provided. Virtual copies are created and managed through the use of an instant copy mechanism. Metadata subsets manage both the original data and the copies created by the instant copy mechanism. With an exemplary embodiment of the system and method, changes made to one copy of the data are cascaded to all child copies of the data. In this paradigm not only is the metadata entry for one particular copy changed, but also the corresponding metadata entries of any copies descended from that copy. In an exemplary method, a tree structure is used to maintain a record of all metadata table subsets created by use of an instant copy method. The tree structure can then be searched to find all child copies of a particular copy.

Abstract: A system and method for providing families of inter-related copies of metadata in which the copies of metadata are logically linked. With the system and method, a mapping table or portion of a mapping table used to manage instant copies of data, i.e. a metadata table, may have multiple identical copies of the metadata table that form a family of inter-related metadata tables. These copies of the metadata table are guaranteed, through the mechanisms of the system and method, to be consistent with each other. Changes to any metadata table in the family are propagated to all the other metadata tables in the family regardless of the physical location at which the metadata table is stored. Thus, the copies of the metadata table may be distributed to remote physical locations and be used to access the same set of data stored in one physical location, while remaining consistent with each other copy of the metadata table stored at other physical locations.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for implementing structure level pointers in a data storage system are provided. With the apparatus and method, a compound pointer system is provided in which fixed level pointers are augmented with associated pointers to metadata describing lower level structures. The companion metadata describes these lower level structures in a manner independent of the actual data stored within the lower level structures. With such an enhanced compound pointer system, an instant copy mechanism can process the pointers to the underlying structures and take instant copies of much finer detail. This allows individual records of data to be represented by the pointer system without having the overhead of carrying a pointer to all the individual records. The instant copy mechanism not only copies the fixed level pointers, but resolves the companion pointers to individual subsets of a general granularity for the instances of the instant copy domains.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and firmware device for directly downloading data from a server in a network to a firmware device, bypassing any unencrypted transmission through computer system with which the firmware device may be associated, so that copies of the data are not as readily made is disclosed. A computer sends a request to a server to download the particular data to a particular firmware device. The server contacts the firmware device directly through the network to initiate the transfer. The server and firmware device communicate over an encrypted data channel so as to prevent any third party, including the aforementioned computer, from intercepting and storing the transmitted data.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data storage device for downloading data with variable quality (including audio or video data) from a server in a network to a computer or network-connected storage device is disclosed.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data storage device for directly downloading data (including audio or video data) from a server in a network to a network-connected storage device is disclosed. The invention prevents piracy of copyrighted data by bypassing any unencrypted transmission to a computer system. A computer sends a request to a server to download the particular data to a particular storage device. The server contacts the storage device directly through the network to initiate the transfer. The server and storage device communicate over an encrypted data channel so as to prevent any third party, including the aforementioned computer, from intercepting and storing the transmitted data.