Abstract: A method, apparatus and program storage device for providing virtual disk service hints based storage. Virtual disk service hints are provided. The virtual disk service hints are analyzed to determine a configuration model to implement. The storage system is then configured according to the configuration model identified using the virtual disk service hint.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program storage device for providing an optimized read methodology for synchronously mirrored virtual disk pairs are disclosed. A VDisk to use for read operations is determined based on loading of synchronously mirrored VDisk pairs. Based on the loading, the determined request is used to satisfy the read operation.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program storage device for providing geographically isolated failover using instant RAID swapping in mirrored virtual disks are disclosed. The closed loop control mechanism provides not only continuous self-tuning to the storage system, but also allows the system to perform the initial configuration better.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program storage device for providing intelligent copying for faster virtual disk mirroring is disclosed. The present invention provides a mirrored virtual disk by copying on a first virtual disk to a mirrored virtual disk without copying uninitialized regions of the first virtual disk.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program storage device for providing adaptive, attribute driven, closed-loop storage management configuration and control is disclosed. The closed loop control mechanism provides not only continuous self-tuning to the storage system, but also allows the system to perform the initial configuration better.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing connector keying and identification for unidirectional fiber cables are disclosed. Three connector subassemblies are provided, wherein first and second subassemblies are both oriented in alignment to prevent a cable for coupling to receive connections from being plugged into transmit connections and vice versa. A third portion of the connector assembly slides into the second portion and provides a place to put a label identifying the cables destination and source. All portions can be designed for hand assembly and disassembly, allowing dynamic field setup.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program storage device for providing wireless storage is disclosed. At least a first wireless storage node and at least one network node are provided. A plurality of wireless channels couple the first wireless storage node and the network node. The plurality of the wireless channels for the first wireless storage node are assigned based upon loading.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program storage device that provides virtual hot spare space to handle storage device failures in a storage system is disclosed. Data is migrated from a failed storage device to a hot spare storage device, which may be a virtual hot spare device spanning multiple physical storage devices or even existing as a subset of a single physical storage device, until a replacement storage device is hot swapped for the failed storage device. Once the replacement storage device is installed, the recovered data on the hot spare is moved back to the replacement storage device.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program storage device for dynamically resizing mirrored virtual disks in a RAID storage system is disclosed. Mirrored virtual disks are expanded by creating the amount of storage necessary by providing RAIDs on each subsystem that is associated with each of the components of the mirror set, attaching the RAIDs to the specific Virtual Disks for each of the mirror devices, and specifying the Virtual Disk size and mapping this directly to all components via the source Vdisk of the mirror set. To decrease the size of mirrored virtual disks the process is reversed, with the inclusion of the optional requirement that some raids will need to be truncated to provide exact shrink values without sacrificing storage space.