Abstract: A system comprising a plurality of storage systems, which uses storage devices of multiple levels of reliability. The reliability as a whole system is increased by keeping the error code for the relatively low reliability storage disks in the relatively high reliability storage system. The error code is calculated using hash functions and the value is used to compare with the hash value of the data read from the relatively low reliability storage disks.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, a method of evaluating reliability of flash memory media comprises managing a flash memory remaining life for each disk of a plurality of flash memory media disks provided in one or more flash memory media groups each of which has a configuration and a relationship between said each flash memory media group and the flash memory media disks in said each flash memory media group, wherein each flash memory media group is one of a RAID group or a thin provisioning pool; and calculating to obtain information of each flash memory media group based on the measured flash memory remaining life for each disk in said each flash memory media group, the configuration of said each flash memory media group, and the relationship between said each flash memory media group and the flash memory media disks in said each flash memory media group.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a storage system for storage management in a tiered storage environment comprises a plurality of storage volumes in a pool which are divided into a plurality of tiers having different tier levels, the tiers being organized according to a tier configuration rule, the plurality of storage volumes provided by a plurality of physical storage devices in the storage system; and a controller controlling the plurality of physical storage devices, the controller including a processor and a memory. The controller changes tier configurations of the tiers of storage volumes when the tier configuration rule is changed, the tier configurations including the tier levels. The controller allocates the pool to a plurality of virtual volumes based on a change of tier levels against the physical storage devices which occurs when the pool does not meet the tier configuration rule that was in effect.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a distribution design for fast RAID rebuild architecture that avoids the deterioration of the availability/reliability in the distribution architecture. According to one aspect of the invention, a storage system comprises: a data storage unit including a plurality of storage devices; a storage controller including a processor, a memory, and a controller for controlling data transfer between the memory and corresponding storage devices in the data storage unit; and an internal network coupled between the storage controller and the storage devices. Based on loads of the processor of the storage controller and the internal network, the storage controller controls to limit a number of redundant storage devices over which to distribute a write data.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide improvement of deduplication efficiency for hierarchical storage systems. In one embodiment, a storage system comprises a storage controller; and a plurality of first volumes and a plurality of external volumes which are configured to be mounted to external devices. The storage controller controls to store related data which are derived from one of the plurality of first volumes in a first external volume of the plurality of external volumes. In another embodiment, the storage controller receives object data from a server and allocates the object data to the plurality of pool volumes. The plurality of pool volumes include a plurality of external volumes which are configured to be mounted to external devices. The storage controller controls to store the object data to the plurality of pool volumes based on object allocation information received from a backup server.

Abstract: A system comprises a first storage system including a first storage controller, which receives input/output commands from host computers and provides first storage volumes to the host computers; and a second storage system including a second storage controller which receives input/output commands from host computers and provides second storage volumes to the host computers. A first data storing region of one of the first storage volumes is allocated from a first pool by the first storage controller. A second data storing region of another one of the first storage volumes is allocated from a second pool by the first storage controller. A third data storing region of one of the second storage volumes is allocated from the first pool by the second storage controller. A fourth data storing region of another one of the second storage volumes is allocated from the second pool by the second storage controller.

Abstract: A system comprises a plurality of storage systems, which provides different storage functions, and is controlled by a management server. The management server determines whether to change the control of the storage controller between the storage systems, or to mount the target volume as an external volume and keep the storage controller under control so that the storage function provided to the source volume is maintained even after the configuration change between the storage systems. After the determination, the management server instructs the storage system to perform according to the determination.

Abstract: In deduplicating data including objects, the system obtains information of the location of the objects and uses the information in calculating the hash value. The hash value calculation program divides data from the boundary location to chunks to match the boundary location of the objects subject to deduplication and the hash value is calculated from each chunk.

Abstract: A storage system comprises a first storage device having a first plurality of hard disk drives and a first controller. The first controller stores data in the first plurality of hard disk drives by stripes. Each stripe includes M data and N parity data allocated to M+N hard disk drives of the first plurality of hard disk drives. A first hard disk drive includes data or parity data of both a first stripe of the stripes and a second stripe of the stripes, while a second hard disk drive includes data or parity data of only one of the first stripe or the second stripe. During data recovery involving failure of one of the first plurality of hard disk drives, the data in the failed hard disk drive is recovered for each stripe by calculation using data and parity data in other hard disk drives for each stripe.

Abstract: For at least one of storage unit, processor and cache memory which are I/O process-participating devices related to I/O command process, when a load of one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is a low load equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, a processing related to a state of one or more of the I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is redirected to another one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof, and the state of the one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is shifted to a power-saving state.

Abstract: The local storage performs remote copy to the remote storage. For low traffic failback remote copy, the remote storage performs a delta copy to the local storage, the delta being the difference between the remote storage and local storage. The local storage backs up snapshot data. The remote storage resolves the difference of the snapshot of the local storage and the remote storage. The difference resolution method can take one of several approaches. First, the system informs the timing of snapshot of the local storage to the remote storage and records the accessed area of the data. Second, the system informs the timing of snapshot of the local storage to the remote storage, and the remote storage makes a snapshot and compares the snapshot and remote copied data. Third, the system compares the local data and remote copy data with hashed data.

Abstract: Systems and methods directed to preventing a single point of failure by utilizing N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV). During some procedures used by storage subsystems, such as migration, there is oftentimes only a single path from a host to a storage subsystem, which causes a potential single point of failure for the entire system. By utilizing NPIV, this problem may be mitigated.

Abstract: A method for controlling data for a storage system comprises: receiving a write input/output (I/O) command of a data from a host computer, the write I/O command including an application ID identifying an application operating on the host computer which sends the write I/O request; maintaining a record of a relation between the application ID in the write I/O command and a storage location of the data to be written in a first volume of the storage system; determining, based on the application ID, whether a data transfer function between the first volume and a second storage volume is to be performed on the data beyond writing the data to the storage location in the first volume; and if the data transfer function is to be performed on the data, then performing the data transfer function on the data to the second volume.

Abstract: In deduplicating data including objects, the system obtains information of the location of the objects and uses the information in calculating the hash value. The hash value calculation program divides data from the boundary location to chunks to match the boundary location of the objects subject to deduplication and the hash value is calculated from each chunk.

Abstract: For at least one of storage unit, processor and cache memory which are I/O process-participating devices related to I/O command process, when a load of one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is a low load equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, a processing related to a state of one or more of the I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is redirected to another one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof, and the state of the one or more I/O process-participating devices or a part thereof is shifted to a power-saving state.

Abstract: The local storage performs remote copy to the remote storage. For low traffic failback remote copy, the remote storage performs a delta copy to the local storage, the delta being the difference between the remote storage and local storage. The local storage backs up snapshot data. The remote storage resolves the difference of the snapshot of the local storage and the remote storage. The difference resolution method can take one of several approaches. First, the system informs the timing of snapshot of the local storage to the remote storage and records the accessed area of the data. Second, the system informs the timing of snapshot of the local storage to the remote storage, and the remote storage makes a snapshot and compares the snapshot and remote copied data. Third, the system compares the local data and remote copy data with hashed data.

Abstract: A storage system comprises a first storage device having a first plurality of hard disk drives and a first controller. The first controller stores data in the first plurality of hard disk drives by stripes. Each stripe includes M data and N parity data allocated to M+N hard disk drives of the first plurality of hard disk drives. A first hard disk drive includes data or parity data of both a first stripe of the stripes and a second stripe of the stripes, while a second hard disk drive includes data or parity data of only one of the first stripe or the second stripe. During data recovery involving failure of one of the first plurality of hard disk drives, the data in the failed hard disk drive is recovered for each stripe by calculation using data and parity data in other hard disk drives for each stripe.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, a method of evaluating reliability of flash memory media comprises managing a flash memory remaining life for each disk of a plurality of flash memory media disks provided in one or more flash memory media groups each of which has a configuration and a relationship between said each flash memory media group and the flash memory media disks in said each flash memory media group, wherein each flash memory media group is one of a RAID group or a thin provisioning pool; and calculating to obtain information of each flash memory media group based on the measured flash memory remaining life for each disk in said each flash memory media group, the configuration of said each flash memory media group, and the relationship between said each flash memory media group and the flash memory media disks in said each flash memory media group.

Abstract: A cell-lysate extract based assay reagent for detecting quorum sensing signals is generally provided, along with methods of making and using the same. The assay reagent generally includes a cell-lysate extract formed from a biosensor bacterium (e.g., Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4 (pCF218)(pCF372)) and a detecting substrate (e.g., an absorbance-based or luminescence-based substrate). The cell-lysate extract can be prepared by (1) disrupting the cell membranes of the biosensor bacterium to release the cellular components into a solution, (2) centrifuging the resulting solution, and (3) removing the resulting supernatant solution.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method and a system for the management of availability and reliability of flash memory media. In one embodiment, a method of evaluating reliability of flash memory media comprises measuring a flash memory remaining life for each disk of a plurality of flash memory media disks provided in one or more flash memory media groups each of which has a configuration, wherein each flash memory media group is one of a RAID group or a thin provisioning pool; obtaining a ratio of sequential to random write I/O types for each flash memory media group; and calculating a remaining life of each flash memory media group based on the measured flash memory remaining life for each disk in said each flash memory media group, the configuration of said each flash memory media group, and the ratio of sequential to random write I/O types for said each flash memory media group.