Abstract: Described is a system for intelligent and reversible data masking of computing environment information shared with an external system. The system may leverage a secure masking agent that acts as an intermediary between a computing system (or environment) and an analytics component. The masking agent may provide real-time reversible data masking that ensures that sensitive information is not exposed outside of a secure (e.g. on-premises) environment, while at the same time ensuring the analytics component receives sufficient contextual information to perform a detailed analysis with the shared information. For example, the system may identify and mask identifying information of a particular server or host, while still retaining certain contextual information such as a network topology.

Abstract: A request is received from a user at a client to access a file of a set of files backed up to a backup server. Upon verifying a password provided by the user, the client is issued another request for authentication. A first data structure is received responsive to the request. The first data structure is generated using identifiers corresponding to a set of files at the client of which at least some presumably have been backed up to the server. A second data structure is generated. The second data structure is generated using identifiers corresponding to the set of files backed up to the server. The first and second data structures are compared to assess a degree of similarity between the files at the client and the files backed up to the backup server. The user is denied access when the degree of similarity is below a threshold.

Abstract: A system for providing computer implemented services using information handling systems includes persistent storage and a system control processor manager. The system control processor manager instantiates composed information handling systems using the information handling systems; monitors, using system control processors of the composed information handling systems, operation of the composed information handling systems to obtain operation information; makes a determination, based on the operation information, that the computing implemented services provided by the composed information handling systems are substandard; and in response to the determination: manages operation of the composed information handling systems to provide standards compliant computer implemented services by modifying a composition of at least one of the composed information handling systems using a system control processor of the system control processors.

Abstract: Described is a system (and method) that provides a mechanism for guarding against cyber-attacks including ransomware, malware, and various other types of malicious attacks. The mechanism includes providing an isolated storage recovery account within a cloud-based storage infrastructure. The isolated storage recovery account secures data even in instances where credentials for a subscriber to a cloud-based service or the cloud-based provider itself is compromised. In order to ensure that data is still protected even when access credentials may be compromised (e.g. by a disgruntled employee), the mechanism requires a joint coordination between both the provider and the subscriber. The joint coordination may be mandated by the use of a particular multiple encryption technique for credentials that are required to access the isolated storage recovery account.

Abstract: A device for managing composition of composed information handling includes persistent storage and a computer processor that obtains a composition request for a composed information handling system; makes a determination that the composition request is an intent based request; in response to the determination: matches an application specified by the composition request to computing resource requirements for the application; identifies, based on the computing resource requirements, at least one compute resource set having resources meeting the computing resources requirement; identifies, based on the computing resource requirements, at least one hardware resource set having resources meeting the computing resource requirements; sets up management services for the at least one hardware resource set using at least one control resource set to obtain logical hardware resources; and presents the logical hardware resources to the at least one compute resource set as bare metal resources.

Abstract: A system control processor manager for servicing workloads using composed information handling systems instantiated using information handling systems includes persistent storage and a workload manager. The workload manager obtains a workload request for a workload of the workloads; predicts future resource needs for the workload during a future time period; makes a determination that a portion of free resources of the information handling systems are available to meet the future resource needs; reserves the portion of the free resources based on the determination to obtain reserved resources during the future time period; and composes a composed information handling system of the composed information handling systems using the reserved resources during the future time period to service the workload request.

Abstract: A system control processor manager for performing workloads using composed information handling systems instantiated using information handling systems includes persistent storage and a workload manager. The workload manager obtains performance information for a workload of the workloads; makes a determination, based on the performance information, to suspend performance of the workload; in response to the determination: deallocates a first computing resource of a composed information handling system performing the workload to a reserved pool; and deallocates a second computing resource of the composed information handling system to a freely allocable pool.

Abstract: First and second trees having entities identified by hexadecimal values are generated. First files are allocated across the first tree based on hashes of the first files and hexadecimal values of the first tree entities. First index values are calculated for first tree entities using hashes of the first files that have been allocated to entities branching into a lower level of the first tree. Second files are allocated across the second tree based on hashes of the second files and hexadecimal values of the second tree entities. Second index values are calculated for the second tree entities using hashes of the second files that have been allocated to entities branching into a lower level of the second tree. A determination is made of a number of entities between the first and second trees having matching index values to measure similarity between the first and second trees.

Abstract: A system for managing composed information handling systems to provide data protection services for data generated by applications hosted by the composed information handling systems, includes a processor that executes applications and a system control processor manager that obtains a composition request for a composed information handling system, identifies a compute resource set having compute resources specified by the composition request, identifies a hardware resource set having hardware resources specified by the composition request, sets up storage management services for managing reads and writes of data the hardware resource set using a control resource set, which performs deduplication on data generated by the applications, to obtain logical hardware resources, and presents the logical hardware resources using the control resource set to the compute resource set as bare metal resources to instantiate a composed information handling system to service the composition request.

Abstract: An information handling system for instantiating a composed information handling includes hardware computing resources. The hardware computing resources includes a compute resource set that includes computing resources including a processor and a memory, and a hardware resource set including resources distinct from the compute resource set. The information also includes a hardware system control processor adapted to present a portion of the hardware resource set to a compute resource set of the composed information handling system as bare metal resources.

Abstract: A method for managing composed information handling systems includes obtaining a composition request for a composed information handling system, making a first determination that a first information handling system is not capable of servicing the composition request local, and based on the first determination: allocating, an available resource on the first information handling system to the composed information handling system, sending a resource allocation request to a system control processor manager for access to an additional resource, obtain, in response to the allocation request, a notification for access to a second information handling system of the information handling systems that provides the available resource, setting up management services for available resource and the additional resource to obtain logical hardware resources, and presenting the logical hardware resources to at least one compute resource set as bare metal resources.

Abstract: A request is received from a user at a client to access a file of a set of files backed up to a backup server. Upon verifying a password provided by the user, the client is issued another request for authentication. A first data structure is received responsive to the request. The first data structure is generated using identifiers corresponding to a set of files at the client of which at least some presumably have been backed up to the server. A second data structure is generated. The second data structure is generated using identifiers corresponding to the set of files backed up to the server. The first and second data structures are compared to assess a degree of similarity between the files at the client and the files backed up to the backup server. The user is denied access when the degree of similarity is below a threshold.

Abstract: A system for providing computer implemented services using information handling systems includes a composed information handling system that provides, at least in part, the computer implemented services and a system control processor manager. The system control processor manager instantiates a utilization monitor in a system control processor of the composed information handling system; and monitors, using the utilization monitor, a use rate of computing resources of the composed information handling system by a client.

Abstract: A method for managing composed information handling systems includes obtaining, by a system control processor, a composition request for a composed information handling system of the composed information handling systems, wherein the composition request comprises an operational instances requirement, and initially allocating only a minimum number of instances of a resource based on the operational instances requirement to the composed information handling system, wherein at least one of the minimum number of instances of the resource is provided by a first information handling system, wherein the first information handling system is operatively connected to the system control processor manager.

Abstract: A system for managing composed information handling systems to manage access to data by applications hosted by the composed information handling systems includes a system control processor that instantiates a composed information handling system using a compute resource set that hosts applications and a hardware resource set that stores a portion of the data, associates, using authorization information, storage areas of the at least one hardware resource set with the applications to obtain storage area associations, obtains a data access request from the compute resource set for the portion of the data which is stored in a storage area of the storage areas, makes a determination, based on the storage area associations and an initiator of the data access request, that the initiator of the data access request is not authorized to access the portion of the data, and refuses to service the data access request.

Abstract: A system for managing composed information handling systems includes information handling systems and a composed information handling system of the composed information handling systems, which includes at least one compute resource set, at least one control resource set, and at least one hardware resource set. The system also includes a system control processor that obtains a bare metal communication from a compute resource set indicating a write of data, writes a first copy of the data in a storage resource of the at least one hardware resource set, writes a second copy of the data in a trace volume, generates a backup of the data using the trace volume, and stores the backup in a storage.

Abstract: A request is received from a client seeking to access files stored at a backup server. A first tree is received for the request. The first tree represents hashes of files stored at the client. A second tree is generated representing hashes of the files stored at the backup server. The first and second trees are compared to assess a degree of similarity between the files stored at the client and the files stored at the backup server. The user is denied access to the files stored at the backup server when the degree of similarity is below a threshold.

Abstract: A method for managing composed information handling systems includes obtaining a composition request for a composed information handling system, making a first determination that a first information handling system is not capable of servicing the composition request local, and based on the first determination: allocating, an available resource on the first information handling system to the composed information handling system, sending a resource allocation request to a system control processor manager for access to an additional resource, obtain, in response to the allocation request, a notification for access to a second information handling system of the information handling systems that provides the available resource, setting up management services for available resource and the additional resource to obtain logical hardware resources, and presenting the logical hardware resources to at least one compute resource set as bare metal resources.

Abstract: A method for managing composed information handling systems includes receiving, by a system control processor, a mirroring policy from a system control processor manager, receiving an application write request from a first application instance, based on the application write request and the mirroring policy: initiating servicing of the application write request by a first composed information handling system, initiating servicing of an SCP write request by a second composed information handling system, wherein the SCP write request is based on the application write request, receiving a SCP response from the SCP write request from a second system control processor, wherein a second composed information handling system comprises the second system control processor and is executing a second application instance of the cluster application, and sending a write response to the first application instance, wherein the write response is based, at least in part, on the SCP response.

Abstract: Systems and methods for replicating a device image to a storage such as the cloud. The cloud is seeded with a base image that corresponds to the device. Changes between the contents of the device and the base image are identified, uploaded to the cloud, and applied to the image. The changes are tracked continuously and the image in the cloud can thus be used to restore the device to any point in time. The cloud image can also be used in a cloud based virtual machine that provides a user of the device with access to the device's contents via the cloud based image.