Partitioned Shared Memory Patents (Class 709/215)
  • Patent number: 8103776
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to systems and methods for storage allocation in the provisioning of virtual machines. A provisioning (or “cobbler”) server can interact with a local virtual machine installation client to initiate software provisioning to a set of virtual machines. The provisioning process can entail, for example, the selection and delivery of an operating system to the target set of virtual machines, as well as the installation of applications or other software. In conjunction with the provisioning process, the virtual machine installation client can identify and access a set of storage resources, such as hard disk or other storage, to be associated with the set of virtual machines, which themselves contain no local storage. That client can determine an allocation of the set of storage resources to each virtual machine in the set of virtual machines, for instance on a pro-rata basis or based on processing consumption or other factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Paul DeHaan
  • Patent number: 8103779
    Abstract: A mechanism for enabling session information to be shared across multiple processes in a multi-process environment is disclosed. There is provided a shared persistent memory-mapped file in a file system, which is mapped to the memory space of each of the processes. This file is used by all of the processes to store session information. Because the memory space of each process is mapped to the shared file, each process is able to access and manipulate all of the sessions in the system. Thus, sessions are no longer maintained on a process-specific basis. Rather, they are maintained on a centralized, shared basis. As a result, different requests pertaining to the same session may be serviced by different server processes without any adverse effects. Each process will be able to access and manipulate all of the state information pertaining to that session. By enabling session information to be shared, this mechanism eliminates the session management errors experienced by the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ruslan Belkin, Viswanath Ramachandran
  • Patent number: 8095616
    Abstract: A multiple computer system is disclosed in which n computers (M1, M2 . . . Mn) each run a different portion of a single application program written to execute only on a single computer. The local memory of each computer is maintained substantially the same by updating all computers with every change made to addressed memory locations. Contention can arise when the same memory location is substantially simultaneously updated by two or more machines because of transmission delays and latency of the communications network interconnecting all the computers. In particular a method of detecting contention is disclosed which utilizes a count value indicative of the number of the sequence of occasions on which each memory location has been updated. Contention is indicated if the currently stored count value and the incoming updating count value are the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Waratek Pty Ltd.
    Inventor: John M. Holt
  • Patent number: 8095960
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for secure synchronization and sharing of secrets. A first principal acquires an encrypted access key to a secret store of a second principal. The first principal contacts an identity manager and supplies a decrypted version of the access key. One or more secrets of the second principal may be acquired or modified by the first principal while accessing the secret store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Novell, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Marinus Boogert, Stephen R. Carter
  • Patent number: 8095596
    Abstract: A home-networking gateway may automatically provide a function based on data identified on a device on a home network. The home-networking gateway may perform the function using another device that is capable of performing the function and is accessible to the home-networking gateway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Meenan, David Clyde Chiles, Jeffrey J. Damick
  • Patent number: 8082400
    Abstract: To share a memory pool that includes at least one physical memory in at least one of plural computing nodes of a system, firmware in management infrastructure of the system is used to partition the memory pool into memory spaces allocated to corresponding ones of at least some of the computing nodes. The firmware maps portions of the at least one physical memory to the memory spaces, where at least one of the memory spaces includes a physical memory portion from another one of the computing nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jichuan Chang, Parthasarathy Ranganathan, Kevin T. Lim
  • Patent number: 8069217
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing data integrity for stored data are disclosed. A method for providing access to a remote shared image may include receiving from a first provisioning server a request to create a write space for a client communicatively coupled to the first provisioning server. The message may further include creating a partition on a first logical unit disposed in a storage array, the first logical unit communicatively coupled to the first provisioning server and associated with the client. The method may additionally include storing a thin clone of a shared image on the partition, the shared image common to the client and at least one other client and stored on a second logical unit, the thin clone comprising a write space for data specific to the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Yuan-Chang Lo, Stephen Luning, Fahd Pirzada, Gaurav Chawla
  • Patent number: 8055723
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product of configuring a virtual array site on a remote storage server is provided. The virtual array site provides on-demand storage capacity to a local storage server of a customer. The method includes creating a virtual array. The virtual array incorporates an attribute selectable by the customer. A virtual extent pool is created. The virtual extent pool is associated with the virtual array. A volume associated with the virtual extent pool is created. The volume comprises at least a portion of the virtual array site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mario Francisco Acedo, Ezequiel Cervantes, Paul Anthony Jennas, II, Jason Lee Peipelman, Matthew John Ward
  • Patent number: 8046421
    Abstract: The present invention provides improved techniques for managing storage resources, such as disk drives, I/O ports, and the like in a network based storage system according to a user position within the network. Embodiments according to the present invention can provide a relatively high performance storage access environment for the mobile users moving around a wide area. For example, in one applicable environment, there are several data centers in the wide area, and each data center has a local storage system that is connected to the other storage systems through a network. Copies of a user's volume can be made in some of the storage systems. A remote copy function is utilized for making real time copies of the user's volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Yamamoto, Naoko Iwami
  • Patent number: 8046576
    Abstract: A computer system is partitioned during a pre-boot phase of the computer system between a first partition and a second partition, wherein the first partition to include a first processing unit and the second partition to include a second processing unit. An Input/Output (I/O) operating system is booted on the first partition. A general purpose operating system is booted on the second partition. Network transactions are issued by the general purpose operating system to be performed by the I/O operating system. The network transactions are performed by the I/O operating system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Vincent J. Zimmer, Michael A. Rothman
  • Publication number: 20110258284
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for routing in a data communications network, comprising the steps of providing in a storage having a certain amount of storage capacity, a datagram forwarding data structure provided for indicating where to forward a datagram in said network, which data structure is in the form of a block tree, or fixed stride trie, comprising at least one leaf and possibly a number of nodes including partial nodes, said data structure having a height, corresponding to a number of memory accesses required for lookup in an arbitrary partition comprising n intervals, step 201 reducing worst storage cost by using a technique for reduction of worst case storage cost that are selectable from: partial block tree compaction, virtual blocks, bit push pulling, block aggregation or split block trees, and variations thereof, step 202 updating the layered data structure partially by using a technique for scheduling maintenance work that are selectable from: vertical segmentation and bucket list
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Inventor: Mikael ... Sundstrom
  • Patent number: 8028035
    Abstract: Creating a unique identification for each stack in partitions of a host data computer such that a plurality of partitions may share a single adapter card during an Input/Output operation wherein the adapter card is exchanging data between the host and a Local Area Network. The adapter card includes a unique identifier pool for maintaining values of unique identifiers which are available for identifying the stacks. A deleted unique identifier for a stack may be reused by newly created stacks and may be reassigned to a recreated stack, if still available, when the stack had previously been deleted by the operating system, but is then recreated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Frances C. Garofalo, Jeffrey D. Haggar, Bruce H. Ratcliff, Stephen R. Valley
  • Patent number: 8024418
    Abstract: A method, system, apparatus, and signal-bearing media for finding a logical unit data structure associated with a command and a logical unit of a device, selecting a command table based on the logical unit data structure and a host that issued the command, indexing the command into the command table, and performing a routine indicated by the command table in response to the indexing. The command table may be a normal command table if no other host has reserved the logical unit or a reserved command table if another host has reserved the logical unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen P. De Groote
  • Patent number: 8019902
    Abstract: A network interface adapter includes a network interface and a client interface, for coupling to a client device so as to receive from the client device work requests to send messages over the network using a plurality of transport service instances. Message processing circuitry, coupled between the network interface and the client interface, includes an execution unit, which generates the messages in response to the work requests and passes the messages to the network interface to be sent over the network. A memory stores records of the messages that have been generated by the execution unit in respective lists according to the transport service instances with which the messages are associated. A completion unit receives the records from the memory and, responsive thereto, reports to the client device upon completion of the messages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Mellanox Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Michael Kagan, Diego Crupnicoff, Gilad Shainer, Ariel Shahar
  • Patent number: 8015258
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for accessing data. The method includes defining a first portion of a memory for receiving data and providing a memory request to transfer data from a source to the first portion of the memory defined to receive the data. The method further includes transferring a portion of data from the source to the first portion of the memory, wherein the size of the portion of the data substantially corresponds to the size of the first portion of the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Zarlink Semiconductor (U.S.), Inc.
    Inventors: David N. Larson, Jagannathan Bharath
  • Patent number: 8010637
    Abstract: A host router is logically partitioned into virtual router domains that manage independent processes and routing application copies but share a common operating system. Each v-net manages an independent set of sockets and host router interfaces, each associated with only one v-net at one time, but interchangeably repartitionable. Traffic is removed from an interface during repartitioning. Duplicate arrays of global variables copied to each v-net are accessed by macro references. A v-net facility can separate route tables used internally from the externally visible route tables and can avoid conflicts between internal and external IP addresses that share the same identifier. For example a common FreeBSD operating system supports a dynamic routing protocol (DRP) application. Each v-net runs an independent copy of the DRP software and is logically independent. A failure in one DRP copy does not adversely affect other copies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Foundry Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Lee Watson, Lance Arnold Visser
  • Patent number: 8005959
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for providing security through sessions. In an implementation, a method includes initiating a session, by an operating system, in which operating system services are executable and initiating another session, by the operating system, in which a user-interactive application is executable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Ara Bernardi, Klaus U. Schutz, Richard B. Ward, Sriram Sampath
  • Patent number: 8005917
    Abstract: A system includes a leader server capable of communicating with a plurality of follower servers and a network. The leader server is configured to determine when a message received from a client connected to the network has been committed to main memory in a majority of the leader and follower servers. The leader server and each of the follower servers that committed the message to main memory retain the message in main memory until requested to remove the message from main memory by a delivery agent or an archiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Brian Frank Cooper
  • Patent number: 8005470
    Abstract: Multiple computing devices are connected together using a high-speed wireless link. The wireless link enables expansion of available resources to the host device, such as one or more of volatile memory resources, non-volatile memory resources, and additional processor resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Warren V. Barkley, Adrian M. Chandley, Timothy M. Moore
  • Patent number: 7996843
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to computer operating systems, and more specifically, to operating system calls in a symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) environment. Existing SMP strategies either use a single lock or multiple locks to limit access to critical areas of the operating system to one thread at a time. These strategies suffer from a number of performance problems including slow execution, large software and execution overheads and deadlocking problems. The invention applies a single lock strategy to a micro kernel operating system design which delegates functionality to external processes. The micro kernel has a single critical area, the micro kernel itself, which executes very quickly, while the external processes are protected by proper thread management. As a result, a single lock may be used, overcoming the performance problems of the existing strategies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Peter Van Der Veen
  • Patent number: 7996485
    Abstract: A switch includes a reserved pool of buffers in a shared memory. The reserved pool of buffers is reserved for exclusive use by an egress port. The switch includes pool select logic which selects a free buffer from the reserved pool for storing data received from an ingress port to be forwarded to the egress port. The shared memory also includes a shared pool of buffers. The shared pool of buffers is shared by a plurality of egress ports. The pool select logic selects a free buffer in the shared pool upon detecting no free buffer in the reserved pool. The shared memory may also include a multicast pool of buffers. The multicast pool of buffers is shared by a plurality of egress ports. The pool select logic selects a free buffer in the multicast pool upon detecting an IP Multicast data packet received from an ingress port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: MOSAID Technologies Incorporated
    Inventor: David Brown
  • Patent number: 7996484
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for the non-disruptive and reliable live migration of a virtual machine (VM) from a source host to a target host, where network data is placed directly into the VM's memory. When a live migration begins, a network interface card (NIC) of the source stops placing newly received packets into the VM's memory. A virtual server driver (VSP) on the source stores the packets being processed and forces a return of the memory where the packets are stored to the NIC. When the VM has been migrated to the target, and the source VSP has transferred the stored packets to the target host, the VM resumes processing the packets, and when the VM sends messages to the target NIC that the memory associated with a processed packet is free, a VSP on the target intercepts that message, blocking the target NIC from receiving it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Sambhrama Madhusudhan Mundkur, Alireza Dabagh
  • Patent number: 7991850
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus to restore the operating system of a personal internet communicator (PIC) to a “known good” operational state in the event of a catastrophic failure. In an embodiment of the invention, the hard drive of the personal internet communicator is organized in three partitions: 1) a partition for the operating system and related files; 2) a user data partition; and 3) a “restore” partition. The restore partition is hidden by modifying the type of partition that can be detected by the user or any operating system. Upon a catastrophic failure, the system can be returned to an operational state by performing a sector-by-sector restoration to copy an image of the operating system and related system files back to the operating system partition. In various embodiments of the invention, the PIC system state is continuously monitored by a “registry sniffing” routine that maintains a file containing data corresponding to the system state of the PIC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey M. Lavin, Stephen Paul
  • Patent number: 7987239
    Abstract: A method, a system, an apparatus, and a computer program product are presented for a fragment caching methodology. After a message is received at a computing device, a fragment in the message body is cached. Cache ID rules from an origin server accompany a fragment to describe a method for forming a unique cache ID for the fragment such that dynamic content can be cached away from an origin server. A cache ID may be based on a URI and/or query parameters and/or cookies that are associated with a fragment. After user authentication, a cookie containing the user's role may be used in subsequent requests for role-specific fragments and in the cache identifier for role-specific fragments, thereby allowing requests from other users for role-specific fragments to be resolved in the cache when the users have the same role because these users would also have the same cookie.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rajesh S. Agarwalla, James R. H. Challenger, George P. Copeland, Arun K. Iyengar, Mark H. Linehan, Subbarao Meduri
  • Patent number: 7984108
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a virtualization infrastructure that allows multiple guest operating systems to run and communicate amongst each other within a host hardware partition. The host system is divided into distinct logical/virtual partitions and special infrastructure partitions are implemented to control resource management and to control physical I/O device drivers that are, in turn, used by operating systems in other distinct logical/virtual guest partitions. Host hardware resource management runs as a tracking application in a resource management “ultravisor” partition, while host resource management decisions are performed in a higher-level command partition based on policies maintained in a separate operations partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Unisys Corporation
    Inventors: John A. Landis, Terrence V. Powderly, Rajagopalan Subrahmanian, Aravindh Puthiyaparambil, James R. Hunter, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7984109
    Abstract: A method of providing access to data files within a wireless device is provided and includes detecting a selection of a first user interface component. The first user interface component can be linked to a private portion of the wireless device. Further, the method includes detecting a selection of a second user interface component. The second user interface component can be linked to a public portion of the wireless device. The wireless device includes a keypad and the first user interface component or the second user interface component can be selected using a press and hold keypress sequence on the keypad. When the first user interface component is selected, access is provided to the private portion of the wireless device. Conversely, when the second user interface component is selected, access is provided to the public portion of the wireless device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Jason B. Kenagy
  • Patent number: 7979554
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for enabling a conversational transaction in a service oriented architecture. The apparatus, system and method include receiving at an IMS Connect a first conversational transaction (“CT”) request comprising a conversation option flag from a Java client over a TCP/IP connection to a first socket of the IMS Connect and transmitting the first CT request to an IMS. The apparatus, system, and method include receiving from the IMS a first response to the first CT request and a conversational transaction identifier (“CTID”), and returning the first response along with the CTID to the Java client in response to the conversation option flag being set. The first response and CTID are transmitted using TCP/IP. The response is a portion of the conversational transaction and the CTID is configured to identify to the IMS subsequent CT requests from the Java client as part of the CT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Shyh-Mei F. Ho, Leilei Li, Khiet Quang Nguyen, Jack Chiu-Chiu Yuan
  • Patent number: 7975018
    Abstract: A plurality of access nodes sharing access to data on a storage network implement a directory based cache ownership scheme. One node, designated as a global coordinator, maintains a directory (e.g., table or other data structure) storing information about I/O operations by the access nodes. The other nodes send requests to the global coordinator when an I/O operation is to be performed on identified data. Ownership of that data in the directory is given to the first requesting node. Ownership may transfer to another node if the directory entry is unused or quiescent. The distributed directory-based cache coherency allows for reducing bandwidth requirements between geographically separated access nodes by allowing localized (cached) access to remote data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Ron Unrau, Steven Bromling, Wayne Karpoff
  • Patent number: 7975032
    Abstract: A cache module (26) at a client computer (12) controls a cache portion (28) on a storage device (24). The cache module communicates with other cache modules at other clients to form a cache community (15). The cache modules store World Wide Web or other content in the cache portions for retrieval in response to requests (32) for content from browsers (30) in the cache community. When the requested content is not available in the cache community, the requested content may be retrieved from an origin server (19) using the Internet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Parallel Networks, LLC
    Inventors: Keith A. Lowery, Bryan S. Chin, David A. Consolver, Gregg A. DeMasters
  • Patent number: 7970814
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing a synchronous interface for an asynchronous service including, in a synchronous interface engine executing on a processor, receiving a request from a client for the asynchronous service, issuing an asynchronous service request to perform the asynchronous service, the asynchronous service request including a unique client identifier, and associating a wait condition with the unique client identifier to indicate to the client to wait for a result of the asynchronous service. Methods and apparatus further include receiving the result of the asynchronous service, the result including the unique client identifier, removing the associated wait condition, and sending the result to the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Gregory Leedberg, Kenneth D. Carey, George W. Spencer, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20110153772
    Abstract: Performing logical partition (LPAR)-to-LPAR communication in a network computing environment. Read or write requests to different memory areas of a single computer memory are controlled by a storage control element, where the requests are issued by different multiple operating systems using a general network transfer format. A request is sent by a first operating system to said storage control element, where the request is executed with a processor instruction. A result of the request is received by the same or a second operating system. A modified processor instruction is sent to the storage control element, which implements an execution of the instruction synchronously performed to the sending of the instruction, without buffering the request of the instruction in a dedicated queue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dietmar F. Decker, Waleri Fomin, Andreas Gerstmeier, Stefan Reimbold, Alexandria Winter
  • Patent number: 7966389
    Abstract: A system for controlling a computer system uses a management controller having sensor data record objects in a sensor data record repository. Sensor data record objects contain data from a plurality of sensors, and at least one sensor data record object contains a property descriptor. The property descriptor references a property data object readable and writeable by a controlling computer through the management controller, and provides a way to control at least one feature of the computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Gerald J. Kaufman, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7953816
    Abstract: Embodiments herein present a virtual memory technique for efficiently solving connected problems in a distributed environment. An exemplary method begins by selectively loading computing task segments into a first node, wherein the number of computing task segments is the maximum number of computing task segments that will fit within the first node. The computing task segments are enclosed within wrappers, wherein the wrappers are streamed into the first node at a maximum rate that a disk can read and write data. Further, the wrappers comprise priority wrappers that must be computed in order to process the computing task segments; and thus, the priority wrappers are loaded into the first node first. In addition, the computing task segments comprise computing task segment block collections, wherein the method creates a list of computing task segment block collection jobs that must be completed in order to process one of the computing task segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert G. Deen, James H. Kaufman, Tobin J. Lehman
  • Patent number: 7953001
    Abstract: A network device for monitoring a memory partitioned by an identifier can include at least one port configured to receive at least one packet. The at least one packet includes an identifier relating to priority of the at least one packet. The network device can also include a buffer memory having at least one buffer configured to store the at least one packet, and a counter configured to modify a counter value therein when the buffer memory is accessed with respect to the at least one data packet, wherein the counter corresponds to the identifier with respect to the at least one packet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Laxman Shankar, Shekhar Ambe
  • Patent number: 7949847
    Abstract: A thin provisioning storage system is able to present a thin provisioned volume to a computer, such that the computer stores data to the volume as if storage space on disk drives was already allocated for the volume. Upon receiving a write request from the computer, in which the write request is directed to an area of the volume for which storage space on the disk drives has not yet been allocated, the storage system allocates new space on the disk drives. When allocating the new space, the storage system obtains a designated performance level for the volume, and determines a number of storage extents to be allocated to the volume based upon the determined performance level. The storage system also is able to take into account performance metrics for the disk drives and/or array groups when selecting locations from which to allocate the storage extents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Atsushi Murase
  • Patent number: 7945611
    Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for arbitrating an appropriate back-end server to receive channels of a client connection. Each front-end server in a server farm specifies a back-end server in the server farm that it deems appropriate for receiving channels of a client connection. Each specified back-end server is represented by an arbitration mechanism. A relevant set of potential back-end servers that can receive channels of a client connection is selected according to function configured to minimize performance impact. A load balancing service compares arbitration mechanisms for different back-end servers in the set of potential back-end servers to determine an appropriate back-end server for receiving channels of the client connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Kamen Kamenov Moutafov
  • Patent number: 7941624
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is described herein for performing parallel memory migration, as well as execution of management tasks over a plurality of management window. Handlers are dispatched to multiple resources, such as cores or threads, to determine a proper memory migration handler. Each resource, during a management mode, executes a designated memory migration handler or an instance of a memory migration handler to perform a portion of a memory migration task in parallel. A task data structure is capable of supporting tracking of portions of memory migrated. In addition the task data structure is potentially also capable of tracking management tasks through plurality of management windows to support servicing of management tasks through multiple management windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Vincent J. Zimmer, Michael A. Rothman
  • Patent number: 7941539
    Abstract: A method for migrating a first virtual machine (VM), that includes transmitting, prior to migration, a first packet between the first VM on a first blade chassis and a second VM on a second blade chassis using a first virtual network interface card (VNIC) and a second VNIC. The method includes migrating the first VM and the first VNIC to the second blade, identifying a subnet of the first VM, identifying a subnet of the second VM, and creating a virtual router to execute on the second blade. The virtual router is associated with a third VNIC and a fourth VNIC. A first network address in the first VNIC's subnet is assigned to the third VNIC. A second network address in the second VNIC's subnet is assigned to the fourth VNIC. The method includes routing a second packet between the first VM and the second VM using the virtual router.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sunay Tripathi, Nicolas G. Droux
  • Patent number: 7933617
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a portable type content reproducing device for reproducing content data, said portable type content reproducing device including, a radio communication unit, a nonvolatile storage unit, a reproduction processing unit, a connection controlling unit, and a reception controlling unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Akasaka, Shinji Katsuki
  • Patent number: 7929523
    Abstract: A system, method and computer readable medium for mediating communication between a mobile device and a data source over a network is described. The system includes an asynchronous message receiver that is configured to receive an asynchronous request message from the device. The asynchronous request message includes an identifier field for identifying the asynchronous request message and a message field. The system also includes a synchronous message transceiver communicatively coupled to the asynchronous message receiver and configured to synchronously communicate with the data source by sending a synchronous request message to the data source and receiving a synchronous response message from the data source in return. The synchronous request message includes the message field of the asynchronous request message. A rules processor also forms part of the system, and is communicatively coupled to the synchronous message transceiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Michael Shenfield, Bryan R. Goring, Igor Tsenter
  • Patent number: 7925749
    Abstract: A system and method for transparent data replication of one or more data containers over migrating virtual servers (vfilers) operating on physical storage systems is provided. A mirroring (or other replication) procedure associated with a vfiler generates an entry in a mirror table maintained by one or more appropriate mirroring applications executing on the physical storage systems. The mirror table identifies source and destination “owners” of a replicated data container by vfiler instead of only by physical storage system. Thus, when a vfiler is migrated from a source physical storage system (“source”) to a destination physical storage system (“destination”), the mirroring application may continue to perform mirroring operations on the data containers at a per vfiler level to thereby improve the utility of migration of the vfiler among the storage systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Dong Lin, Ravikanth Dronamraju, Mark Muhlstein, Michael L. Federwisch
  • Patent number: 7921131
    Abstract: An improved system and method for query processing in a distributed column chunk data store is provided. A distributed column chunk data store may be provided by multiple storage servers operably coupled to a network. A storage server provided may include a database engine for partitioning a data table into the column chunks for distributing across multiple storage servers, a storage shared memory for storing the column chunks during processing of semantic operations performed on the column chunks, and a storage services manager for striping column chunks of a partitioned data table across multiple storage servers. Query processing may be performed by storage servers or query processing servers operably coupled by a network to storage servers in the column chunk data store. To do so, a hierarchy of servers may be dynamically determined to process execution steps of a query transformed for distributed processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Radha Krishna Uppala
  • Patent number: 7920489
    Abstract: Embodiments herein provide full duplex operation (i.e., simultaneous receiving and transmitting of data over a network) of a network device of a computer system. Receiving and transmitting threads are used for receiving and transmitting data using the network device, the threads requiring access to an associated data structure to use the network device. Conventionally, the data structure is locked to allow access to only one thread at a time to protect against information inconsistencies in the data structure. Some embodiments remove the locking feature of the data structure to provide simultaneous access to the data structure by the receiving and transmitting threads, and thus allow full duplex operation of the network device. Protections against information inconsistencies in the data structure may be provided, including providing separate receiving and transmitting information sections in the data structure and assurances that only one transmitting thread accesses the data structure at any time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Net App, Inc.
    Inventor: Vijay Singh
  • Patent number: 7921193
    Abstract: A presence server is described herein that implements a method which processes and integrates a presence watcher's communication preferences and a presentity's communication preferences and then distributes the integrated communication preferences along with the presentity's presence information so that the presence watcher can use this information to make a decision on how to contact the presentity. In this way, the presence watcher can achieve promoted communication satisfaction because they know now if they can contact the presentity using their preferred language/device (media type)/security mode (protocol). This enhancement of the communication satisfaction is possible because the integrated communication preferences provided to a presence watcher reflects not only the presentity's communication preferences but also the presence watcher's communication preferences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Fuming Wu, Aziz Mohammed, Alexander Audu
  • Patent number: 7921087
    Abstract: An improved system and method for query processing in a distributed column chunk data store is provided. A distributed column chunk data store may be provided by multiple storage servers operably coupled to a network. A storage server provided may include a database engine for partitioning a data table into the column chunks for distributing across multiple storage servers, a storage shared memory for storing the column chunks during processing of semantic operations performed on the column chunks, and a storage services manager for striping column chunks of a partitioned data table across multiple storage servers. Query processing may be performed by storage servers or query processing servers operably coupled by a network to storage servers in the column chunk data store. To do so, a hierarchy of servers may be dynamically determined to process execution steps of a query transformed for distributed processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Radha Krishna Uppala
  • Patent number: 7921424
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are directed toward extending a federation of servers and balancing the data load of said federation of servers, in order to improve accessibility and scope of the system by moving the first backup data structure on the second server to the new server, creating a second data structure on the new server, and creating a second backup data structure for the second data structure on the second server. To balance the load, certain embodiments employ a method comprising suspending writes to the selected logical partitions, copying selected logical partitions to the new physical partition, redirecting reads and writes to the logical partitions in the new physical partition, and removing the original selected logical partitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David R. Shutt, Elizabeth Ann Nichols
  • Patent number: 7921132
    Abstract: An improved system and method for query processing in a distributed column chunk data store is provided. A distributed column chunk data store may be provided by multiple storage servers operably coupled to a network. A storage server provided may include a database engine for partitioning a data table into the column chunks for distributing across multiple storage servers, a storage shared memory for storing the column chunks during processing of semantic operations performed on the column chunks, and a storage services manager for striping column chunks of a partitioned data table across multiple storage servers. Query processing may be performed by storage servers or query processing servers operably coupled by a network to storage servers in the column chunk data store. To do so, a hierarchy of servers may be dynamically determined to process execution steps of a query transformed for distributed processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Radha Krishna Uppala
  • Patent number: 7917598
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a computer data storage system is disclosed. A computer data storage system is administered by a physical server administrator. The physical server administrator administers the computer data storage system with a full administrative capability. The physical server administrator creates one or more virtual servers, each virtual server administrated by a virtual server administrator. Each virtual server administrator has a designated subset of the full administrative capability for administrating the virtual server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Muhlestein, Gaurav Banga, Tim Thompson
  • Patent number: 7917597
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides an apparatus and method for performing RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) network configuration. The apparatus and method measure a performance of each RDMA operation for different data message sizes and determine an RDMA operation to be applied for a particular packet size sent by an application, based on the measured performance. As an example, the RDMA operations are, e.g., RDMA send/receive, RDMA write, RDMA read, memory registration and memory un-registration, or memory bind and memory unbind. The measured performance can be, for example, the total time to perform an RDMA operation for different packet sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventor: James Lentini
  • Patent number: RE43011
    Abstract: In the scaled recovery system of the present invention, clients delay for an additional period of time prior to attempting to access a previously unavailable resource that has since become available, rather than accessing the shared resource at full speed once an initial back off interval is over. Through the continual increment and decrement of client back off intervals, the present invention provides dynamic tuning of overall system load in the case of overloaded shared resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Hall Aluminum LLC
    Inventors: Peter Zatloukal, Guy David Byron Shefner