Of Memory Patents (Class 714/6.1)
  • Patent number: 8578205
    Abstract: A method begins by a processing module determining that a data storage request is a cloud data storage request. The method continues with the processing module determining at least one of a cloud storage access reliability indication and a cloud storage data reliability indication for the data storage request. The method continues with the processing module sending the data storage request and the at least one of cloud storage access reliability indication and cloud storage data reliability indication to a cloud storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Cleversafe, Inc.
    Inventors: Wesley Leggette, Jason K. Resch
  • Patent number: 8572428
    Abstract: A first controller stores externally input data to a memory of the first controller, reads data stored in the memory of the first controller and transmits the data to a second controller through a first controller bridge, detects a failure at the first controller bridge in transmission of the data. The second controller receives the data through a second controller bridge, writes the received data into a memory of the second controller, and determines whether the failure is caused by the first controller if a failure occurs in the memory controller and the second controller bridge. If a failure is detected in the first controller and the second controller and the failure is caused by the first controller, the first controller transmits the data causing the failure during transmission through the first controller bridge and the second controller receives the data through the second controller bridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Satoru Nishita, Yukio Nishimura
  • Patent number: 8566691
    Abstract: An analyzer may include a body housing having a first ID, a first measurement module having a second ID that is different from the first ID, the first measurement module being releasably attachable to the body housing, a first memory in the body housing, the first memory being configured to store the first ID, first setting data and first correction data, a second memory in the first measurement module, the second memory being configured to store the second ID, second setting data and second correction data, a first CPU in the body housing, the first CPU being configured to detect the first measurement module having the second ID, and a first data transmission unit in the body housing, the first data transmission unit being configured to transmit the first setting data and the first correction data to the second memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Suzuki, Shinjirou Kiyono, Ryuji Chiba
  • Patent number: 8560883
    Abstract: Storage arrangements including copy information holding correspondence of copy pairs formed from first and second and from first and third logical volumes, as copy groups concerned with a sequence of write data in the computer; and path remote copy relevant information indicating, for each copy group, correspondence of: logical paths; physical paths including the first, second and third storage ports; and take-over path information concerning a relevant path between the second and third logical volumes, needed for the take-over copy pair to take-over the remote copying when failure occurs in the first storage system, and wherein when the management system receives failure information designating a certain path indicated within the take-over path information, a management system determines and displays, by referring to the path remote copy relevant information, copy groups affected by the failure of the certain path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Maki, Hiroshi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8560891
    Abstract: A computer implemented method of embedded dynamic random access memory (EDRAM) macro disablement. The method includes isolating an EDRAM macro of a cache memory bank, the cache memory bank being divided into at least three rows of a plurality of EDRAM macros, the EDRAM macro being associated with one of the at least three rows. Each line of the EDRAM macro is iteratively tested, the testing including attempting at least one write operation at each line of the EDRAM macro. It is determined that an error occurred during the testing. Write perations for an entire row of EDRAM macros associated with the EDRAM macro are disabled based on the determining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Blake, Timothy C. Bronson, Hieu T. Huynh, Pak-kin Mak
  • Patent number: 8560892
    Abstract: Memory and method for storing a plurality of memory bits. The memory has a data storage element and a processor. The data storage element has a plurality of lines, each having a plurality of segments having a plurality of data bits. A plurality of error correction codes are each associated with one of the lines. A plurality of validity bits, each being associated with one of the lines, are configured to indicate that one of the error correction codes associated with the one of the lines is valid or invalid. The processor is configured to generate one of the error correction codes for all of the data bits in the segments associated with one of the lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventor: James W. Nicholes
  • Patent number: 8560879
    Abstract: Some aspects of the disclosure relate to a data storage system that includes multiple memory device storage devices. If a memory device of a memory device array fails within a first data storage device, some portions of the lost or corrupted data from the failed memory device are recovered by reading them from a second data storage device. Other portions of the lost or corrupted data from the failed memory device are recovered from parity information in the first data storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: NetApp Inc.
    Inventor: Atul Goel
  • Patent number: 8560880
    Abstract: A disk drive system and method capable of dynamically allocating data is provided. The disk drive system may include a RAID subsystem having a pool of storage, for example a page pool of storage that maintains a free list of RAIDs, or a matrix of disk storage blocks that maintain a null list of RAIDs, and a disk manager having at least one disk storage system controller. The RAID subsystem and disk manager dynamically allocate data across the pool of storage and a plurality of disk drives based on RAID-to-disk mapping. The RAID subsystem and disk manager determine whether additional disk drives are required, and a notification is sent if the additional disk drives are required. Dynamic data allocation and data progression allow a user to acquire a disk drive later in time when it is needed. Dynamic data allocation also allows efficient data storage of snapshots/point-in-time copies of virtual volume pool of storage, instant data replay and data instant fusion for data backup, recovery etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Compellent Technologies
    Inventors: Philip E. Soran, John P. Guider, Lawrence E. Aszmann, Michael J. Klemm
  • Patent number: 8555130
    Abstract: A method begins by a processing module receiving a write request that includes a batch of encoded data slices and a corresponding batch of slice names, wherein the batch of encoded data slices includes encoded data slices that have slices names that have a common data object storage name, a common slice storage name, and a different data segment storage name. The method continues with the processing module determining whether a storage file exists based on the common data object storage name. The method continues with the processing module creating the storage file based on the common data object storage name when the storage file does not exist. The method continues with the processing module storing the batch of encoded data slices in the storage file based on the corresponding batch of slice names.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Cleversafe, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Baptist, Ilya Volvovski, Wesley Leggette, Greg Dhuse, Jason K. Resch
  • Patent number: 8555108
    Abstract: A disk drive system and method capable of dynamically allocating data is provided. The disk drive system may include a RAID subsystem having a pool of storage, for example a page pool of storage that maintains a free list of RAIDs, or a matrix of disk storage blocks that maintain a null list of RAIDs, and a disk manager having at least one disk storage system controller. The RAID subsystem and disk manager dynamically allocate data across the pool of storage and a plurality of disk drives based on RAID-to-disk mapping. The RAID subsystem and disk manager determine whether additional disk drives are required, and a notification is sent if the additional disk drives are required. Dynamic data allocation and data progression allow a user to acquire a disk drive later in time when it is needed. Dynamic data allocation also allows efficient data storage of snapshots/point-in-time copies of virtual volume pool of storage, instant data replay and data instant fusion for data backup, recovery etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Compellent Technologies
    Inventors: Philip E. Soran, John P. Guider, Lawrence E. Aszmann, Michael J. Klemm
  • Patent number: 8549350
    Abstract: A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for restoring data. In some embodiments, this includes backing up data in a first form with a backup application, updating the backup application, and using the updated backup application to restore the backed up data in a second form. In some embodiments, the first form includes a backup image. In some embodiments, the second form is individual files.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Michael John Dutch, Christopher Hercules Claudatos, Mandavilli Navneeth Rao
  • Publication number: 20130254590
    Abstract: A real time database system configured to store a database content with a plurality of data sets, the database content being partitioned in different partitions. The system comprises a plurality of master databases, each master database containing a partition of the database content, each partition being provided on a different physical storage unit and at least one replica database, each replica database containing subpartitions of the partitions stored in master databases. The system further comprises at least one distributor configured to route a request for a data set to the master database, where the data set to which the request refers to, is provided, and distributor configured to divide each partition into several subpartitions. Additionally, the system comprises at least one replicator, configured to generate a replica of each subpartition, and configured to store each replica on a replica database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2010
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Eriscsson (PUBL)
    Inventors: Jose Maria Chercoles Sanchez, Roman Ferrando Llopis
  • Publication number: 20130254589
    Abstract: In a storage system a first control device can restore in a restoration destination storage device a second set of data stored in a second storage device on the basis of a first set of data stored in a first storage device. A third storage device stores progress information indicative of the progress of restoration performed by a first control device. A second control device restores a portion of the second set of data which is not yet restored on the basis of the progress information stored in the third storage device at the time of detecting that the first control device has stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventor: Satoshi SONOBE
  • Patent number: 8543862
    Abstract: A computer is programmed to execute a diagnostic procedure either on a pre-set schedule or asynchronously in response to an event, such as an error message, or a user command. When executed, the diagnostic procedure automatically checks for integrity of one or more portions of data in the computer, to identify any failure(s). In some embodiments, the failure(s) may be displayed to a human, after revalidation to exclude any failure that no longer exists.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Dilman, Michael James Stewart, Wei-Ming Hu, Balasubrahmanyam Kuchibhotla, Margaret Susairaj, Hubert Ken Sun
  • Patent number: 8543801
    Abstract: A method for booting a computer system is disclosed. The computer system has a main memory. The method includes the steps of providing a backup memory, replacing the main memory by the backup memory when the computer system is booted and the main memory fails to operate normally, and decompressing the program codes of the BIOS to the backup memory to perform the backup booting procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
    Inventors: Shao-Kang Chu, Hsu-Hung Cheng
  • Patent number: 8533538
    Abstract: Described herein is a method and an apparatus for training a memory signal via an error signal of a memory. The method comprises transmitting from a memory controller a command-address (C/A) signal to a memory module; determining by the memory controller an error in the memory module via an error signal from an error pin of the memory module, the error associated with the C/A signal transmitted to the memory module; and modifying by the memory controller the C/A signal in response to determining an error in the memory module, wherein the error pin is a parity error pin of the memory module, and wherein the memory module comprises a Double Data Rate 4 (DDR4) interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Santanu Chaudhuri, Joseph H. Salmon, Kuljit S. Bains
  • Patent number: 8533407
    Abstract: A deduplication storage capacity is estimated as a function of an expected deduplication ratio, the expected deduplication ratio being a combined average of a current deduplication ratio and a configured deduplication ratio, the current deduplication ratio depending on the data currently stored in the deduplication storage, and the configured deduplication ratio being an estimate made at a configuration stage of the deduplication computing storage environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lior Aronovich, Shira Ben-Dor, Aviv Caro, Elena Drobchenko, Samuel Krikler, Ofer Leneman, Asaf Levy, Liran Loya, Dan Melamed, Tzafrir Z. Taub
  • Patent number: 8533526
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for receiving an indication of a loss of redundancy with respect to a pair of mirrored memory regions of a partially redundant memory system, determining new mirrored memory regions, and dynamically migrating information stored in the original mirrored memory regions to the new mirrored memory regions. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Robert C. Swanson, Mallik Bulusu
  • Patent number: 8527723
    Abstract: A first controller defines an existing pair that represents a copy from a first existing area that is a storage area of a first logical volume before size expansion to a second existing area that is a storage area of a second logical volume before size expansion, maintains the existing pair in a synchronous state, which is a state where the second existing area is in synchronization with the first existing area, and expands the size of the first logical volume by adding a first expansion area using a first storage device to the first logical volume during the synchronous state, and the second controller adds a second expansion area using a second storage device to the second logical volume after the size of the first logical volume is expanded, and writes data written to the first expansion area to the second expansion area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Naohisa Kasako
  • Publication number: 20130227341
    Abstract: A SAS method to control host controller failure that includes, in response to receipt of a failure signal indicating that a host controller has failed, sending a wakeup signal to a host cache module of the failed host controller to cause the host cache module to determine whether there is trapped data in the host cache module that has not been transferred to a storage system. In response to receipt of a cache state signal indicating that there is trapped data in the host cache module that has not been transferred to the storage system, initiating transfer of the trapped data from the host cache module of the failed host controller to a host cache module of another host controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Inventors: Michael G. Myrah, Balaji Natrajan
  • Patent number: 8522071
    Abstract: A storage system including: a controller; and, a plurality of physical storage devices coupled to the controller and constituting a RAID group; wherein the controller provides one or more logical volumes belonging to the RAID group, each of the one or more logical volumes having a plurality of storage areas; one or more virtual volumes, wherein, when receiving a write request to a virtual volume of the one or more virtual volumes, the controller allocates a storage area in a logical volume to the virtual volume; and writes data to the allocated storage area, wherein, when a physical storage device of the plurality of physical storage devices fails, the controller selectively performs a RAID restore process to a storage area allocated to a virtual volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenta Ninose, Tomohiro Kawaguchi, Yoshiaki Eguchi
  • Patent number: 8516297
    Abstract: A copy export application implemented in a computational device receives a request to perform a copy export operation of data and metadata to a selected tape in a tape library coupled to the computational device. The copy export application copies the data from the computational device to the selected tape. The copy export application determines a medium error on the selected tape while copying the metadata from the computational device to the selected tape, subsequent to completion of the copying of the data from the computational device to the selected tape. The copy export application sends a request to a tape control application to replace the selected tape by a new tape and copy the data from the selected tape to the new tape. The copy export application copies the metadata to the new tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Norie Iwasaki, David Michael Morton, Yun Mou, Laura Jean Ostasiewski, Takeshi Sohda
  • Patent number: 8516294
    Abstract: When a failure occurs in an LPAR on a physical computer under an SAN environment, a destination LPAR is set in another physical computer to enable migrating of the LPAR and setting change of a security function on the RAID apparatus side is not necessary. When a failure occurs in an LPAR generated on a physical computer under an SAN environment, configuration information including a unique ID (WWN) of the LPAR where the failure occurs is read, a destination LPAR is generated on another physical computer, and the read configuration information of the LPAR is set to the destination LPAR, thereby enabling migrating of the LPAR when the failure occurs, under the control of a management server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukari Hatta, Hitoshi Ueno
  • Patent number: 8516299
    Abstract: A dispersed storage device for use within a dispersed storage network operates to select a set of dispersed storage units for storage of a data object by slicing an encoded data segment of a data object into error coded data slices, determining slice metadata for the error coded data slices, determining memory characteristics of dispersed storage units capable of storing the error coded data slices and selecting the set of dispersed storage units for storing the error coded data slices based on the slice metadata and the memory characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Cleversafe, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason K. Resch, S. Christopher Gladwin
  • Publication number: 20130212425
    Abstract: Methods, machine-readable tangible storage media, and data processing systems that enable a debug host device to acquire memory dump information from a debug target device after the target device suffers an unrecoverable system malfunction are disclosed. In one embodiment, data in the volatile memory on a debug target device is accessed via a hardware integrated debug framework, which is also used to access data on a nonvolatile electronically erasable semiconductor memory of a debug target device, and one or more registers of one or more processors on a debug target device, and a core dump is created on the debug host device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Inventors: Russell A. Blaine, Matthew Byom, Kevi Rathbun Walker, Daniel S. Heller, Shantonu Sen
  • Publication number: 20130212429
    Abstract: Based on information security rules, it is not possible to take out a failure HDD to the exterior of a facility for replacement without erasing data therefrom. According to the present storage sub-system, a slot in which failure has occurred and a slot not registered to a configuration information of a storage sub-system are used to simultaneously perform correction copy to a spare HDD and data erase of the failure HDD in parallel, so as to enable the failure HDD to be brought out to the exterior of the storage facility. Further, time required from when failure has occurred to the HDD to data recovery is shortened, so as to prevent deteriorated redundancy that may be caused by another failure occurring during data recovery and to reduce the risk of data loss.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Inventors: Yosuke Nakayama, Hiroshi Suzuki, Tetsuya Inoue, Takakatsu Mizumura
  • Patent number: 8510516
    Abstract: A computerized method for sharing removable storage media in a network, the method comprising associating, in an index entry, a first piece of removable storage media in a first storage device with at least a first storage policy copy and a second storage policy copy; copying, to the first piece of removable storage media, data associated with the first storage policy copy; and copying, to the first piece of removable storage media, data associated with the second storage policy copy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: CommVault Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Rajiv Kottomtharayil, Parag Gokhale, Anand Prahlad, Manoj Kumar, David Ngo, Varghese Devassy
  • Patent number: 8510604
    Abstract: Static data race analysis of at least a portion of a multi-threaded application in order to identify potential data race defects in the multi-threaded application. The static data race analysis includes intra-component static analysis as well as inter-component static analysis. The intra-component static analysis for a given component involves identifying a set of memory accesses operations in the component. For each of at least one of the set of memory access operations, the analysis determines whether there is a data race protection element associated with the memory access command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Eric L. Eilebrecht
  • Patent number: 8504870
    Abstract: A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for restoring data. In some embodiments, this includes determining an object to be recovered, determining a representation of the object, and requesting the representation of the object from a data resource system. In some embodiments, the representation of the object is a hash value of the object. In some embodiments, the representation of the object is a segment of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Michael John Dutch, Christopher Hercules Claudatos, Mandavilli Navneeth Rao
  • Patent number: 8504896
    Abstract: A method of operating a nonvolatile memory device including a memory cell array having first and second main cells for storing external input data, first spare cells for storing data for error correction code (ECC) processing on the data stored in the first and second main cells and second spare cells for storing data for ECC processing on the data stored in the first and second main cells which involves reading the data stored in the first spare cells, reading the data stored in the second main cells and the data stored in the second spare cells, and performing the ECC processing on the data read from the second main cells using the data read from the first spare cells and the data read from the second spare cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Sang Kyu Lee, Seung Jae Chung
  • Patent number: 8504847
    Abstract: A data element can be encoded into multiple encoded data elements using an encoding algorithm that includes an encoding function and one or more encoder constant. The encoded data elements can be organized into multiple pillars, each having a respective pillar number. Each of the pillars is sent to a different storage unit of a distributed storage network. To recover the original data element, the encoded data elements are retrieved from storage, and the encoder constant is recovered using multiple encoded data elements. Recovering the encoder constant allows the encoding algorithm originally used to encode the data elements to be determined, and used to recover the original data element. The security of the stored data is enhanced, because an encoded data element from a single pillar is insufficient to identify the encoder constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Cleversafe, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason K. Resch, Wesley Leggette
  • Patent number: 8499199
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for testing devices that will be connected to a computer storage media device by generating a complex test waveform that emulates operation of the computer storage media device using at least one Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and applying the generated complex test waveform to the device(s) being tested. The complex test waveform may be generated by calculating a plurality of discrete individual portions of the complex test waveform in parallel, in real-time, and continuously using the parallel processing features of the GPU(s). The discrete individual portions of the complex test waveform may be representative of various characteristics of the emulated computer storage media device operation such as operational characteristics of the computer storage media device, environmental effects on the computer storage media device, application of filters to the computer storage media device signal, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventors: Joshua Alan Johnson, Robert W. Warren, Jr., Kyle L. Nelson
  • Patent number: 8499192
    Abstract: A method for writing and reading data in memory cells, comprising, when writing a data in a block of a first memory zone, a step consisting of writing in a second memory zone a temporary information structure metadata comprising a start flag, an identifier of the temporary information structure, an information about the location of the block in the first memory zone, and a final flag, and, after a power on of the first memory zone, searching for an anomaly in temporary information structures present in the second memory zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: Hubert Rousseau
  • Patent number: 8499190
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a backup method for a portable device to back up a first data to a backup server. The backup method includes steps of determining whether the backup server can be accessed; when the backup server can be accessed, establishing a first data transmission path that the first data would be backed up to the backup server via a third party, a second data transmission path that the first data would be backed up to the backup server via a router, and a third data transmission path that the first data would directly backed up to the backup server; selecting one data transmission path among the first, second and third data transmission paths; and backing up the first data via the selected data transmission path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: I/O Interconnect Inc.
    Inventor: Gary Kung
  • Patent number: 8499217
    Abstract: Memory devices and/or error control codes (ECC) decoding methods may be provided. A memory device may include a memory cell array, and a decoder to perform hard decision decoding of first data read from the memory cell array by a first read scheme, and to generate output data and error information of the output data. The memory device may also include and a control unit to determine an error rate of the output data based on the error information, and to determine whether to transmit an additional read command for soft decision decoding to the memory cell array based on the error rate. An ECC decoding time may be reduced through such a memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung-Hwan Song, Jun Jin Kong, Jae Hong Kim, Kyoung Lae Cho, Sung Chung Park
  • Publication number: 20130191682
    Abstract: A computer implemented method for providing homogeneous recovery in a redundant memory system. The method includes receiving a notification that a memory channel has failed, where the memory channel is one of a plurality of memory channels in a memory system. New operations are blocked from starting on the memory channels in response to the notification, and any pending operations on the memory channels are completed in response to the notification. A recovery operation is performed on the memory channels in response to the completing. The new operations are started on at least a first subset of the memory channels in response to the recovery operation completing. The memory system is configured to operate with the first subset of the memory channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: International Business Machines Corporation
  • Patent number: 8495432
    Abstract: Described are embodiments of an invention for blocking write access to memory modules of a solid state drive. The solid state drive includes a controller access module or a memory access module that controls write access to the solid state drive and the memory modules of the solid state drive. Upon determining that a memory module has failed, the failed memory module or the entire solid state memory device is configured to be read only to prevent an errant write of data over critical data. Further, a failed memory module, or solid state device memory having a failed memory module, may be replaced upon failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Louie Arthur Dickens, Timothy A. Johnson, Craig Anthony Klein, Gregg Steven Lucas, Daniel James Winarski
  • Patent number: 8495436
    Abstract: An electronic circuit includes first and second circuits that include corresponding built-in-self-test (BIST) engines to perform memory testing operations on corresponding first and second memory block and generate first and second memory repair data. A multiplexer receives the first and second memory repair data and selectively transmits the first memory repair data during a first test cycle and the second memory repair data during a second test cycle. A shadow register buffers the first memory repair data during the first test cycle and a fuse processor sequentially receives and stores the first and second memory repair data during the second test cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Deepak Agrawal, Rachna Lalwani
  • Patent number: 8495284
    Abstract: Described herein are method and apparatus for performing wear leveling of erase-units of an LLRRM device that considers all active erase-units. Wear counts of all active erase-units (containing client data) and free erase-units (not containing client data) are tracked. Wear counts are used to determine low-wear active erase-units having relatively low wear counts and high-wear free erase-units having relatively high wear counts. In some embodiments, data contents of low-wear active erase-units are transferred to high-wear free erase-units, whereby the low-wear active erase-units are converted to free erase-units and may later store different client data which may increase the current rate of wear for the erase-unit. The high-wear free erase-units are converted to active erase-units that store client data that is infrequently erased/written, which may reduce the current rate of wear for the erase-unit. As such, wear is spread more evenly among erase-units of the LLRRM device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Rahul N. Iyer, Garth R. Goodson
  • Patent number: 8495416
    Abstract: A system comprising an interface, a plurality of storage arrays, a data processing module, and a switch module. The interface receives data blocks from a host via a network. The data processing module connected between the interface and the plurality of storage arrays, wherein the data processing module is configured to (i) determine which ones of the data blocks each of a plurality of target processing modules of the storage arrays is to perform error checking and correcting processing, and (ii) transfer each of the data blocks from the interface to a respectively assigned one of the plurality of target processing modules. The switch module provides communication paths between the data processing module and the plurality of storage arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Marvell World Trade Ltd.
    Inventor: Pantas Sutardja
  • Patent number: 8495415
    Abstract: A method and system for maintaining backup copies of firmware. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention provide a method that includes monitoring an execution of at least one firmware component, and causing a backup copy of the at least one firmware component to be generated if the at least one firmware component executes at a predefined standard of reliability for a predefined time period. According to the system and method disclosed herein, trustworthy backup copies are available if a given server of a multiserver system fails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tyky Aichelen, Maria A. Rizk, Deepa Srinivasan, Ileana Vila
  • Patent number: 8489917
    Abstract: Storage arrangements including copy information holding correspondence of copy pairs formed from first and second and from first and third logical volumes, as copy groups concerned with a sequence of write data in the computer; and path remote copy relevant information indicating, for each copy group, correspondence of: logical paths; physical paths including the first, second and third storage ports; and take-over path information concerning a relevant path between the second and third logical volumes, needed for the take-over copy pair to take-over the remote copying when failure occurs in the first storage system, and wherein when the management system receives failure information designating a certain path indicated within the take-over path information, a management system determines and displays, by referring to the path remote copy relevant information, copy groups affected by the failure of the certain path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Maki, Hiroshi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8489829
    Abstract: Various embodiments for reducing communication between cluster nodes and optimizing failover processing in a distributed shared memory (DSM)-based application by at least one processor device are provided. In one embodiment, for a data structure operable on a DSM, a read-mostly portion is maintained in a single copy sharable between the cluster nodes while an updatable portion is maintained in multiple copies, each of the multiple copies dedicated to a single cluster node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lior Aronovich, Asaf Levy, Liran Loya
  • Patent number: 8489940
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for managing exchange IDs for multiple asynchronous dependent I/O operations generated for virtual Fibre Channel (FC) target volumes. Features and aspects hereof allocate a range of exchange identifier (X_ID) values used in issuing a plurality of physical I/O operations to a plurality of physical FC target devices that comprise the virtual FC target volume. The plurality of physical I/O operations are dependent upon one another for completion of the original request to the virtual FC target volume and allow substantially parallel operation of the plurality of physical FC target devices. A primary X_ID is selected from the range of allocated X_ID values for communications with the attached host system that generated the original request to the virtual FC target volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Howard Young, Srinivasa Nagaraja Rao
  • Patent number: 8489915
    Abstract: A storage integrity system in a dispersed storage network scans an address range of data slices to identify errors in one of a plurality of encoded data slices, wherein the plurality of encoded data slices are generated from a data segment using an error encoding dispersal function. When the storage integrity system detects an error, it identifies one of the encoded data slices for rebuilding. The identified data slice is rebuilt in response to the type of error. For example, when the type of the error includes a temporary error, the storage integrity system waits a predetermined time period to determine whether the error still exists prior to rebuilding the identified data slice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Cleversafe, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Dhuse, Andrew Baptist, Zachary J. Mark, Jason K. Resch, Ilya Volvovski
  • Patent number: 8489932
    Abstract: There is provided a server system that collects memory information at the time of occurrence of a failure if a failure occurs in the operating system so as to enable failure analysis. Stall monitoring of a firmware is performed by hardware and, if a stall is detected, a reset is performed. A memory has a memory area used by a boot loader of the firmware and a memory area used by another part of the firmware. It is determined based on a reset factor retained in a device whether the reset is a normal reset or a reset associated with the stall detection. In the case where the reset is a reset associated with the stall detection, information of the memory area of the memory used by the another part of the firmware at the time of occurrence of the stall is collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Yutaka Hirata
  • Patent number: 8484505
    Abstract: A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for restoring data. In some embodiments, this includes receiving a request from a requestor to recover an object, determining segments of the object, identifying any segments of the object residing in the requestor, and processing the recovery request based on the identified segments residing in the requestor. In some embodiments, segments of the object includes hash values of the object. In some embodiments, processing the recovery request based on the determined segments includes using the identified segments residing in the requestor to reconstitute the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Michael John Dutch, Christopher Hercules Claudatos, Mandavilli Navneeth Rao
  • Patent number: 8479078
    Abstract: A distributed storage network generates a plurality of data segments from a data object and stores each of the plurality of data segments as a plurality of encoded data slices generated from an error encoding dispersal function. When the distributed storage network receives a modification request for the data object, it determines a size of the plurality of data segments of the data object from a segment size field and identifies one of the plurality of data segments requiring modification. The identified data segment is reconstructed from the plurality of encoded data slices and modified in accordance with the modification request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Cleversafe, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason K. Resch, Bart Cilfone
  • Patent number: 8478720
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a file repair method for recovering a file, in a system for distributing content to more than one receiver, comprising, at a first receiver, the steps of receiving a set of files in a push multicast from a transmitter, receiving an identifier of a second receiver that owns a missing file that is not comprised in the received set of file; and recovering the missing file from the second receiver in a pull mode using a peer-to-peer mechanism. Another object of the invention is a method for file recovery in a server and in a peer device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Eric Gautier, RĂ©mi Houdaille, Willem Lubbers
  • Patent number: 8479054
    Abstract: A method and apparatus that creates situations in which insufficient memory is available to store a file created by a computer game device on an SD memory card, or exactly enough memory is available to store a file or sufficient memory is available to store a file. Depending upon the memory condition that is created, software that is being tested behaves in a particular manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Nintendo of America Inc.
    Inventors: Sayaka Sogabe Fourcade, Michael Carl Leslie, Randy Lee Shoemake, Brian Robert Silvola, Alexander Abram Youells