International Business Machines Corporation

Juan A Coronado

Beth Ann Peterson

Lisa R Martinez

Brian Dow Clark

Christina Ann Lara

Roger Gregory Hathorn

Sara Megan Coronado

Jennifer Shinobu Shioya

Bret Wayne Holley

Dinh Hai Le

Richard Anthony Ripberger

Clarisa Valencia

Daniel J Perkin

Aaron Eugene Taylor

Matthew J Kalos

Clint Alan Hardy

Warren Keith Stanley

Lawrence Carter Blount

Yong Guo

Jie Tian

Jayson Elliott Tsingine

Todd M Tosseth

Xavier Edgar Somoza

Michael T Benhase

Raul Eduardo Saba

Ezequiel Cervantes

James Chien-Chiung Chen

Lee Charles LaFrese

Donald M Nordahl

Helena Cornelia Burton

Edgar Xavier Somoza

Phu Nguyen

Justin David Suess

Adelaide Margaret Richards

Marlyn Quinones

Jack Neil Licano, Jr

Harry M Yudenfriend

Dale Francis Riedy, Jr

James E Olson

Mark Sean Fleming

Christopher Daniel Filachek

Brian Sean McCain

David P Goodman

Veronica S Davila

Kenneth M Trowell

Eric Steven Shell

Robert J McNamara

Russell Bernard Krueger

Minghao M Chu

Marilyn Quinones

David W Sharik

Richard Cunningham

Adote A Tounou

Miguel A Duanas

Paul W Garcia

A computer-implemented method for preemptively migrating a failing extent includes receiving information of one or more failure conditions associated with an extent stored in a first storage portion of a first storage tier; predicting a failure of the extent based on the information; and selecting a second storage portion located in one of a plurality of storage tiers. The method also includes migrating the extent to the selected second storage portion. The selected second storage portion to which the extent is migrated is located in a lower storage tier. The lower storage tier includes less expensive and/or slower-to-access storage media than the first storage tier.

Preemptive relocation of failing data

In one embodiment of file integrity preservation in accordance with the present description, a file is subdivided into a plurality of subfiles, and a write update originally targeted for a portion of that file contained within one of the subfiles, is instead directed to a temporary copy subfile. As a consequence, the temporary copy subfile which is updated with the write data, may be scanned for viruses or other malware separately from the original file and its corresponding original subfile. If the temporary copy subfile passes the scanning test, the originally targeted file may be updated with the updated contents of the clean temporary copy subfile. Conversely, in the event that the write update introduced malicious software to the temporary copy subfile, the original file and its corresponding original subfile remain uncontaminated by the write update. Other aspects are also described.

File integrity preservation

Embodiments of the present disclosure may relate to methods and a computer program product for allowing writes based on a granularity level. The method for a storage server may include receiving a received granularity level for a particular volume of a storage device of a client computer including an effective duration for the received granularity level. The method may include receiving an anticipated write to the particular volume at an anticipated write granularity level. The method may include verifying whether the anticipated write granularity level substantially matches the received granularity level at the effective duration. The method may also include writing, in response to the anticipated write granularity level substantially matching the received granularity level at the effective duration, the anticipated write to the particular volume for the received granularity level.

Queuing read requests based on write requests

Data access to a storage tier on a client in a multi-tiered storage system

According to one embodiment, a method for preemptively migrating a failing extent includes receiving information of one or more failure conditions associated with an extent stored in a first storage portion of a first storage tier; predicting a failure of the extent based on the information; selecting a second storage portion located in one of a plurality of storage tiers; and migrating the extent to the selected second storage portion.

An apparatus, system, and method for generating an advanced function usage planning report. One embodiment of the apparatus includes a detection module, a monitoring module, and a planning report module. The detection module detects use of an advanced function on a storage controller. The advanced function includes an optional storage function beyond a standard function set. The monitoring module monitors the use of the advanced function on the storage controller. The planning report module generates a planning report based at least in part on use information from the monitored use of the advanced function.

Generating an advanced function usage planning report

A primary storage controller determines that a quarantined area of the primary storage controller cannot be repaired, wherein the quarantined area is infected with a virus. A query is sent to a secondary storage controller to determine whether the secondary storage controller has data that is free of virus in an area of the secondary storage controller corresponding to the quarantined area of the primary storage controller. In response to receiving a notification that the secondary storage controller has data that is free of virus, the primary storage controller is repaired to remove the virus.

Recovery of an infected and quarantined file in a primary storage controller from a secondary storage controller

A method for upgrading microcode in a multi-module storage system may include selecting a first module from two or more modules and operating the first module using an upgraded microcode. The method may include monitoring the performance of the first module by a second module of the two or more modules and rendering an indication of performance of the first module. Further, the method may include determining whether the indication of performance of the first module is greater than or equal to a performance metric.

Microcode upgrade in a storage system

For advanced function usage-based billing, a processor detects the storage controller associating a microcode version for a given advanced function of one or more advanced functions with a logical volume. A given customer is associated with the logical volume. In response to detecting the storage controller associating the microcode version for the given advanced function with the logical volume, the processor monitors for use of a memory address of the microcode version and a logical volume address of the logical volume. The processor further detects an associated use of the memory address of the microcode version and the logical volume address of the logical volume. In response to detecting the associated use, the processor communicates the given advanced function and the given customer to a billing entity.

Advanced function usage detection

A main data storage system has a main computer-implemented storage control and data storage, and a user interface, the main storage control in communication with a local computer-implemented storage control of a local data storage system with local data storage. In response to a request to increase data storage from the user interface, the main storage control determines whether the main data storage is out of space. If so, the main storage control sends a command to the local storage control to create data space in local data storage. The local storage control creates the data space and associates the data space with the main storage control; and, in response to a command from the user interface to rebalance data storage, the local storage control sends the command to the main storage control to search for storage space sufficient for the data space in the main storage.

Obtaining additional data storage from another data storage system

A method to reduce delays associated with restoring quarantined files is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes maintaining, for a file, a 'current' pointer pointing to a current copy of the file and a 'backup' pointer pointing to a virus-free backup copy of the file. The method receives an I/O request (a read or write request) to access the file. In response to receiving the I/O request, the method scans the current copy of the file for viruses. In the event a virus is discovered in the current copy, the method modifies the &#x201c;current&#x201d; pointer to point to the backup copy. This causes the backup copy to become the new current copy. The method then executes the I/O request with respect to the new current copy. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed and claimed herein.

Reducing delays associated with restoring quarantined files

Systems, methods, and computer program products for providing operating system (O/S) redundancy in a computing system are provided. One system includes a host computing device, a plurality of memory devices, and a sub-loader coupled between the host computing device and the plurality of memory devices. Each memory device stores a respective O/S and the sub-loader is configured such that the plurality of memory devices appear transparent to the host computing device. One method includes designating, a first logical unit device as a primary logical unit device and subsequently determining that the first logical unit device is unresponsive. The designation is removed from the first logical unit device and a second logical unit device is designated as a new primary logical unit device. One computer program product includes instructions for performing the above method.

Pool of devices providing operating system redundancy

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Juan A Coronado