Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Seagate Technology Incorporated

International Business Machines Corporation

Robert S Gittins

Dale R Passmore

Steven T Senator

Robert Charles Swindler, Jr

Ivan Matthew Milman

George Robert Blakley, Iii

Michael D Walker

Robert Lester

John H Wilson

John R Corbin

Douglas B Scheer

L Brooks Hickerson

A plurality of data storage devices are arranged to form a multi-device array space, and a controller controls access to the array space. The controller is configured to index sets of operational performance data from the plurality of data storage devices into a unified data log. The controller further detects a failure trend of one or more data storage devices by analyzing at least one of a vertical block of data and a horizontal block of data in the unified data log. The vertical data block of data is associated with one of the data storage devices at a plurality of indices. The horizontal block of data is associated with a plurality of the data storage devices at an index.

Failure trend detection and correction in a data storage array

Method and apparatus for logging and analyzing event flows associated with execution of a service request in a software system, such as a computer-based system comprising a multi-disc data storage array. Execution of the service request results in a plurality of events carried out by multiple layers of the software system. A global event log accumulates a corresponding plurality of entries which associates each of the events carried out by the multiple layers. An event trace facility preferably accesses the global event log to provide a sequence of the entries corresponding to the service request, such as in a tree structure or time sequence order displayed by a graphical user interface. A log manager preferably controls operation of the global event log. Entries in the global event log are preferably entered sequentially for each ongoing process, and each entry preferably includes an identifier that identifies the associated service request.

Event logging and analysis in a software system

An apparatus and associated method is provided comprising a software system resident in a memory space configured to execute a service request which results in a plurality of events carried out by the software system to complete the service request, and creates a plurality of entries associated with the events, wherein each entry defines an operational state of the software system.

Real time event logging and analysis in a software system

A method and apparatus for storing associated data in a computing system having two or more storage devices arranged in a RAID configuration. The storage devices have a prewrite area for pre-storage of the data, and data region for persistent storage of the data. A scoreboard memory structure is created for monitoring the state of the prewrite area, and data in the prewrite area is conditionally invalidated based upon the information contained in the scoreboard memory structure. By conditionally invalidating the prewrite data, the write performance of the RAID storage system is improved.

Method and apparatus for maintaining data consistency in raid

A system, method and computer program product comprising a storage manager independent configuration interface translator which requests an opaque listing of the available storage devices from an associated metadisk driver and determines a subset of the listing meeting a preselected search criteria. The resultant opaque listing is then converted to a non-opaque format listing for presentation to a user of the computer system in a desired format such as through a command line or graphical user interface. A notification mechanism is also provided that presents information about storage devices which have in some way changed while in use.

Storage manager independent configuration interface translator and method

In a computing system having a plurality of storage devices, notification of an application program of a change of state in a storage device so that corrective action can be taken. A notification module creates and maintains an event queue for storing events corresponding to changes in the state of the storage devices. The notification module indicates to the application programs that events are in the queue. The queue conditions are monitored by the notification for queue maintenance.

Event notification in a computing system having a plurality of storage

A metadisk driver functionally intermediate a computer operating system and one or more metadrivers and underlying layered drivers provides a driver rename/exchange function which does not depend on any particular driver having knowledge of the private data structures of any of the other drivers. The rename/exchange technique implemented thereby may be conducted while the underlying devices are on-line and comprise atomic operations which are, therefore, recoverable inasmuch as the operation will have either been completed or will not be committed in the event of any interruption.

Metadevice driver rename/exchange technique for a computer system

In a computing system utilizing redundant storage devices arranged in the RAID disk array, data is stored in the computing system using a memory cache created from system memory and the disk array. A checkpoint module detects a fault in the computing system and generates a fault indication, and a cache manager writes data and parity to the memory cache in a first mode, and writes data and parity to the storage device in a second mode. In response to the fault indication, the checkpoint module copies the data contained in the cache to the disk array, and switches the cache manager from the first mode to the second mode.

Host-based RAID-5 and NV-RAM integration

An improvement relating to the security of an operating system for either a stand alone computer system or for a networked computer system. The operating system provides improved security for programs available on the computer system having different security protocols. The operating system unifies these security protocols for each user based on unique user credentials. The system operates, upon request to start a program procedure by the user, to authenticate the identity of the user based on information unique to that user. Following which, the system generates a user handle associated with the user. The system then notifies each of the security protocols of the user handle associated with the user. The system then generates new user credentials for each of the security protocols. These user credentials are associated with the user handle and then the user handle is mapped to the unique user's credentials for each program procedure. Once this is accomplished, the system invokes an alternate process and tags the process with the user handle. Once a request from the alternate process for access to an object accessed through the server is requested, the system then grants access to the object based on the new user credentials associated with the user handle. The new user credentials are typically based on an association of the user identifier, the user handle, and the unique user credentials from before.

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Woodland Park, CO, United States of America

Robert S Gittins