Powerquest Corporation

Symantec Corporation

Russell J Marsh

Robert S Raymond

Niel Orcutt

Eric J Ruff

Troy Millett

Roland Whatcott

Paul E Madden

Golden E Murray

David I Marsh

Damon Janis

J Scot Llewelyn

Mechanisms for enforcing permissions on stored data. Prior to storing the data, a data structure containing the data is accessed, and then modified to include a license that represents permission(s) for how the data should be used when the data structure is later accessed. The modified data structure is then stored, after perhaps some optional transformation. When the data structure is later accessed, the license is acquired from the data structure. The license is then used to determine whether or not to honor specific requests to use the data. This determination may be made based on license validation instructions executed from a removable media. Furthermore, the license may be the exclusive determining factor for the license validation instructions in determining whether or not to honor specific requests.

Intra-data license for using data

The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE&bsol;SYSTEM&bsol;DISK&bsol;Information Windows NT registry key contains disk layout information, such as disk letter assignments. During repartitioning of a hard drive, this key needs to be modified to reflect the new partitions. In order to accomplish this, while in Win32 mode, the modified disk layout information is stored in a temporary registry key. Then, while in Windows NT boot mode, direct reads and writes are performed on the registry files (e.g., &ldquo;system&rdquo; and &ldquo;system.alt&rdquo;) that contain the &ldquo;Information&rdquo; registry key and the temporary registry key to replace the &ldquo;Information&rdquo; registry key with the temporary registry key.

Providing disk layout information to an operating system for booting after disk repartitioning

A Windows NT partitioning program partitions a storage device in Windows NT boot mode (i.e., after the Windows NT kernel loads device drivers and before the Session Manager loads the Windows NT user interface). In this mode, the partitioning program is capable of corrupting its own backing store&mdash;a Windows NT executable file stored on the storage device&mdash;through the partitioning process. Such corruption would generally lead to execution errors in the partitioning program when code or data from the corrupted executable file is paged into the program's in-memory executable image. To avoid such errors, the working set allocated to the executable image is expanded to accommodate all the pageable Windows NT program sections in the executable file. Each pageable program section is then locked into the executable image. As a result, the entire partitioning program is resident in the executable image, so no paging is necessary from the corrupted executable file into the executable image, and any possible execution errors resulting from the corruption of the executable file are avoided.

Device and method for releasing an in-memory executable image from its dependence on a backing store

The present invention provides tools and techniques for manipulating virtual partitions in a virtual engine environment without necessarily committing each partition manipulation by actually modifying on-disk system structures. A virtual engine, virtual partitions, virtual drives, and other structures in the virtual engine environment permit users to experiment with different partition manipulations in a safe and efficient manner. A batch manager manages a resulting list of partition manipulation operations, which may be optimized. The batch list may also be executed automatically by a conventional partition manipulation engine without requiring additional user input at the end of each list entry. The present invention also provides the ability to manipulate extended partitions automatically and provides support for remote partition manipulation through a two-part user interface architecture.

Manipulation of virtual and live computer storage device partitions

Methods and systems are provided for copying, moving, and resizing disk partitions that contain advanced file systems. Unlike the conventional approach that relies on FDISK and FORMAT, the invention does not destroy user data by wiping the partition clean after data is copied to tape or other intermediate storage. Advanced file system features, including features such as relocatable file system structures, volume sets, suballocation, and database paradigm structures not found in many FAT file systems, are handled by the invention during 'in place' partition manipulation.

Manipulation of partitions holding advanced file systems

Methods and systems are provided for implementing partition manipulation tools. One embodiment of a partition manipulation computer system implements an architecture that supports multiple file systems on a computer. The computer system includes a data replicator for replicating data from a selected partition to a modified partition in a partitionable storage medium. The data replicator has an initialization interface for interfacing to initialization modules in a format that is substantially independent of each file system used on the computer system. The initialization modules, which may be specific to one or more file systems, generate sector identifications. A verification interface and a completion interface are also provided, for interfacing with file-system-specific verification and completion modules.

Growing community of inventors

Lindon, UT, United States of America

Russell J Marsh