DATA PROTECTION IN A DATA STORAGE SYSTEM
Granted: November 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110282842
Systems and methods herein provide for protecting data using snapshots and images of those snapshots to quickly recreate data upon request. For example, a storage controller of a data storage system allocates a period of time between creating snapshots of data in a first storage volume of the data storage system. The controller then logs received write requests to the first storage volume and generates snapshot of data in the first storage volume based on the allocated period of time.…
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DYNAMIC STORAGE TIERING USING ALLOCATE-ON-WRITE SNAPSHOTS
Granted: November 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110283075
A method for dynamic storage tiering may comprise: detecting a storage hot-spot located in a first storage pool; and creating a first point-in-time copy of a virtual volume including the storage hot-spot located in the first storage pool in a second storage pool according to the detecting. A system for dynamic storage tiering may comprise: means for detecting a storage hot-spot located in a first storage pool; and means for creating a first point-in-time copy of a virtual volume…
ELECTRICALLY PROGRAMMABLE FUSE CONTROLLER FOR INTEGRATED CIRCUIT IDENTIFICATION, METHOD OF OPERATION THEREOF AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT INCORPORATING THE SAME
Granted: November 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110279171
An electrically programmable fuse controller, a method of controlling a drive voltage of an integrated circuit (IC) and an IC incorporating the controller or the method. In one embodiment, the controller includes a VID eFuse controller configured to receive and write a voltage identifier to an associated eFuse and thereafter allow the voltage identifier to be read from the eFuse and employed to set a drive voltage of an integrated circuit associated with the VID eFuse controller.
WINDOWING TECHNIQUE FOR ADAPTIVE CLOCK RECOVERY AND OTHER SIGNAL-PROCESSING APPLICATIONS
Granted: November 3, 2011
Application Number:
20110267946
In one embodiment, an adaptive clock recovery (ACR) system generates a current delay-offset estimate value (DOE(i)) using a window technique that selects the larger of (i) the maximum delay-offset value (DOP) in the previous window and (ii) the maximum delay-offset value so far (DOM) in current window. This windowing technique can be implemented without having to store all of the individual values over a specified window size, as in a conventional sliding window technique. This windowing…
ELECTRONIC DEVICE PACKAGE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE
Granted: October 27, 2011
Application Number:
20110260324
A method of manufacturing an electronic device package. Coating a first side of a metallic layer with a first insulating layer and coating a second opposite side of the metallic layer with a second insulating layer. Patterning the first insulating layer to expose bonding locations on the first side of the metallic layer, and patterning the second insulating layer such that remaining portions of the second insulating layer on the second opposite side are located directly opposite to the…
Time Synchronization Using Packet-Layer and Physical-Layer Protocols
Granted: October 27, 2011
Application Number:
20110261917
In certain embodiments, a slave node in a packet network achieves time synchronization with a master node by implementing a packet-layer synchronization procedure, such as the IEEE1588 precision timing protocol (PTP), to set the slave's local time based on the master's time. The slave's local time is then maintained by implementing a physical-layer syntonization procedure, such as synchronous Ethernet, without relying on the packet-layer synchronization procedure. The packet-layer…
ERROR-CORRECTION DECODER EMPLOYING EXTRINSIC MESSAGE AVERAGING
Granted: October 27, 2011
Application Number:
20110264979
In one embodiment, an LDPC decoder has a controller and an extrinsic log-likelihood (LLR) value generator. The extrinsic LLR value generator is selectively configurable to operate in either (i) a non-averaging mode that updates extrinsic LLR values without averaging or (ii) an averaging mode that updates extrinsic LLR values using averaging. Initially, the extrinsic LLR value generator is configured to generate non-averaged extrinsic LLR values, and the decoder attempts to recover an…
SIGNAL DELAY SKEW REDUCTION SYSTEM
Granted: October 20, 2011
Application Number:
20110258587
A system and method are provided for reducing the signal delay skew is disclosed, according to a variety of embodiments. One illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a method. According to one illustrative embodiment, the method includes receiving an initial netlist having components and connection paths among the components; identifying a first connection path in the initial netlist that comprises path fragments for which there are no equivalent path fragments in…
METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING ASYNCHRONOUS DEPENDENT I/O FOR A VIRTUAL FIBRE CHANNEL TARGET
Granted: October 20, 2011
Application Number:
20110258480
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…
METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CUT-THROUGH CACHE MANAGEMENT FOR A MIRRORED VIRTUAL VOLUME OF A VIRTUALIZED STORAGE SYSTEM
Granted: October 20, 2011
Application Number:
20110258376
Methods and apparatus for cut-through cache memory management in write command processing on a mirrored virtual volume of a virtualized storage system, the virtual volume comprising a plurality of physical storage devices coupled with the storage system. Features and aspects hereof within the storage system provide for receipt of a write command and associated write data from an attached host. Using a cut-through cache technique, the write data is stored in a cache memory and transmitted…
MULTIPLE-MODE CRYPTOGRAPHIC MODULE USABLE WITH MEMORY CONTROLLERS
Granted: October 20, 2011
Application Number:
20110255689
In one embodiment, a multi-mode Advanced Encryption Standard (MM-AES) module for a storage controller is adapted to perform interleaved processing of multiple data streams, i.e., concurrently encrypt and/or decrypt string-data blocks from multiple data streams using, for each data stream, a corresponding cipher mode that is any one of a plurality of AES cipher modes. The MM-AES module receives a string-data block with (a) a corresponding key identifier that identifies the corresponding…
FLY-HEIGHT CONTROL USING ASYNCHRONOUS SAMPLING
Granted: October 13, 2011
Application Number:
20110249361
In one embodiment, a hard-disk drive system performs fly-height control using a read-back mode and a loop-back mode. The read-back mode measures first and second harmonics pre-recorded on the medium and divides the first measurement by the second to obtain a read-back mode harmonic ratio. The loop-back mode measures the same first and second harmonics; however, the harmonics are provided by a write precompensation circuit rather than the medium. Further, the loop-back mode measurements…
METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTING MULTI-ARRAY CONSISTENCY GROUPS USING A WRITE QUEUING MECHANISM
Granted: October 6, 2011
Application Number:
20110246423
A method for implementing multi-array consistency groups includes applying a write Input/Output (I/O) queue interval to a Logical Unit (LU) member of a consistency group (CG). The method also includes marking each write I/O with a timestamp and suspending I/O from the participating storage array to the LU member of the CG upon the participating storage array receiving a snapshot request from a master storage array. The method further includes determining whether the snapshot request…
DETECTION OF HARD-DISC DEFECT REGIONS USING SOFT DECISIONS
Granted: September 29, 2011
Application Number:
20110235204
In a hard-disc drive, a defect region on the hard disc is detected by generating two statistical measures (e.g., ?1(k) and ?2(k)) based on signal values (e.g., x[n] or y[n]) and soft-decision values (e.g., L[n]) corresponding to the signal values. The measures are compared to detect the location of the defect region of the hard drive. Using the soft-decision values reduces fluctuations in a ratio of the statistical measures compared to a ratio formed from statistical measures that are…
AMPLITUDE-BASED APPROACH FOR DETECTION AND CLASSIFICATION OF HARD-DISC DEFECT REGIONS
Granted: September 29, 2011
Application Number:
20110235490
In a hard-disc drive, a defect region on the hard disc is classified as corresponding to either thermal asperity (TA) or media defect (MD) by generating two statistical measures. A first measure (e.g., ?1) is based on (i) the magnitudes of one or both of signal values (e.g., equalizer input or output signal values) and the corresponding expected values of those signal values and (ii) the signs of one or both of the signal values and the expected signal values. A second measure (e.g., ?2)…
EFFICIENT MIRRORING OF DATA ACROSS STORAGE CONTROLLERS
Granted: September 29, 2011
Application Number:
20110238938
A method includes multicasting an Input/Output (I/O) data associated with a host computing device through a multicast device associated with a storage controller coupled to another storage controller in a redundant configuration, and minoring, through the multicasting, the I/O data across the storage controller and the another storage controller through a bus utilized to couple the storage controller and the another storage controller. The method also includes transmitting an early write…
Staged Scenario Generation
Granted: September 29, 2011
Application Number:
20110239171
A method of verifying integrated circuit designs, by constructing a series of atomic generators in a staged, hierarchical order, applying a lowest of the hierarchical generator stages to device level test cases of the verification process, applying a highest of the hierarchical generator stages to system level test cases of the verification process, reusing code written for and used in the lowest hierarchical generator stage in a next higher generator stage, creating a constraint…
SAS DOMAIN MANAGEMENT AND SSP DATA HANDLING OVER ETHERNET
Granted: September 22, 2011
Application Number:
20110231571
A server application is executed on an active device within the SAS domain, the active device connected to a remote client via an Ethernet connection. At least one command is received from the remote client via the Ethernet connection. An Ethernet frame of the at least one command is converted to at least one SAS frame. The at least one SAS frame is routed via a SAS data path to a SAS target device connected to the active device, the SAS target device corresponding to a field of the…
CRYPTOGRAPHIC PROCESSING USING A PROCESSOR
Granted: September 22, 2011
Application Number:
20110231673
In one embodiment, a cryptography processor compatible with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) for encrypting and decrypting has a memory storing each element of an AES State, normally 8-bit long, in a corresponding memory space that is at least 9 bits long. Using the larger memory spaces, the processor performs modified AES transformations on the State. A modified column-mixing transformation uses bit-shifting and XOR operations, thereby avoiding some multiplications and modulo…
HASH PROCESSING IN A NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS PROCESSOR ARCHITECTURE
Granted: September 15, 2011
Application Number:
20110225168
Described embodiments provide coherent processing of hash operations of a network processor having a plurality of processing modules. A hash processor of the network processor receives hash operation requests from the plurality of processing modules. A hash table identifier and bucket index corresponding to the received hash operation request are determined. An active index list is maintained for active hash operations for each hash table identifier and bucket index. If the hash table…
