An adaptive interface for a programmable system, for predicting a desired user function, based on user history, as well as machine internal status and context. The apparatus receives an input from the user and other data. A predicted input is presented for confirmation by the user, and the predictive mechanism is updated based on this feedback. Also provided is a pattern recognition system for a multimedia device, wherein a user input is matched to a video stream on a conceptual basis, allowing inexact programming of a multimedia device. The system analyzes a data stream for correspondence with a data pattern for processing and storage. The data stream is subjected to adaptive pattern recognition to extract features of interest to provide a highly compressed representation that may be efficiently processed to determine correspondence. Applications of the interface and system include a video cassette recorder (VCR), medical device, vehicle control system, audio device, environmental control system, securities trading terminal, and smart house. The system optionally includes an actuator for effecting the environment of operation, allowing closed-loop feedback operation and automated learning.

Adaptive pattern recognition based control system and method

Systems and methods for data classification to facilitate and improve data management within an enterprise are described. The disclosed systems and methods evaluate and define data management operations based on data characteristics rather than data location, among other things. Also provided are methods for generating a data structure of metadata that describes system data and storage operations. This data structure may be consulted to determine changes in system data rather than scanning the data files themselves.

Systems and methods for classifying and transferring information in a storage network

An intelligent network interface card (INIC) or communication processing device (CPD) works with a host computer for data communication. The device provides a fast-path that avoids protocol processing for most messages, greatly accelerating data transfer and offloading time-intensive processing tasks from the host CPU. The host retains a fallback processing capability for messages that do not fit fast-path criteria, with the device providing assistance such as validation even for slow-path messages, and messages being selected for either fast-path or slow-path processing. A context for a connection is defined that allows the device to move data, free of headers, directly to or from a destination or source in the host. The context can be passed back to the host for message processing by the host. The device contains specialized hardware circuits that are much faster at their specific tasks than a general purpose CPU. A preferred embodiment includes a trio of pipelined processors devoted to transmit, receive and utility processing, providing full duplex communication for four Fast Ethernet nodes.

TCP/IP offload network interface device

A system for protocol processing in a computer network has an intelligent network interface card (INIC) or communication processing device (CPD) associated with a host computer. The INIC provides a fast-path that avoids protocol processing for most large multi-packet messages, greatly accelerating data communication. The INIC also assists the host for those message packets that are chosen for processing by host software layers. A communication control block for a message is defined that allows DMA controllers of the INIC to move data, free of headers, directly to or from a destination or source in the host. The context is stored in the INIC as a communication control block (CCB) that can be passed back to the host for message processing by the host. The INIC contains specialized hardware circuits that are much faster at their specific tasks than a general purpose CPU. A preferred embodiment includes a trio of pipelined processors with separate processors devoted to transmit, receive and management processing, with full duplex communication for four fast Ethernet nodes.

Fast-path apparatus for receiving data corresponding to a TCP connection

Performing data management operations on replicated data in a computer network. Log entries are generated for data management operations of an application executing on a source system. Consistency point entries are used to indicate a time of a known good, or recoverable, state of the application. A destination system is configured to process a copy of the log and consistency point entries to replicate data in a replication volume, the replicated data being a copy of the application data on the source system. When the replicated data represents a known good state of the application, as determined by the consistency point entries, the destination system(s) may perform a storage operation (e.g., snapshot, backup) to copy the replicated data and to logically associate the copied data with a time information (e.g., time stamp) indicative of the source system time when the application was in the known good state.

Systems and methods for performing data replication

The present invention provides for a method, system, and computer program for the application of data deduplication according to a policy-based strategy of tiered data. The method operates by defining a plurality of data storage policies for data in a deduplication system, policies which may be arranged in tiers. Data objects are classified according to a selected data storage policy and are split into data chunks. If the selected data storage policy for the data object does not allow deduplication, the data chunks are stored in a deduplication pool. If the selected data storage policy for the data object allows deduplication, deduplication is performed. The data storage policy may specify a maximum number of references to data chunks, facilitating storage of new copies of the data chunks when the maximum number of references is met.

Policy based tiered data deduplication strategy

A system and method for storing data in a network computing environment. The network includes a source server that will receive data to be stored from a client and target servers that have locally attached physical storage media. A server-to-server protocol is used to establish a communication connection between the source server and target server while programming allows the storage of the data from the source server on the physical storage at the target server, while also creating a virtual volume at the source server on which the data is also stored. From the perspective of the client, the data appears to be stored at the source server on locally attached storage media. The present invention eliminates the requirement for actual physical media locally attached to the source server.

System and method for server-to-server data storage in a network environment

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for data access management on a storage device connected to a storage area network. A client includes network connections to a first and second network, where the second network comprises a storage area network (SAN). The client also includes a storage management client and a storage agent. The storage agent is configured to minimize the amount of metadata processing that occurs on the client by sending the metadata or a copy thereof to a storage server to be stored in a centralized metadata database. The storage server also includes a storage manager that is configured to manage data access by the storage agent to the requested storage device.

Apparatus, system, and method for data access management

Data objects are replicated from a source storage managed by a source server to a target storage managed by a target server. A source list is built of objects at the source server to replicate to the target server. The target server is queried to obtain a target list of objects at the target server. A replication list is built indicating objects on the source list not included on the target list to transfer to the target server. For each object in the replication list, data for the object not already at the target storage is sent to the target server and metadata on the object is sent to the target server to cause the target server to include the metadata in an entry for the object in a target server replication database. An entry for the object is added to a source server replication database.

Replication of data objects from a source server to a target server

A system and method for relating files in a distributed data storage environment allows for positive identification of membership of a file within a group, even in a loosely coupled environment where files are not available for comparison in real time. In disclosed embodiments, base files of a client are stored on a server and are accompanied by tokens uniquely identifying the base files. The tokens are generated on the client and may be derived from the contents of the base file using a digital signature. Each file transmitted to the server is accompanied with a token. Incremental backups may be used, and may employ file differencing. Accordingly, sub-files related to the base files may be transmitted to the server for backup. The sub-files are related to their respective base files using the tokens and are cross-linked to the base files so that any sub-files can be retrieved together with the base file from which the sub-file was derived.

Colin S. Dawson

Papers

Policy based tiered data deduplication strategy

System and method for server-to-server data storage in a network environment

Apparatus, system, and method for data access management

Replication of data objects from a source server to a target server

System and method for handling files in a distributed data storage environment