A disk drive system and method capable of dynamically allocating data is provided. The disk drive system may include a RAID subsystem having a pool of storage, for example a page pool of storage that maintains a free list of RAIDs, or a matrix of disk storage blocks that maintain a null list of RAIDs, and a disk manager having at least one disk storage system controller. The RAID subsystem and disk manager dynamically allocate data across the pool of storage and a plurality of disk drives based on RAID-to-disk mapping. The RAID subsystem and disk manager determine whether additional disk drives are required, and a notification is sent if the additional disk drives are required. Dynamic data allocation and data progression allow a user to acquire a disk drive later in time when it is needed. Dynamic data allocation also allows efficient data storage of snapshots/point-in-time copies of virtual volume pool of storage, instant data replay and data instant fusion for data backup, recovery etc., remote data storage, and data progression, etc.

Virtual disk drive system and method

The invention provides systems and methods for continuous back up of data stored on a computer network. To this end the systems of the invention include a synchronization process that replicates selected source data files data stored on the network and to create a corresponding set of replicated data files, called the target data files, that are stored on a back up server. This synchronization process builds a baseline data structure of target data files. In parallel to this synchronization process, the system includes a dynamic replication process that includes a plurality of agents, each of which monitors a portion of the source data files to detect and capture, at the byte-level, changes to the source data files. Each agent may record the changes to a respective journal file, and as the dynamic replication process detects that the journal files contain data, the journal files are transferred or copied to the back up server so that the captured changes can be written to the appropriate ones of the target data files.

Systems and methods for backing up data files

A data transmission system is disclosed which optimizes transfer and updates of information between systems by providing difference information between the systems. The system transmits data packages having instructions for manipulating user data. The data packages include a header identifying the respective packages, as well as transaction objects for effecting a change to user data on a device having object instructions.

Data transfer and synchronization system

An apparatus comprising a deformable lens element can be provided wherein a deformable lens element can be deformed to change an optical property thereof by the impartation of a force to the deformable lens element.

Apparatus and method comprising deformable lens element

Systems and methods are described for obtaining and acting upon information indicative of circulatory health and related phenomena in human beings or other subjects.

Circulatory monitoring systems and methods

With detection of a selected error event involving a data storage drive and data storage media, a subsystem attempts to move the media to another drive, and conduct a similar operation. The subsystem separately tracks successive error events of individual drives and individual media, wherein a complete successful operation breaks the chain of the successive error events; and upon the number of successive error events reaching a threshold, fails the data storage drive or the data storage media. Error events are categorized into:
 1) error events before or during a mount of a media into a drive; and 2) error events after a successful mount of a media into a drive; and
 
conducts the tracking, comparing and failing steps separately for each of the categories for the drives and the media.

Tracking error events relating to data storage drives and/or media of automated data storage library subsystems

An automated reclamation scheduling system and method are taught for managing storage reclamation on a virtual tape server. Where reclamation-off times are set by a user, an automated administrator may override the settings depending on the number of scratch tapes that are available. The fewer scratch tapes that remain available, the more frequently storage reclamation will be performed in the reclamation schedule set by the automated administrator.

Automated reclamation scheduling override in a virtual tape server

Provided are a method, system, and program for managing data in storage units. Storage pool information indicates an assignment of a plurality of storage units to a plurality of storage pools, wherein each pool is assigned zero or more storage units, wherein data associated with one storage pool is stored in a storage unit assigned to the storage pool, wherein the storage pool information for each pool indicates a threshold and target storage pool, and wherein the target storage pool is capable of being different from the storage pool. One storage unit associated with a source storage pool is selected and a determination is made of the threshold from the storage pool information for the source storage pool. A determination is made of whether the selected storage unit satisfies the determined threshold and if the selected storage unit satisfies the determined threshold, then a target storage unit in the target storage pool is selected if the storage pool information for the source storage pool indicates a target storage pool different from the source storage pool. Data from the selected storage unit is copied to the selected target storage unit.

Method, system, and program for moving data among storage units

A system and method for guaranteeing overwrite of expired data in a media device, the data being organized according to logical units provided on media devices organized as physical volumes. The method comprises the steps of: maintaining information associated with a status of a physical volume, and updating a physical volume's status information based upon a combination of that volume's prior status and that volume's current status; specifying a time duration that expired logical unit data may remain on a physical volume; based upon the volume's updated status information, determining whether a selected volume has expired data longer than the specified time duration; and, overwriting contents of the volume having data that has expired longer than the specified time duration.

System and method to guarantee overwrite of expired data in a virtual tape server

A method and system for efficiently importing/exporting a removable storage volume having a number of data files from a first virtual storage system to a second virtual storage system. The method includes writing a table of contents to the end of the removable storage volume in the first virtual storage system. The table of contents uniquely identifies the data files residing in the removable storage volume. Next, the removable storage volume is transferred to the second virtual storage system. Upon receipt of the removable storage volume, the second virtual storage system updates a database in the second virtual storage system utilizing the information contained in the table of contents without having to read each of the data files in the removable storage volume. In a related embodiment, for each of the data file in the removable storage volume, the table of contents includes a filename, starting record on the removable storage volume and number of records in the data file.

Gregory Tad Kishi

Papers

Tracking error events relating to data storage drives and/or media of automated data storage library subsystems

Automated reclamation scheduling override in a virtual tape server

Method, system, and program for moving data among storage units

System and method to guarantee overwrite of expired data in a virtual tape server

Method and system for efficiently importing/exporting removable storage volumes between virtual storage systems