Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a storage platform comprising a database engine, a data store, an application programming interface. The data store is implemented on the database engine for storing data therein, and the data store implements a data model that supports the organization, searching, sharing, synchronization, and security of data stored in the data store. Specific types of data are described in schemas. The application programming interface enables application programs to access services and capabilities of the storage platform and to access the data described in the schemas. The storage platform supports interoperability with existing file systems, enables users and systems to synchronize data stored in different instances of the data store, and provides the ability for application programs to be notified about and to track changes made to the data in the data store.

Storage platform for organizing, searching, and sharing data

Methods and apparatus for implementing storage virtualization on a network device of a storage area network are disclosed. A virtual enclosure is created that has one or more virtual enclosure ports and is adapted for representing one or more virtual storage units. Each of the virtual storage units represents one or more physical storage locations on one or more physical storage units of the storage area network. Each of the virtual enclosure ports of the virtual enclosure is associated with a port of a network device within the storage area network. An address or identifier is then assigned to each of the virtual enclosure ports.

Methods and apparatus for implementing virtualization of storage within a storage area network through a virtual enclosure

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a storage platform (figure 20) comprising: a data store in which data stored therein is defined in terms of items, elements, and relationships (figure 20, 2014), wherein an item is a unit of data storable in the data store and comprises one or more elements, an element is an instance of a type (figure 20, 2016) comprising one or more fields, and a relationship is a link between at least two items; a set of schemas (figure 20, 2014) that define different types of items, elements, and relationships (figure 20, 2016); and an application programming interface (figure 20, 350a, 350b, or 350c) comprising a class (figure 20, 2008) for each of the different items, elements, and relationships defined in the set of schemas. Data may also be stored in the data store in the form of an extension to an existing item type, and wherein the application programming interface comprises a class for each different item extension (figure 20, 2006).

Systems and methods for interfacing application programs with an item-based storage platform

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to synchronization utilizing one or more optimizations through the utilization of metadata. For several embodiments of the present invention, one method for optimizing synchronization is to reduce the overhead required for said synchronization by having each peer only tracking changes for itself and other peers within its change community (or communities) (a.k.a., “Intra-Community-Only Change Tracking Optimization”). For certain embodiments of the present invention, another method for optimizing synchronization is to not create synchronization overhead until required. For numerous embodiments of the present invention, yet another method for optimizing synchronization is to minimize redundant use of a partner's unique global ID—a large and cumbersome number—and to instead maintain a table that cross-references each partner (and its unique global ID) with a smaller and much less cumbersome partner key.

Systems and methods for the utilization of metadata for synchronization optimization

A network architecture provides Ethernet services over a Fibre Channel (FC) storage area network infrastructure. The fabric provides transparent bridging services to Ethernet end stations connected at the edge of the FC fabric via multi-protocol switches that support Ethernet over Fibre Channel (EoFC) technology. An Ethernet frame is received from a first Ethernet edge network by an ingress Ethernet port of a first virtual bridge and is encapsulated in a FC frame shell to form an EoFC frame. The EoFC frame is then transmitted out an egress FC port of the first virtual bridge and routed through the FC fabric using an FC routing protocol. When the encapsulated frame reaches an ingress FC port of a second virtual bridge, the EoFC frame is de-encapsulated to yield the original Ethernet frame, which is transmitted out an egress Ethernet port of the second virtual bridge into a second Ethernet edge network.

Ethernet over fibre channel

A system including a storage processing device with an input/output module. The input/output module has port processors to receive and transmit network traffic. The input/output module also has a switch connecting the port processors. Each port processor categorizes the network traffic as fast path network traffic or control path network traffic. The switch routes fast path network traffic from an ingress port processor to a specified egress port processor. The storage processing device also includes a control module to process the control path network traffic received from the ingress port processor. The control module routes processed control path network traffic to the switch for routing to a defined egress port processor. The control module is connected to the input/output module. The input/output module and the control module are configured to interactively support data virtualization, data migration, data journaling, and snapshotting. The distributed control and fast path processors achieve scaling of storage network software. The storage processors provide line-speed processing of storage data using a rich set of storage-optimized hardware acceleration engines. The multi-protocol switching fabric provides a low-latency, protocol-neutral interconnect that integrally links all components with any-to-any non-blocking throughput.

Guruaj Pangal

Papers

Apparatus and method for storage processing through scalable port processors

Apparatus and method for storage processing with split data and control paths