Robert A Bean

US Patent:

6718404, Apr 6, 2004

Filed:

Jun 1, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/872721

Inventors:

James M. Reuter - Colorado Springs CO
David W. Thiel - Colorado Springs CO
Richard F. Wrenn - Colorado Springs CO
Robert G. Bean - Monument CO

Assignee:

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Houston TX

International Classification:

G06F 1314

US Classification:

710 20, 711102, 711203, 711204, 711205, 711206

Abstract:

A system for moving physically stored data in a distributed, virtualized storage network is disclosed. A group of data sets is written to a first storage device as part of a write operation such as migration. A plurality of storage devices partially filled with data are designated as substitutes. The write operation to the first storage device is suspended upon receiving a request to read a data set stored in the first storage device, such as occurs in a recall operation. A second storage device is then selected from the plurality of substitute storage devices. The write operation is continued by writing data sets from the group of data sets included in the write operation that were not written to the first storage device to the selected second storage device. The requested data is then read from the first storage device. After data has been read from the first storage device, the first storage device may be designated as a substitute storage device so that the partially filled first storage device may be selected for continuing write operations.

US Patent:

6895467, May 17, 2005

Filed:

Oct 22, 2001

Appl. No.:

10/040194

Inventors:

Clark E. Lubbers - Colorado Springs CO, US
Keith D. Woestehoff - Monument CO, US
Jesse L. Yandell - Colorado Springs CO, US
James M. Reiser - Colorado Springs CO, US
Anuja Korgaonkar - Colorado Springs CO, US
Randy L. Roberson - New Port Richey FL, US
Robert G. Bean - Monument CO, US

Assignee:

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Houston TX

International Classification:

G06F012/00
G06F012/14

US Classification:

711114, 711112, 711170, 711173

Abstract:

Systems, methods and software for implementing a virtualized storage system. Physical storage is carved into units called physical segments. Logical storage is implemented in atomic logical units called RStores comprising a range of virtual address space that when allocated, is bound to a particular group of PSEGs. RStores preferably implement a selected level of data protection. A pool of physical storage devices is carved into redundant storage sets. A plurality of RStores make up a logical disk that is presented to a user. Storage access requests expressed in terms of logical disk addresses are mapped to PSEGs containing data represented by the logical addresses through a split-directory representation of the logical unit.

US Patent:

6915397, Jul 5, 2005

Filed:

Oct 22, 2001

Appl. No.:

10/080961

Inventors:

Clark E. Lubbers - Colorado Springs CO, US
James M. Reiser - Colorado Springs CO, US
Anuja Korgaonkar - Colorado Springs CO, US
Randy L. Roberson - New Port Richey FL, US
Robert G. Bean - Monument CO, US

Assignee:

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Houston TX

International Classification:

G06F012/16
G06F017/30

US Classification:

711162, 707204, 711206

Abstract:

A storage system permits virtual storage of user data by implementing a logical disk mapping structure that provides access to user data stored on physical storage media and methods for generating point-in-time copies, or snapshots, of logical disks. A snapshot logical disk is referred to as a predecessor logical disk and the original logical disk is referred to as a successor logical disk. Creating a snapshot involves creating predecessor logical disk mapping data structures and populating the data structures with metadata that maps the predecessor logical disk to the user data stored on physical media. Logical disks include metadata that indicates whether user information is shared between logical disks. Multiple generations of snapshots may be created, and user data may be shared between these generations. Methods are disclosed for maintaining data accuracy when write I/O operations are directed to a logical disk.

US Patent:

6931487, Aug 16, 2005

Filed:

Oct 22, 2001

Appl. No.:

10/053991

Inventors:

Clark E. Lubbers - Colorado Springs CO, US
R. Brian Schow - Monument CO, US
Wayne Umland - Colorado Springs CO, US
Randy L. Roberson - New Port Richey FL, US
Robert G. Bean - Monument CO, US

Assignee:

Hewlett-Packard Development Company L.P. - Houston TX

International Classification:

G06F012/16

US Classification:

711114, 711162

Abstract:

A system and method for high performance multi-controller processing is disclosed. Independent Network storage controllers (NSCs) are connected by a high-speed data link. The NSCs control a plurality of storage devices connected by a Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop (FCAL). To provide redundancy, for a given logical unit of storage one NSC will function as the primary controller and the other NSC will function as a mirror controller. To enhance the efficiency of command-response data transfers between NSCs, mirror memory is correlated with primary memory and named resources are used for command-response data transfers. Methods are disclosed to provide for efficient active mirroring of data.

US Patent:

6961838, Nov 1, 2005

Filed:

Jun 1, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/872597

Inventors:

James M. Reuter - Colorado Springs CO, US
David W. Thiel - Colorado Springs CO, US
Richard F. Wrenn - Colorado Springs CO, US
Robert G. Bean - Monument CO, US

Assignee:

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Houston TX

International Classification:

G06F013/00

US Classification:

711203, 709217

Abstract:

The present invention provides a method for copying data through a virtualized storage system using distributed table driven (I/O) mapping. In a system having a virtual disk (the “original disk”), a persistent mapping table for this virtual disk exists on a controller, and volatile copies of some or all entries in this mapping table are distributed to one or more more mapping agents. The method of the present invention creates a new virtual disk mapping table that has the exact same entries as the mapping table as the original virtual disk. The new snapshot disk then shares the same storage as the original disk, so it is space efficient. Furthermore, creating new snapshot disk involves only copying the contents of the mapping table, not moving data, so the creation is fast. In order to allow multiple virtual disks to share storage segments, writes to either the original virtual disk or the snapshot copy cannot be seen by the other. Therefore, in addition to simply copying the mapping table, both the original and snapshot disk mapping table must also cause writes to these disks to be handled specially.

US Patent:

7290102, Oct 30, 2007

Filed:

Mar 15, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/081061

Inventors:

Clark E. Lubbers - Colorado Springs CO, US
James M. Reiser - Colorado Springs CO, US
Anuja Korgaonkar - Colorado Springs CO, US
Randy L. Roberson - New Port Richey FL, US
Robert G. Bean - Monument CO, US

Assignee:

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Houston TX

International Classification:

G06F 12/16
G06F 17/30

US Classification:

711162, 707204, 711206

Abstract:

A storage system permits virtual storage of user data by implementing a logical disk mapping structure that provides access to user data stored on physical storage media and methods for generating point-in-time copies, or snapshots, of logical disks. A snapshot logical disk is referred to as a predecessor logical disk and the original logical disk is referred to as a successor logical disk. Creating a snapshot involves creating predecessor logical disk mapping data structures and populating the data structures with metadata that maps the predecessor logical disk to the user data stored on physical media. Logical disks include metadata that indicates whether user information is shared between logical disks. Multiple generations of snapshots may be created, and user data may be shared between these generations. Methods are disclosed for maintaining data accuracy when write I/O operations are directed to a logical disk.

US Patent:

7366868, Apr 29, 2008

Filed:

Jun 10, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/149850

Inventors:

James M. Reuter - Colorado Springs CO, US
David W. Thiel - Colorado Springs CO, US
Richard F. Wrenn - Colorado Springs CO, US
Robert G. Bean - Monument CO, US

Assignee:

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Houston TX

International Classification:

G06F 13/00
G06F 12/00

US Classification:

711203, 711103, 711200, 709217

Abstract:

The present invention provides a method for copying data through a virtualized storage system using distributed table driven (I/O) mapping. In a system having a virtual disk (the “original disk”), a persistent mapping table for this virtual disk exists on a controller, and volatile copies of some or all entries in this mapping table are distributed to one or more more mapping agents. The method of the present invention creates a new virtual disk mapping table that has the exact same entries as the mapping table as the original virtual disk. The new snapshot disk then shares the same storage as the original disk, so it is space efficient. Furthermore, creating new snapshot disk involves only copying the contents of the mapping table, not moving data, so the creation is fast. In order to allow multiple virtual disks to share storage segments, writes to either the original virtual disk or the snapshot copy cannot be seen by the other. Therefore, in addition to simply copying the mapping table, both the original and snapshot disk mapping table must also cause writes to these disks to be handled specially.

US Patent:

7478215, Jan 13, 2009

Filed:

Apr 18, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/108360

Inventors:

Clark E. Lubbers - Colorado Springs CO, US
R. Brian Schow - Monument CO, US
Wayne Umland - Colorado Springs CO, US
Randy L. Roberson - New Port Richey FL, US
Robert G. Bean - Monument CO, US

Assignee:

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Houston TX

International Classification:

G06F 12/00
G06F 17/30

US Classification:

711169, 707 1

Abstract:

A system and method for high performance multi-controller processing is disclosed. Independent Network storage controllers (NSCs) are connected by a high-speed data link. The NSCs control a plurality of storage devices. connected by a Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop (FCAL). To provide redundancy, for a given logical unit of storage one NSC will function as the primary controller and the other NSC will function as the primary controller and the enhance the efficiency of command-response data transfers between NSCs, mirror memory is correlated with primary memory and named resources are used for command-response data transfers. Methods are disclosed to provide for efficient active mirroring of data.