Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
262 words
In a machine-effected method for enabling the managing of data storage space for allocating such space for data to be stored in a data storage system and for enabling management of such data stored in said data storage system; the machine-executed steps of: storing in said data storage system storage machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of storage class definitions, each o said storage class definitions including predetermined ones of the machine-sensible indicia representing data storage performance and availability parameters; storing in said data storage system management machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of management class definitions with ones of the management machine-sensible indicia representing each management class definition including ones of the management machine-sensible indicia respectively indicating management parameters for handling units of data stored in the data storage system such as life cycle processing which are independent of said performance and availability parameters; storing in said data storage system group machine-sensible-indicia representing a storage group definition each of which includes group machine-sensible indicia representing lists a plurality of data storing volume including operations to be performed on data stored in volumes which are in the respective storage groups; storing in said data storage system select machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of automatic class selection routines for respectively selecting a one of said storage and management classes and one of the storage groups for each separate unit of data to be stored in the data storage system wherein each of the automatic class selection routines access the respective machine-sensible indicia represented definitions stored in the data storage system during each said class selection.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
262 words
In a machine-effected method for enabling the managing of data storage space for allocating such space for data to be stored in a data storage system and for enabling management of such data stored in said data storage system; the machine-executed steps of: storing in said data storage system storage machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of storage class definitions, each o said storage class definitions including predetermined ones of the machine-sensible indicia representing data storage performance and availability parameters; storing in said data storage system management machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of management class definitions with ones of the management machine-sensible indicia representing each management class definition including ones of the management machine-sensible indicia respectively indicating management parameters for handling units of data stored in the data storage system such as life cycle processing which are independent of said performance and availability parameters; storing in said data storage system group machine-sensible-indicia representing a storage group definition each of which includes group machine-sensible indicia representing lists a plurality of data storing volume including operations to be performed on data stored in volumes which are in the respective storage groups; storing in said data storage system select machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of automatic class selection routines for respectively selecting a one of said storage and management classes and one of the storage groups for each separate unit of data to be stored in the data storage system wherein each of the automatic class selection routines access the respective machine-sensible indicia represented definitions stored in the data storage system during each said class selection.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
95 words
In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 1, including the machine-effected steps of: establishing predetermined user data set machine-sensible indications for a unit of data to be stored in the data storage system; automatically comparing said predetermined user data st machine-sensible indications of the unit of data with said storage class definitions and automatically selecting a one of said storage classes independently of said management class definitions; and after automatically selecting a one each of said storage and management classes, automatically selecting a one of the storage groups independently of the storage class selection.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
70 words
In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 2, including the machine-executed steps of: after automatically selecting said one of the storage machine-sensible indicia represented storage groups, automatically allocating data storage space on at least one of the volumes which is a member of the selected storage group, such automatic allocation being substantially independent of the automatic class selections; and automatically storing said unit of data in said selected volume.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
79 words
In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 2, including the machine-executed steps of: storing in said data storage system machine-sensible indicia representing a plurality of data class definitions each of said class definitions defining respective diverse definitions of data characteristics which are independent of the definitions in said storage and management class definitions; and automatically managing the life cycle of the stored data using the parameters of the management class independently of said predetermined user data set indications.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 4, including the machine-executed steps of: automatically managing some of said data using said storage and management classes and manually managing other of said data using controls not including said storage and management classes wherein human users of the data participate in the management of said other data.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 5, further including the machine-executed steps of: automatically managing the life cycle of each unit of data stored in the data storage system using only the respective management class selected for the units of data.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
77 words
In the machine-effected method set forth in claim 5, further including the machine-executed step of: storing in said data storage system machine-sensible indicia representing a control directory for all units of data assigned to said data, storage and management classes and storage groups and only including identification of said automatically selected storage and management classes and the volume(s) of data allocated for storing the respective units of data and an identification of the respective unit of data.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
188 words
In apparatus for enabling automatic management of a data storage system and units of data stored therein, including, in combination: first means indicating a set of data classes each having diverse identifications of data unit properties; second means indicating a set of storage classes each having diverse identifications of storage performance and availability parameters; third means indicating a set of management classes each having diverse data unit life cycle management rules; fourth means indicating a set storage groups having a list of data storing volumes and a set of parameters for managing the data storing volumes, including data backup operations; fifth means for receiving from a user a definition of a data unit which includes data parameters; sixth means coupled to said first through fifth means for selecting one of the classes from said first through third means for the data unit definition and a one of the storage groups having a volume from which data storing space for the data unit may be allocated in the future; and seventh means coupled to the sixth means for storing the selections along with the identification of the data unit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
188 words
In apparatus for enabling automatic management of a data storage system and units of data stored therein, including, in combination: first means indicating a set of data classes each having diverse identifications of data unit properties; second means indicating a set of storage classes each having diverse identifications of storage performance and availability parameters; third means indicating a set of management classes each having diverse data unit life cycle management rules; fourth means indicating a set storage groups having a list of data storing volumes and a set of parameters for managing the data storing volumes, including data backup operations; fifth means for receiving from a user a definition of a data unit which includes data parameters; sixth means coupled to said first through fifth means for selecting one of the classes from said first through third means for the data unit definition and a one of the storage groups having a volume from which data storing space for the data unit may be allocated in the future; and seventh means coupled to the sixth means for storing the selections along with the identification of the data unit.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
191 words
In apparatus for storing data units, each data unit having a name, externally to a host processor, including, in combination: class definition means for defining a plurality of classes of definitions in sets of such classes with each set identifying independent and diverse parameters relating to the storage of the data units in the apparatus; class selection means operatively associated with the class definition means for selecting a one of the defined classes from each set of such classes for each data unit to be stored in the apparatus; storage group means for defining a plurality of groups of volumes each of the groups being a storage group; said class selection means operatively associated with the storage group means for selecting a one of the storage groups after said class selection which storage group best meets the parameters set forth in the selected classes and having means for storing the selections along with the data unit name in said apparatus; and operating means coupled to the stored selections for receiving the data units and operating the apparatus in accordance with the stored parameters in the respective selected classes and storage groups.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
191 words
In apparatus for storing data units, each data unit having a name, externally to a host processor, including, in combination: class definition means for defining a plurality of classes of definitions in sets of such classes with each set identifying independent and diverse parameters relating to the storage of the data units in the apparatus; class selection means operatively associated with the class definition means for selecting a one of the defined classes from each set of such classes for each data unit to be stored in the apparatus; storage group means for defining a plurality of groups of volumes each of the groups being a storage group; said class selection means operatively associated with the storage group means for selecting a one of the storage groups after said class selection which storage group best meets the parameters set forth in the selected classes and having means for storing the selections along with the data unit name in said apparatus; and operating means coupled to the stored selections for receiving the data units and operating the apparatus in accordance with the stored parameters in the respective selected classes and storage groups.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
84 words
In the apparatus set forth in claim 9, further including, in combination: all of the means being programmed defined with said class selection and operating means being programs executable in the host processor and class definition means and said storage group means being control data structures; and terminal means connected to the apparatus and being operatively associable with all of the means aforementioned for altering the data structures and programs such that the automatic management of the apparatus is manually alterable via said terminal.