Controlled access to storage
AssigneeNE One LLC
InventorsStephen P. White, John F. Buckhoff, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided herein are controlled access data storage systems including a plurality of data storage units housed in a support enclosure; a port multiplier for providing data access to the plurality of data storage units; and a power control module for providing programmatic activation of one or more of the plurality of data storage units according to a time-based schedule, wherein the programmatic activation schedule operates independently of data transfer operations accessing one or more of the plurality of data storage units.
Claims18
A controlled access data storage system comprising:
- a plurality of data storage units housed in a support enclosure;
- a port multiplier for providing data access to the plurality of data storage units;
- and
- a power control module for providing programmatic activation of one or more of the plurality of data storage units according to a time-based schedule,
- wherein the programmatic activation schedule operates independently of data transfer operations associated with a network or networked device, the data transfer operations configured to access, via the network, one or more of the plurality of data storage units;
- wherein the programmatic activation schedule is configurable only via manual interaction by a user with at least one of:
- a programming interface mounted on or within the support enclosure in communication with the power control module, or
- an external programming device physically connected by a communications cable to the power control module,
- wherein the power control module is not networked such that proximate physical access to the controlled access data storage system by the user is required during execution of the manual interaction with the at least one of the programming interface or the external programming device in order to configure the programmatic activation schedule.
A method for providing controlled access to a data storage system comprising:
- manually interacting, by an authorized user, with at least one of a programming interface or an external programming device, the at least one of the programming interface or the external programming device in electronic communication with a power control module of a data storage system, wherein the power control module is not networked such that proximate physical access to the data storage system by the user is required during execution of the manual interaction with the at least one of the programming interface or the external programming device;
- configuring, by the manual interaction, while physically accessing the data storage system, the power control module to execute a programmatic activation schedule for independently activating one or more data storage units of the data storage system, the programmatic activation schedule operating independently of a data transfer operation associated with a network or networked device, the data transfer operation configured to access, via the network, one or more of the plurality of data storage units;
- and
- activating, by the programmatic activation schedule, at least one of the data storage units during the data transfer operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.