Peter Chee Liu DeceasedPO Box 70, Flushing, NY 11352

6408314, Jun 18, 2002

Jul 6, 1999

09/347929

Peter Chi-Hsiung Liu - Woodcliff Lake NJ

Synscort Incorporated - Woodcliff Lake NJ

G06F 1200

707205, 707204, 707 7, 707 10, 711112, 711161, 709200

An improved method of performing a sort-merge operation on a digital computer is disclosed, which gains efficiency by reading input file blocks sequentially. The method takes into consideration the fact that records can be read in any order if they are subsequently to be sorted. Input from disk is processed by reading the working disk directory maintained by the operating system to determine all of the blocks associated with the input data to be sorted. The data block identities so determined are sorted in accordance with their physical location on the disk, thereby providing a sequential order for reading. The input data is read in this sequential order, and then, using largely conventional methods, sorted into one or more strings and merged as necessary to form the fully sorted output. Since the original record order in the file is known from the working directory that has been read, that order can be utilized if and as necessary, for example to preserve the original order of records with equal keys.

6415300, Jul 2, 2002

Jul 6, 1999

09/347931

Peter Chi-Hsiung Liu - Woodcliff Lake NJ

Syncsort Incorporated - Woodcliff Lake NJ

G06F 1200

707204, 707200, 709200, 709217, 711161, 711162, 711112

An improved method of performing a high-performance backup of a computer system is described, which reduces disk read time and thus gains efficiency by reading input file blocks sequentially rather than the order in which the block appear in the original files. The improved method involves reading the working directory maintained by the operating system to determine all of the blocks associated with the set of files or other data aggregations to be backed up. The data block identities so determined are sorted in accordance with their physical location on the disk, thereby providing a sequential order for reading. The data to be backed up from the random access storage device or devices is read in this sequential order, and written to the backup media. There is also stored in conjunction with the backup media a Catalog containing the names of the files in the backup set, the location of the file data blocks on the backup media, the proper ordering of the blocks in this original file, and any other desired file attribute information.

7689623, Mar 30, 2010

Apr 8, 2002

10/118662

Peter Chi-Hsiung Liu - Paramus NJ, US

Syncsort Incorporated - Woodcliff Lake NJ

G06F 17/00

707752

A method of externally sorting large files in a computer system is presented. The contents of the input file to be sorted are investigated in order to identify presorted portions thereof. The presorted portions of the input file as thus identified are incorporated as sorted strings into an external sortwork file, by rearranging directory information rather than physically transferring data. If merging is necessary, the data may then be merged by a procedure wherein blocks of sorted data to be merged are incorporated into an output (sortout) file, by rearranging directory information rather than physically transferring sorted blocks to the sortout file. As a result of the process, portions of sorted data incorporated into the sortout file may physically remain in external storage space allocated to the input file, and/or in external space allocated to sortwork, thereby eliminating or reducing reading and writing from disk during sort-merge processing.

7937547, May 3, 2011

Jun 23, 2006

11/993634

Peter Chi-Hsiung Liu - Paramus NJ, US
Soubir Acharya - Pleasantville NY, US

Syncsort Incorporated - Woodcliff Lake NJ

G06F 13/00

711162, 711166

High performance, enterprise-level data protection system and method provides efficient block-level incremental snapshots of primary storage devices, and instant availability of such snapshots in immediately mountable form that can be directly used in place of the primary storage device. Related systems and applications are described, including an “Enterprise Image Destination” (EID) for backup images; a mirroring technique whereby a replacement physical primary facility may be created while working with a second storage unit as the primary source file system; and a technique for eliminating redundant data in backup images when multiple systems with partially common contents (e. g. , operating system files, common databases, application executables, etc. ) are being backed up. A number of examples showing “Fast Application Restore” (FAR) with the use of the invention are also provided.

8001134, Aug 16, 2011

Feb 5, 2010

12/701231

Peter Chi-Hsiung Liu - Paramus NJ, US

Syncsort Incorporated - Woodcliff Lake NJ

G06F 17/30

707752, 707723, 704 10

A method of externally sorting large files in a computer system is presented. The contents of the input file to be sorted are investigated in order to identify presorted portions thereof. The presorted portions of the input file as thus identified are incorporated as sorted strings into an external sortwork file, by rearranging directory information rather than physically transferring data. If merging is necessary, the data may then be merged by a procedure wherein blocks of sorted data to be merged are incorporated into an output (sortout) file, by rearranging directory information rather than physically transferring sorted blocks to the sortout file. As a result of the process, portions of sorted data incorporated into the sortout file may physically remain in external storage space allocated to the input file, and/or in external space allocated to sortwork, thereby eliminating or reducing reading and writing from disk during sort-merge processing.

8161254, Apr 17, 2012

Jan 6, 2009

12/349069

Peter Chi-Hsiung Liu - Paramus NJ, US

Syncsort Incorporated - Woodcliff Lake NJ

G06F 13/00

711162, 711E12103

Method for creating a consistent image, on a destination volume, of a target volume that remains in production use while the image is being created, without requiring the use of a snapshot, by copying the data on the target volume to the destination volume, maintaining changes to data blocks that arise on the target volume during copy operations, copying changed blocks to the destination volume, and repeating changed block updates as necessary until there are no further changed blocks on the target volume (all as more fully described in the specification).

8255651, Aug 28, 2012

Mar 24, 2011

13/070667

Peter Chi-Hsiung Liu - Paramus NJ, US
Soubir Acharya - Pleasantville NY, US

Syncsort Incorporated - Woodcliff Lake NJ

G06F 13/00

711162, 711166

High performance, enterprise-level data protection system and method provides efficient block-level incremental snapshots of primary storage devices, and instant availability of such snapshots in immediately mountable form that can be directly used in place of the primary storage device. Related systems and applications are described, including an “Enterprise Image Destination” (EID) for backup images; a mirroring technique whereby a replacement physical primary facility may be created while working with a second storage unit as the primary source file system; and a technique for eliminating redundant data in backup images when multiple systems with partially common contents (e. g. , operating system files, common databases, application executables, etc. ) are being backed up. A number of examples showing “Fast Application Restore” (FAR) with the use of the invention are also provided.

8271504, Sep 18, 2012

Jul 8, 2011

13/178971

Peter Chi-Hsiung Liu - Paramus NJ, US

G06F 17/30

707752, 707723, 707769, 704221

Systems and programs for improving the efficiency of a sorting process in a computer system are disclosed. Data is provided in an input file external to the central processing unit of the computer system. In one embodiment, the implemented process involves investigating the contents of the input file in order to identify presorted portions thereof; incorporating the identified presorted portions of the input file into a second file external to the central processing unit, performing this step by rearranging directory information, without physically transferring the presorted portions from the input file. In sort processes involving both a string generation phase and a merge phase, the techniques described may be used in either or both phases, as well as in any output phase. Rearrange directory information rather than physically transferring data provides for greater efficiency in disk I/O.