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Discussion in 'New Features, Site News, Issues Info.' started by Chris Scoones, Mar 7, 2012.
Someone had to say it.
Old Man, well played. SAK, if you weren't known to be so farking cool I'd toss a thumbs down, but you bundled me with Matney and Decker and that is an odd combo for sure.
Chris, can you please lock SAK's post count at 666 forever? You can make that happen, right?
Chris, any chance the "go to first unread" radial button and the upper menu tool bar buttons can be larger? You know, all thumbs, often browsing on a hand held, technology compromised. Bigger is better, right?
Ed, I think you will find, if you go to new posts. Then open a thread. It will auto to the last unread.
Chris, gotta say you done well here!!! Change ain't always to my liking but this is a great upgrade.
I don't care much for this rating system. You get friends on friends backs because of this thumbs up and thumbs down. This is the internet so why do you need a rating system. If you piss somebody off you can well bet that you will acquire a lot of thumbs down. Is all this necessary??
And this Conversation thing. We were all used to PM's and now something different. I'm out on a limb on this new stuff.
Jim, just think of a conversation as halfway between a PM and a group. You can invite up to forty into it and it runs like a group thread. You don't have to put it out on the main forum for all to see.
As for the rating system the one big advantage I see is the Mods. will have a way to watch out for real troublemakers. You know, the guys who like to stir the pot just for fun. Or think they are back on the debate team.
Jeff, you were on the debate team? Great point on the conversation option. Many participants but a closed list of members. Sadly, I'm not in many conversations.
Only if they were a girl. Liked to win the "should we/shouldn't we" debate.
Maybe it's just that I'm getting on in years and don't like change. I get comfortable with things and like it that way. I do agree with some things changing but not all. And maybe it's because I'm a grouch and don't want to change..
I believe the term your looking for is " Old Codger".
As in; You are a old codger.
No, grouch it is and will always stay that way. There is nothing old on me except my age.
Hi Chris,
I was having trouble in the first few days of the upgrade with the readibility of posts. But the recent changes (color and font size) have resolved those problems. Many thanks.
Chris, I'm just wondering why my message count is at 15, I'm pretty sure I have made more posts than that...
Thanks for the help,
I expect some difference. The new forum recounted and would not take into account comments in the gallery or posts in groups. It would also remove any previous counts in discussions that were remove, such as classifieds ads that people frequently delete after their stuff is sold.
That said, the new forum search on your posts only found 16 posts. I show many more than that on the old board. I'll look into it when I have some time. For now, I have some larger issues with the new forum & gallery to deal with.
Chris, thanks much for the quick reply. No worries, the post count doesn't actually bother me, I was just curious, that's all. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: thanks much for keeping this place going and for dealing with everything in such a quick and courteous manner.
BTW, if it's any help, when I look at my profile and click on the "Find all content by Kenneth Yong", I come up with 91 postings -- I didn't think it was as many as that!
All the best,
I am having trouble sending a "new conversation". It cleared the juicy OP report that I had typed up for 15m and then gave me a 500 error.
Also - take it or leave it - but the green text hurts my eyes.
I need glasses I guess.
Maybe you don't "converse" well with others!
Hey Jeff, notice that Chris went fishing...the WFF logo is back.
Jesse, I don't know yet what's causing it but I can duplicate it. If you were to have gone back it your post should have been there still, but either way damn that sucks. I'll have it sorted out soon.
Still can't post in conversations.
The WFF logo is back.


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Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
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OCR for page 31
31 References AASHTO (1998), AASHTO LRFD Bridge Construction Specifications, Dehn, F., Holschemacher, K., and Weibe, D. (2000), Self-Compacting 1st edition. Concrete (SCC) Time Development of the Material Properties and the AASHTO (2004), AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Bond Behavior, Leipzig Annual Civil Engineering Report No. 5, 3rd edition. Universit�t Leipzig, pp. 115�124. AASHTO (2007), AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Gardner, N. J., and Lockman, M. J. (2001), "Design Provisions for Dry- 4th edition. ing Shrinkage and Creep of Normal-Strength Concrete." ACI Ma- ACI Committee 209 (1997), Prediction of Creep, Shrinkage, and Tem- terials Journal, Vol. 98, No. 2, pp. 159�167. perature Effects in Concrete Structure. Hegger, J., Gortz, S. G., Kommer, B., Tiggs, C., and Dross, C. (2003), ACI Committee 116 (2000), Cement and Concrete Terminology. Prestressed Precast Beams Made of Self-Compacting Concrete, ACI Committee 237 (2007), Self-Consolidating Concrete. Betonwerk + Fertigteil-Technik (Concrete Plant + Precast Tech- ASTM C 1610/C 1610M-06a (Standard Test Method for Static nology), pp. 40�46. Segregation of Self-Consolidating Concrete Using Column Holschemacher, K., and Klug. Y. (2002), A Database for the Evaluation Technique). of Hardened Properties of SCC, Leipzig Annual Civil Engineering ASTM C 1611/C 1611M-05 (Standard Test Method for Slump Flow of Report No. 7, Universit�t Leipzig, pp. 123�134. Self-Consolidating Concrete). Koning, G., Holschemacher, K., Dehn, F., and Weibe, D. (2001), ASTM C 1621/C 1621M-06 (Standard Test Method for Passing Ability "Self-Compacting Concrete-Time Development of Materials of Self-Consolidating Concrete by J-Ring). Properties and Bond Behaviour," Proceedings, 2nd International Attiogbe, E. K., See, H. T., and Daczko, J. A. (2002), "Engineering Symposium on Self-Compacting Concrete, October 23�25, Tokyo, Properties of Self-Consolidating Concrete," Proceedings, 1st North pp. 507�516. American Conference on the Design and Use of SCC, Chicago, Pons, G., Proust, E., and Assi�, S. (2003), "Creep and Shrinkage of Self- Illinois, USA, pp. 371�376. Compacting Concrete: A Different Behaviour Compared with Vi- Byun, K. J., Kim, J. K., and Song, H. W. (1998), "Self-Compacting Con- brated Concrete," Proceedings, 3rd International RILEM Sympo- crete in Korea," Proceedings, International Workshop on Self- sium on Self-Compacting Concrete, August 17�20, Reykjavik, Compacting Concrete, Kochi, Japan, pp. 23�33. Iceland, pp. 645�654. CEB-FIP Model Code (1990), Design Code 1990, Comit� Euro- Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (1997), Precast Prestressed Concrete International du B�ton. Bridge Design Manual, 1st edition. Chan, Y.-W., Chen Y.-S., and Liu, Y.-S. (2003), "Development of Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (2003), Interim Guidelines for the Bond Strength of Reinforcement Steel in Self-Consolidating Use of Self-Consolidating Concrete in Precast/Prestressed Institute Concrete." ACI Materials Journal, Vol. 100, No. 4, pp. 490�498. Member Plants.

subset: commoncrawl


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Oh right... Damn, this time I'll try to watch it.
True. I love their ads during the Super Bowl every year. And that time of year is rapidly approaching.
I'm not really that much into Football, but I definitely think that the Super Bowl would be awesome to watch.
It's hard to get friends together for that I suppose as Football isn't very big in Germany.
Glassed Silver:mac


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"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
If there's one thing you can count on as a homeschooling parent, it's change. Like the weather, no two days are ever exactly the same. More times than I can remember, my best lesson plans and organized activities were altered by the day's events. Whether my children became absorbed in a particular topic and spent more time studying or an untimely interruption caused a delay in teaching a lesson, it was necessary to make adjustments without becoming anxious. Whatever failed to be taught one day was usually made up within the next few days, and I learned not to worry about the setback, as long as we continued to move forward with our studies.
As time went on, I was determined to let God order our daily events. Committing the day to Him each morning, I found peace in yielding to His Lordship and control to follow His perfect plan. The "Serenity Prayer" hung on my kitchen wall as a constant reminder to let the Lord guide our homeschooling.
What about you? Do you stress over the changes that come your way throughout your homeschooling day? Relax! If you've given God control over your homeschooling day, He will help you accomplish everything that needs to be done. Besides, God has a few lesson plans of His own for you and your children to learn. "The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established" (Proverbs 16:1,3).
Father, thank You for guiding us each day while we homeschool. Show me how to rest in Your wisdom and love to teach my children what You want them to know. In Jesus' name, Amen.
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).


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Book Search
1-1 of 1 results for Author: ramona houmanfar (sorted by Publication Date, showing all)
Understanding Complexity in Organizations
Behavioral Systems
Organizations are complex entities that must adapt the practices of their employees and management to meet the demands of a dynamic environment. Organizations are behavioral systems that coordinate interactions among its members and environment. Changing practices in one area of an organization can...
Published April 23rd 2012 by Routledge


text:
This invention describes a high-performance, log-structured implementation of a RAID subsystem that can be efficiently implemented in software. The methods described in this invention are extraordinarily well suited for software-based RAID 5 systems. In one embodiment, the disk storage subsystems receiving a request to write data. Thereafter, the write operation is appended to a first log to identify a storage location of data written to the disk subsystem, wherein the first log consists of a sequence of segments, the segments consist of a sequence of variable length stripes, a length of a stripe varies based on a quantity of disks addressed by a stripe. In response to adding a disk to the disk storage subsystem, increasing a length of the stripes and increasing a number of disks available for striping data. Alternatively, in response to a disk failing within the disk storage subsystem or a disk being removed from the disk storage system, narrowing a length of the stripes.
1) A method of storing data on a disk storage subsystem comprising:
Receiving a request to write data;
Appending each write operation to a first log to identify a storage location of data written to the disk subsystem, wherein the first log consists of a sequence of segments, the segments consist of a sequence of variable length stripes, a length of a stripe varies based on a quantity of disks addressed by a stripe; and
in response to adding a disk to the disk storage subsystem, increasing a length of the stripes and increasing a number of disks available for striping data.
2) The method of
3) The method of
4) The method of
5) The method of
6) A method of storing data on a disk storage subsystem comprising:
Receiving a request to write data;
Appending each write operation to a first log to identify a storage location of data written to the disk subsystem, wherein the log consists of a sequence of segments, the segments consist of a sequence of variable length stripes, a length of a stripe varies based on a quantity of disks addressed by a stripe; and
in response to a disk failing within the disk storage subsystem or a disk being removed from the disk storage system, narrowing a length of the stripes.
7) The method of
8) The method of
9) The method of
10) The method of
11) A machine readable-medium having stored there on a set of instructions, which when executed, perform a method of storing data on a disk storage subsystem comprising:
Receiving a request to write data;
Appending each write operation to a first log to identify a storage location of data written to the disk subsystem, wherein the first log consists of a sequence of segments, the segments consist of a sequence of variable length stripes, a length of a stripe varies based on a quantity of disks addressed by a stripe; and
in response to adding a disk to the disk storage subsystem, increasing a length of the stripes and increasing a number of disks available for striping data.
12) The machine readable-medium of
13) The machine readable-medium of
14) The machine readable-medium of
15) The machine readable-medium of
16) A machine readable-medium having stored there on a set of instructions, which when executed, perform a method of storing data on a disk storage subsystem comprising:
Receiving a request to write data;
Appending each write operation to a first log to identify a storage location of data written to the disk subsystem, wherein the log consists of a sequence of segments, the segments consist of a sequence of variable length stripes, a length of a stripe varies based on a quantity of disks addressed by a stripe; and
in response to a disk failing within the disk storage subsystem or a disk being removed from the disk storage system, narrowing a length of the stripes.
17) The machine readable-medium of
18) The machine readable-medium of
19) The machine readable-medium of
20) The machine readable-medium of
21) The method of
In response to the failed disk recovering, the disk is then included in new writes.
22) The machine readable-medium of
In response to the failed disk recovering, the disk is then included in new writes.
[0001] The present application claims priority to provisional U.S. application No. 60/343,942 titled High-Performance, Log-Structured RAID filed Dec. 26, 2001 (Attorney Docket No. 5583.P006z), which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0002] This present invention relates generally to methods for designing and implementing RAID subsystems and storage virtualization.
[0004] RAID5 is one of the methods for achieving higher performance and greater resilience to drive component failure that was originally developed by the U.C. Berkeley RAID team in the late 1980s and early 1990s under the auspices of principal investigators David Patterson, Randy Katz and their students. RAID is an acronym that refers to Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks, and the original RAID project was conceived as a way to exploit the benefits of high volume magnetic disk drives by using strings of lower cost drives together in order to achieve the same benefits as more expensive storage configurations popular in the high end systems of the day. The groundbreaking work of the RAID team and the industry acceptance that shortly followed have made RAID strategies and resultant technologies the ascendant paradigm for dealing with magnetic disk storage today. Background of the different flavor of RAID can be found in "RAID: High-Performance, Reliable Secondary Storage" by P. Chen et al., ACM Computing Surveys, 1994 and its references.
[0005] RAID5 specifically is a methodology for achieving redundancy of data on a group of drives without sacrificing � of the available capacity as mirroring (RAID1) and its variations (i.e., RAID 10) do. RAID5 achieves this storage efficiency by performing a parity calculation on the data written to disk and storing this parity information on an additional drive. Should a disk drive fail, the data can be recovered by computing the missing data using the parity and data blocks in the remaining drives. RAID5 is an especially popular methodology for achieving redundancy because it is more economical than RAID1 insofar as more disk drive capacity can be rendered usable from a group of active drives. It has been estimated that RAID5 accounts for 70% of all drive volumes shipped into RAID configurations (the actual percentage of RAID5 per discrete RAID configuration is lower, given the popularity of striping and mirroring with OLTP). This would be sensible given that RAID5 is typically associated with file serving and similar workloads, which account for significantly more capacity usage on a global basis than higher intensity OLTP workloads, for which RAID5 is rarely used.
[0006] The attractiveness of RAID5 to the ATA storage opportunity is even more pronounced. Given the great volumetric density advantages of the ATA platform versus SCSI and Fibre Channel, ATA is ideally suited for larger capacity storage installations. The capacity efficient RAID Level 5 is functionally allied with this focus on maximum capacity per dollar of storage cost. In the storage market, given its long evidenced storage elasticity, greater volumetric densities will be accompanied by a growth in the desire to maximize capacity as well as prevent disruption from drive failure. In this view data protection based on parity strategies, as opposed to redundancy ones, will be maximally appealing—provided that they pose no crippling obstacles in their implementation.
[0007] Today, even for expensive solutions on SCSI and Fibre Channel platforms, there are obstacles to the universal ascendance of RAID Level 5 and the foremost among these is speed. For instance, one reason that RAID5 is rarely used for OLTP application storage is because of its low performance for such workloads. As a tradeoff to its storage efficiency benefits, RAID5 imposes additional computational as well as I/O burdens on the underlying magnetic disk storage. These additional burdens in many cases result in the general characterization that RAID5 is slower than other types of RAID. And, in fact, with many commercial RAID controller technology—both hardware and software—RAID5 is often the slowest performing configuration, especially when compared to straight striping (RAID0), mirroring (RAID1) or striping+mirroring (RAID 10). In some cases, for instance software RAID from vendors like VERITAS, the difference in performance between RAID5 and RAID0 is as much as 10�.
[0008] Conventional RAID5 Performance Penalties
[0009] The reason that RAID5 imposes performance penalties when compared to other methods of RAID is due to two principal and related requirements. The first is the calculation of the parity itself, which requires computational resources and takes place in real time. This calculation can be accelerated by the use of specialized hardware such as an XOR engine, and most hardware RAID controllers employ this type of component to assist performance. The second performance cost, by far the most extensive, is due to the way that RAID5 typically conducts its writes. This process is called Read-Modify-Write.
[0010] During the process of a sequential write, the RAID5 implementation will attempt to write data in full stripes corresponding to the number of drives in the RAID group. However at the end of any sequential write process and during any modification of data in place, it is not possible to write a complete stripe and the technique of Read-Modify-Write must be employed. The Read-Modify-Write process is the prototypical RAID5 process and it is responsible for much of the performance limitations seen in most implementations of RAID5.
[0011] In a typical Read-Modify-Write operation, multiple I/Os must be executed for each logical write request. The first I/O involves reading an existing block or sequence of blocks on the disk. The second I/O involves reading the parity associated with the block(s) that will be modified. The third I/O involves writing the new data blocks, and the fourth I/O involves updating the parity associated with the relevant block(s) corresponding to the new data that is being written. No matter how small the set of drives that comprise the RAID group, the minimum number of I/Os required in a single write operation that involves the standard Read-Modify-Write approach is four, with an even greater number of I/Os associated with multiple data block writes in larger RAID sets. Furthermore, certain approaches to ensuring reliability in RAID5 implementations (see section below) involve additional I/O activity such as logging atomic parity updates separately which increases the minimum number of Read-Modify-Write I/Os to six or higher. FIG. 1 shows a typical read-modify-write process. In this figure, it is desired to update block D2 with D2′. It is also necessary to update the parity P to P′. Two reads are needed to obtain block D2 and P. D2′ and P′ are then computed. Finally, two writes are performed to write D2′ and P′ to disks.
[0012] Because of the multiple I/Os required in existing RAID5 implementations, write performance is characteristically poor, often 5�-10�slower than mirroring or striping alternatives. There are hardware limits to the performance that is achievable given the amount of I/O activity that is generated upon each write.
[0013] In addition to low write performance, conventional RAID5 implementations have other performance limitations that are unique to its RAID flavor. Two of the most common are RAID group initialization and RAID group rebuilding. In RAID5 group initialization, the RAID solution needs to perform a scan of every data sector on each disk in the RAID set and initialize the corresponding parity. This initialization process is time consuming, the magnitude of which is directly related to the size of the RAID set and the capacity of each drive in the group.
[0014] RAID5 rebuilding is a process that must occur after a RAID5 set experiences a disk failure. When a disk fails in a RAID5 set, the missing data and parity contained on the failed drive must be regenerated on a replacement drive once the new working drive is inserted into the set or an existing hot spare is activated as the replacement drive target. Similar to initialization, the process of rebuilding requires that each data block on the system is read and the XOR computations are performed in order to obtain the absent data and parity blocks, which are then written onto the new disk. Often, during the process of reading all data from the disk to recompute the missing data and parity, bad sectors may be encountered, and it is no longer possible to rebuild the array. Depending on the size of the RAID group and the capacity of each drive, the rebuilding process is time consuming and may degrade the use of the drives in the RAID5 set for normal activity. Both the initialization and the rebuild processes are additional performance and reliability penalties of conventional RAID5 implementations that will occur as a matter of normal operation.
[0015] Conventional RAID5 Reliability Penalties
[0016] Based on the dominant approach to implementing RAID5 at present, there are several discrete reliability problems that arise in common implementations. Many of these reliability concerns are generated by events like power failure, which can often set in motion a cascade of correlated failures. For instance, a power failure not only interrupts active writes, which can invalidate any parity that is in the process of being updated, but can also burn out disks with aging components. As a result, power failures can often cause data loss in many types of RAID implementations by destroying both the parity and data associated with a "parity stripe." Part of this is due to characteristics of the ATA platform itself, such as differences in assembly line quality control processes that have more tolerance for production variability. However a large part of the quality differential is due to ineffective strategies employed by the ATA RAID community using legacy RAID methodologies.
[0017] The most salient reliability problem in the ATA RAID arena is the nearly universal use of write back caching in all ATA implementations, even those driven by hardware RAID solutions. Write back caching is a function that is enabled by the inclusion of small cache memory components within the disk drive electronics. By providing this additional memory, the drive is able to commit to write commands by buffering bursts of data in memory prior to the full completion of writing data onto the disk platter. When the drive signals that a write has been completed, the application moves on to its subsequent operation even if the data in question remains in the drive's write back cache. Quicker completion of writes leads to faster application performance when disk latency is the primary performance limitation. Because of this, the logic behind making write back caching a default strategy is straightforward: to increase the performance of the disk platform.
[0018] This performance enhancement is understandable given ATA's traditional role as a desktop device with most target implementations limited to one or two drives. Drive manufacturers have sought to differentiate the high-volume ATA offering from the higher margin SCSI and Fibre Channel drive business by limiting rotational speed thresholds on the platform. This gives pressure to optimize for performance gains like those presented by write back caching, and for the most part the industry benchmarks the ATA platform with write back caching enabled. It is possible that this will change in the future, but at the present moment this strategy is so pervasive that drive manufacturers presume write back caching to be enabled when certifying their ATA products.
[0019] Though performance enhancement is helpful, the use of write back caching in ATA RAID implementations presents at least two severe reliability drawbacks. The first involves the integrity of the data in the write back cache during a power failure event. When power is suddenly lost in the drive bays, the data located in the cache memories of the drives is also lost. In fact, in addition to data loss, the drive may also have reordered any pending writes in its write back cache. Because this data has been already committed as a write from the standpoint of the application, this may make it impossible for the application to perform consistent crash recovery. When this type of corruption occurs, it not only causes data loss to specific applications at specific places on the drive but can frequently corrupt filesystems and effectively cause the loss of all data on the "damaged" disk.
[0020] The reason that this more global type of corruption occurs is due to another problem with using a write back cache. This second problem involves the sequencing of data that enters and exits the write back cache. That is, ATA drives are free to reorder any pending writes in its write back cache. This allows the write back cache to obtain additional performance improvements. Instead of issuing sector commitments and then initiating rotational seeks for each sector in the exact sequence that commits were made, the drive places data on sectors that it encounters as platters rotate through an increasing or decreasing sector path. This reduces seek times and speeds up cache throughput. However, if a power or component failure occurs during a write process, the identity of sectors that make it to disk will not correspond to the sequence in which they were written. This causes corruption as applications are unable to recover from drive failures because they have no way of resolving the order in which data made it to the disk media versus which data was lost in cache. Even if individual drives did not reorder writes, there is no convenient way of preventing the reordering of writes that are striped across multiple drives that use write back caching, since any individual drive is unaware of the writes being serviced by another drive.
[0021] These write back cache problems are a common cause of data corruption. In fact the weakness of the write back cache is even a relatively well understood problem, and in higher end drive platforms RAID devices and sophisticated storage administrators will default to a policy of prohibiting the use of the SCSI write back cache. However, in the ATA RAID arena, the write back cache is usually enabled by default, and performance measurement is conducted with the caching enabled, which is misleading given that the reliability implicit in RAID is compromised by the use of write-back-caching.
[0022] Deactivation of write-back caching prevents the most severe of the ATA RAID corruption problems. The tradeoff for RAID5, however, involves even lower performance. As discussed in the previous section, the legacy methodologies for RAID5 impose a significant performance limitation on this type of RAID, one that is partially addressed by vendors through the default use of write-back caching. Unfortunately, deactivating write back caching usually has a dire effect on performance.
[0023] And yet, there is a further dilemma. Since ATA vendors are not currently certifying the recovery of drives that deactivate write-back caching, it is possible that drives operating without this function will have greater failure rates. So, while vendors do achieve the goal of preventing an obvious source of data corruption, they run the risk of increasing drive failure.
[0024] The other showstopper problem posed by disk failure in ATA RAID5 solutions is the parity recalculation problem. If the system crashes during the middle of a write process, the parity calculation that applied to the active data write may be inconsistent. As a result, when the system is powered back on, it is necessary to regenerate this parity and write it to disk. Since the system will not be able to determine where the last active write was in progress, one solution is to recalculate all of the parity on the RAID5 group. This recalculation process takes time and every sector of each participating RAID group must be scanned. Based on various leading system implementations currently available, the parity recalculation process can take between forty-five minutes for a standard RAID5 group of five or six drives to several hours for larger sets.
[0025] Currently, the parity recalculation problem is a significant drawback of software RAID5 solutions. There is no easy way to avoid this penalty when using the traditional read-modify-write approach to RAID5. Some RAID5 solutions in the ATA universe do avoid this limitation, however, through the use of "pointers" that records the positions of the in-place updates. These pointers are stored either on another disk or within a small NVRAM component. This technique is called "dirty region logging." If the pointer is stored on another disk, it generates an additional I/O step that will further degrade performance. Nonetheless, it will deliver a performance benefit by avoiding the need to recalculate all parity upon power failure; however, it does not eliminate the associated reliability problem since, in the event of a crash, some parity will still be left in an inconsistent state until recovery can be performed. If dirty region logging is combined with write-back-caching, the original reliability problem caused by a power failure or power spike event will result in inconsistent or corrupt data. Another solution is to log the data and parity to a separate portion of the disks before responding to the write request; the logged data and parity are then copied to the actual RAID stripe. In the event of a failure, the data and parity can be copied back to the RAID stripe. This approach, while much more reliable than dirty region logging, imposes additional disk latency and makes RAID5 writes significantly slower.
[0026] A complete, high-performance way around these parity update problems in RAID5 is to use significant quantities of NVRAM with reliable battery backup. Unfortunately, the use of NVRAM will tend to degrade RAID5 performance for streaming where throughput rather than latency is important. NVRAM is often employed in higher-end SCSI and Fibre Channel RAID controllers because it improves performance for many applications and confers reliability benefits in the face of power failure. Nevertheless, it is undesirable for the ATA world to move to this type of solution. One of the most important aspects of the ATA storage opportunity involves its cost savings over alternative drive platforms. Given this, vendors do not have the luxury to equip ATA RAID solutions with a lot of expensive hardware components. Moreover, there is some expectation within the ATA community that the widespread adoption of serial ATA will result in an increase of drive counts within standard rackmount servers. In many of these scenarios, the real estate required for additional board-level components will not be readily available on motherboards or easily addressable through the use of expansion boards. This means that the ATA world will continue to have relatively few options available for addressing reliability concerns associated with RAID5 implementations simply by applying more hardware.
[0027] Challenges in Developing a Flexible and Reliable RAID 5 System
[0028] There are several factors that make implementing a flexible and reliable RAID 5 system difficult:
[0029] Atomic parity update.
[0030] Small writes require read-modify-write disk operations.
[0031] Inflexible fixed data mapping.
[0032] RAID 5 must maintain a parity checksum across multiple disks. When updating data stored in a RAID 5 system, the data and corresponding parity are updated at slightly different times. Therefore, there is a brief period during which the parity does not correspond to the data that is stored on disk. If the system crashes or loses power at this time, the parity may be left in an inconsistent state and is useless. If no disks have failed, and we know which parity stripes were being updated at the time of the crash, the parity can be reconstructed when the system reboots. However, if there is already a failed disk or if a disk fails after a system crash, then the inconsistent parity cannot be used to recover the lost data. Unfortunately, it is common for power failures to simultaneously crash systems and destroy disks.
[0033] Contrast this with mirroring, in which case a crash may result in different data stored on the two disks but either copy of the data is valid, and the two copies can be made consistent by copying one copy to the other. To solve this problem, it is desirable to make the parity update in RAID 5 systems atomic. Note that most low-end RAID 5 systems probably do not support atomic parity updates and therefore cannot be used in any serious storage application.
[0034] Most commonly, parity updates can be made atomic by logging the data and parity to a separate device before updating the data or parity. Hardware RAID controllers typically use nonvolatile memory. Software RAID systems in particular usually cannot assume the existence of a nonvolatile memory device and must log the data and parity to a disk. This greatly increases the latency for write operations, particularly since many logging systems require more than one synchronous disk operation (write log entry+update size of log) in order to append to a log.
[0035] Another problem with RAID 5 systems is that small writes require reading the old data and old parity and xoring it with the new data in order to generate the new parity. This read-modify-write operation can result in up to four disk operations for each small write to a RAID 5 system. Most hardware disk arrays will buffer small writes in nonvolatile memory, in the hopes of accumulating enough sequential data to avoid performing read-modify-write operations. However, this does not work for small random writes, and most software RAID 5 implementations do not have the luxury of nonvolatile memory.
[0036] Finally, most RAID 5 systems use inflexible, fixed data mappings that make it difficult to accommodate the addition, removal or failure of a disk. In fact, most RAID 5 systems implement a fixed width parity stripe with a dedicated spare disk. The spare disk sits idle until a disk fails. A more flexible approach would be to always compute parity across all available disks and simply reserve enough spare capacity to recover a failed disk. This means that the width of a parity stripe would vary as disks are added, fail, and are replaced. By varying the width of the parity stripe we avoid the need to reserve a dedicated spare disk or wait for a spare disk to be added if there are no additional spares. Instead, we simply narrow the width of a parity stripe whenever a disk fails and widen the width whenever a disk is added.
[0037] This invention describes an improved way to implement RAID 5 by using a log-structured approach. The methods described in this invention are extraordinarily well suited for software-based RAID 5 systems.
[0038] In one embodiment, the disk storage subsystems receiving a request to write data. Thereafter, the write operation is appended to a first log to identify a storage location of data written to the disk subsystem, wherein the first log consists of a sequence of segments, the segments consist of a sequence of variable length stripes, a length of a stripe varies based on a quantity of disks addressed by a stripe. In response to adding a disk to the disk storage subsystem increasing a length of the stripes and increasing a number of disks available for striping data. Alternatively, in response to a disk failing within the disk storage subsystem or a disk being removed from the disk storage system, narrowing a length of the stripes.
[0039] The methods described herein allow very high-performance, reliable and flexible implementations of RAID 5 subsystems.
[0040]FIG. 1: Read-Modify-Write Process. Illustrates the process of updating a partial stripe in a typical RAID5 implementation.
[0041]FIG. 2: Organization of Data on Disk and the hierarchical composition of data structures. Illustrates the primary on-disk organizational structures.
[0042]FIG. 3: Appending to a Log. Illustrates the log-structured nature of the write process.
[0043]FIG. 4: Garbage Collection. Illustrates the compaction of parity information before and after garbage collection.
[0044]FIG. 5: Cross-Log Dependencies. Illustrates recovery dependencies between entries in two logs.
[0045]FIG. 6: Continuous Time Snapshots. Illustrates how the log-structuring can be used to implement continuous-time snapshots.
[0046]FIG. 7: High-Performance Remote Replication. Illustrates the replication of stripes on a remote system.
[0047] Definitions
[0048] VDisk
[0049] Virtual disk (volume).
[0050] Primary user visible abstraction.
[0051] Users can create and destroy virtual disks on demand.
[0052] Users can also create snapshots of virtual disks.
[0053] Disk (251)
[0054] A physical disk.
[0055] VAddr
[0056] Virtual disk address <VDisk, offset>.
[0057] PAddr
[0058] Physical disk address <disk, offset>.
[0059] Sector (241)
[0060] A disk sector.
[0061] Almost always 512 bytes in size.
[0062] Writes to sectors are atomic.
[0063] Writes to anything larger than a sector may not be atomic.
[0064] Page (231)
[0065] Smallest unit of storage allocation/mapping.
[0066] Usually somewhere between 32 KB and 1 MB in size.
[0067] Consists of whole sectors.
[0068] Stripe (221)
[0069] A collection of pages over which parity is computed.
[0070] For example, a stripe may consist of a page from each of disks A, B & C, with C storing the contents of A xor B.
[0071] For reliability, a stripe should consist of no more than one page from each disk.
[0072] A stripe may vary in size depending on the amount of data the parity is computed over.
[0073] Segment (211)
[0074] Large fixed sized chunks of disks used for garbage collection.
[0075] Free space is reclaimed by garbage collecting segments.
[0076] Segments are linked together to create a log.
[0077] Segments contain stripes.
[0078] Log (201)
[0079] An append-only data structure.
[0080] Conceptually, we organize all disk storage into a large log.
[0081] Consists of segments that are linked together.
[0082] Overview
[0083] As illustrated in FIG. 2, we organize disk storage into a large log. The log consists of a sequence of segments. The segments on a disk are organized contiguously, but the order of segments in the log does not have to be contiguous. Segments consist of a sequence of variable length stripes. The stripes consist of a sequence of pages. Pages consist of a sequence of contiguous sectors. For reliability, each page in the same segment is located on a different disk.
[0084] All updates append sequentially to the log. These results in very high write throughput even for small random writes, which is a weak point for conventional RAID 5 implementations. Free storage is reclaimed by garbage collecting segments that contain overwritten, no longer needed data.
[0085] In addition to achieving very high performance, the RAID system described herein provides several other useful functions. For example, all physical disk storage is organized into a common disk pool. Users may create and destroy virtual disks on demand without worrying about which physical resources to allocate to these virtual disks. An administrator need only periodically monitor the total amount of free space remaining in the system.
[0086] Requirements and Assumptions
[0087] The performance of the system should be similar to that of hardware RAID 5 controllers, and should not consume much CPU cycles. In particular, the throughput of the system should achieve many tens of MB/s in throughput, particularly for write operations. We assume that disk sectors are always written atomically or generate an error when read back, but anything larger than a sector may
[0088] We assume that disks may reorder write operations. This is particularly true of ATA disks with write back caching enabled. (This is unimportant assumption that can help us achieve significantly higher performance.)
[0089] Efficiently Appending to a Log
[0090] In the ideal case, appending to a log should require only a single synchronous disk write operation. Also, we must be able to reliably identify the end of a log during crash recovery.
[0091] One approach uses a separate sector to store a pointer to the end of the log. With this approach, data is first written to the end of the log and then the pointer is updated to point to the new end of the log. The problem with this approach is that it requires two synchronous disk operations.
[0092] A second approach is to include a sequence number in every sector that is written to the log. The sequence number is incremented each time that the log wraps around. During recovery, the log is scanned forwards until the sequence number decreases, indicating the end of the log. This approach requires only a single sequential write operation to append to the log; however, it requires initializing all sectors in the log to a known value before using the log and a few bytes must be reserved from each sector to store the sequence number. The sequence number must be stored in each sector rather than, for example, each page because only sector rights are guaranteed to the atomic. When a page write is interrupted, some sectors of the page may make it to disk while others sectors may not. There is also no guarantee as to what order in which the sectors will be written to disk.
[0093] We will be using the second approach to ensure that any write to a virtual disk incurs at most a single synchronous disk latency.
[0094] Computing and Storing Parity
[0095] When a full stripe, a stripe that spans the maximum allowed number of disks, is written, it incurs the minimum capacity overhead due to the parity overhead. Often, however, we will want to write stripes incrementally without waiting for a full stripe's worth of data to accumulate, such as when a small amount of data is written followed by a long pause. In general, we want to write the data to stable storage as soon as possible without waiting for the rest of the stripe to fill up; however, this incurs a higher parity capacity overhead. Fortunately, the excess storage can be easily removed when the segment is garbage collected.
[0096]FIG. 3 shows the process of appending to a log of stripes with varying sizes. Stripe 311 is made up of data page 301 and 302 and parity page 303. Stripe 321 is made up of data page 304, 305 and 306, and parity page 307. Stripe 331 is the shortest possible stripe, with one data page 308 and one parity page 309.
[0097] This method of writing out a non-full stripe is a key part of this invention. Traditional RAID5 implementation requires a full stripe before data is written out to disk. As such, a simple arithmetic formula is used in traditional RAID5 implementation to calculate the mapping between a logical and physical address. In this invention, a flexible table-look-up method is used to flexible convert between logical and physical address.
[0098] Garbage Collection
[0099] Eventually, the log will fill up and free storage must be reclaimed. Garbage collection is used to reclaim storage from pages that have been overwritten and are no longer needed. A garbage collector process periodically scans segments, throws away the overwritten pages, collects together the pages still in use, and appends the live pages to the current end of the log, creating free segments in the process. In FIG. 4, garbage collection eliminates the data blocks D3 and D5 (marked 401 and 402 on the figure) that have been overwritten and are no longer needed. Also, the stripes after garbage collection are longer, requiring only a single parity block (marked 403).
[0100] In actuality, there are two garbage collectors: a short-term collector and a long-term collector. The short-term garbage collector is responsible for ensuring that there are always a certain number of free segments. The short-term collector always collects segments that have the most amount of overwritten, and therefore free, space. This generates the most amount of free space for the least amount of work invested.
[0101] If we only had a short-term collector, free space would slowly accumulate in segments with otherwise "cold" data, reducing the amount of space available to the short-term collector to "age" recently written date. This would force the short-term collector to run increasingly more frequently on segments with less and less free space. The job of the long-term collector is to collect free space in these code segments, so that the short-term collector has more space to play with, and therefore wait longer, allowing more data to be overwritten, before garbage collecting a particular segment. In effect, the long-term collector can be viewed as a type of defragmenter.
[0102] From this discussion, it becomes evident that it is desirable to separate cold data from hot data since a segment containing mostly hot data will contain a large amount of free space and, therefore, require little work to garbage collect. To ensure this, the garbage collectors write surviving data into a separate "cold" log rather than appending it to the end of the same log that receives user requests. This prevents the hot and cold data from intermixing with each other. This method can be easily generalized to a hierarchy of logs containing ever colder data.
[0103] Checkpointing Metadata and Crash Recovery
[0104] Our RAID 5 implementation requires various types of metadata that are used for a range of tasks from mapping virtual disk addresses to physical disk addresses to keeping track of the amount of overwritten data in each segment. This metadata information must be recovered after a system crash. To bound the recovery time, it is necessary to periodically checkpoint the metadata to disk. We do this by periodically writing checkpoints to the end of a specially designated metadata log. Using a separate log for checkpoints prevents the metadata, from mixing with user data. Since the checkpoints are of a fixed size, the metadata log requires only a small fixed amount of disk space.
[0105] When the system is restarted after a crash, we first scan the metadata log to find the most recent checkpoint. The other logs containing the user data are then scanned forward from the points indicated in the checkpoint onto all logs have been processed. The system can then resume operation.
[0106] Note that in some cases, there may be dependencies in the order in which log entries in the various logs must be processed. These cross-log dependencies are explicitly noted as log entries in the logs themselves and are observed during recovery. In FIG. 5, entries after the point marked 502 in Log 2, cannot be processed until after Log 1 has been processed to the point marked 501. Processing of logs essentially performs a topological sorting of the entries in the logs. This mechanism for supporting multiple logs will also be used for future distributed versions of the system which allow multiple computing nodes connected over a network to share and access the same pool of disk storage
[0107] Disk Failure Recovery
[0108] When a disk fails, the stripes that span the failed disk are read and the data contained within those stripes are appended to the end of an appropriate log. For example, if a system originally has 6 disks, the maximum stripe width is 6. If a disk fails, the system will immediately switch to work with a maximum stripe width of 5: all new writes will be written with maximum stripe width of 5, and, all existing data can be read and rewritten with a stripe width of 5. After this rebuilding process is completed, the system will continue to tolerate single disk failure, without the need for a replacement disk to be put in place.
[0109] When the failed disk has been replaced, the system can switch dynamically back to work with a larger maximum stripe width. In the previous example, the system will switch back to use a maximum stripe width of 6 from a maximum stripe width of 5.
[0110] Adding and Removing Disks
[0111] When a disk is added, it simply increases the number of disks available for striping data. As a part of its normal process for garbage collection, the long-term collector will read the existing data and rewrite the data to span the new disk.
[0112] If a disk is about to be removed, then the disk is treated as if it had failed and the standard disk failure recovery mechanism is applied. One difference from the failed case is that a disk that is about to be removed may continue to service read requests. Once all data on the disk has been recovered, the disk is mapped out of the system and may be physically removed.
[0113] Benefits and Features
[0114] The log structured RAID approach in this invention also leads to several benefits and features not present in existing RAID solutions:
[0115] (1) Distributed Sparing
[0116] The system does not require the use of dedicated "spare" disks. Any data stored on a failed disk will automatically be recovered to spare capacity on the remaining disks. Therefore, all disks contribute to the performance of the system. Because a stripe may vary in the number of disks that it spans, when a disk fails, the width of the parity stripe can be narrowed rather than waiting for a new disk to be added to the system to restore full redundancy.
[0117] (2) Continuous Time Snapshots
[0118] Because data is written to a log, we can configure the system such that data that has been written within the last n time units will not be overwritten is never overwritten. This allows us to travel backward to any point in time within the last n time units. This offers continuous time snapshots of the underlying storage system: in the context of using the storage system for file system, a continuous-time snapshot of the file system becomes available. In FIG. 6, 601 represents the state of the file system up to stripe 3 (hypothetically 43 min and 25 sec ago), and 602 represents the current state of the file system, which is up to stripe N. The non-overriding behavior of a log-structured data layout also simplifies the implementation of more traditional snapshot mechanisms where snapshots are created explicitly by a user.
[0119] (3) Networked RAID
[0120] The system is easy to expand to networked storage systems where disks may be accessed remotely over a network. In such systems, it is important to tolerate the temporary failure of a node that makes a disk inaccessible for a short period of time. In our system, if a disk becomes inaccessible we simply skip writing to the disk and initiate the recovery of data stored on that disk to protect against the event that the node does not recover. When the disk recovers, we can simply include the recovered disk in any new writes. Any data on that disk and before it became unavailable and has not yet been recovered it is still completely usable. The ability to handle transient failure, i.e., the graceful, incremental handling of disk failures is in sharp contrast to other types of networked or distributed storage systems in which a disk failure triggers the wholesale migration of data from the failed disk, with potentially a time-consuming recovery process if the disk recovers and becomes available again.
[0121] (4) High-Performance Remote Replication
[0122] Because the log automatically captures causal dependencies between requests, high-performance remote mirroring is greatly simplified. Data in the log can simply be copied in any order as they are written to the log without worrying about sequencing the actual user requests. In FIG. 7, stripe 1 71 is replicated to remote site as strip 1 711, 702 replicated to 712, 703 to 713 and so on. This is particularly important for distributed storage systems, where there is usually no single central point that knows all of the causal dependencies between user requests.
[0123] (5) Generalized RAID that Tolerates k Disk Failures
[0124] This invention also supports generalized RAID that can tolerate k disk failures. RAID5 tolerates only one disk failure. When one disk fails, an expensive rebuild process has to be started immediately to guard against additional disk failure. With generalized RAID that tolerates k (k>1) disk failures, the rebuild process can be deferred to some later time, such as during midnight when the system load is much smaller.
[0125] Implementing a RAID system that tolerates k disk failure using traditional approach will incur significant disk latency in the read-modify-write process. For example, if it is desired to tolerate 2-disk failure, then there will be at least 3 reads and 3 writes in the read-modify-write process. Using the log-structure method in this invention, only one synchronous disk writes are needed regardless of the value of k.
[0126] The methods described above can be stored in the memory of a computer system (e.g., set top box, video recorders, etc.) as a set of instructions to be executed. In addition, the instructions to perform the method described above could alternatively be stored on other forms of machine-readable media, including magnetic and optical disks. For example, the method of the present invention could be stored on machine-readable media, such as magnetic disks or optical disks, which are accessible via a disk drive (or computer-readable medium drive). Further, the instructions can be downloaded into a computing device over a data network in a form of compiled and linked version.
[0127] Alternatively, the logic to perform the methods as discussed above, could be implemented in additional computer and/or machine readable media, such as discrete hardware components as large-scale integrated circuits (LSI's), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC's), firmware such as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM's); and electrical, optical, acoustical and other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.); etc.
[0128] Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
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This profile for Union Paper & Chemical is located in Bernice, LA. Union Paper & Chemical industry is listed as Whol Chemicals/Products Industrial/Service Paper Confectionery & Scrap/Waste Mat. There are no officers listed for this company.
Randy Lee served as the Owner
Key roles for Union Paper & Chemical
Randy Lee
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No longer is Brunswick's Penny Black only a destination for a good pub meal and a pint. 1/2 Penny has taken over the front corner and is serving speciality coffee via an exclusive blend by Gridlock roasters. Top that off with singles from Axil roasters and you have a recipe for a great latte, shorty or whatever tickles your fancy every time.
With their wit and charm owners Steve and Andrew have brought the space to life making you feel welcome as soon as you walk through the door. No wanky pretentious vibe to be found here. The lads are full of laughs and will be happy to brighten your day whenever you drop past.


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What a perfectly lovely setting. I loved being able to lie in bed with a view of the water rushing through the creek. So picturesque, and such a soothing sound. Out cabin was so nicely and tastefully appointed. While we didn't have heat the first night, mgt dropped off a space heater (and this was Xmas eve, so we appreciated the response) and we still had the fireplace. Overall a really nice experience.
·By Lauren from Los Angeles on 12/27/2010 for a stay in 12/1/2010
stayed at cozy hideaway..loved it..the forest is out the backdoor..great hiking and just relaxing…
·By Denny from imperial beach ca on 12/24/2010 for a stay in 12/1/2010
Jim and Mike are great "hosts". The room is beautifully detailed and very quiet. The Loft area which my group used for meetings, is a magical space. The Gallery common area is warm and inviting and breathtakingly artistic. Highly recommend.
·By J. Wiest from Los Angeles on 12/16/2010 for a stay in 12/1/2010
Dear Jim and Mike,
You both are the ulimate innkeepers, caretakers, and generous human beings. Our workshop would not have been the same without your attention to detail and your warmth.
We will be back as you know, and I cannot thank you enough for making our stay very special and comfortable.
·By Cheryl from Absolutely on 12/10/2010 for a stay in 12/1/2010
We had a wonderful time in the beautiful Treehouse. It has a beautiful view, with outdoor seating and dining areas. It is in a neighborhood but feels private. The inside is well decorated and cared for and very comfortable. We liked it so much we mostly stayed "home". Special mention to Quiet Creek Inn who are so easy to work with and never fail to take good care of us!
·By Michelle from San Diego on 12/2/2010 for a stay in 11/1/2010


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President Robert Mugabe is moving further and further from having a grasp as to the reality of what is happening in his land. The cholera death rate has passed one thousand, three million people have fled the country to South Africa in search of work, the inflation rate is astronomical and soon will require issuing one billion dollar notes. In his latest speech he ranted on about "Zimbabwe is mine" and insisted his nation's problems are all caused by British colonialism and western powers seeking to overthrow his inept regime. Mugabe is moving toward even ending the pretense of a coalition government and simply ruling, as always, a one man government. An official of his Zanu-PF party insisted< "With or without the MDC, the government will have to be formed."
The only hope for Zimbabwe is by means of an outside invasion by forces of the African Union in an attempt to save people's lives. Mugabe simply has no connection with reality and it is criminal to allows such a deranged individual to cause death of thousands.


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Gift members receive our fleece blanket to welcome them to the NPCA family, plus a year's subscription to our award-winning National Parks magazine ... all for only $25.
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July 1, 2009 by MomMadeThat
Filed under BABY/TODDLER CLOTHING, BABY/TODDLER ITEMS, GREEN LIVING, REVIEW OUR PRODUCTS
Affordable Baby Organics is a company specializing in affordable organic products for babies, toddlers, and children. The company was founded on the belief that consumers should be rewarded for making purchases that have a positive effect on the world. Products sold by Affordable Baby Organics are organic, naturally made, fair trade and affordable to the average family.
Affordable Baby Organics was started by a mother who was frustrated with the high price of organic clothing and baby products. She wanted to provide the healthiest atmosphere possible for her child while limiting their impact on our beautiful Earth. She felt it was unfair that she had to pay upwards of 3-4 times the price in order to do so. Although she knew there was extra expense involved in creating the organic products at times, she felt that paying $25 for a pair of baby pants was ridiculous – and she was right.
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Iowa Educators' Perceptions of the Functions and Purposes of the Iowa Professional Teaching Practices Commission
Ratigan, Gary J.
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The problem: This study measures Iowa educators' perceptions and understandings of the Iowa Professional Teaching Practices Commission's (IPTPC) code of ethical behavior, the teaching standards and practices established by the IPTPC rules and hearing decisions, and the educators' concept of professional self-governance. A random sample of lowa educators was administered a survey instrument that included thirty questions designed to measure their knowledge and awareness of the IPTPC and its functions. The sample included 200 classroom teachers, 100 elementary principals, 100 secondary principals, 100 superintendents, 50 Department of Education personner, and the 28 deans of education at the 28 lowa teacher preparation institutions. The Chi-Square test was used to determine if significant differences existed among responses from the various groups. Findings. Survey responses were analyzed by grouping items based upon their relationship to fundamental concepts associated with professional self-governance and basic knowledge and understanding of the IPTPC. A total of 473 responses was received and tabulated (81.8% of the sample). The six ID groups recorded 53 significant differences between groups on the 24 items. School size and years of experience appear not to affect responses, whereas educational background and gender do. Conclusions. 1. lowa educators lack awareness of the lowa Professional Teaching Practices Commission and its criteria. 2. lowa educators place emphasis on the concept of sewice rendered rather than economic gain. 3. Thirty percent of the educators responded they know and understand the IPTPC's code of ethical conduct. 4. lowa educators believe they are professionals and they should have the authority to govern their profession. 5. Many educators have not received undergraduate instruction on the code of ethics or the IPTPC's written standards. Recommendations. The IPTPC should: 1. be sufficiently funded to allow the commission to fulfill its role as the self-governing arm of the educational profession. 2. hire a professional educator to serve as its Executive Director. 3. develop and promote a comprehensive information system to adequately instruct educators on the established code of ethics and teaching standards. 4. become the organization which represents the entire profession's perspective on ethics, standards and practices, and other issues which impact on the profession as a whole.
vi, 92 leaves. Advisor: Raymond A. Hock
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Barratt Yorkshire West named as Top 100 employer
Barratt Yorkshire West has been recognised in the second Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list, announced at the National Apprenticeship Awards (part of The Skills Show in Birmingham).
The prestigious Top 100 list – compiled by the National Apprenticeship Service in partnership with City & Guilds – recognises excellence in businesses that employ apprentices. After a rigorous selection process, the most outstanding Apprenticeship Employers from all four National Apprenticeship Awards employer categories (ranging from small to macro sized business) went forward to feature in the list, which showcases the breadth of employers who now offer such placements.
Barratt Yorkshire West has an extremely successful apprenticeship programme which has seen one of the newest apprentices Jason Whitehead rack up a very impressive list of awards and commendations locally and nationally. Since starting with Barratt in 2010 as a bricklaying apprentice, Jason has quickly gone on to showcase his aptitude for the trade. Since receiving his initial training; he has achieved his NVQ level one, two and three qualifications and most recently claimed the construction industry 'gold' for his incredible workmanship at the 2012 SkillBuild National Final.
This year's new apprentices are Maxwell Corker, a Joiner who is being trained at The Edge in Waverley and Jacob Ward, a Bricklayer who is enjoying his placement at The Oaks, Leeds New Forest Village.
Both Maxwell and Jacob are keen to follow in Jason's footsteps and are taking advantage of the training that they are receiving from some of the best Site Managers in Britain.
Barratt apprentices receive a wealth of training from varied roles including Site Labourers and Managing Directors. As well as learning in the class room, each apprentice gets plenty of opportunities to get their hands dirty and help build Barratt's five star homes.
Commenting on the company's entry in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer's list, Wayne Sutton, Contracts Manager for Barratt Yorkshire West said; "Apprentices are what make our business great and ensure we continue to excel in the housebuilding industry. As a developer we are synonymous with very high standards and young professionals like Jason, Jacob and Maxwell are what will keep us at the top of the construction sector moving forward.
"It is a great achievement for Barratt to be acknowledged for its brilliant apprenticeship programme and we hope that many more youngsters will take advantage of the scheme."
David Way, Chief Executive of the National Apprenticeship Service, congratulated Barratt Yorkshire West on its success: "The breadth and depth of employers on our Top 100 list just goes to show the huge impact Apprenticeships have on companies of all sizes and the UK economy.
"Apprenticeships are the country's gold standard for vocational training. As part of the new era for Apprenticeships we are introducing measures to ensure there has never been a better time for employers to hire apprentices.
"With more higher, degree level, apprenticeships, rigorous new standards and new financial incentives for small firms who hire their first apprentices, employers can be confident that apprenticeships will deliver for them."
Meanwhile, CEO and Director General of City & Guilds, Chris Jones, said: "At City & Guilds, we're all about helping people and organisations develop their skills for growth. Apprenticeships are integral to helping us achieve this; they develop the workforce of tomorrow, whilst giving people the skills they need to succeed in employment. To be named a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer is a sign of excellence and Barratt Yorkshire West should feel incredibly proud of what they've achieved. I hope that other employers will be inspired by their success to discover the benefits apprenticeships can offer."


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Given thirty years of postmodern relativism in our universities, we were bound to get a postmodern president at some point.
But the chief characteristic of postmodern thinking is the notion of relativism and the primacy of language over reality. What we signify and brand as "real," in essence, is no more valid than another's "truth," even if we retreat to specious claims of "evidence"— especially if our aim is to perpetuate the nation state, or the primacy of the white male capitalist Westerner who long ago manufactured norms in his own interests.
Try health care. By traditional standards, Obama prevaricates on most of the main issues revolving health care reform — from the fundamental about its costs and effects, to the more superficial such as airing the entire process on C-SPAN or promising not to push through a major bill like this on narrow majoritism. And recall the blatant bribes for votes to politicians from Nebraska to Louisiana. Look also at the enormous borrowing and cuts from Medicare that will be involved.
Well, those were not misstatements or misdeeds at all. You, children of privilege, only think they are, since you use antiquated norms like "abstract" truth to adjudicate the discomforting efforts of a progressive president.
He, on the other hand, is trying to force the privileged at last to account for their past oppressions (insurance companies that gouge, surgeons that lop off legs or tear out tonsils for profit, investors who private jet to the Super Bowl, or the lesser but equally selfish Joe the Plumber types who do not wish to "spread the wealth") by extending care to the underprivileged. Your "Truth" about his past statements is something reactionaries evoke to thwart such progressive change; in fact, the constructed truth of Obama's is that a child will now have regular check-ups. All the other "gotcha" games about abstract truth and falsehood are just semantics. -Works and Days (PJM)
Victor David Hanson is hitting on all cylinders with this one; it's well worth reading the whole thing.


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I am older than dirt and actually IN last place so I deserve and desperately need the first, second, third and fourth picks.
If someone drops a guy in the first round and I see potential in that guy can I pick him ?
Gold is an idiot.
Thank you.
Holy Crap, that was a pleasant exchange.
Neither had their morning coffee yet~
The Art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.
I need those of you that have been trading your supplemental picks between each other to start making posts in this thread explicitly stating what picks that you're exchanging.
I received R.Payton's 2nd round pick (#15) overall with the Askren for Ciasulli trade. After updates this week I think I will have #2, #15, #28 and #29.
"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until they speak."


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Univ. of Arizona police continue to investigate student's death from fall
TUCSON, Ariz. -- University of Arizona police are trying to learn what a 19-year-old student was doing in the hours before he fell to his death while climbing a cooling tower atop a dorm.
Freshman Michael Evan Anderson of Mission Viejo, Calif., died Friday morning on the roof of the three-story dorm.
The Arizona Daily Star reported the investigation included analyzing security video at a fraternity house to determine where there was a party there and interviewing students and a cab driver.
Court documents indicated that detectives also searched Anderson's room in the dorm.
Police Sgt. Filbert Barrera said toxicology test results which could confirm whether Anderson was impaired by drugs or alcohol won't be available for several weeks.


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Miley Cyrus Dresses as Nicki Minaj For Halloween, Calls Her a "Stupid Hoe" (PHOTO)
Nicki Minaj dresses in absurd getups year-round, so it's no surprise that people — even other big-name celebs — are Minaj-ifying themselves for Halloween.
Doing just that is Miley Cyrus, who showed off her Nicki-inspired outfit on Twitter yesterday (October 30). The singer/actress covered her new shaved hairdo with a big blond wig, wore a skintight leopard jumpsuit, and went all out with bright green eye makeup.
And aside from just snatching the rapper's style for the night, Miley tweeted, "@NICKIMINAJ you a stupppppiddddd hoe #stupittttstupitttt." We're sure Miley's just joking around, considering Nicki immediately retweeted the playful post.
Now the real question is, will Nicki return the joke and go trick-or-treating as Miley? Time will tell!
Get your daily TV and pop-culture fix from Wetpaint Entertainment: Like us on Facebook, or Follow us on Twitter!
Source: @MileyCyrus
Follow Alissa Kombert on Twitter @AyeKayArt.


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Oklahoma-style Onion Burgers
An Oklahoma classic, it's a slider in style, but with way more onions, which help the thin patties of beef cook up extra juicy and flavorful. More
An Oklahoma classic, it's a slider in style, but with way more onions, which help the thin patties of beef cook up extra juicy and flavorful. More
While making a Shepherd's Pie isn't necessarily as difficult as tending sheep, it can be time consuming. Instead, consider the Shepherd's Pie Slider. The same seasoned lamb is at the core of this recipe, but instead of being sauteed, the meat is formed into patties and studded with thyme, rosemary, garlic, shallots, peas, and carrots. More
For best result, use freshly ground beef with at least 80 percent fat. Try this recipe for our Blue Label Burger Blend. Sliders can be cooked in a 12-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet in batches of six if you don't have an electric griddle. More
By first caramelizing onions in the skillet and removing them, you build up a patina of sticky, browned onion juice that fuses itself to the beef when you smash the patties into it. More
There's more than meats the eye between these diminutive buns: Check out the science here. About the author: After graduating from MIT, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt spent many years as a chef, recipe developer, writer, and editor in Boston. He now... More
These crab and chickpea "sliders"* start with a slightly streamlined, miniaturized version of Mantuano's Falafel Crab Cakes (I use canned chickpeas, tweak the spice blend to make it more sandwich-friendly, and add a tiny bit of flour to help the patties hold together more easily during the frying stage), which he describes as from "southern Spain, which owes many culinary inspirations to the Moors of Northern Africa." More


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Watch a surveillance video. >>
They were identified as Destin Leslie, Edwin Sanchez, Bronda Isiah McKisson and Justus Betts, all 17, and a 15-year-old, all of Fort Walton Beach, the Sheriff's Office reported.
The teens went to a home on Pocahontas Drive early Saturday armed with a gun, baseball bat and a knife, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Leslie, Sanchez and Betts went up the home's driveway as McKisson and the 15-year-old served as lookouts near the road, the Sheriff's Office reported.
Sanchez slashed two tires on the homeowner's car with the knife. Leslie punctured a third tire.
Betts told deputies later that the gun seen in the video was an Airsoft pistol that he planned to use to shoot out the car's windows.
The teens tried to break one of the car's windows with the bat, but were unsuccessful. They fled when the bat hitting the window caused a loud noise.
Leslie told deputies the victim had fired his father from his job. He said he asked the other teens to help get revenge.


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Bing and Twitter did a Twitter conversation that hints at a renewed search deal between the two, or at least some announcement around the same.Read More
A list of popular Google products and alternatives to each one. Also, a list of Google products which do not have a good replacement today.Read More
The Bing Webmaster team has announced the integration of Yahoo traffic data into Bing Webmaster Tools reports. Bing Webmaster Tools will now be showing integrated data from Yahoo within certain areas and reports.Read More
Microsoft unveils latest Bing app, 'We're In'. A safer and controlled way of sharing your location with friends.Read More
Concept cars, technology vision videos, and even the scenarios in science fiction movies have been reasons of many of orgasms I have had. However, Microsoft's peek into the future is built around current products and technologies and looks a certain reality in few months.Read More
As part of the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance, from August 3, Yahoo! search results in Europe will be powered by Bing. Yahoo! will be migrating organic search results for its European properties to the Bing search index.Read More
Microsoft today launched a new state-of-the-art research & development facility in Bangalore, India. Dr Qi Lu, President, Online Services Division, Microsoft inaugurated Vigyan, the swank new 154,000 sq. ft. facility is situated in the heart of the city.Read More
Bing team at Microsoft released a slick Bing for iPad app in April 2011 as the first official iPad app from Microsoft. The app has been very well received. The v1.1 of the app released today introduces a new feature called Lasso.Read More
The Xbox 360 update introduced at E3, 2011 includes several new capabilities including a new interface, Bing integration, voice control, YouTube and Microsoft's upcoming subscription based local TV service.Read More
Google's executive Charmian, Eric Schmidt revealed that Google's offer to partner with the social networking giant, Facebook ,was rejected despite several tries. Schmidt spoke at the D9 conference that if the deal was on, Google search could have been improvised for better searching experience with access to Facebook's data.Read More
The default search provided in browsers is affecting search market shares more than ever and this rise in Bing is acclaimed to this very fact.Read More
Team at Microsoft's bing posted a tweet hours ago that was perceived negatively by a lot of people. Realizing the unintentional insensitivity of the message, Bing team has apologized for the tweet.Read More
Microsoft just added H.264 codec support to Google Chrome by releasing the Windows Media Player plugin for Google Chrome. Microsoft and Google have been fighting over search results and now video codec for browsers.Read More
Bing Maps will be powering Hyundai's cars with their Blue Line technology and Toyota Entune will use Bing for search in their cars.Read More
Microsoft is looking to hire User Experience designers for Bing who specialize in animations.Read More


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After 18 to 20 weeks, you will notice that your baby moves
and kicks more at certain times of the day. For example, when you are active,
you may feel less kicking than when you are resting quietly. At your prenatal
visits, your doctor may ask you whether the baby is active.
Kick counts. In the last trimester of your pregnancy, your doctor may ask you
to keep track of the baby's movement every day. This is often called a "kick
count." A common way to do a kick count is to see how much time it takes to
feel 10 movements. Ten movements (such as kicks, flutters, or rolls) in 1 hour
or less are considered normal. But do not panic if you do not feel 10
movements. Less activity may simply mean the baby is sleeping.
If an hour goes by and you have not recorded 10 movements, have something to eat or drink and count for another hour. If you do not record 10 movements in the 2-hour period, call your doctor right away.
Last Revised:
July 23, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine & Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
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This profile for The Fiola Group Inc is located in Phoenix, AZ. The Fiola Group Inc industry is listed as Nonclassifiable Establishments. There are no officers listed for this company.
Comprehensive Insight Plus Report
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|The D&B Comprehensive Insight Plus Report for The Fiola Group Inc combines D&B's proprietary statistical scoring with business, payment and financial information all in one report.
US Company Profile Report
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|The D&B U.S. Company Profile contains basic information such as address and telephone number, executive names and titles, line of business and SIC codes, D-U-N-S Numbers, organization status, and year and location of incorporation for The Fiola Group Inc.


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Lsu Logo Pictures, Photos & Images
Your search result for Lsu Logo
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If you are looking for Lsu Logo pictures, images or photos we have them here for you to use. We only collect the highest quality Lsu Logo pictures and photos for our users to use. Our staff continually adds new Lsu Logo photos, pictures and images. Get them right here at PicturesDepot.com the exclusive source for Lsu Logo pictures online.


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The gold and black standard logo is to be used on all material where Creative New Zealand is a core funder or sponsor. If Creative New Zealand isn't a core funder then the black or white version is sufficient.
Groups or individuals receiving project funding are required to acknowledge Creative New Zealand's support in all marketing, promotional activities and published material associated with your project: eg advertisements, programmes, brochures, flyers, media releases, books, magazines, music scores, film credits, catalogues, covers of records, cassettes or compact discs.
Read guidelines on using the Creative New Zealand logo (pdf 200kb)
The standard logo can be used for all projects funded by either the Arts Board, Pacific Arts Committee or Te Waka Toi. If printing in one colour please use the black and white logo.
This logo is only for projects outside New Zealand. Projects in New Zealand should use the standard Creative New Zealand logo above.
If your grant was approved by either the Pacific Arts Committe or Te Waka Toi then you can use the logo's below (but you don't have to). If you don't use either of these then you should use the standard logo above.
Pacific Arts Committee
Te Waka Toi
Includes the generic logo's and local administrator logo's for all councils.
Go to Creative Communities Scheme logo's.


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Oracle buying Micros Systems for about $5.3B (Update)
Software maker Oracle is buying Micros Systems Inc., which provides software and hardware to the hospitality and retail industries, for about $5.3 billion.
Software maker Oracle is buying Micros Systems Inc., which provides software and hardware to the hospitality and retail industries, for about $5.3 billion.
Oracle President Mark Hurd says he's not planning on becoming Microsoft's next CEO.
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is so immersed in his boating team's stirring comeback in the America's Cup that he backed out of giving the keynote speech at his software company's biggest customer conference of the year.
Higher software revenue helped lift Oracle Corp.'s fiscal first-quarter net income by 8 percent.
Yahoo has agreed to pay $1.1 billion to buy blogging forum Tumblr, ranking it in among the top 10 tech deals announced this year, according to research firm Dealogic. Here's a list of the top 10 tech mergers and acquisitions ...
At any given moment, Netflix Inc. is serving up thousands, if not millions, of online videos from a big data center that the company's 33 million subscribers couldn't care less about, as long as those shows run immediately ...
Oracle Corp. on Wednesday reported flat earnings for its fiscal third quarter, hurt by a continued drop in sales of hardware systems and a surprise decline in sales of new software—which the company attributed to a lackluster ...
Some Mac users were taken by surprise Thursday as their computers stopped running programs written using the Java programming language after Apple blocked Java due to security problems.
Oracle Corp. says it will soon fix a flaw in its Java software that caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Oracle's latest quarterly earnings rose 18 percent as companies splurged on more software and other technology toward the end of the year.
(AP)—Business software maker SAP AG saw its third quarter profit fall from a year ago because of a large one-time gain booked then, but the company raised its sales outlook for the year and said its business in cloud computing ...
(AP)—Oracle CEO Larry Ellison envisions his recently acquired Hawaiian island becoming a "little laboratory" for experimenting with more environmentally sound ways to live.
(AP)—Nokia says it will make its maps and location services available to customers of Oracle Corp. with a built-in link created by the U.S software maker.
Yahoo! on Tuesday named Ken Goldman as chief financial officer as the struggling Internet giant extended its shakeup under new chief executive Marissa Mayer.
(AP)—Oracle's earnings matched analyst estimates in the latest quarter, but a revenue decline signaled the business software maker is having a tougher time closing deals.


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Overall Record: 0-0 (0-0 PL) Last Week: 0-0
Schedule: Friday, Feb. 25 at No. 20 Louisiana State, Baton Rouge, La., 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26 at No. 20 Louisiana State, Baton Rouge, La., 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 27 at No. 20 Louisiana State, Baton Rouge, La., 1:00 p.m.
- The Holy Cross baseball team opens up the 2011 season with a three-game series against the 20th-ranked LSU Tigers. The Tigers are ranked 20th in the nation by Baseball America and opened up their season with a three-game sweep over Wake Forest. This will be the first time the two squads have met in Holy Cross program history and serves as the Crusaders' first trip to Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. LSU was picked to win the 2011 SEC Western Division title and features 16 returning lettermen from its 2010 squad and 18 newcomers that comprised the nation's No. 1 recruiting class.
- The Crusaders were selected to finish third in the 2011 Patriot League preseason poll on Feb. 16. The Crusaders also garnered one first-place vote, as the third-place selection was a repeat of the 2009and 2010 preseason polls. The team finished third in the conference last season with a 26-26 overall record, going 10-10 in the Patriot League and making it to the Patriot League Championship series season for the first time in school history
- Holy Cross was selected to finish second in the league according to Baseball America. Sophomore pitcher John Colella (Herndon. Va.) was named as one of the top prospects coming out of the league by the publication as well. Playing for the New York Collegiate League's Elmira Pioneers this past summer, Colella posted an ERA of 0.00, mounting 13 saves and 37 strikeouts. He will be the team's go-to closer this season. Sophomore Nate Koneski (North Dighton, Mass.) was also picked as the publication's Patriot League Pitcher of the Year.
- Head coach Greg DiCenzo enters his fourth season at the helm of the Holy Cross baseball team and returns 20 letterwinners to his lineup and adds 12 newcomers. His 20 letterwinners, were all critical parts of the team that broke school records in nine batting categories in 2010, including batting average (.319), slugging percentage (.477), at bats (1,785), runs (367), hits (569), doubles (114), home runs (45), total bases (852) and RBI (340).
- Leading the group of returners will be senior captains Jack Laurendeau (Sudbury, Mass.) and Eric Oxford (Danvers, Mass.). Laurendeau had a breakout season for the team in 2010, earning first team All-Patriot League honors. He finished with a .355 batting average and stealing 18 bases in 22 attempts, placing second on the Holy Cross single season records list for steals. He also hit a team-high four triples and scored 46 runs. Oxford leads a young infield after making 50 starts last season, recording a Holy Cross single season record of 414 putouts and turning a squad-best 37 double-plays. He is also a threat at the plate after batting .302 and knocking in 38 runs last season. He has a total of 108 RBI in his career, one shy of tying the school record for career RBI.
- The squad also returns sophomore catcher Stephen Wadsworth (Wayland, Mass.) who was named the 2010 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and was also selected to the second team All-Patriot League. Three other players, including juniors Koneski and Steve Tkowski (Bourne, Mass.) and senior Nick Ciardiello (Edison, N.J.) were named to the second team and come back as starters for Holy Cross this season.
- The Holy Cross outfield brings back the most experience, as all three starters return, including Ciardiello, Laurendeau and senior Brendan McCrea (Hicksville, N.Y.). The infield will make use of fresh legs, as Oxford and sophomore Alex Maldonado (Brooklyn, N.Y.) are the only two starters to come back to their respective positions. Catching will be split between Wadsworth and Tkowski while the starting pitching to rotation will feature three juniors, Koneski, John Pedrotty (Portsmouth, R.I.) and Matt Croglio (Fayetteville, N.Y.).


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