Abstract: Automated shading devices for buildings including one or more shade panels, each with a first end attached to a dispenser, a drive mechanism mechanically connected to the dispenser and configured to cover or uncover a translucent panel with the one or more shade panels, and a control mechanism connected to the drive mechanism and configured to automatically cause the drive mechanism to cover or uncover the translucent panel in accordance with a predetermined schedule. The dispenser is held in tension upon the translucent panel via a telescoping arm. In some examples, the devices include a drive mechanism located proximate to the dispenser. In some further examples, the devices include a drive mechanism located near the base of the telescoping arm.

Abstract: A system and method for providing redundant video signals from a server blade in a blade center. A blade center is described that includes a capture system for capturing a video stream off a PCI-x bus in a server blade and delivering the pair of video streams to a midplane in the blade center; and a switch module that inputs the pair of video streams and generates an unroutable video signal and a routable video signal.

Abstract: A method and system for emulating a hardware Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) Host Bus Adapter (HBA) without risking an interruption of communication between a computer and a remote secondary storage device is presented. During normal operations, a (hardware emulating) software iSCSI HBA drives a Network Interface Card (NIC) to afford communication between the computer and the remote secondary storage. If an operating system (OS) anomaly occurs in the computer, the NIC is normally disconnected by the OS. To maintain communication between the computer and the secondary storage device if such an event occurs, a failover network device is called up by the computer's System Management Memory (SMM) Basic Input Output System (BIOS), which allows uninterrupted communication to continue between the computer and remote secondary storage device.

Abstract: A method and system for emulating a hardware Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) Host Bus Adapter (HBA) without risking an interruption of communication between a computer and a remote secondary storage device is presented. During normal operations, a (hardware emulating) software iSCSI HBA drives a Network Interface Card (NIC) to afford communication between the computer and the remote secondary storage. If an operating system (OS) anomaly occurs in the computer, the NIC is normally disconnected by the OS. To maintain communication between the computer and the secondary storage device if such an event occurs, a failover network device is called up by the computer's System Management Memory (SMM) Basic Input Output System (BIOS), which allows uninterrupted communication to continue between the computer and remote secondary storage device.

Abstract: An aggregated server blade system includes a plurality of individual server blades and a management module which can be designated as a bootable device. A boot list maintained and executed in each server blade includes a management module entry in its list of bootable devices. In response to the management module entry being selected or otherwise made active as the bootable device for a particular blade, an alternative bootable-devices list maintained on the management module is referenced and the boot process proceeds according to the alternative list.

Abstract: A method and system for emulating a hardware Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) Host Bus Adapter (HBA) without risking an interruption of communication between a computer and a remote secondary storage device is presented. During normal operations, a (hardware emulating) software HBA drives a Network Interface Card (NIC) to afford communication between the computer and the remote secondary storage. If an operating system (OS) anomaly occurs in the computer, the NIC is normally disconnected by the OS. To maintain communication between the computer and the secondary storage device if such an event occurs, a failover network device is called up by the computer's System Management Memory (SMM) Basic Input Output System (BIOS), which allows uninterrupted communication to continue between the computer and remote secondary storage device.

Abstract: Basic server resources may be extended by the completion of a Capacity on Demand (CoD) Agreement. The CoD Agreement provides authorization to the server for activation of inactive resources. A Power On Self Test (POST) works in conjunction with a system management interrupt, a memory unit, and a plurality of Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) host bridges to provide for on demand additions of input and output adapters. The adapters may be added during various phases of operation and may be hot pluggable.

Abstract: A method and system for correlating location information of a server. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention provide a method that includes causing a node to obtain correlation of a first address of at least one target server with a second address of the at least one target server based on the second address of the at least one target server and a plurality of addresses similar in type to the first address. The method further includes retrieving the correlation from the node. As a result, a client may access the correlated location information and communicate directly with the target server.

Abstract: Sharing computer data among computers, including identifying by a user through a user interface on a first computer at least one object of a file system to be shared through a second computer; creating by a sharing file system generator on the first computer a sharing file system; installing by the sharing file system generator in the sharing file system the object to be shared; and exposing the object to be shared from the sharing file system to a second computer through a Universal Serial Bus (‘USB’) connection between the first computer and the second computer.

Abstract: Methods and arrangements to dynamically modify the number of processors active in a multi-node data processing system. are contemplated. Embodiments include transformations, code, state machines or other logic to change the portion of BIOS that a processor loads on power-on. In some embodiments, a signal sent over a GPIO pin may flip an address line to the portion of the BIO that a processor loads on power-on. In some embodiments, a service processor may set a GPIO or non-volatile RAM value. The portion of BIOS controlling the powering-up of the processor may read the value and branch depending upon the value. Embodiments also include transformations, code, state machines or other logic to determine the state of a dynamically activated processor. In some embodiments, a processor may read from a local scratch register to determine if it has been dynamically activated. If so, embodiments may then clear the scratch register and put the processor to sleep.

Abstract: In a multi-node system, a node can be dynamically detached (e.g., responsive to an error situation) without impacting the operating system or others of the nodes. Contents of in-use memory at the node to be detached are copied to another node, and a memory map is updated to make the copy transparent to components using the memory. Furthermore, the copied-to memory locations are programmatically blocked to prevent assignment thereof to a memory requester.

Abstract: A system and method of remote media cache optimization for use with multiple processing units. The present invention discloses a data processing system that includes multiple processing units, a storage device, and a storage device adapter for coupling the storage device to the multiple processing units. The data processing system also includes a cache coupled to the storage device. The cache includes a data partition for storing data retrieved from the storage device and multiple sense data partitions. Each of the multiple sense partitions correspond to a respective one of the multiple processing units. In response to the storage device receiving a first command from a first processing unit, the storage device issues a response to the command and the storage device adapter stores sense data corresponding to the first command in a first sense data partition.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing power consumed by a computer system. A network switch includes a processor coupled to a plurality of ports which are coupled to a plurality of computer systems. The processor includes logic for receiving a media access control address from one of the computer systems. The computer system may later enter into either a hibernation state or an off state. The processor may further include logic for receiving a magic packet that includes a repetitive address that identifies the computer system. Upon receiving the magic packet, the processor remotely activates the computer system from either the hibernation state or the off state. By remotely activating the computer system, the computer system may consume less power since the network subsystem in the computer system may not need to monitor for a magic packet. Instead, the magic packet may be monitored by the network switch.

Abstract: A method and system for emulating a hardware Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) Host Bus Adapter (HBA) without risking an interruption of communication between a computer and a remote secondary storage device is presented. During normal operations, a (hardware emulating) software iSCSI HBA drives a Network Interface Card (NIC) to afford communication between the computer and the remote secondary storage. If an operating system (OS) anomaly occurs in the computer, the NIC is normally disconnected by the OS. To maintain communication between the computer and the secondary storage device if such an event occurs, a failover network device is called up by the computer's System Management Memory (SMM) Basic Input Output System (BIOS), which allows uninterrupted communication to continue between the computer and remote secondary storage device.

Abstract: An aggregated server blade system includes a plurality of individual server blades and a management module which can be designated as a bootable device. A boot list maintained and executed in each server blade includes a management module entry in its list of bootable devices. In response to the management module entry being selected or otherwise made active as the bootable device for a particular blade, an alternative bootable-devices list maintained on the management module is referenced and the boot process proceeds according to the alternative list.

Abstract: A method is provided to allow for establishing one or more user-defined clusters including server blades in a local blade cabinet and in one or more remote blade cabinets connected to the local cabinet by a management network, and then to allow for the transmission of information read within a local drive unit only to the blade servers within one of the user-defined clusters.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling the addition of a USB device to a host computer system via a hardware hot plug detector that monitors USB ports. The differential signal lines connecting to the USB device are logically OR'ed together, such that logically high D+ or D? signals from the USB device signal a central processing unit's (CPU) system management interrupt (SMI) line to initiate system management mode (SMM). Entering SMM transfers control of the host computer system to an SMI Interrupt Handler BIOS, which resides in the SMM address space of the hose computer system. The SMM BIOS is loaded into the SMM address space during Power On Self Test (POST) and is secured prior to booting the Operating System (OS). The SMM BIOS code contains instructions as to whether or not the connected USB device should be made visible to the operating system of the computer.

Abstract: Local drive presence is provided for local and remote drives by maintaining a plurality of uninterrupted protocol connections between a plurality of I/O controllers and a plurality of device interfaces through which peripheral bus commands are transmitted. Preferably, the I/O controllers are each housed in a separate server blade and provide each blade with access to the local and remote drives. At each of the device interfaces, rather than attaching an actual storage device, peripheral bus commands received at the device interfaces are serialized and conditionally passed or suppressed to and from the shared drive which is shared amongst the plurality of uninterrupted protocol connections. Preferably, the plurality of uninterrupted protocol connections is maintained such that the shared drives can be simultaneously shared. In one embodiment, the local drives are provided in a media tray which is shared amongst a plurality blades.

Abstract: A method and system for booting up multiple PCI peripheral devices, such that the number of bootable PCI peripheral devices is not limited by the amount of computer system memory that is dedicated to storing executable boot code for the peripheral devices. The executable boot code is stored on a Read Only Memory (ROM) on each peripheral device. When a new PCI peripheral device begins to boot up, a check for available memory space in a ROM scan memory address space is performed. If there is not enough available room in the ROM scan memory address space for the new device's executable boot code, then a ROM scan detection logic pages an image of another peripheral device's executable boot code out of the ROM scan memory address space before storing the new device's executable boot code into the ROM scan memory address space.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for reporting and recovering from an internal processor error in a multiprocessor system supporting system management mode. In accordance with the method of the present invention one or more replacement agents are allocated such as during system startup within the multiprocessor system. Machine specific error-reporting registers are monitored for one or more active processor agents during system operation. In response to detecting a faulty agent via the monitoring, a system management interrupt (SMI) request is issued to one or both the faulty agent and a selected replacement agent. In response to receiving the SMI request, the operating state of the faulty agent is copied to the selected replacement agent in system management mode. Operating system processing is then resumed using the replacement agent.