Patents by Inventor Lance W. Russell

Lance W. Russell has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120066372
    Abstract: An event notification system for distributed processing systems provides remote and local node event notification in systems that require local registration of an event consumer in order produce an event notifications. To provide notification of an event occurring on a remote node, either event consumers on all nodes in the cluster register locally to receive event notifications and specify that the event is a cluster event, in which case the nodes send notification of their locally-occurring events to all nodes, or remote registrations are accepted at nodes and if a local consumer for the event is not present, a listener thread registers as an event consumer. The listener thread sends the event notifications to the remote nodes registered as consumers for the event by observing communication between the event producer and the local consumer, or receiving the event notifications directly if there is no local consumer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cheryl L. Jennings, Rajeev Mishra, Trishali Nayar, Lance W. Russell
  • Patent number: 8127289
    Abstract: An operating system manages virtualized instances of hardware resources and migration enabled applications partitioned into one of multiple partitions with a separate operating system kernel running in each of the partitions. A migration event controller of the operating system manages the checkpoint and restart process during migration of a virtualized instance of at least one migration enabled application from a departure partition to an arrival partition. The migration event controller supports migration enabled applications to separately specify at least one application specific checkpoint script and restart script to be triggered by checkpoint and restart events by the migration event controller so the at least one migration enabled application can participate in performing the checkpoint and restart process for additional state information during migration of the virtualized instance from the departure partition to the arrival partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Craft, Vinit Jain, Lance W. Russell, Srikanth Vishwanathan
  • Patent number: 8056089
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data processing system for performing efficient communication between software entities residing in the same operating system using conventional network communications APIs are disclosed. According to a preferred embodiment, when a software entity (e.g., a process) attempts to communicate through a networking API, the operating system determines whether the other end of the communication refers to the same hardware node. If so, the operating system replaces the network protocol connection (socket connection) with a direct interprocess communication construct. The operating system provides additional code to simulate the appearance of an actual network (socket) connection at the API level while performing all actual I/O using the interprocess communication construct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Fried, Vinit Jain, Lance W. Russell
  • Patent number: 7900034
    Abstract: In a software partition (SWPAR) environment, a method, system and computer program product enables a SWPAR to be remotely booted, independent of the booting of the OS on the global system environment, using network file system (NFS) services and protocols. A request to mount a NFS, hosted by an external server into a SWPAR environment is transmitted. The NFS services are automatically transitioning to a first operating state that enables support for user-level NFS services without requiring the NFS services be active. The SWPAR is automatically booted and access to the SWPAR provided during operation of the NFS services in the first operating state. Once the SWPAR has completed booting, the NFS services is transitioned back to a normal operating state in which SWPAR operates as a standalone device providing its own user-level NFS services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Perinkulam I. Ganesh, Amit Gurdasani, Lance W. Russell
  • Patent number: 7882183
    Abstract: A method, system, and program are provided for managing a response to an email by a hidden email recipient. A hidden recipient manager detects a request to respond to an electronic communication by a hidden recipient of that electronic communication from among a plurality of recipients of the electronic communication. The hidden recipient detects whether the request to respond is addressed to at least one recipient other than a sender of the electronic communication. If the request to respond is addressed to at least one recipient other than a sender of the electronic communication, then the hidden recipient manager warns the hidden recipient that the request to respond is addressed to at least one recipient who is unaware of the recipient of the electronic communication by the hidden recipient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Craft, Vinit Jain, Rajeev Mishra, Lance W. Russell
  • Patent number: 7814561
    Abstract: A system and method to manage device access in a software partition are provided. The illustrative embodiments provide a mechanism for exporting resources/devices from an administrator partition to a software partition in its purview. A trusted device list data structure is provided that identifies which devices are permitted to be exported into a software partition from an administrative partition. This trusted device list data structure also identifies which of the devices in the list of devices should be exported by default when exporting devices to a software partition, i.e. if no overrides are specified. In addition, a user-specifiable mechanism to override the entries in the trusted device list data structure is provided. For security purposes, this mechanism may not be used to export devices not listed in the trusted device list data structure. The mechanism may also be used to prevent the exporting of devices which are exported by default.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric P. Fried, Perinkulam I. Ganesh, Vinit Jain, Lance W. Russell, Srikanth Vishwanathan
  • Patent number: 7743126
    Abstract: Systems and methods for implementing recovery processes on failed nodes in a distributed computing environment are described. In accordance with this scheme, one or more migratory recovery modules are launched into the network. The recovery modules migrate from node to node, determine the status of each node, and initiate recovery processes on failed nodes. In this way, scalable recovery processes may be implemented in distributed systems, even with incomplete network topology and membership information. In addition, the complexity and cost associated with manual status monitoring and recovery operations may be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Lance W. Russell
  • Publication number: 20090037718
    Abstract: In a software partition (SWPAR) environment, a method, system and computer program product enables a SWPAR to be remotely booted, independent of the booting of the OS on the global system environment, using network file system (NFS) services and protocols. A request to mount a NFS, hosted by an external server into a SWPAR environment is transmitted. The NFS services are automatically transitioning to a first operating state that enables support for user-level NFS services without requiring the NFS services be active. The SWPAR is automatically booted and access to the SWPAR provided during operation of the NFS services in the first operating state. Once the SWPAR has completed booting, the NFS services is transitioned back to a normal operating state in which SWPAR operates as a standalone device providing its own user-level NFS services.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventors: PERINKULAM I. GANESH, Amit Gurdasani, Lance W. Russell
  • Publication number: 20090007147
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an operating system manages virtualized instances of hardware resources and migration enabled applications partitioned into one of multiple partitions with a separate operating system kernel running in each of the partitions. A migration event controller of the operating system manages the checkpoint and restart process during migration of a virtualized instance of at least one migration enabled application from a departure partition to an arrival partition. The migration event controller supports migration enabled applications to separately specify at least one application specific checkpoint script and restart script to be triggered by checkpoint and restart events by the migration event controller so the at least one migration enabled application can participate in performing the checkpoint and restart process for additional state information during migration of the virtualized instance from the departure partition to the arrival partition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Inventors: DAVID J. CRAFT, Vinit Jain, Lance W. Russell, Srikanth Vishwanathan
  • Publication number: 20080229431
    Abstract: A system and method to manage device access in a software partition are provided. The illustrative embodiments provide a mechanism for exporting resources/devices from an administrator partition to a software partition in its purview. A trusted device list data structure is provided that identifies which devices are permitted to be exported into a software partition from an administrative partition. This trusted device list data structure also identifies which of the devices in the list of devices should be exported by default when exporting devices to a software partition, i.e. if no overrides are specified. In addition, a user-specifiable mechanism to override the entries in the trusted device list data structure is provided. For security purposes, this mechanism may not be used to export devices not listed in the trusted device list data structure. The mechanism may also be used to prevent the exporting of devices which are exported by default.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric P. Fried, Perinkulam I. Ganesh, Vinit Jain, Lance W. Russell, Srkanth Vishwanathan
  • Publication number: 20080109818
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data processing system for performing efficient communication between software entities residing in the same operating system using conventional network communications APIs are disclosed. According to a preferred embodiment, when a software entity (e.g., a process) attempts to communicate through a networking API, the operating system determines whether the other end of the communication refers to the same hardware node. If so, the operating system replaces the network protocol connection (socket connection) with a direct interprocess communication construct. The operating system provides additional code to simulate the appearance of an actual network (socket) connection at the API level while performing all actual I/O using the interprocess communication construct.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2006
    Publication date: May 8, 2008
    Inventors: Eric Fried, Vinit Jain, Lance W. Russell
  • Publication number: 20080005355
    Abstract: A method, system, and program are provided for managing a response to an email by a hidden email recipient. A hidden recipient manager detects a request to respond to an electronic communication by a hidden recipient of that electronic communication from among a plurality of recipients of the electronic communication. The hidden recipient detects whether the request to respond is addressed to at least one recipient other than a sender of the electronic communication. If the request to respond is addressed to at least one recipient other than a sender of the electronic communication, then the hidden recipient manager warns the hidden recipient that the request to respond is addressed to at least one recipient who is unaware of the recipient of the electronic communication by the hidden recipient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Inventors: DAVID J. CRAFT, Vinit Jain, Rajeev Mishra, Lance W. Russell
  • Publication number: 20070283147
    Abstract: A system and method to manage device access in a software partition are provided. The illustrative embodiments provide a mechanism for exporting resources/devices from an administrator partition to a software partition in its purview. A trusted device list data structure is provided that identifies which devices are permitted to be exported into a software partition from an administrative partition. This trusted device list data structure also identifies which of the devices in the list of devices should be exported by default when exporting devices to a software partition, i.e. if no overrides are specified. In addition, a user-specifiable mechanism to override the entries in the trusted device list data structure is provided. For security purposes, this mechanism may not be used to export devices not listed in the trusted device list data structure. The mechanism may also be used to prevent the exporting of devices which are exported by default.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2006
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Inventors: Eric P. Fried, Perinkulam I. Ganesh, Vinit Jain, Lance W. Russell, Srikanth Vishwanathan
  • Patent number: 7222231
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for data security for a distributed file system. A distributed file system interface is coupled to the one or more client applications, and a storage server and a meta-data server are coupled to the distributed file system interface. The meta-data server receives open-file requests from the distributed file system interface and in response creates a security object. The meta-data server also generates an partial encryption key and stores the partial encryption key in the security object. The block storage server completes the encryption key, and the meta-data server encrypts the list of blocks that are in the file and stores the encrypted block list in the security object. The security object is then returned to the distributed file interface and used in subsequent file access requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Lance W. Russell, Lu Xu
  • Patent number: 6999998
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods of coupling network infrastructure devices through a shared memory facility, rather than through conventional network I/O (input/output) adapters. All communications through the resulting network infrastructure service system are conducted using shared memory as the physical transport medium. In this way, the congestion and processing overhead caused by the duplication and storage of multiple copies of data packets to be transferred between network infrastructure devices may be avoided. This feature of the invention significantly increases the speed at which packets may be transmitted between network infrastructure devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Lance W. Russell
  • Patent number: 6920485
    Abstract: Systems and methods of processing packets in a shared memory multi-computer environment are described. A local shared memory network is provided between local nodes and a global shared memory network is provided between the local nodes and one or more remote nodes. In this way, local nodes may communicate through standard network interfaces while using shared memory as the physical transport medium. In addition, a multi-computer system may be addressed externally and internally as individual nodes over the local shared memory network. A multi-computer system also may be addressed externally and internally as a single node over the global shared memory network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Lance W. Russell
  • Patent number: 6851074
    Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for recovering from memory failures in computer systems. The method of the present invention includes the steps of: identifying a predetermined instruction sequence; monitoring for memory access errors in response to the request; logging a memory access error in an error logging register; polling the register for any logged memory access error during execution of the instruction sequence; and raising exceptions, if the memory access error is logged. Within the system of the present invention, memory access errors are stored in an error logging register, machine check abort handles are masked, and memory controllers are under full control of the software so that memory access errors can be intercepted and responded to without necessitating a system reboot or application restart. The present invention is particularly applicable to O/S code which can not otherwise recover from memory errors except by rebooting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company
    Inventors: Dejan S. Miloiicic, Thomas Wylegala, Fong Pong, Stephen Hoyle, Lance W. Russell, Lu Xu, Alberto J. Munoz
  • Patent number: 6816970
    Abstract: A multi-stage login procedure and system involves a first stage in which a login ID and a public key (encrypted) is transmitted from a client computer to a server computer and a key-exchange key (encrypted) is provided from the server computer to the client computer. In a second stage, a first split symmetric key and a server authentication string is generated and encrypted by the client computer and then transmitted to the server computer. In addition, the server computer generates a second split symmetric key and combines the same with the first split symmetric key to obtain a complete symmetric key for encrypting further communications from the server to the client computer. The server also generates a client authentication string, encrypts the same and transmits the encrypted string, the server authentication string (encrypted and incremented) and the second split symmetric key (encrypted) to the client computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen P. Morgan, Lance W. Russell, Benjamin Clay Reed
  • Patent number: 6678746
    Abstract: Systems and methods of processing network packets are described. These systems and methods provide improved packet processing results by logically and physically separating packet header processing functions from packet data processing functions. In this way, a network processing system may perform network handling operations and data processing operations substantially in parallel. One or more embodiments feature a network adapter for exchanging with a computer network information in the form of packets each including a packet header and packet data. The network adapter includes a packet parser configured to parse an information packet into a packet header and packet data and to direct the packet header to a first memory address for protocol processing and to direct packet data to a second memory address for data processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Lance W. Russell, Tung Nguyen, Mallikarjunan Mahalingam
  • Publication number: 20030069938
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods of coupling network infrastructure devices through a shared memory facility, rather than through conventional network I/O (input/output) adapters. All communications through the resulting network infrastructure service system are conducted using shared memory as the physical transport medium. In this way, the congestion and processing overhead caused by the duplication and storage of multiple copies of data packets to be transferred between network infrastructure devices may be avoided. This feature of the invention significantly increases the speed at which packets may be transmitted between network infrastructure devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2001
    Publication date: April 10, 2003
    Inventor: Lance W. Russell