Patents by Inventor Mark A. Boonie

Mark A. Boonie 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).

  • Patent number: 6658513
    Abstract: Changes in locking configurations are managed. A locking configuration includes one or more locking facilities and the one or more locking facilities include one or more locks. When a change in a locking configuration, either planned or unplanned, is detected, one or more of the locks are redistributed. For example, one or more of the locks affected by the change are moved from one or more of the locking facilities to one or more other locking facilities. This redistribution is independent of the location of the data associated with the one or more locks being moved. Thus, data and locks may be moved independently of one another and without affecting one another. Further, the redistribution can take place while the system is available or mostly available, thereby minimizing downtime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark A. Boonie, George Edward Graffius, III, Mark A. Lehrer, Peter Lemieszewski, Susan Anderson Pavlakis, Steven Edwin Roach, Glenn W. Sears, Jr., Mark T. Spies, Peter G. Sutton
  • Patent number: 6330612
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for serializing access by n entities to a shared resource in an information handling system. A waiter list is defined as a circular list of n bits, each of which is assigned to an entity. When a bit is false (0) it indicates that the corresponding entity is not waiting for the lock; when the bit is true (1) it indicates the corresponding entity is waiting for the lock. A next waiter indicator (NWI) is also defined that contains a value from 0 to n inclusive; a value of 0 indicates that there are currently no waiters, while a value from 1 to n indicates the next waiter to whom the lock will be granted. The waiter list is initialized to zeros to indicate there are no waiters. When an entity requests a lock that cannot be granted, the entity is made a waiter by setting the corresponding bit in the waiter list to one. If the next waiter indicator is zero, indicating that there were previously no waiters for the lock, the indicator is set to identify the requesting entity as the next waiter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark A. Boonie, Peter G. Sutton, Wendell W. Wilkinson, Phil Chi-Chung Yeh
  • Patent number: 6253274
    Abstract: In a network computing environment having a plurality of central processing units, a high performance locking facility coupled to said plurality of central processing units comprising: a processing means for processing multiple requests for locking operations simultaneously and a lock table for creating entries including lock names and lock states. A high-speed searching mechanism for searching any particular lock entry in the table is also provided, as well as means for altering and modifying said table accordingly depending upon any lock status that is being processed. Finally a response and status generator is provided for providing an appropriate response and status of any lock state to other requestors requesting a particular lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark A. Boonie, Jeffrey M. Nick, Peter G. Sutton, Wendell W. Wilkinson, Phil C. Yeh
  • Patent number: 6189007
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of assigning and releasing locks, in a network computing environment having a plurality of central processing units coupled to a high performance locking facility. The method comprises of the steps of first receiving and processing a lock operation synchronous to any requesting central processor unit requesting a lock and then recording lock names and lock states in entry records of a lock table based on the requests. When a request is being processed, providing high-speed searching to search any particular lock entry in the table and altering and modifying the table accordingly. Finally an appropriate response and the status of the lock state will be generated and sent to other requesters requesting the lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark A. Boonie, Jeffrey M. Nick, Peter G. Sutton, Wendell W. Wilkinson, Phil C. Yeh
  • Patent number: 6185650
    Abstract: A method of assigning and releasing locks, in a network computing environment having a plurality of central processing units coupled to a high performance locking facility. The method comprises of the steps of first processing multiple requests for locking operations simultaneously and then recording lock names and lock states in entry records of a lock table based on the requests. When a request is being processed, providing high-speed searching to search any particular lock entry in the table and altering and modifying the table accordingly. Finally an appropriate response and the status of the lock state will be generated and sent to other requestors requesting the lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark A. Boonie, Jeffrey M. Nick, Peter G. Sutton, Wendell W. Wilkinson, Phil C. Yeh
  • Patent number: 6088757
    Abstract: The present invention provides for a computer program product and device including instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus for conducting a high-performance locking facility. At first multiple requests for locking operations are processed and received simultaneously and their lock names and lock states are recorded in entry records of a lock table based on the requests. Next high-speed searching of any particular lock entry in this table is performed followed. The table can be altered and modified at this time as well accordingly depending upon lock status that is being processed. Finally an appropriate response is generated and the status of the lock state is provided to those requesting the lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark A. Boonie, Jeffrey M. Nick, Peter G. Sutton, Wendell W. Wilkinson, Phil C. Yeh