Abstract: A method and apparatus for configuration of a memory controller in a parallel computer system using an extensible markup language (XML) configuration file. In preferred embodiments an XML file with the operation parameters for the memory controller is stored in a bulk storage and used by the computers service node to create a personality file with binary register data that is transferred to static memory. The binary register data is then used during the boot process of the compute nodes to configure the memory controller.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reporting dynamic properties of a product using radio frequency identification device technology. With this invention, an electronic tag is equipped with a sensor which determines dynamic properties of a product when the tag is activated. The dynamic properties of the product are then either further processed into other dynamic properties. In any event either the former or the latter dynamic properties are then transmitted from the tag. Such dynamic properties could be the temperature of a product or the expiration date of the product derived from periodic measurements of the temperature of the product.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sharing memory in a multiprocessor computing system. More specifically, this invention provides a number of system buses with each bus being connected to a respective memory controller which controls a corresponding partition of the memory. Any one of the processors can use any one of the system buses to send real addresses to the connected memory controller which then converts the real addresses into physical addresses corresponding to the partition of memory that is controlled by the receiving memory controller. The processors can be dynamically assigned to different partitions of the memory by via a switching mechanism.

Abstract: An I/O control window is created on a user's terminal screen when a parallel program is executing. The I/O control window displays an array of graphical elements (preferably small colored squares), which are partitioned into groups of one or more such elements, each partition representing a task (or thread) of the parallel program. In each partition there is one graphical element which represents the I/O status of the task or thread represented by that partition and is called an I/O status indicator. Each I/O status indicator is capable of assuming any one of several different graphical states (each graphical state preferably being a color for the graphical element), one of which indicates that the corresponding task or thread has provided text output that has not been displayed to the user yet and another of which indicates that the corresponding task (or thread) is requesting text input from the user.