Abstract: Resources of a server node are logically divided into a plurality of sets of resources. At least one set of resources is assigned to one or more client nodes. The association of the at least one set of resources with the one or more client nodes is via a data structure stored at the server node. The data structure is provided by a trusted agent over a communications medium coupling the server node and the one or more client nodes. It includes information that indicates the resources accessible by the client nodes. To access the information, an identifier, also provided by a trusted agent, is employed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining the position of a component rack within a data center and/or the positions of components within the component rack. In one embodiment, a plurality of ultrasonic reference transponders are disposed in fixed locations throughout a data center. The reference transponders communicate with one another to establish a reference coordinate system for the data center. Each component rack in the data center is provided with an ultrasonic rack transponder that can be triangulated with the reference transponders to determine the position of a component rack. This “rack position” information can be used by a system controller to control the components and to help regulate the data center within pre-specified operating parameters. If a problem occurs in the data center, information about the position of the affected components and component racks may be used by the system controller or a system administrator to help remedy the problem.

Abstract: A system for authenticating a requesting entity in a subnet communications environment includes determining a client identification of a client node associated with the requesting entity, and determining whether the requesting entity associated with the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity. A key to the requesting entity is returned from a resource provider node upon determining that the client identification of the client node indicates that the client node is permitted to access one or more resources of the provider node, and that the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity.

Abstract: A method for authenticating a requesting entity in a communications environment. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes determining a client identification of a client node associated with the requesting entity, and determining whether the requesting entity associated with the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity. A key to the requesting entity is returned from a resource provider node upon determining that the client identification of the client node indicates that the client node is permitted to access one or more resources of the provider node, and that the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity.

Abstract: A method for authenticating a requesting entity in a communications environment. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes determining a client identification of a client node associated with the requesting entity, and determining whether the requesting entity associated with the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity. A key to the requesting entity is returned from a resource provider node upon determining that the client identification of the client node indicates that the client node is permitted to access one or more resources of the provider node, and that the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity.

Abstract: A system for supervisor partitioning of client resources in a subnet communications environment includes a plurality of client nodes, each receiving an allocated set of resources determined by a central authority, which assigns resources to a supervisor key associated with each supervisor of the plurality of client nodes. At each of the client nodes, the allocated set of resources are partitioned using a local supervisor associated therewith, with each supervisor associating one or more resource keys with one or more resources allocated to the corresponding client node, and assigning the one or more resource keys to the one or more applications. The supervisor keys are configured so as to prevent a given supervisor from partitioning resources not allocated to the client node associated therewith. Following the partitioning, communication packets are issued from the one or more applications to a resource provider node without inspection by the corresponding supervisor.

Abstract: Systems and arrangements to adjust resource accessibility based upon usage modes are contemplated. Embodiments may include a supervisor instance such as an operating system that is adapted to select one or more supervisor keys from a set of supervisor keys available to the host node or platform upon which the supervisor instance is operating. The supervisor instance may select the supervisor key(s) based upon an association of the supervisor instance with a usage mode represented by a supervisor key name. In many embodiments, supervisor key names may be associated with resources via with one or more of the supervisor keys based upon the resources needed when operating in the usage modes by a system administrator. Once the supervisor instance is initialized, the supervisor instance may issue client keys that allow access to subsets of the resources available to the supervisor instance based upon usage modes of the clients.

Abstract: A mechanism for changing ownership over the physical power to a blade server in a blade center chassis that prevents a malfunctioning blade from jeopardizing other components in the chassis. When the management module is not present, control over power to the blade is switched to a service processor on the blade. This arbitration of control over power to a blade is accomplished by implementing a watchdog timer mechanism. The management module is responsible for tickling the watchdog timer when the present in the chassis and operating normally. This mechanism provides the management module with control over power. If the management module malfunctions or is removed, control over power is switched to the local service processor on the blade server as soon as the watchdog timer is not tickled.

Abstract: A method and system for providing performance estimations for a specified power budget provides an indication of the impact on processing performance when closed-loop power/performance control is employed to meet the specified power budget. A workload, which may be the actual workload, or a test workload is run to determine actual power consumption at intervals during the execution of the workload. The power values are examined and if they exceed the specified budget, which may be one of multiple possible budget values, an estimate of the amount by and duration for which the closed-loop power/performance control would have to reduce the performance of the system for each interval in order to provide an estimate of actual performance for the budgetary level(s). The estimate is informed by tests of the workload at each power/performance level to provide a non-linear estimate of the relationship between performance and power for the particular workload.

Abstract: A histogram difference method and system for power/performance measurement and management has low data storage requirements while supporting multiple monitoring applications having different update rates. Histogram data for power usage and/or performance mode is collected at a predetermined rate and the histogram data is read out at periodic intervals by the monitoring applications. The monitoring applications subtract the histogram data from previously read histogram data set to determine a interval difference histogram. The minimum and maximum values for the interval are the lowest-valued and highest-valued bin in the interval difference histogram that have a count greater than zero. The average value for the interval is the mean of the interval difference histogram. A conservative bound of the maximum and minimum values for a system can be determined by adding the values of the maximum and minimum values determined for each subsystem in the system.

Abstract: A method of automatically invoking a recoverable and fault tolerant implementation of the complemented/recomplemented (C/R) error correction method without the assistance of a service processor when an excessive error is detected in main storage (MS) by ECC logic circuits. An excessive error is not correctable by the ECC. These novel changes to the C/R method increase its effectiveness and protect the C/R hardware against random failure. Further, if an excessive error is corrected in a page in MS, an excessive error reporting process is provided for controlling the reporting using a storage map to determine if a previous correction in that page has been reported. If it has been reported, then no further reporting of soft excessive errors is made for that page. A service processor is signaled in parallel to update its persistent copy of the storage map so that on a next initializations of MS the memory map can be restored in the memory.