Patents Represented by Attorney Biggers & Ohanian, LLP
  • Patent number: 8346928
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for administering an epoch initiated for remote memory access that include: initiating, by an origin application messaging module on an origin compute node, one or more data transfers to a target compute node for the epoch; initiating, by the origin application messaging module after initiating the data transfers, a closing stage for the epoch, including rejecting any new data transfers after initiating the closing stage for the epoch; determining, by the origin application messaging module, whether the data transfers have completed; and closing, by the origin application messaging module, the epoch if the data transfers have completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Blocksome, Douglas R. Miller
  • Patent number: 8346883
    Abstract: Compute nodes of a parallel computer organized for collective operations via a network, each compute node having a receive buffer and establishing a topology for the network; selecting a schedule for a broadcast operation; depositing, by a root node of the topology, broadcast data in a target node's receive buffer, including performing a DMA operation with a well-known memory location for the target node's receive buffer; depositing, by the root node in a memory region designated for storing broadcast data length, a length of the broadcast data, including performing a DMA operation with a well-known memory location of the broadcast data length memory region; and triggering, by the root node, the target node to perform a next DMA operation, including depositing, in a memory region designated for receiving injection instructions for the target node, an instruction to inject the broadcast data into the receive buffer of a subsequent target node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles J. Archer, Michael A. Blocksome, Joseph D. Ratterman, Brian E. Smith
  • Patent number: 8332460
    Abstract: A parallel computer including compute nodes, each including two reduction processing cores, a network write processing core, and a network read processing core, each processing core assigned an input buffer. Copying, in interleaved chunks by the reduction processing cores, contents of the reduction processing cores' input buffers to an interleaved buffer in shared memory; copying, by one of the reduction processing cores, contents of the network write processing core's input buffer to shared memory; copying, by another of the reduction processing cores, contents of the network read processing core's input buffer to shared memory; and locally reducing in parallel by the reduction processing cores: the contents of the reduction processing core's input buffer; every other interleaved chunk of the interleaved buffer; the copied contents of the network write processing core's input buffer; and the copied contents of the network read processing core's input buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Blocksome, Daniel A. Faraj
  • Patent number: 8325633
    Abstract: Methods, parallel computers, and computer program products are disclosed for remote direct memory access.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles J. Archer, Michael A. Blocksome
  • Patent number: 8327196
    Abstract: Identifying an optimized test bit pattern for analyzing electrical communications channel topologies, including: ranking according to channel quality, from worst to best, a set of channel topologies for an electrical communications channel; and for each ranked channel topology beginning with the worst, carrying out the following steps in an iterative loop until a concatenated test bit pattern and a previously optimized test bit pattern are functionally equally fit: concatenating to a previously optimized test bit pattern an additional test bit pattern; optimizing the concatenated test bit pattern values for a next ranked channel in the subset, leaving the optimized values of the previously optimized test bit pattern unchanged; and comparing through use of a fitness function the relative qualities of the previously optimized test bit pattern and the optimized concatenated test bit pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Moises Cases, Bhyrav M. Mutnury, Navraj Singh, Caleb J. Wesley
  • Patent number: 8325480
    Abstract: Heat sinks for distributing a thermal load are disclosed that include: a bottom plate; a front top plate; a back top plate; and a plurality of heat-dissipating fins connected to the bottom plate, the front top plate, and the back top plate, wherein the front top plate and the back top plate are separated by a predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeremy S. Bridges, Paul J. La Rocca, William M. Megarity
  • Patent number: 8319113
    Abstract: A printed circuit board (‘PCB’) with reduced dielectric loss, including conductive traces disposed upon layers of dielectric material, the layers of dielectric material including core layers and prepreg layers, one or more of the layers of dielectric material including pockets of air that reduce an overall relative dielectric constant of the PCB.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: International Buisness Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Moises Cases, Bradley D. Herrman, Bhyrav M. Mutnury, Nam H. Pham, Terence Rodrigues
  • Patent number: 8310885
    Abstract: Measuring control signal timing for synchronous dynamic random access memory (‘SDRAM’), including combining into a trigger signal for an oscilloscope display control signals of an SDRAM under test, the control signals derived only from a single type of memory operations; and driving, continually during both READ and WRITE operations to and from the SDRAM under test, the oscilloscope display with a memory bus data signal (‘DQ’) and a memory bus clock signal (‘DQS’) from the SDRAM under test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Moises Cases, Vinh B. Lu, Bhyrav M. Mutnury, James J. Parsonese, Nam H. Pham
  • Patent number: 8310841
    Abstract: Integrated circuit die stacks having a first die mounted upon a substrate, the first die manufactured to be initially identical to a second die with a plurality of through silicon vias (‘TSVs’), the first die personalized by opening switches on the first die, converting the TSVs previously connected through the open switches into pass-through vias (‘PTVs’), each PTV implementing a conductive pathway through the first die with no connection to any circuitry on the first die; and the second die, manufactured to be initially identical to the first die and later personalized by opening switches on the second die, the second die mounted upon the first die so that the PTVs in the first die connect signal lines from the substrate through the first die to TSVs in the second die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jimmy G. Foster, Sr., Kyu-Hyoun Kim
  • Patent number: 8307220
    Abstract: Methods, computers, and products for managing power consumption of a computer, the computer including a computer processor and managing power consumption of a computer includes: dynamically during operation of the computer, setting, by an in-band power manager in dependence upon performance metrics of the computer processor, a current performance state (‘p-state’) of the computer processor; and providing, by the in-band power manager to an out-of-band power manager, the current p-state of the computer processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas M. Brey, Wesley M. Felter, Sumeet Kochar, Charles R. Lefurgy, Ryuji Orita, Freeman L. Rawson, III, Malcolm S. Ware
  • Patent number: 8296430
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for administering an epoch initiated for remote memory access that include: initiating, by an origin application messaging module on an origin compute node, one or more data transfers to a target compute node for the epoch; initiating, by the origin application messaging module after initiating the data transfers, a closing stage for the epoch, including rejecting any new data transfers after initiating the closing stage for the epoch; determining, by the origin application messaging module, whether the data transfers have completed; and closing, by the origin application messaging module, the epoch if the data transfers have completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Blocksome, Douglas R. Miller
  • Patent number: 8296590
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for budget-based power consumption for application execution on a plurality of compute nodes that include: assigning an execution priority to each of one or more applications; executing, on the plurality of compute nodes, the applications according to the execution priorities assigned to the applications at an initial power level provided to the compute nodes until a predetermined power consumption threshold is reached; and applying, upon reaching the predetermined power consumption threshold, one or more power conservation actions to reduce power consumption of the plurality of compute nodes during execution of the applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles J. Archer, Michael A. Blocksome, Amanda E. Peters, Joseph D. Ratterman, Brian E. Smith
  • Patent number: 8289977
    Abstract: Link-level data communications implemented in switching apparatus comprising modular switches disposed within a modular computer cabinet that includes modular computer systems; the switching apparatus configured as two layers of switches, the first layer switches coupled to one another for communications by inter-switch links, each second layer switch coupled for communications to the modular computer systems; all the switches stacked by a stacking protocol that shares administrative configuration information among the switches through the inter-switch links and presents all the switches as a single logical switch; the switching apparatus including ports coupling the apparatus to networks and to service applications and terminating applications on the modular computer systems; and sending the packet from network to modular computer system to which the packet is directed, or from modular computer system to network to which the packet is directed, the packet traversing none of the inter-switch links among the f
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew T. Belanger, Gary R. Shippy
  • Patent number: 8290813
    Abstract: Aspects to ensure maintenance of individual government benefits in a retail environment include identifying of an individual shopper with an associated level of available benefits during a shopping session. Purchases relative to predetermined criteria, including the associated level of available benefits, are tracked. Scheduling a next appointment during the shopping session for the individual shopper with an agency providing the government benefits based on the tracking occurs, wherein a potential lapse in benefits is avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas J. Prorock
  • Patent number: 8291427
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for scheduling applications for execution on a plurality of compute nodes of a parallel computer to manage temperature of the plurality of compute nodes during execution that include: identifying one or more applications for execution on the plurality of compute nodes; creating a plurality of physically discontiguous node partitions in dependence upon temperature characteristics for the compute nodes and a physical topology for the compute nodes, each discontiguous node partition specifying a collection of physically adjacent compute nodes; and assigning, for each application, that application to one or more of the discontiguous node partitions for execution on the compute nodes specified by the assigned discontiguous node partitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles J. Archer, Michael A. Blocksome, Amanda E. Peters, Joseph D. Ratterman, Brian E. Smith
  • Patent number: 8285915
    Abstract: Relocating data in a virtualized environment maintained by a hypervisor administering access to memory with a Cache Page Table (‘CPT’) and a Physical Page Table (‘PPT’), the CPT and PPT including virtual to physical mappings. Relocating data includes converting the virtual to physical mappings of the CPT to virtual to logical mappings; establishing a Logical Memory Block (‘LMB’) relocation tracker that includes logical addresses of an LMB, source physical addresses of the LMB, target physical addresses of the LMB, a translation block indicator for each relocation granule, and a pin count associated with each relocation granule; establishing a PPT entry tracker including PPT entries corresponding to the LMB to be relocated; relocating the LMB in a number of relocation granules including blocking translations to the relocation granules during relocation; and removing the logical addresses from the LMB relocation tracker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Stuart Z. Jacobs, David A. Larson, Wade B. Ouren, Edward C. Prosser, Kenneth C. Vossen
  • Patent number: 8281311
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for executing a distributed Java application on a plurality of compute nodes. The Java application includes a plurality of jobs distributed among the plurality of compute nodes. The plurality of compute nodes are connected together for data communications through a data communication network. Each of the plurality of compute nodes has installed upon it a Java Virtual Machine (‘JVM’) capable of supporting at least one job of the Java application. Executing a distributed Java application on a plurality of compute nodes includes: tracking, by an application manager, a just-in-time (‘JIT’) compilation history for the JVMs installed on the plurality of compute nodes; and configuring, by the application manager, the plurality of jobs for execution on the plurality of compute nodes in dependence upon the JIT compilation history for the JVMs installed on the plurality of compute nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric L. Barsness, David L. Darrington, Amanda E. Peters, John M. Santosuosso
  • Patent number: 8281298
    Abstract: Evaluating computer driver update compliance including applying a hashing algorithm to the contents of a driver repository, yielding a first hash value, the driver repository containing installed drivers for a computer; dating the first hash value; storing the first hash value and the date of the first hash value; identifying a candidate update for a driver installed in the repository, the candidate update having an update date; again applying the hashing algorithm to the contents of the driver repository, yielding a second hash value; comparing the first hash value and the second hash value; if the first hash value and the second hash value match, comparing the date of the first hash value and the update date; and if the update date is later than the date of the first hash value, reporting that the candidate update has not yet been installed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Julianne Bielski
  • Patent number: 8281053
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for performing an all-to-all exchange on n number of data buffers using XOR swap operations. Each data buffer has n number of data elements. Performing an all-to-all exchange on n number of data buffers using XOR swap operations includes for each rank value of i and j where i is greater than j and where i is less than or equal to n: selecting data element i in data buffer j; selecting data element j in data buffer i; and exchanging contents of data element i in data buffer j with contents of data element j in data buffer i using an XOR swap operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles J. Archer, Amanda E. Peters, Brian E. Smith
  • Patent number: 8275643
    Abstract: Defining service ownership for an SOA including defining, in response to an event requiring a change in service ownership and in dependence upon data describing business functions within a business, a service domain; reviewing, by a service domain ownership review board, the defined service domain for approval; upon approval of the defined service domain, identifying potential impact upon currently existing service domains caused by implementation of the defined service domain; identifying a potential owner of the defined service domain in dependence upon a service type of the defined service domain and funding requirements of the service domain; presenting, to relevant stakeholders in the business, the potential owner of the defined service domain for approval; and upon approval of the potential owner of the defined service domain, assigning the potential owner of the defined service domain responsibility for managing the defined service domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William A. Brown, Kerrie L. Holley, Garrison A. Moore, William J. Tegan