Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions are disclosed for displaying the true status of hierarchical operations being performed in a data processing system. For example, a Z-order layering technique can be used to display simultaneously on a screen the status of a plurality of operations being performed on elements of a hierarchical structure, such as, for example, on an inverted tree directory and a plurality of its sub-trees. Advantageously, the display can be scaled to include operations being performed for many nested levels of the hierarchical structure, without having to increase the overall footprint of the display. Also, an application for copying a directory has to traverse the directory's structure only one time (e.g., during the copying operation), because the application does not need to know in advance the total number of files that have to be copied.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the problem of scheduling work for employees and/or other resources in a help desk or similar environment. The employees have different levels of training and availabilities. The jobs, which occur as a result of dynamically occurring events, consist of multiple tasks ordered by chain precedence. Each job and/or task carries with it a penalty which is a step function of the time taken to complete it, the deadlines and penalties having been negotiated as part of one or more service level agreement contracts. The goal is to minimize the total amount of penalties paid. The invention consists of a pair of heuristic schemes for this difficult scheduling problem, one greedy and one randomized. The greedy scheme is used to provide a quick initial solution, while the greedy and randomized schemes are combined in order to think more deeply about particular problem instances.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for presenting coverage data for code. The coverage data containing instruction access indicators associated with the code is obtained. Particular instruction access indicators that have been set by a processor in the data processing system in response to execution of the code by the processor are identified to form set instruction access indicators. Each set instruction access indicator is associated with a portion of the code. A presentation for the coverage data is generated. The set instruction access indicators are identified in the presentation. This presentation may be, for example, a graphical presentation.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling access to first and second applications in a shared storage. A first server requests from a first local storage a copy of an application identified by a first hierarchical directory. The first server request is redirected from the first local storage to the first application in the shared storage. The first application in the shared storage has a second, extended hierarchical directory comprising the first hierarchical directory plus a lower level qualifier. Subsequently, a second server requests from a second local storage a copy of an application identified by the first hierarchical directory. The second server request is redirected from the second local storage to the second application in the shared storage. The second application in the shared storage has a third, extended hierarchical directory comprising the first hierarchical directory plus a lower level qualifier different than the lower level qualifier of the second, extended hierarchical directory.

Abstract: A method for directly destroying the resources associated with one or more virtual adapters that reside within a physical adapter is provided. A mechanism is provided for directly destroying the resources associated with one or more virtual adapters that reside within a physical adapter, such as a PCI, PCI-X, or PCI-E adapter.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, data processing system, and processor are provided for thermal interrupt generation. An interrupt temperature is set to a first temperature and an interrupt direction is to a greater than or equal to determination. A determination is made as to whether a sensed temperature from a digital thermal sensor meets or exceeds the interrupt temperature in response to the interrupt direction. A first interrupt is generated in response to the sensed temperature meeting or exceeding the interrupt temperature.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for locking at least two safety retainers together. Each safety retainer has a pallet-attached base and a ramp-attached mating bracket. Each safety retainer includes a base and a bracket. Each bracket is coupled to a ramp that is can be removably attached to a pallet. Each base includes a retaining arm for locking the base to the bracket when the ramp is coupled to the pallet. A locking mechanism is capable of being temporarily coupled to a first retaining arm in a first safety retainer and a second retaining arm in a second safety retainer for locking the retaining arms together. The first and second retaining arms must operate as a single unit, and cannot be moved independently, when the locking mechanism is coupled to the first and second retaining arms. The first and second retaining arms operate independently as separate units when the locking mechanism is not coupled to the first and second retaining arms.

Abstract: A computer implemented method is provided for tracing thermal data via performance monitoring. A performance monitor is set into a tracing mode. Temperatures are sensed by a digital thermal sensor over a time period. The sensed temperatures are stored in a data structure and a trace of the sensed temperatures is graphically displayed as the sensed temperatures are being stored.

Abstract: A system and method for representing multiple security groups as a single data object are provided. With the system and method, a complex group object is created that consists of a group set value and a mask value. The complex group object represents a plurality of groups by the group set value. The mask value is used to apply to group identifiers received during an authentication process to generate a value that is compared against the group set value to determine if the group identifiers are part of the complex group. For example, in a first step of authorization processing, the group identifier received in an authorization request is bit-wise AND'd with the mask value for the complex group data object. In a second step, the masked group identifier from the received request is compared to the group set value of the complex group object.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring the availability of an application in a distributed data processing environment are provided. The performance aspects of application availability are defined in terms of easily observed and computed characteristics of the application as it behaves in a deployed environment with the deployed configuration. The system and method observe the application processes, the structural resources they require, and the consumable resources they require from the running system itself. These observations are then used to derive minimum requirements for the resource requirement aspects of availability as well as derive criteria for normal behavioral conditions. These minimum requirements and normal behavioral conditions are then used to establish monitoring rules or conditions for monitoring the operation of the application to determine if availability of the application is degrading such that a notification needs to be sent to an administrator.

Abstract: A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product are presented for management of a distributed data processing system. Resources within the distributed data processing system are dynamically discovered, and the discovered resources are adaptively monitored using the network management framework. A network or system administrator configures some mission critical endpoints with multiple network interface cards (NICs) and specifies mission critical endpoints, non-mission critical actions, etc. During status collection activities associated with network or system management activities, the categorization of an endpoint as a mission-critical or non-mission critical endpoint affects the manner in which the status collection activity is performed.

Abstract: A computer implemented method is provided to increase the efficiency of the development of JAVA™ Enterprise Edition (J2EE™ ) applications. A project may be divided into modules which may be developed by independent teams. The files within each module are classified as independent of resources in other modules or dependent. Independent files may be packaged into a single, integrated web application archive (WAR) file without further processing. Corresponding dependent files are compared and any conflicts are resolved. The resulting files may then be packaged into the WAR file.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing a set of processors. In response to a request to deallocate a processor assigned to a partition within the logical partitioned data processing system, the processor in the set of processors, is stopped. In response to stopping the processor, the processor is placed in an isolated state in which the processor is isolated from the partition. The processor is then placed in a pool of resources for later reassignment.

Abstract: A method is described for implementing a trusted computing environment within a data processing system where the data processing system includes a single hardware trusted platform module (TPM). Multiple logical partitions are provided in the data processing system. A unique context is generated for each one of the logical partitions. When one of the logical partitions requires access to the hardware TPM, that partition's context is required to be stored in the hardware TPM. The hardware TPM includes a finite number of storage locations, called context slots, for storing contexts. Each context slot can store one partition's context. Each one of the partitions is associated with one of the limited number of context storage slots in the hardware TPM. At least one of the context slots is simultaneously associated with more than one of the logical partitions.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method, apparatus, computer program and computer program product for facilitating access by an application to a data structure comprising a plurality of objects. A request is received from the application which initiates the return of the data structure. A handle is assigned to each of at least some of the plurality of objects. Objects in the data structure are retrieved and the application is informed of assigned handles thereby enabling the application to access retrieved objects.

Abstract: Installing a payload file contained in a compressed archive of files using a minimum of memory. The payload file is directly installed onto a target data processing system without making additional copies of the particular file on the target data processing system and without intermediate expansion of the entire archive. The compressed archive of files contains an index indicating the location of files within the archive and a configuration logic section that allows an installation program to determine which files should be installed on which data processing systems and where the files should be installed.

Abstract: A method for reallocating processors in a logically partitioned environment using a Performance Enhancement Program (PEP) and a Reallocation Program (RP). The PEP allows an administrator to designate several parameters and identify donor and recipient candidates. The RP compiles the performance data for the processors and calculates a composite parameter. For each processor in the donor candidate pool, the RP compares the composite parameter to the donor load threshold to determine if the processor is a donor. For each processor in the recipient candidate pool, the RP compares the composite parameter to the recipient load threshold to determine if the processor is a recipient. The RP then allocates the processors from the donors to the recipients. The RP continues to monitor and update the workload statistics based on either a moving window or a discrete window sampling system.

Abstract: Deployment of an application is managed using available resources from a resource system. A resource dependency characterization of the application is established to enable deployment of the application. A logical characterization and a network characterization of a desired deployment are also established. A deployment plan containing an outline for resources and configurations used for deployment is developed based on the resource dependency characterization, the logical characterization and the network characterization. The deployment plan is processed for correlation with the available resources. The processed deployment plan is then implemented.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for generating multiple separate analog signals using a single microcontroller output pin. The microcontroller generates a waveform that is used to concurrently generate multiple separate analog signals. The microcontroller outputs a waveform that includes a first signal from one of the microcontroller's output pins. The first signal is used to produce a first analog signal. The microcontroller then outputs a delineating signal, as part of the waveform, from the microcontroller's output pin. The delineating signal indicates the start of a next signal in the waveform. The microcontroller then outputs a second signal, as part of the waveform, from its output pin. The second signal is used to produce a second analog signal. The waveform includes the first signal that is followed by the delineating signal that is followed by the second signal.

Abstract: A method is disclosed in a data processing system for prohibiting unauthorized access of data that is stored on storage drives. Multiple logical partitions are generated. A different unique randomizer seed is associated with each one of the logical partitions. In response to one of the logical partitions needing to access a storage drive, the logical partition transmits a seed to the storage drive. The transmitted seed is associated with the one of the logical partitions. A transmitting one of the logical partitions is unable to transmit a seed that is other than a seed that is associated with the transmitting one of the logical partitions. The storage drive utilizes the transmitted seed to randomize and de-randomize data for the one of the logical partitions. Data randomized for one of the logical partitions cannot be de-randomized for a different one of the logical partitions.