Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for computing degrees of parallelism for parallel operations in a computer system. The degree of parallelism for a given parallel operation is computed based on a set of factors. The set of factors includes a target degree of parallelism that represents a desired total amount of parallelism in the computer system, a current workload and a requested degree of parallelism.

Abstract: An approach for processing data received from a communications channel generally involves equalizing received data in the time domain prior to demodulation by an approach that incorporates mitigation of interference. Oversampling of the received signal provides improved equalization performance and mitigation of interference, such as crosstalk. A receiver oversamples a received signal and splits the signal into a set of observation sequences. The set of observation sequences are processed to provide an estimate of the input to the communications channel, while providing at least partial rejection of any interfering signal. Exact knowledge of the parameters of the interference signal is not required.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transforming character strings that are contained in a unit of code. A conversion mechanism performs a macro substitution by transforming hard coded strings into unique macro strings. The conversion mechanism is configured to receive a set of computer instructions that are contained in one or more files. The conversion mechanism parses the instructions to identify character strings included within the computer instructions, while copying the files to one or more output source code files. Upon identifying each string, the conversion mechanism generates a unique macro string as a substitute for the original string. The conversion mechanism then substitutes the unique macro string for the identified string in the source code of the computer program. The conversion mechanism also generates an entry in a macro list that associates the unique macro string with the identified string for use during compilation of the computer instructions.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus providing a dynamically sized, highly scalable and available server farm are disclosed. A Virtual Server Farm (VSF) is created out of a wide scale computing fabric (“Computing Grid”) which is physically constructed once and then logically divided up into VSFs for various organizations on demand. Each organization retains independent administrative control of a VSF. A VSF is dynamically firewalled within the Computing Grid. A allocation and control of the elements in the VSF is performed by a Control Plane connected to all computing, networking, and storage elements in the computing grid through special control ports. The internal topology of each VSF is under control of the Control Plane. No physical rewiring is necessary in order to construct VSFs in many different configurations, including single-tier Web server or multi-tier Web-server, application server, database server configurations. Each tier of a multi-tier VSF (e.g.

Abstract: Communicating voice over a packet-switching network is implemented on a telecommunications network that includes the packet-switching network, two coding units coupled to the packet-switching network and to an originating node and a terminating node, respectively, and at least one signaling apparatus. The first of the two coding units is configured to extract signaling data associated with the voice call and transmit the signaling data and its network address to the signaling apparatus. Signaling data for establishing the voice call is received by the signaling apparatus, and a network address of the coding unit in the packet-switching network is obtained. The second coding unit is controlled to establish a bearer channel with the first coding unit for carrying the voice data through the packet-switching network, based on the network address.

Abstract: An intelligent approach for collecting statistical information in information systems generally involves performing a set of administrative function steps within a “maintenance window” that is defined by one or more specified time periods. First, a set of administrative function steps to be performed are identified. The set of administrative function steps is prioritized to produce a set of prioritized administrative function steps. Then, the set of prioritized administrative function steps is performed during the maintenance window. Aspects and features of the invention include: identifying and prioritizing administrative function steps; estimated function times and maintenance window; failure prediction; environment recommendations; history information and learning techniques; saving state and context information; and user feedback.

Abstract: An approach for managing power consumption of network devices includes determining whether one or more state change criteria for a network device are satisfied. The state change criteria may include a variety of criteria, depending upon the requirements of a particular implementation and the invention is not limited to any particular state change criteria. Examples of state change criteria include, without limitation, whether the network device needs to be operating in a different operational state to perform a specified function and whether a specified function has been completed. If the one or more state change criteria for the network device are satisfied, then the network device is signaled over a communications network to cause the network device to change operational states.

Abstract: An approach for managing power consumption in a building includes receiving a signal that indicates that a user has entered or left the building. In response to receiving the signal, one or more resources in the building are transitioned between a first state and a second state. When operating in the first state, the one or more resources consume relatively less power relative to when the one or more resources are operating in the second state. The approach is applicable to all types of resources, including private resources that are used primarily by the user and shared resources that are also used by other users. Example resources include, without limitation, computers, laboratory equipment and instruments, copy machines, facsimile machines, printers and postage machines. A determination may also be made, based upon the signal and status data, whether the user has entered the building or left the building.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for debugging a software program is provided. In one example, a method includes preserving consecutive snapshots of a group of shared memory structures that contain data and control information of the software, such as a database system. A first snapshot may be taken immediately prior to the occurrence of an error, and a second snapshot taken after the occurrence of the error. The consecutive snapshots are compared to each other to determine what memory structures and data are affected by the error.

Abstract: A method and system for accessing a large object (LOB) that belongs to a cell in a table are provided. An index is built on a column in which the cell resides. The index has a key that includes a LOB identifier. A database server receives from a client a request to access the LOB. The server uses a LOB identifier value for the LOB to traverse the index to locate an index entry for the LOB. The server then follows address information contained in the index entry to a storage containing at least a portion of the LOB and accesses the portion of the LOB as specified in the request. A method and system for tracking storage for data items are also disclosed. Within an index that is built to access the data items are stored both index entries for locating blocks that store current versions of the data items, and index entries for locating blocks that store non-current versions of the data items.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for using a resource manager to coordinate the committing of a distributed transaction. According to the method, a first set of changes is communicated to a first resource manager. In communicating the first set of changes, the changes are directly communicated to the first resource manager without being received at a second resource manager. A second set of changes is communicated to the second resource manager. In communicating the second set of changes, the changes are directly communicated to the second resource manager without being received at the first resource manager. Either the first resource manager or the second resource manager is selected as a committing coordinator. A commit request message is transmitted to the committing coordinator to request that the first set of changes be committed at the first resource manager and that the second set of changes be committed at the second resource manager.

Abstract: The present invention provides an effective and highly scalable mechanism for supporting multiple-request operations (including but not limited to transactions) in a stateless environment, such as the web. A server is used to coordinate the overall processing of client requests. The server performs this coordination function in such a way that: (4) state information associated with multiple-request operations is maintained by the clients making the requests; (5) the clients are unaware that they are maintaining operation-specific state information; and (6) the server itself is not required to persistently maintain the state information, thereby remaining stateless.

Abstract: An Internet Protocol driver executed by a network interface card, or a network address translation module, includes a mechanism that enables a server to bypass packets associated with certain destinations, sources, or a combination of the two based upon their IP address. When a packet arrives at the network interface card, the driver extracts a source IP address and a destination IP address from the packet. The driver searches a table to locate a rule matching one of the addresses. If a match is found, the packet is bypassed. If no match is found, the packet is sent on to an indexing and caching server for further processing. The bypass rules may be adaptively and dynamically generated when a message causes a remote server to respond with an error code. The dynamically generated bypass rules prevent the first server from sending subsequent requests to the remote server, thereby insulating the indexing and caching server from unnecessary network traffic.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing overhead associated with recovering after a failure. According to the method, a checkpoint value is maintained that indicates which records of a plurality of records have to be processed after the failure. The plurality of records contain change information that corresponds to a plurality of data blocks. A target checkpoint value is determined based on a desired number of data block reads that will be required during a redo phase of recovery. Changes contained in volatile memory are then written to nonvolatile memory to advance the checkpoint value to at least the target checkpoint value.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the method of debugging a software program comprises preserving a memory state of a portion of the software program, such as a database system. The memory state is preserved when a failure event is detected in the software program. The preserved memory state portion of the software program is extracted and stored in a storage medium for deferred analysis. Normal database operations are resumed as soon as the memory state is preserved. The deferred analysis is performed by starting a new database instance corresponding to the preserved memory state portion and using the new database instance to extract information for high-level debugging of the software program. Thus, where downtime of a software program must be kept to a minimum, the present invention provides techniques for performing quick diagnostics of the software program.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for debugging a software program is provided that is non-intrusive and allows multiple persons to debug concurrently in view private sessions. In one example, a method includes preserving a memory state of a portion of a software program, such as a database system. A debug command is received that, when executed, would normally cause modification to targeted data in the preserved portion of the software program. The command is executed by making a copy of the targeted data in the preserved portion of the software program. The copy is modified to generate a modified copy of the targeted data without modifying the data that is in the preserved portion of the software program. In subsequent accesses, the user that issued the debug command accesses the modified copy whenever the user would have otherwise accessed the corresponding preserved portion.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing access to a resource using anticipatory lock conversions in a distributed lock management system is provided. According to the method, when an entity requests a lock on a resource, the entity is granted, if possible, a lock with a more restrictive lock mode than is required if it is determined that the entity may require the more restrictive lock mode in the near future.

Abstract: A method and system for propagating commit times between a plurality of database servers that have access to a common database is provided. According to the method, each database server is associated with a logical clock. In response to initiating a commit of a transaction executing on a database server, a commit time for the transaction is determined and broadcast to one or more other database servers. According to one aspect, upon receiving the commit time at the one or more other database servers, the database servers compare the transmitted commit time to the time indicated by their logical clock. If the commit time is greater than the time indicated by their logical clock, the database server sets its logical time to reflect a time that is at least as recent as the time reflected by the transmitted commit time.

Abstract: A method for controlling and tracking access to disseminated information involves encrypting data using a key that is maintained in a key repository. A user requests a message ID and key from the key repository. The key repository issues a message ID and key to the user. The user generates an encrypted message using the key. The encrypted message is then distributed with the message ID to one or more recipients. To read the encrypted message, a particular recipient obtains the key for the message from the key repository by providing the message ID to the key repository. The particular recipient then decrypts the message using the key provided by the key repository. Messages are deleted, in the sense of becoming unusable, by deleting the corresponding key from the key repository. A log is provided to track key repository activity including the issuance of keys and key requests from message recipients.

Abstract: A Virtual Server Farm (VSF) is created out of a wide scale computing fabric (“Computing Grid”) which is physically constructed once and then logically divided up into VSFs for various organizations on demand. Allocation and control of the elements in the VSF is performed by a control plane connected to all computing, networking, and storage elements in the computing grid through special control ports. The control plane is comprised of a control mechanism hierarchy that includes one or more master control process mechanisms communicatively coupled to one or more slave control process mechanisms. The one or more master control process mechanisms instruct the slave control process mechanisms to establish VSFs by selecting subsets of processing and storage resources.