Abstract: A printed circuit board top side mounting system is presented and includes a printed circuit board having a primary side and a secondary side. The printed circuit board top side mounting system also has a surface member that has a point with a generally constant distance in relation to the primary side. The printed circuit board top side mounting system further includes a standoff with a elongated shape which has a predetermined set dimension that includes the constant distance disposed in going through a slot in the printed circuit board. The standoff further includes a first end disposed to fixing the first end rigidly on the printed circuit board and a second end disposed in connecting rigidly to the surface member.

Abstract: A computer program product and storage device used for exchange and transfer of data in a network computing system having a main storage capable of connecting to at least one application server and an interface element with at least one adapter capable of establishing processing communication with at least one application user(s).

Abstract: A queuing method and apparatus for transfer or incoming and outgoing data in a network environment having a main storage is presented. A plurality of queue sets are provided in the main storage with at least one or more sets being dedicated for input and output. The queues can share access to a plurality of devices in the network across a plurality of communication stacks. Various network resources are mapped to the queues in order to facilitate resource allocation and dynamic configuration by providing initialization of a plurality of configuration parameters. In this way dynamic expanding and contracting of the number of queues in each set as dictated by traffic patterns and feedback indicators is provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring data in a network computing environment having a controlling program and a main storage in processing communication with an interface element including one or more adapters. A queuing mechanism is first established in the main storage for asynchronous transmittal of data between the program and said interface element. At least one queue-set is dedicated to input data and another queue-set to output data in the queuing mechanism. Queuing priorities both for said input and output queue-sets are then determined according to importance of data to be processed or transferred or other internal dependencies and a queue-description record is established by passing a QDIO queue command. From this the priority and number of the output queue are provided by order in which the order specified in the queue descriptor record relative to any other output queues described in that record.

Abstract: A computer program device and product is provided for timely processing of data. The computer program device comprises a program storage device readable by a digital processing apparatus and a program means including instructions executable by the digital processing apparatus by designating at least one set of queues in the queuing mechanism as input queues and another as output queues; issuing a signal adapter instruction to provide initiative to check content of any or all queues in the queuing mechanism; specifying initiate-output or initiate-input appropriately by means of said signal adapter instruction to cause associated adapter to asynchronously process said output or input queues; and causing synchronization by means of said signal adapter instruction by signaling the associated data queues to update all entries in order to render them current.

Abstract: A run-time customization capability extends functionality of a software application in a computer system. Through object-oriented design, an instance of a first class is instantiated. The first class (e.g., a derived class) has a same interface as a second class. The first and second classes enable respective first and second functionalities through respective first and second implementations of the same interface. The first implementation is dynamically loaded at run time. The dynamic loading can involve locating the first implementation, such as by using a locator to locate a module comprising the first implementation. A transfer vector usable in accessing the first implementation can be initialized to have an indication of a location of the first implementation. Programming code associated with the same interface can be compiled prior to compilation of programming code associated with the first implementation.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for simulation of data in a computing system environment having a controlling program, a main memory, a plurality of hosts, at least one adapter and a queued-direct input/output device using a queued-direct input/output protocol. A pageable virtual machine is provided under control of a virtual-machine hypervisor in processing communication with one or more hosts. Simulation is then provided by strictly separating a set of protocol control blocks between those that contain main-memory addresses and those that do not. Copies of those control blocks that contain main-memory addresses is created and their addresses converted by the hypervisor from addresses used by the program in its virtual machine to real-memory addresses usable by the adapter.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for timely and accurate processing of data in a network computing environment controlled by a running program and having a queuing mechanism established in a main storage. The main storage is in processing communication with an interface element having one or more adapters. At least one set of queues in the queuing mechanism is designated for input and another set for output. A signal adapter instruction can be issued to provide initiative to check content of any or all queues in the mechanism. With the help of the signal adapter an initiate-output can be specified when appropriate and the associated adapter can then asynchronously process the input or the output queues. A synchronize option is also available to signal the associated data queues to update all entries in order to render them current as observed by both the adapter and the controlling running program.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for exchanging data in a network computing system having a main storage capable of connecting to at least one application server and an interface element with at least one adapter capable of establishing processing communication with at least one application user(s). A state change signalling protocol is used for transfer of data between the main storage and said adapter. In addition a queuing mechanism is established in the main storage having a plurality of queues each with a plurality of buffers. Some of these queues are dedicated to be input and others as output queues. By applying the protocol each input and output data buffer is associated with each of the active input and output queues. In this manner the input and output buffers are managed by placing the buffers into various states which are maintained in a special location that is set aside and is associated with each buffer.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for providing concurrent patch in a computing network environment using microcode and having a queued direct I/O and a main memory in processing communication with an adapter. First it is allowed for a new level of microcode to be installed to an adapter without interrupting any running applications and/or services. It is then determined if the affected adapter is a network or a channel adapter. If the adapter is a channel adapter, applications using the channel adapter are to run without requiring any connection type information to be kept across any code updates. If the adapter is determined to be a network adapter, all adapter sessions are kept alive and activated while accessing information about any client station connected to a LAN and each present in said environment.

Abstract: A computer program product in a network environment having a main storage in processing communication with an interface element having adapters for storing data in a queuing mechanism in the main storage. The program product comprises a data storage device including a computer usable medium having computer readable program means for ensuring proper and timely processing of data and computer readable code means for providing a plurality of queue sets; for dedicating one or more queues in each set as input or output queues; for providing the ability to said queues to share access to a plurality of devices in said network across a plurality of communication stacks; for mapping various resources to said queues to facilitate resource allocation and dynamic configuration by providing initialization of a plurality of configuration parameters; and for providing dynamic expanding and contracting of the number of queues in each set as dictated by traffic patterns and feedback indicators.

Abstract: A computer program device and an apparatus for proper processing of data requests. The apparatus determines which device is able to handle data requests in a computing network environment comprising a main memory having a queuing mechanism with a plurality of queues in processing communication with an adapter and a plurality of devices and/or processors. The format and attributes of devices in said the environment is determined as well as the size and attributes of the queues. When a request for data processing is received from at least one input/output device capable of attaching to the computing environment, the characteristics of any processors or device capable of processing the data is determined. A special store subchannel command is issued specifying which device or processor the request can be sent to after analyzing all information about the size, characteristics and attributes previously gathered.

Abstract: A method for specifying devices able to handle device requests in a computing network environment comprising a main memory having a queuing mechanism with a plurality of queues in processing communication with an adapter and a plurality of devices and/or processors. The format and attributes of devices in said the environment is determined as well as the size and attributes of the queues. When a request for data processing is received from at least one input/output device capable of attaching to the computing environment, the characteristics of any processors or device capable of processing the data is determined. A special store subchannel command is issued specifying which device or processor the request can be sent to after analyzing all information about the size, characteristics and attributes previously gathered. In this way information is provided about which processor or device can process the information using the special store subchannel command.

Abstract: A lighting source, such as a light emitting diode (LED), is incorporated into the shaft of the pointing device. There is a light shield over the exposed top of the pointing device preferably, backed with a conically shaped reflecting surface to direct the light outwardly and horizontally across the keyboard. The light is activated in a laptop by opening the cover to raise the pointing device to its normal operating position. The lighting function may be disabled when the pointer is raised if there is sufficient ambient lighting.

Abstract: A checkpoint of a parallel program is taken in order to provide a consistent state of the program in the event the program is to be restarted. Each process of the parallel program is responsible for taking its own checkpoint, however, the timing of when the checkpoint is to be taken by each process is the responsibility of a coordinating process. During the checkpointing, various data is written to a checkpoint file. This data includes, for instance, in-transit message data, a data section, file offsets, signal state, executable information, stack contents and register contents. The checkpoint file can be stored either in local or global storage. When it is stored in global storage, migration of the program is facilitated. When a parallel program is to be restarted, each process of the program initiates its own restart. The restart logic restores the process to the state at which the checkpoint was taken.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method of transferring information in a network computing system environment. The network environment includes a main storage coupled to a channel subsystem with a plurality of channels in processing communication with a control unit capable of coupling to a plurality of input/output devices. First packets of data are concurrently sent to and from the main storage. The operation of certain channel functions are also transferred to the control unit so that each command does not require a command response or an end notification response. Finally by certain commands are combined with the associated data of one or more of the data packets. In one embodiment of the present invention, an optical fabric is also in processing communication with said channels and control unit.

Abstract: A system for a message processing system in which messages are transmitted from source nodes to destination nodes. A transmission flow control technique is disclosed in which the source node optimistically sends control information and a data portion of a message, and wherein a destination node discards the data portion of the message if it is unable to accommodate it. The destination node, however, retains enough of the control information to identify the message to the source node, and when the destination node is subsequently able to accommodate the data portion, the destination node issues a request to the source node to retransmit the data portion of the message. Discarding of one message is followed by discards of sequential messages, until the destination node is able to accommodate the data portions of messages.

Abstract: In a mainframe class data processing system having multiple logical partitions and a port to a network, a host-network interface is established for reducing network overhead at the multiple partitions. The host-network interface includes, for example, a host channel connection coupling the multiple partitions of the host system to a communications adapter having a network device driver for each network coupled to the adapter. The adapter also includes an address resolution protocol (ARP) cache designed to hold predetermined media headers for the clients coupled to the network(s) for use in forwarding an internet protocol (IP) datagram across the network to one of the clients from a partition of the host system. If not predetermined, the adapter is provided with a capability to dynamically determine the needed media header for transmission of the IP datagram across the network to the client. In Ethernet format, this dynamically determining includes forwarding an Ethernet 802.

Abstract: A checkpoint of a process is taken in order to provide a consistent state of the process in the event the process is to be restarted. When the process is restarted, the process is placed in the state it was in when the checkpoint was taken. However, there are times when certain information has changed since the last checkpoint and it should not be restored. For example, if a process is restarted on a computing unit different from the one in which the checkpoint was taken, then environment variables associated with the new computing unit, such as the name of the computing unit, are not to be restored to the values they were before the checkpoint. In order to prevent this, one or more environment variables are adjusted, after the process is restored to the reflect the state they were in prior to restoration.

Abstract: A complete and consistent set of checkpoint files is captured and identified for use in restarting a parallel program. When each process of a parallel program takes a checkpoint, it creates a checkpoint file. The checkpoint file is named, and a part of that name includes a version number for the checkpoint file. When a parallel program is to be restarted, each process of the parallel program identifies its most current valid checkpoint file. It provides the version number of this file to a coordinating process. The coordinating process then decides which version of the checkpoint files is valid and complete for all of the processes of the parallel program participating in restart. Once this version number is determined, it is forwarded to the processes and the processes restore themselves using its corresponding checkpoint file having that particular version number.