Abstract: A computer having an emergency protection program is disclosed. The emergency protection program turns off the computer in response to receiving a notification of an impending potential local emergency. In one embodiment, the program receives the notification from an external network site over an external network connection. In one embodiment, the program waits a predetermined amount of time prior to shutting down the computer, and also is responsive to an abort-shut down input to not shut down the computer, or an immediate-shut down input to immediately shut down the computer.

Abstract: A data processing system is provided with an electronic key for remote designation of the computer system into a service, secure, or normal/run mode of operation. Such a remote designation is enabled when a physical or manual key is set to a normal/run mode of operation. Setting of the electronic key to a service mode permits remote access to the system for maintenance or debug operations.

Abstract: Power conservation without performance reduction in a power-managed system is disclosed. A method according to one embodiment of the invention includes three steps. In the first step, it is determined whether a computer program running on a computer is substantially memory-intensive or substantially compute-intensive. In a second step, the clock speed of the computer system is increased, and the number of memory access wait states of the computer system is adjusted incident to determining that the computer program is substantially compute-intensive. In a third step, the clock speed of the computer system is decreased, and the number of memory access wait states of the computer system is adjusted incident to determining that the computer program is substantially memory-intensive.

Abstract: A screwless computer drive assembly is provided wherein a drive mounting bracket or computer chassis is equipped with lock sliders which, when engaged, compress flexible, flanged tabs into corresponding holes located on the computer drive. The lock sliders slide along the outside of the drive mounting bracket causing the flexible tabs to flex inward resulting in the ends of the tabs engaging the holes. Once the tabs have engaged the holes in the drive, the drive is securely held in place.

Abstract: A system and method for efficiently employing procedural transaction managers from an object oriented transaction processing system. Implementation classes are introduced to bridge selected functions from an object oriented transaction processing system into a procedural system. Bridging allows both the reuse of existing procedural transaction managers and interoperation between procedural and object transactions systems which eases migration to new object oriented systems. Implementation classes include methods necessary to manage information necessary to use a procedural transaction API and to manage information returned by the procedural API.

Abstract: A method and system for enabling the monitoring of software executing on a computer system. The system inserts monitor instrumentation without recompiling the source code of the program. Encapsulation of the target routine does not disrupt the relative addressing of the target routine since an instruction is simply replaced. No instructions are added to the target routine. User specified entry and exit routines are used to collect selected performance and system state data. Instrumentation code is provided to link the target routines to the user specified entry and exit routines. The standard link interface allows the entry and exit routines to be written in high level languages.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling duplicate transaction submission in a web browser/web server environment. The client web browser is modified to include a process duplicate action select (e.g. duplicate mouse “clicks”) detection. This process establishes a variable for an action indicating whether the action has been previously selected. Upon selection, the process tests the action variable and passes the transaction request if not previously submitted and returns an error otherwise. The server process has been augmented with a duplicate transaction process. The server software inserts a _tranid parameter into each of a plurality of selected pages returned to a browser for transaction processing. The server maintains a record of the last used jranid. The server compares a tranid returned in a user request to the recorded value. If previously processed, an error is returned to the requester.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing message traffic during two phase commitment in a distributed transaction processing system. Transactional objects manage transactions in a distributed system. A coordinator object is responsible for ensuring data consistency by enforcing atomic transaction changes. Any change to one or more resources by a transaction is either made at all or none of the resources. Distributed transactions use interposition to create subordinate coordinator for domains other than the primary domain. Each subordinate coordinator controls transaction commitment of all resources within that domain via a single message sequence per coordinator. Dynamic registration of subordinate coordinator resources ensures that the subordinate coordinator is not added to the commit tree of the root coordinator unless it has recoverable resources. Dynamic registration minimizes the size of the commit tree thereby minimizing the number of messages transmitted during commitment processing.

Abstract: A system and method for training a neural network that ceases training at or near the optimally trained point is presented. A neural network having an input layer, a hidden layer, and an output layer with each layer having one or more nodes is presented. Each node in the input layer is connected to each node in the hidden layer and each node in the hidden layer is connected to each node in the output layer. Each connection between nodes has an associated weight. All nodes in the input layer are connected to a different historical datum from the set of historical data. The neural network being operative by outputting a prediction or classification, the output of the output layer nodes, when presented with input data. The weights associated with the connections of the neural network are first adjusted by a training device. The training device then iteratively applies a training set to the neural network, the training set consisting of historical data.

Abstract: A graphical pointing device and method for controlling a graphical pointer displayed within a display device of a data processing system are disclosed. The graphical pointing device includes a transducer, which converts manipulation of the graphical pointing device into electrical signals utilized by a data processing system to move a graphical pointer displayed within a display device. In addition, the graphical pointing device includes a graphical pointer speed control for varying a relationship between the electrical signals and manipulation of the graphical pointing device, thereby enabling the graphical pointer to be moved within the display device at various speeds by differing adjustments of the graphical pointer speed control without modifying programming within the data processing system.

Abstract: An image processing method is disclosed for generating 3-D graphical model data representing the appearance of a number of points in a 3-D region from two or more 2-D images of the region, the method comprising the steps of a) calculating, for each point, at least one variance value representing the variation, between different ones of the 2-D images in the region of the position on the 2-D images at which the point would appear if it were visible in the images; b) calculating, for each point and using a predetermined rule, a merit value from the variance values, the merit value representing the probability that, if the point lay on a visible surface in the 3-D region, the calculated variance values would be obtained; and c) assigning appearance data to each point in accordance with the merit values and the appearances of the positions on the 2-D images where the point would appear if it were visible thereon. The model is to be rendered to produce images for graphics applications.

Abstract: To simplify the solid model selection work of the user. An image processing unit prepares a cell decomposition model from three orthographic view data, a link of individual cells C1, C2, C3, C4, . . . in the prepared cell decomposition model is detailed referring to lines E1, . . . represented on the three orthographic views, and a solid model is constructed according to a non-conflicting cell combination.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling client access to enterprise resources through a middle tier server. Enterprise resource authorizations are maintained in a middle tier server. Users authenticate with the server causing it to map and transform the client access authorization into enterprise resource credentials. Enterprise resources are accessed after authorizing using the transformed credentials.

Abstract: A method, system and program for including selections in the menu bar that are icons. The support for menus containing icons includes an algorithm in the memory of a processor that presents a menu bar with imbedded icons. The icons can be selected and directly manipulated to perform operations associated with the particular icon upon another icon or other object on a display.

Abstract: A system, method and program product enabling applications to be dynamically bound to resources as required by an application. Resource access exceptions are intercepted and, where access is authorized, cause the application to be bound to one of a plurality of processors linked in an asymmetric multiple processor configuration which has access to the resource required. If access is not permitted, an error is generated. Applications may invoke operating system application programming interfaces to register requirements for access to particular resources and to receive operating system feedback on resource assignment conflicts and potential processor thrashing situations. The operating system maintains a list of mapping processors to resources and manages the authorization of resource access by applications. Application processes are dynamically bound to a particular processor as necessary to meet resource requirements.

Abstract: A system and method for managing client authorization to access remote data repositories through a middle tier server such as a web server. Client remote data repository access is intercepted by the middle tier server and the server is searched for stored credentials permitting client access to the remote data repository. If found, the stored credentials are used to authenticate access without further interaction with the client system. If no stored credentials are found, the server requests credentials from the client and passes them to the remote data repository for validation. Validated credentials are stored by the server for future use and indexed by a client identifier. Permitted remote data repository access is stored with the validated credentials. Access to a mounted remote file system is not permitted without authorization even if the remote file system would not otherwise require authorization.

Abstract: A system resource monitor is provided to capture a data processing system's internal resource utilization, such as memory, CPU, or peripheral device availability/utilization. The captured `state` of the data processing system's resources is maintained in real-time, while the impact on the system's performance in providing such information is kept to a minimum. This is accomplished through a combination of various techniques, including specialized device drivers for the respective devices coupled with a unique data reduction technique. Such techniques include filtering only events which are of interest and combining similarly related events to reduce data processing requirements. This real-time support provides an immediate and accurate representation of the internal operations of the data processing system. Further, these resources can monitored at the process level of a multiprocessing system.

Abstract: A system and method for managing a mobile file system cache to maximize data storage and reduce problems from cache full conditions. Cache management automatically determines when the space available in the cache falls below a user-specified threshold. The cache manager attempts to free space needed for caching the next object. Files are deleted from the cache if no server updates are pending and if such deletion will provide the needed space. If automatic deletion does not provide sufficient space, the user is prompted for action. The system user can control the cache by increasing or reducing its size and drive allocation and can explicitly evict clean files from the cache. Cache expansion can be to logical or physical storage devices different than those on which the original cache is stored. The system enables separate storage of temporary files allowing identification and deletion of such files.

Abstract: A method and system for enabling the monitoring of software executing on a computer system. The system inserts monitor instrumentation without recompiling the source code of the program. Encapsulation of the target routine does not disrupt the relative addressing of the target routine since an instruction is simply replaced. No instructions are added to the target routine. User specified entry and exit routines are used to collect selected performance and system state data. Instrumentation code is provided to link the target routines to the user specified entry and exit routines. The standard link interface allows the entry and exit routines to be written in high level languages.

Abstract: A method, system and program for including selections in the menu bar that are icons. The support for menus containing icons includes an algorithm in the memory of a processor that presents a menu bar with imbedded icons. The icons can be selected to present nested levels of menu driven functions that are associated with the particular icons. From the menu, a user can directly perform nested, hierarchial operations associated with the icon upon another icon or other objects on a display.