Patents Represented by Attorney Martin & Associates
  • Patent number: 8327003
    Abstract: An application server includes a connection pool that specifies a number of allowable connections, and includes a backend failure detection mechanism and a backend failure recovery mechanism. When the backend failure detection mechanism detects that the backend fails, applications waiting on the hung connections may be notified of the backend failure. The backend failure detection mechanism will then detect when the backend recovers and becomes available once again. Once the backend is available again, the backend failure recovery mechanism increases the number of connections in the connection pool to compensate for the hung connections. As each hung connection is timed out using a network timeout mechanism, the number of allowable connections is reduced. Eventually all of the hung connections will time out, with the result being that the connection pool will contain the same specified number of allowable connections it originally had before the backend failed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: William T. Newport
  • Patent number: 8307243
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is described for parallel debugging on the data nodes of a parallel computer system. A data template associated with the debugger can be used as a reference to the common data on the nodes. The application or data contained on the compute nodes diverges from the data template at the service node during the course of program execution, so that pieces of the data are different at each of the nodes at some time of interest. For debugging, the compute nodes search their own memory image for checksum matches with the template and produces new data blocks with checksums that didn't exist in the data template, and a template of references to the original data blocks in the template. Examples herein include an application of the rsync protocol, compression and network broadcast to improve debugging in a massively parallel computer environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles J. Archer, Todd A. Inglett
  • Patent number: 8302021
    Abstract: A graphical user interface allows performing operations simply by dragging a first object over a second object. One or more attributes of the second object are effectively “picked up” by virtue of dragging over the second object. In this manner, the user interface is more friendly, more intuitive, and reduces the number of pointer clicks to implement a particular function, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Dean Dettinger, Daniel Paul Kolz, Shannon Everett Wenzel
  • Patent number: 8301591
    Abstract: A content management system (CMS) provides a way to add a phase property to synchronization rules. In one suitable implementation, each of the synchronization rules has a corresponding phase value. In another suitable implementation, there are default synchronization rules and only synchronization rules other than the default synchronization rules have a phase value. A phase synchronization mechanism uses the phase property of the synchronization rules to evaluate only appropriate synchronization rules at each step as required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John Edward Petri
  • Patent number: 8291090
    Abstract: A computer system on a network uses IP multicast to recruit other computer systems to share in the processing of a job. When a computer system has a job to share, it recruits other computer systems to help process the job by sending a message that corresponds to a request to share the job to an IP multicast router. The candidate computer systems that receive the recruiter's broadcast determine if they can share the job according to one or more job sharing parameters. These parameters may relate to the job itself, network performance, security, or other criteria for sharing. If a computer system meets the parameters for taking on the particular job, it responds to the recruiter. The computer system then performs the job (or task) and returns the results to the recruiter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Alan Gall, Jeffrey David Haumont
  • Patent number: 8266193
    Abstract: A method and system makes date-time conversions and complex date-time calculations between dates of different calendaring systems. The conversion method herein allows embedded, real-time conversion in computer applications and systems between multiple calendaring systems. A date of a first date-time format is converted to any date of a second date-time format after a transformation to a temporal reference or epoch date. The conversion method can be embedded into any code space to enable full date-time conversion abilities. The real-time conversion of the conversion method requires no conversion tables and no post-processing manipulation thus eliminating the need for individual programmers to re-create the same date cross reference tables, or post processing algorithms. The conversion method supports conversion between any two date-time formats including the various existing Gregorian conventions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nia W. Fong, Jeffrey G. Komatsu, Jason S. Lee, Manivannan Thavasi
  • Patent number: 8255639
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for transparently handling recurring correctable errors to prevent costly system shutdowns for correctable memory errors or system failures from uncorrectable memory errors. When a high number of correctable errors are detected for a given memory location, the hypervisor moves the data associated with the memory location to an alternate physical memory location transparently to the partition such that the partition has no knowledge that the physical memory actualizing the memory location has been changed. Similarly, the hypervisor can move direct memory access (DMA) memory locations using an I/O translation table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Heyrman, Naresh Nayar, Gary Ross Ricard
  • Patent number: 8250515
    Abstract: A timing analysis mechanism allows defining a clock alias that correlates a clock that is not present in an integrated circuit design to a real clock in the integrated circuit design. In a first implementation, when an existing user assertion references a clock alias, the timing analysis mechanism generates a new user assertion that references the real clock specified in the clock alias. The new user assertion is then used in the timing analysis and the existing user assertion is not. In a second implementation, when an existing user assertion references a clock alias, the timing analysis mechanism generates a duplicate clock in the timing database, preserving all its attributes, and then passes the assertion using the alias name as well as any assertions using the corresponding real clock name to the timing engine to be used in the timing analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Amundson, Craig M. Darsow
  • Patent number: 8244976
    Abstract: A performance monitor reports SAN performance so that issues within the SAN are not masked from the client. Accesses to the SAN may be grouped into the categories of SAN logical or SAN physical. In one specific embodiment, the ranges of service times for accesses to the SAN are determined by monitoring service times of accesses to the SAN from the client perspective. In another specific embodiment, the ranges of service times for the SAN are determined by the SAN returning data with each request that indicates the service time from the SAN perspective. This allows reporting not only SAN logical and SAN physical accesses, but also allows reporting SAN service time. By specifying SAN service time, the client is able to better determine network delays. In yet another embodiment, information is returned by the SAN to indicate whether the access is SAN logical or SAN physical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Lawrence Barsness, John Matthew Santosuosso
  • Patent number: 8244713
    Abstract: A content management system (CMS) provides a way to include data from an external source as an object in the repository managed by the CMS. The CMS includes an external data mechanism that processes a document with a query to a data source external to the repository. The external data mechanism executes the query, and creates one or more objects in the repository according to the type of data returned as defined by classification rules. Each object containing data returned from the query is linked to that query via a formal relationship in the CMS. When an object that has a formal relationship with a query is checked out of the repository, the query corresponding to the object may be executed, and the data returned from the query may be stored in the object. In the alternative, the data may be used directly if a corresponding lifecycle policy indicates the corresponding query should not be executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John Edward Petri
  • Patent number: 8239390
    Abstract: An operating system on a source computer system includes a filtered remote journal mechanism that generates a target map of a remote journal to specify where in the remote journal entries will be stored, then generates a vector array that represents the data of interest in the database journal based on specified selection criteria and the target map. The vector array and location information from the target map is then sent to a communication manager, which sends the data indicated in the vector array to the target computer system. On the target computer system, the communication manager reads the data sent from the source computer system and writes the data to the remote journal. The filtered remote journal mechanism may operate on an existing database journal, or may operate iteratively as journal entries are written on the source computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce W. Hansel, Margaret E. Levering, Chad A. Olstad, David F. Owen, Donald F. Zimmerman
  • Patent number: 8229955
    Abstract: In a networked computer system that includes multiple nodes and multiple networks interconnecting the nodes, a database query optimizer takes network choice into consideration when optimizing a query. The query optimizer logs historical information for queries that includes network information. A network monitor determines network characteristics of the multiple networks. The query optimizer then selects a network for a query based on the network characteristics, and optionally based on the historical information as well. The result is a query optimizer that takes network choice into consideration, thereby providing a query that is optimized according to the characteristics of the networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric L. Barsness, David L. Darrington, Amanda Peters, John M. Santosuosso
  • Patent number: 8209304
    Abstract: A content management system (CMS) indicates stale (i.e. outdated) elements in a document according to a stale content policy that specifies one or more thresholds that determine whether or not an element is stale, and if a stale element should trigger an auto suggest mechanism. When an author checks a document out of the repository, the elements in the document are displayed to the user to indicate the element's staleness according to the stale content policy. The auto suggest mechanism populates a related elements list via a query to the repository according to an auto suggest policy that specifies which elements can be included by the auto suggest mechanism in the related elements list. The related elements list is presented to a user, who may select one of the related elements. The link in the document to the stale element is replaced by a link to the selected related element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John Edward Petri
  • Patent number: 8200627
    Abstract: The disclosure and claims herein are directed to efficient journaling for recovery of a database index by journaling zones of a page. A journal mechanism maintains a page zone bit map that includes a bit for a plurality of zones in each page to indicate which zones have had their unchanged image journaled before being changed since a last sync point update. The page zone bit map has a bit for each zone in each page so that the status of each zone can be tracked separately. Tracking the smaller zones of the pages makes the process more efficient both at run time and during recovery by reducing the period of time for memory deposits and reducing the amount of total redundant/recovery data sent to disk for larger pages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Larry William Youngren
  • Patent number: 8200846
    Abstract: A parallel computer system has multiple nodes that have independent clocks, where the different nodes may include different database portions that are referenced by a query. A timestamp parameter in a query is synchronized across the different nodes that are referenced by the query to assure the timestamps in the different nodes are consistent with each other notwithstanding the independent clocks used in each node. As a result, a database may be scaled to a parallel computer system with multiple nodes in a way that assures the timestamps for different nodes referenced during a query have identical values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Lawrence Barsness, David L. Darrington, Amanda Peters, John Matthew Santosuosso
  • Patent number: 8201190
    Abstract: An I/O adapter sharing mechanism in a logically partitioned computer system allows sharing a network I/O adapter between logical partitions in an efficient manner. A first logical partition owns (or controls) the I/O adapter, and a second logical partition desires to use (or share) the I/O adapter. An I/O adapter device driver that includes a hardware interface is provided in the first logical partition. A virtual device driver is provided in the second logical partition that provides a set of functions that is at least partially defined by querying the I/O adapter device driver in the first logical partition. The I/O adapter sharing mechanism includes a transfer mechanism that allows data to be transferred directly from the virtual device driver in the second logical partition to the I/O adapter without passing through the I/O adapter device driver in the first logical partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald Leroy Billau, Charles Scott Graham, Harvey Gene Kiel, Chetan Mehta, Lee Anton Sendelback, Jaya Srikrishnan
  • Patent number: 8196100
    Abstract: A content management system (CMS) for computer software provides automatic notification and correlation of changes in a design document with corresponding code, and provides automatic notification and correlation of changes in the code with one or more corresponding design documents. Traceability rules are defined that correlate which portions of the code correspond to which portions of the design document. A traceability update policy governs whether interested parties are notified of a change to either the design document or the corresponding code, and whether the change to one causes an automatic update to the other. The result is a content management system that helps keep the code and corresponding design documents consistent with each other so the system has accurate and consistent information at all times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John Edward Petri
  • Patent number: 8171122
    Abstract: An apparatus and method provides visualization of IT resources that are exposed as WSDM resources. A management system with a console provides visibility and functionality for WSDM resources by employing a visualization mechanism that processes standardized visualization metadata that is sent from a WSDM resource. The visualization mechanism uses standardized information to enable the management system console to display a robust presentation of the resource without needing to update the management system and console code when new types of resources are added.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Elliott Arwe, Michael John Branson, David Arlen Elko, Anthony Wayne Erwin, Jeffrey Alan Frey, Steven Gene Halverson, Georg Ochs
  • Patent number: 8171047
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for a database query optimizer utilizes a combining network to optimize a portion of a query in a parallel computer system with multiple nodes. The efficiency of the parallel computer system is increased by offloading collective operations on node data to the global combining network. The global combining network performs collective operations such as minimum, maximum, sum, and logical functions such as OR and XOR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric L. Barsness, David L. Darrington, Amanda E. Peters, John M. Santosuosso
  • Patent number: D672163
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Inventors: Joel David Wells, Jacquelyn Rae Wells