Abstract: A system is provided for systematically checking for and retrieving data from a known, public system to a system inside company firewall restraints while being able to function automatically once initial set up is complete. This data is then processed and stored into an internal database for the express purpose of allowing timely access to stability and configuration information.

Abstract: An emulation system that provides the functionality of an emulated computer on a host computer pre-processes the object code file to be emulated to reduce the run-time overhead due to parsing the object code. The emulator uses pre-programmed functions that model each instruction of the emulated computer. An object code file is pre-parsed to generate a translated file which includes a sequence of function calls corresponding to the sequence of instructions in the code file. The translated file is compiled to generate a corresponding translated object-code file. The translated object-code file is executed in the emulation environment on the host computer. The emulation system also includes a standard mode in which the object code file is emulated by sequentially parsing each instruction in the object code file and invoking an appropriate one of the preprogrammed functions in the emulated environment.

Abstract: Methods for facilitating updating of data in a database by a data-access system in communication with the database and a client application. The methods include initiating updating transactions by the data-access system based on requests from the client application for obtaining a portion of the database using a predetermined obtaining protocol; generating transaction identifiers with identifier values in the data-access system upon the initiating of each updating transaction; assigning a transaction identifier or a predetermined transaction identifier to each obtained portion; modifying at least one of the obtained portions of the database based on instructions received from the client application; and forwarding said modified portions to the database based on the transaction identifier assigned to each modified portion. In this way, the overall efficiency of the data-access system in processing of the client updating requests can be advantageously increased.

Abstract: Mapping of data source schema data types relating a server side database description into a set of OLE DB data types is rendered subject to user modification by provision of a dual Schema File at a client side terminal which contains an original copy and a modifiable copy of the data source schema. Selected contents of the modifiable Schema File are then displayed in a split window format, including one window which provides a tree view of the schema structure and an adjacent window which displays a set of values related to a selected element of the tree view. Selected values are then subject to modification via user point and click and data entry operations.

Abstract: Heterogeneous data at a plurality of remote nodes is accessed automatically in parallel at high speed from a user site using a simple script request containing a data source object name wherein the heterogeneous data is treated as a single data source object, the script further containing at least one method to be performed on the data source object and at least a second method to be automatically performed on the results of executing the first method. A user site agent breaks the user-generated script into new scripts appropriate for execution at the remote nodes and determines whether the second method should be executed at the remote nodes or at the user site. A messenger process transmits the new scripts to the appropriate remote nodes where respective agent processes respond to automatically access the appropriate data and to automatically execute the specified methods.

Abstract: In a computer-based information system where verification of transmitted data is performed, a method is disclosed for verifying validity of transmission data based on a numerical identifier for the transmission data. The method includes generating a first number based on the transmission data and obtaining a numerical identifier for the transmission data. The method further includes generating a second number from the first number and the numerical identifier, and verifying the validity of the transmission data based on the second number. In this way, based on the numerical identifier included in the transmission data, it can be verified if a recipient of the transmission data is the intended recipient and/or if the transmission data is validly attempting to access a data structure.

Abstract: A method in a computer system is disclosed for programmatically locating any file and building a shortcut for future reference to that file. First, a shortcut cache is created if one does not exist. Then, the shortcut cache is searched for a shortcut for the file. The shortcut contains the location and name of the file. If the shortcut name is not found, then the shortcut directory for the current user is located in the system registry, and it is searched for the shortcut name. If the shortcut name is still not found, the shortcut directory for all users is located in the system registry, and it is searched for the shortcut name. If the shortcut name is found then it is stored in the shortcut cache; and, the location and name of the file is returned to the requester.

Abstract: The method of the present invention is useful in a computer system including at least two server nodes, each of which execute clustered server software. The program executes a method for providing a transition from a first server node to a second server node. The method includes the steps of responding to a request for the transition and initiating a thread for effecting the transition from the first server node to the second server node. Next, determining if a shared resource is owned by the second server node and if not, calling a driver to enable functionality of the transition, which transition sets up the shared resource access to the second server node.

Abstract: A software buffer is implemented without using notoriously slow locking mechanisms by employing a so-called atomic microprocessor operation to increment a counter tracking the total number of messages inserted into the buffer by various processes. In this manner, a unique slot is guaranteed to be assigned to each respective message to be inserted. Additionally, a count of the total number of removed messages is used to handle situations where two messages are assigned the same slot due to buffer overflow.

Abstract: Improved systems and methods for storing data, wherein data stored on one or more disks of a first capacity is mirrored to one or more disks of a second, larger capacity. According to the invention, one or more disk drives of a first capacity may be coupled to create a virtual volume. One or more disks of a second, larger capacity are then used to provide a single larger volume or multiple larger volumes that serve as the mirroring drive or drives for the array of smaller drives. Data from the smaller drives is stacked in stripes sequentially across the larger drive(s). Alternately, data from the smaller drives may be striped in zones across the larger drive(s). In yet another embodiment, the asymmetric nature of the mirroring technique of the present invention can be used in reverse, wherein an array of smaller capacity drives serve as the mirror for one or more larger capacity drives.

Abstract: A request message for transfer across an interface is formed by a method comprising the steps of representing each of a plurality of data chunks to be stored in the message by a respective chunk object, declaring each of the chunk objects as a variable on a program stack, storing a first data chunk in a first area of the message; storing a second data chunk in a second area of the message; and employing the chunk object representing the first data chunk to locate the first data chunk in the course of loading into the first chunk an offset value representing the location of the second chunk, wherein the offset value represents an offset from a base address of the message. The method enables an overloaded deference operator to employ an offset stored in a chunk object on the program stack to locate a particular chunk.

Abstract: A system and method for dynamically saving the properties of transient controls in a general screen dialog and enabling these properties to be restored at a later time. In a typical GUI based computer program, a number of user interface objects or “controls” are presented graphically to a user on a form to allow the user to input information by interfacing these controls. The activation of the various controls on the form by a user is referred to as the screen dialog. The present invention allows a user of the computer system to save the current properties of a form's transient controls to a database, where this form can later be restored with its transient controls having the same properties as when the form was saved. A screen dialog save procedure loops through all of the controls on a form and inserts a record of each control type along with its respective property values into a database.

Abstract: A computer-implemented object-oriented method for controlling access to a multiplicity of objects is disclosed. The method includes creating specific access control object types, each including a pre-check method for implementing a pre-defined access control policy. Each one of the multiplicity of objects to be controlled is then associated with one of the access control objects. Next, upon an attempt to invoke a feature of any one of the multiplicity of objects, a determination is made if one of the multiplicity of objects is linked to an access control object, and if yes; the pre-check method for the access control object associated with the one of the multiplicity of objects is performed to determine whether to grant access.

Abstract: A system and method using a timer management module for managing a circular queue having N Fixed Timer Entries (FTEs) to enable dynamic capacity increase of size M by extending the pointer array referencing the circular queue by M, copying the first “Current Timer Index” entries to the extended pointer array entries, allocating M FTEs, and linking the M FTEs within the circular queue.

Abstract: An N-way set associative data cache system comprises a cache controller adapted to receive a request for data and instructions. The cache controller includes a cache buffer register for storing the requests for a line of information in the form of a page tag address and line address. The line address is stored in the buffer register as a pointer into a directory associated with each of the N-ways for determining where the line being accessed resides. If the page tag address matches one of the page entry addresses in one of the directories, there is a hit, but if not, the line of data must be fetched by a cache fill request. The line of data is retrieved from an L2 cache or main memory and written into the line of one of the ways at the line address being accessed. A novel LRU ordering tree or look-up table is provided for determining concurrently the one line in the number of N-lines in the cache to be replaced with the new line of data in the event of a miss.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for use in a multi-processor computer system having a multiplicity of peripherals coupled thereto. The disclosed method assigns interrupt vectors from the multiplicity of peripherals, and includes the steps of determining if an interrupt resource from a given peripheral has already been assigned, and if not; assigning an affinity and vector to this interrupt resource. Moreover, a determination is made if the affinity and vector assigned in the previous step are within the operational characteristics of the multi-processor computer system.

Abstract: A circular queue is created with N Fixed Timer Entries associated with a specific address pointer for each entry. An association is developed to relate each fixed entry pointer to its just previous pointer and to its just next occurring pointer. A selected transient New Timer Entry can be inserted between any two selected adjacent Fixed Timer Entries without need to sequence serially through the entire set of fixed entries.

Abstract: A data compressor for compressing an input stream of data characters into an output stream of compressed codes includes a plurality of AND-gates corresponding to a respective plurality of codes to be assigned to strings. Each string comprises a prefix string, having an associated prefix code, and an extension character. An AND-gate has a prefix code input and a character input for enabling the AND-gate, the energized output of an AND-gate providing a representation of the code corresponding thereto. The compressor includes a first matrix switch for selectively coupling the provided representations of codes corresponding to the AND-gates to the prefix code inputs of the AND-gates and a second matrix switch for selectively coupling representations of data characters fetched from the input stream to the character inputs of the AND-gates.

Abstract: While multiple different document files on a CD-ROM can occur in several different file formats, there is no efficient way to topic-search these differently formatted files since search engines can only operate on one particular type of formatted file. The present method operates to convert the multiple file formats into one common file format (Portable Document Format) which then can be suitably searched by a browser program, such as Adobe Acrobat.

Abstract: A system and method using a timer management module for managing a circular queue having fixed timer entries and temporary new timer entries to enable location of specified new timer entries which can then be deleted at the appropriate time in timer management operations.