Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Owen J. Gamon
  • Selecting a program to improve a service class by requesting the program to incrementally self-tune
    Patent number: 7350195
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment request a program or programs to tune themselves to run faster or slower if a service class is not meeting its performance goal. In an embodiment, the program is repeatedly requested to incrementally tune itself until the performance goal is met or until no further improvement occurs. In various embodiments, the programs to be requested to tune themselves are selected based on whether the programs are bottlenecks for the service class, whether the programs do the majority of work for the service class, whether the programs easily meet their own performance goals, or whether the programs are low priority. In this way, the programs may be performance tuned in a way that is more effective and less intrusive than by adjusting global, system-level resource allocations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David Gerald Herbeck, David E. Hubka, Mark Donald Masbruch, Mark Anthony Perkins, Joseph Harold Peterson, DeVaughn Lawrence Rackham, Richard Michael Smith
  • Estimating a number of rows returned by a recursive query
    Patent number: 7337167
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, estimate a number of rows that a recursive query will retrieve from a table by recursively probing an index associated with the table. A recursive query includes a seed and a recursive predicate, each of which is associated with a respective column in the table. If the index has a leading column that matches the table column associated with the seed, and the index has a secondary column that matches the table column associated with the recursive predicate, then the index is recursively probed until a threshold depth of the recursive probing is reached or until all nodes of the index have been examined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Brian Robert Muras
  • Embedding keys into test data
    Patent number: 7316006
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment generate keys based on a number of commands that can be outstanding at a device under test at any one time, embed the keys into respective data associated with respective commands, and send the commands to a device under test. When output is received from the device under test, the key embedded in the output may be used to determine the command associated with the output. In this way, the data may remain random while the test case command associated with the output may be determined based on the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Robert Cook, Corey Virgil Swenson
  • Grouping resource allocation commands in a logically-partitioned system
    Patent number: 7316019
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment determine a group associated with a command, wherein the command comprises a resource-allocating command in a logically-partitioned electronic device and determine when to perform the command based on the group. By grouping commands and scheduling the commands based on the group to which they belong, in an embodiment commands may be performed at an appropriate time when their impact on the performance of the logical partitions will be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Patrick Abbey, Jonathan Ross Van Niewaal
  • Replacing an unavailable element in a query
    Patent number: 7296013
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment replace an element in a query with a backup if the element is not available, but the backup is available. An element may also be removed from the query if the element is not required. In various embodiments, the element may be a table or a user-defined function. In this way, the query may still execute even if the element is not available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Lawrence Barsness, Randy William Ruhlow, John Matthew Santosuosso
  • Measuring reliability of transactions
    Patent number: 7287196
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, divide transactions performed by a program into groups, save data regarding duration times of the transactions in response to trace statements in the program, and determine a reliability of the groups of transactions based on the duration times and a number of failures of the transactions in the groups. The duration times are based on differences between start times and end times of the transactions, excluding differences between the suspend times and resume times of the transactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Scott N. Gerard
  • Error detection during processor idle cycles
    Patent number: 7272751
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment detect an event that will cause idle cycles in the processor and issue diagnostic instructions to the processor during the cycles that would be idle. In another embodiment, the processor is periodically interrupted and diagnostic instructions are issued to the processor, where the diagnostic instructions are selected based on a history of activity at the processor and a log of previous errors at the processor. In this way, errors may be detected at the processor without undue cost and impact on performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Joseph Beacom, David Arnold Luick
  • Hierarchical breakpoint groups
    Patent number: 7272826
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment create breakpoint groups and breakpoints in a hierarchical tree structure. An operation directed to a breakpoint group is performed on both the breakpoint group and the descendents in the tree of the breakpoint group. But, an operation directed to a descendent is not performed against its ancestors. In this way, the user can ore easily organize, enable, and disable breakpoints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Cary Lee Bates, Paul W. Buenger
  • Determining how many class-type checks to inline
    Patent number: 7266813
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment collect profile information about class-type checks, calculate a number of class-type checks that minimizes a cost of inlining, generate inline code for the number of class-type checks for a site in a method, and sort the inline code based on a frequency of the class types. Any remaining class-type checks at the site that are not handled by the inlined class-type checks are handled via an out-of-line function call. In this way, inlined code is used when it provides better performance than an out-of-line function, and the out-of-line function call is used when it provides better performance than the inlined code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Gerard Nistler, Mark Douglas Schroeder
  • Testing a database connection
    Patent number: 7254568
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment receive a scope level, find datasource configuration data based on the scope level, find an environment variable based on the scope data, and load a database driver based on the datasource configuration data and the environment variable. A connection to a database server is attempted via the database driver. If the connection is successful, success is reported. If the connection fails, failure is reported. In this way, a connection to a database server may be tested without needing to write and deploy an application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Melissa Sue Modjeski, Har Mohan Puri
  • Address watch breakpoints in a hardware synchronization range
    Patent number: 7249285
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment determine whether an instruction at which an address watch breakpoint occurs is within a hardware synchronization mechanism range in a program. If the determination is true, a special breakpoint is set following the hardware synchronization mechanism range, the address watch breakpoint is temporarily disabled, and the machine state is saved. When the program encounters the special breakpoint following the end of the hardware synchronization mechanism range, the saved machine state is presented. In this way, endless looping in programs protected by hardware synchronization mechanisms may be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Charles Brock, Gregory Alan Chaney, Kevin J. Erickson
  • Breakpoint groups based on control flow
    Patent number: 7225429
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment, determine the control flow relationship between breakpoints and graphically display this relationship. Breakpoints are added to a breakpoint group based on their position within the control flow of a program. In an embodiment, when a control flow construct is selected in the graphical display, the breakpoints associated with the control flow construct are added to a breakpoint group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Cary Lee Bates, Paul W. Buenger
  • Characterizing input/output models
    Patent number: 7219046
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment select a simulator input fragment, characterize an I/O model using a set of simulator input fragments, create a set of behavioral models based on the characterization and compare the set of behavioral models to the I/O model. In an embodiment, the set of behavioral models is compared to the I/O model by creating simulator input decks that include net topology for the I/O model and the set of behavioral models, simulating the decks, and comparing the output from the simulating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Zhaoqing Chen, Jan Elizabeth Garrett-Hoffman, Hubert Harrer, Stephen Bruce White
  • Reproducing errors via inhibit switches
    Patent number: 7200773
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment detect an error, disable selected functions of a computer system via inhibit switches in response to the error, issue a set of diagnostic instructions to a processor, and incrementally enable the selected functions until the error is reproduced. In this way, the source of the error may be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: David Arnold Luick
  • Secure pointers
    Patent number: 7181580
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment map a pointer to a target indirectly via a pointer map. In an embodiment, the pointer map is stored in a reserved area and an entry for the pointer in the pointer map includes a back-pointer containing an address of the pointer and a target-address containing the address of the target. When the pointer is accessed, the pointer is checked to ensure its contents point at the entry in the pointer map in the reserved area and that the back-pointer in the pointer map entry points back at the pointer. In this way, pointers are protected from being modified illegitimately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Erickson, Richard K. Kirkman, Patrick J. McCarthy, Scott A. Plaetzer
  • Relaying of messages
    Patent number: 7177626
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment detect that a connection is lost while a call is in progress, prompt for a message in response to the detection, and save the message until the connection is available. After the connection is available, the message is automatically sent to the party to the call. In this way, information that was cut off when the connection was lost can be completed in an convenient manner. In another embodiment, the user may enter a message or messages for a designated recipient or recipients at any time, and the message(s) is saved and automatically sent when the connection becomes available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Richard Hintermeister, Michael David Rahn
  • High performance synchronization of resource allocation in a logically-partitioned system
    Patent number: 7139855
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment set a resource indicator to indicate that a processor is using a resource in a logically-partitioned electronic device, determine whether a current partition in the logically-partitioned electronic device owns the resource, and clear the resource indicator after the processor is done using the resource. When a partition gives up ownership of a resource, a resource ownership state is changed to indicate that the partition does not own a resource, and the partition waits to continue executing until other processors have cleared their respective resource indicators. In an embodiment, the resource indicator is in a cache line that is local to the processor, which allows resources to be dynamically allocated with improved performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Joseph Armstrong, Naresh Nayar
  • Command ordering based on dependencies
    Patent number: 7136938
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in various embodiments determine whether to execute a command in a queue or whether to wait until another command or commands completed. The determination is based on a combination of an in-use vector and a scorecard vector. The in-use vector indicates which slots in various queues contain commands. The scorecard vector indicates the dependencies between various queues. In this way, the scorecard vector, and the thus the queue dependencies can be set and modified after the logic that processes the commands has been designed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Scott D. Clark, Scott M. Willenborg
  • Query access plan rebuilds
    Patent number: 7133861
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and system that in an embodiment detect that a trigger exists, where the trigger indicates a potential need to rebuild a saved query access plan, and determine whether a previous job associated with the trigger created a new access plan that was identical to the saved access plan. If a previous job associated with the trigger has already created the new access plan and found that it was identical to the saved access plan, then the query is performed with the saved access plan, since there is no advantage to be gained by creating the new access plan again. In this way, multiple jobs are kept from repeatedly re-creating an access plan that is identical to one that already exists.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Reuben Day, Brian Robert Muras, Anne Marie Ryg
  • Installing fixes based on usage
    Patent number: 7134121
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment install a new or fixed version of a program if the program or a feature in the program has been used more than a threshold number of times. If the program has not been used more than the threshold, the new or fixed version of the program is not installed. In an embodiment, an environmental condition is used in determining whether to install the new or fixed version. In this way, the risk that the new version will cause new problems is balanced with the likelihood that the problem solved by the new version will be encountered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Cary Lee Bates, Paul Reuben Day