Abstract: Embodiments relate to proactively probing the packet queues of elements in a physical or virtual network to predict and prevent the occurrence of congestion points. An aspect includes receiving a first feedback request at a central controller connected to a plurality of switches in a network. The first feedback request includes a request to periodically probe a status of queues of switches in the network. A second feedback request is then transmitted to one or all the switches in a path leading to a designated destination. Responses to the second feedback request are received at the central controller from a designated proxy switch, which aggregated the responses into a single data packet. Accordingly, the responses extracted from the single data packet at the central controller are used to preventing future congestion points.

Abstract: Embodiments for the present invention provide a semiconductor device and methods for fabrication. In an embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor structure comprises a first conductor horizontally formed on a semiconductor substrate. A second conductor is vertically formed in a semiconductor stack that includes the semiconductor substrate. An oxidized region is formed proximate to the first conductor. The second conductor is formed in a manner to be in electrical communication with the first conductor. The first conductor is formed in a manner to be laterally connected to the second conductor. The first conductor is formed in a manner to not traverse beneath the oxidized region. The first conductor is formed in a manner to have a reduced link-up resistance with adjacent epitaxial material included in the semiconductor structure.

Abstract: Operating a dual chipset network interface controller (‘NIC’) that includes a high performance media access control chipset and a low performance media access control chipset, including: determining, by a NIC control module, an amount of network traffic being processed by the NIC; determining, by the NIC control module, whether the amount of network traffic being processed by the NIC exceeds a predetermined threshold; responsive to determining that the amount of network traffic being processed by the NIC exceeds a predetermined threshold, configuring, by the NIC control module, the NIC to utilize the high performance media access control chipset for data communications operations; and responsive to determining that the amount of network traffic being processed by the NIC does not exceed the predetermined threshold, configuring, by the NIC control module, the NIC to utilize the low performance media access control chipset for data communications operations.

Abstract: A technique for operating a memory system for a node includes interrogating, by a cache, an associated cache directory to determine whether a shared cache line to be installed in the cache is associated with an invalid global state in the cache. The invalid global state specifies that a version of the shared cache line has been intervened off-node. In response to the shared cache line being in the invalid global state the cache spawns a castout invalid global command for the shared cache line. The shared cache line is installed in the cache. A coherence state for the shared cache line is updated in the associated cache directory to indicate the shared cache line is shared.

Abstract: Methods and structures for forming a reduced resistance region of a finFET are described. According to some aspects, a dummy gate and first gate spacer may be formed above a fin comprising a first semiconductor composition. At least a portion of source and drain regions of the fin may be removed, and a second semiconductor composition may be formed in the source and drain regions in contact with the first semiconductor composition. A second gate spacer may be formed covering the first gate spacer. The methods may be used to form finFETs having reduced resistance at source and drain junctions.

Abstract: Apparatus, method and computer program product for reducing overlay errors during a semiconductor photolithographic mask design process flow. The method obtains data representing density characteristics of a photo mask layout design; predicts stress induced displacements based on said obtained density characteristics data; and corrects the mask layout design data by specifying shift movement of individual photo mask design shapes to pre-compensate for predicted displacements. To obtain data representing density characteristics, the method merges pieces of data that are combined to make a photo mask to obtain a full reticle field data set. The merge includes a merge of data representing density characteristic driven stress effects. The density characteristics data for the merged reticle data are then computed.

Abstract: Predicting indirect branch instructions may comprise predicting a target address for a fetched branch instruction. Accuracy of the target address may be tracked. The fetched branch instruction may be flagged as a problematic branch instruction based on the tracking. A pattern cache may be trained for predicting more accurate target address for the fetched branch instruction, and the next time the fetched branch instruction is again fetched, a target address may be predicted from the pattern cache.

Abstract: A technique for assigning physical resources of a data processing system to a virtual machine (VM) includes reading, by a hypervisor executing on the data processing system, a fold factor attribute for the VM. The fold factor attribute defines an anticipated usage of physical resources of the data processing system by the VM. The technique also includes mapping based on a value of the fold factor attribute, by the hypervisor, allocated virtual processors of the VM to the physical resources to maximize processor core access to local memory for ones of the allocated virtual processors that are anticipated to be utilized.

Abstract: Various embodiments for storing a logical object are provided. In one such embodiment, by way of example only, incoming data is divided corresponding to a logical data object into a plurality of independent streams, associating each data chunk of a plurality of obtained data chunks with a corresponding stream among the plurality of independent streams. At least one of the obtained data chunks and derivatives thereof is sequentially accommodated in accordance with an order the obtained chunks are received, while keeping the association with the corresponding streams. A global index is generated as a single meta-data stream accommodated in the logical data object and comprising information common to the plurality of independent streams and related to mapping between data in the logical data object and the obtained data chunks.

Abstract: A technique for assigning physical resources of a data processing system to a virtual machine (VM) includes reading, by a hypervisor executing on the data processing system, a fold factor attribute for the VM. The fold factor attribute defines an anticipated usage of physical resources of the data processing system by the VM. The technique also includes mapping based on a value of the fold factor attribute, by the hypervisor, allocated virtual processors of the VM to the physical resources to maximize processor core access to local memory for ones of the allocated virtual processors that are anticipated to be utilized.

Abstract: A method for cloaking an object from an observer is provided in the illustrative embodiments. A hardware device is affixed to the object such that the observer observes a presentation on the device when observing the object. The device is enabled to receive a signal, wherein the signal corresponds to a portion of an ambience obscured by the object from a view of the observer. The signal is processed, at the device and without using a data processing system, to generate a version of the signal. Using the device, the version of the signal is presented to the observer as the presentation, wherein the version of the signal cloaks the object from the ambience in the view of the observer.

Abstract: A technique for cloud infrastructure backup in a virtualized environment utilizing shared storage includes obtaining a workload input/output (I/O) profile to the shared storage over a time period. An attempt to locate one or more time windows in the workload I/O profile for which a cloud infrastructure backup can be staged is initiated. In response to determining the cloud infrastructure backup can be staged during at least one of the time windows, staging of the cloud infrastructure backup is scheduled during a selected one of the time windows. In response to determining the cloud infrastructure backup cannot be staged during at least one of the time windows, an interference tolerance approach is employed for accessing the shared storage for active workloads and the cloud infrastructure backup during the staging of the cloud infrastructure backup.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for configuring active resource nodes in a distributed computing system controlled by an administrative control module. The method includes identifying a first configuration of active resource nodes having at least two or more active resource nodes and detecting a modification of a link representing at least one connection between the active resource nodes. In response to detecting the modification of the link, a routing policy table is retrieved and a second configuration of the active resource nodes are identified from the routing policy table including at least one new connection between the two or more active resource nodes. The distributed computing system is triggered to configure the two or more active resource nodes according to the second configuration and to establish the at least one new connection between the two or more active resource nodes.

Abstract: Providing admission control for a request may comprise creating a process flow associated with the request, the process flow identifying a plurality of computer-implemented components and a flow of transactions occurring between the computer-implemented components; executing the flow of transactions on the plurality of computer-implemented components; logging the flow of transactions; monitoring the flow of transactions to detect a problem in the flow or one or more of the components, or combination thereof; responsive to not detecting a problem in the flow or one or more of the components, or combination thereof, allowing the request to proceed; and responsive to detecting a problem in the flow or one or more of the components, or combination thereof, not allowing the request to proceed.

Abstract: A computer processor determines a schema that enables splitting of one or more elements of an XML file. The computer processor determines an XML file as a split candidate, based on one or more attributes of the one or more elements of the XML file. The computer processor splits the XML file at run-time into a plurality of subsets of the XML file, based on the one or more attributes of the one or more elements of the XML file, and the computer processor distributes the plurality of subsets of the XML file to a plurality of computing nodes of a computer processing system.

Abstract: Various embodiments for enhancing storage of deduplicated data in a computing storage environment. Analytics are applied to at least one data storage characteristic observed in the computing storage environment to restructure the deduplicated data in a more sequential manner so as to enhance performance of the computing storage environment.

Abstract: In one general embodiment, an apparatus includes a magnetic head. The magnetic head has a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion together providing a tape bearing surface. The first portion has an opening at least partially encircling the second portion. The second portion has at least one array of transducers. A longitudinal axis of each of the at least one array is defined between opposite ends thereof. The longitudinal axis of each of the at least one array of transducers is oriented at an angle relative to a line oriented orthogonally to the intended direction of tape travel thereacross, the angle being between 0.2° and about 10°.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for differentiated service identification/exposure in a networked computing environment (e.g., a cloud computing environment). In a typical embodiment, input model criteria will be generated. Such criteria may (among other things): identify service categories based on contextual bindings and domain centric functions; identify inter-service dependencies for a given business model (BPM); and/or provide dynamic validation of services to be exposed/identified. Embodiments of the present invention may further analyze service exposure criteria to provide efficient and accurate service exposure decisions as well as validation of the service exposure. This approach allows for consistent service exposure determinations based on decision histories of similarly (2-dimensional) aligned services in the past.

Abstract: A method, system, and/or computer program product tracks an object in a video. A bounding box is defined by the user in a first frame, thus representing the object to be tracked based on a point of interest. A static dictionary D is populated with the densely overlapping patches from a search window. A new frame in the video is detected, and candidate patches, in the new frame, that potentially depict the object being tracked are identified. The candidate patches are co-located with the multiple densely overlapping patches to form a dynamic candidate dictionary Y of candidate patches. Candidate patches that best match the densely overlapping patches from the first frame are identified by an L1-norm solution, in order to identify a best-matched patch in the new frame.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to refining hierarchies in object-oriented models. A method includes providing a business object model in the form of an object-oriented model having one or more members with multiple distinct verbalizations and identifying distinct verbalizations of a given business object model member. The method also includes reviewing existing rules of the business object model to produce mappings of the distinct verbalizations and any attributes or operations used in conjunction with the distinct verbalizations of members of the business object model and analysing the mappings to identify patterns of use of the distinct verbalizations. The method further includes categorising a distinct verbalization as a superclass or subclass.