Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a media storage device, a processor, and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to cause the processor to associate a first subset of storage space on the media storage device with a first group of applications executing on a hardware processor. The logic is also configured to cause the processor to receive a request from an application to access the first subset of storage space on the media storage device. Moreover, the logic is configured to cause the processor to prevent any application other than an application from the first group of applications from accessing the first subset of storage space on the media storage device. Other systems, methods, and computer program products for defending against ransomware attacks on devices and systems using application authority assignment are described according to more embodiments.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining placement of computing workloads within a network are disclosed. According to an aspect, a method includes determining one or more attributes of a computing workload to be placed within a network. The method also includes predicting interaction of the computing workload with one or more other computing workloads within the network based on the one or more attributes. Further, the method includes determining placement of the computing workload within the network based on the predicted interaction and a topology of the network.

Abstract: A computer program product and an apparatus are provided. The computer program product includes a computer readable medium and program instructions embodied therein, wherein the program instructions are executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform various operations. The operations include obtaining, for each phase in a voltage regulator having multiple phases, values of at least one operating parameter over a period of time. The operations further include determining, for each phase in the multi-phase voltage regulator, a wear score as a function of the obtained values of at least one operating parameter. Still further, the operations include selecting a default phase, from among the multiple phases, that has a wear score indicating that the phase has less cumulative wear than any of the other phases, and instructing the voltage regulator to turn on the selected phase as a default phase when only one phase is turned on.

Abstract: A network communications component may be configured to self-lock at a signaled transmission rate. The network communications component may receive a first transmission rate signal indicating a first transmission rate. It may be determined that a transmission rate for the network communications component is unset on the network communications component. Determining that the transmission rate for the network communications component is unset may include accessing an entry for the transmission rate in a vital product data stored on the network communications component. The transmission rate for the network communications component may be set by storing an indication of the received first transmission rate in a memory location on the network communications component. Data transmission by the network communications component may be limited, in accordance with the stored indication of the first transmission rate, to not exceed the set transmission rate.

Abstract: Reconfigurable processors and methods for collecting computer program instruction execution statistics are disclosed. According to an aspect, a method includes providing a reconfigurable processor configured to execute a set of central processing unit (CPU) instructions that each have a function. The method also includes modifying the function of one or more of the CPU instructions that identifies an instruction address and a destination address pair of the CPU instruction(s) based on a defined test case. Further, the method includes using the reconfigurable processor to execute the set of CPU instructions. The method also includes identifying an instruction address and destination address pair of the CPU instruction(s) having the modified function when the CPU instruction(s) having the modified function is executed during execution of the set of CPU instructions.

Abstract: Systems and methods for preventing leakage of electromagnetic waves from electronic devices, or for preventing unwanted RF fields from entering an electronic device. According to an aspect, a system includes a body and a cover positioned to define an enclosed interior space for placement of an electronic device. The system also includes a gasket attached to or integrated one of the body and cover to seal the interior space from outside the electronic device enclosure. Further, the system includes an electromagnetic wave absorptive material attached to a portion of the gasket for absorbing electromagnetic waves generated within or outside of the electronic device enclosure.

Abstract: An apparatus and a computer program product includes non-transitory computer readable storage media embodying program instructions. The program instructions are executable by a baseboard management controller (BMC) to receive a request to install a hardware component in a compute node, identify a current hardware configuration of the compute node, and identify a plurality of available locations within the compute node for installation of the requested component. Still further, the BMC may identify, for each available location, a historical performance database record that includes a performance score for a component installed in the same location as the available location, has the same component type as the requested component, and was collected from a compute node having the same hardware configuration as the current compute node. The BMC may select an available location that has the greatest performance score for the component, and generate output indicating the selected location for installation.

Abstract: A method, computer program product and apparatus are provided. For example, the method includes receiving, by a first data storage device within a storage area network, input output operations over a first network pathway within the storage area network. The method further includes receiving, by the first data storage device, a migration instruction that identifies a second data storage device within the storage area network and a source volume stored on the first data storage device. Still further, the method includes migrating, by the first data storage device, the source volume directly to the second data storage device over a second network pathway within the storage area network.

Abstract: A computer readable storage medium embodies program instructions executable by a processor to perform a method including identifying a product warranty for each of a plurality of flash memory devices within a system, wherein the product warranty includes a maximum number of writes and a maximum age, and tracking the number of writes and the age of each flash memory device. The method further includes determining, for each flash memory device, a number of pro rata writes remaining in the product warranty, which is determined as a number of writes remaining until the flash memory device reaches the maximum number of writes divided by an amount of time remaining until the flash memory reaches the maximum age. The method then causes data to be written to the flash memory device having the greatest number of pro rata writes remaining in the product warranty.

Abstract: A sub-grid of a grid of data is displayed on a display device. The data is organized over cells. The cells within the sub-table are visible on the display device, whereas the cells outside the sub-table are not visible on the display device. In response to the data of a cell outside of the sub-table changing, such that the cell is not visible on the display device, an indicator is displayed in the cell of the sub-table that is visible that is closest within the table to the cell having the data that changed.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method for automatic management network provisioning includes: broadcasting a provisioning request to one or more devices; receiving at least one provisioning reply from the device(s); and broadcasting a provisioning configuration packet to device(s) from which a provisioning reply was received. In another embodiment, a method for peer-based automatic management network provisioning includes broadcasting network configuration information corresponding to a particular device to one or more other devices of a network environment; determining, after the broadcast, whether such network configuration information was modified; and requesting, from one or more of the other devices, the network configuration information corresponding to the particular device. The request is made in response to determining the particular device network configuration information was modified after broadcasting the network configuration information to the one or more other devices.

Abstract: An apparatus for dynamically selecting a function includes an intercept module that intercepts a function call from an executing application. The function call specifies a target function and the target function is associated with a target processor. The apparatus includes a selection module that selects a function from a plurality of available functions to execute the function call, where each available function is associated with a separate processor. The apparatus includes an execution module that reroutes the function call to execute the selected function.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and computer program products for securing personally identifiable information include: identifying, present on a computer system, personally identifiable information (‘PII’); ranking the PII for a user identifiable by the PII; setting a time limit for the PII based on the rank; and responsive to the time limit elapsing, performing one or more actions to secure the PII.

Abstract: Approaches for automated provisioning of a private cloud infrastructure. A cloud service provider maintains a first cluster of servers which stores a set of user interfaces. Each first cluster node comprises a first distributed management layer that manages, monitors, and self-heals first cluster nodes and facilitates communication with nodes of a second cluster of servers. A cloud service consumer maintains the second cluster which stores sets of user data. Second cluster nodes comprise a second distributed management layer that manages, monitors, and self-heals second cluster nodes and facilitates communication with first cluster nodes. When a first node in the first cluster receives a request from an end-user of a cloud-based service, the first node (a) communicates with the second distributed management layer to obtain a required set of user data and (b) prepares and transmits, to the end-user, a response that comprises the appropriate user interface and required user data.

Abstract: Flexible display systems and methods for controlling and operating the same are disclosed herein. According to an aspect, a display system is provided. The display system comprises a display that is configured to be shaped in one of a first shape and a second shape, the first shape and the second shape being different shapes. The display system further comprises electromagnets attached to the display and oriented such that when the electromagnets are actuated, the display is held in the first shape.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and program product are disclosed for loading a program during boot of a device. A monitor module collects usage data for each of one or more programs executing on a device. The usage data for each program comprising an amount of time that the program was used and a schedule of when the program was used. A priority module assigns a boot priority to each of the one or more programs based on the amount of time that each program was used. A boot module selects one or more programs to load during a boot period for the device based on each program's usage schedule. The one or more selected programs are loaded according to each selected program's boot priority.

Abstract: Configuring NVMe devices for redundancy and scaling includes: identifying, by a first SSD (‘Solid State Drive’) driver executing on a first CPU (‘Central Processing Unit’), address space of a first SSD coupled to the first CPU by a first PCI (‘Peripheral Component Interconnect’) switch, the first PCI switch including one or more non-transparent bridges (‘NTBs’); partitioning, by the first SSD driver, the address space of the first SSD amongst the NTBs of the first PCI switch and the first CPU, where each NTB is configured to translate CPU memory addresses received from a CPU into a drive address in the address space partitioned to the NTB; and partitioning, by the first SSD driver, a plurality of namespaces of the first SSD amongst the first CPU and the NTBs.

Abstract: Address verification on a bus, the bus connecting a plurality of receiving bus nodes and one or more sending bus nodes, the bus providing communication among the bus nodes, including: receiving, by a receiving bus node over the bus, a parity signal and an address signal, the address signal identifying an address of a target receiving bus node; determining, by the receiving bus node, whether the address of the target receiving bus node matches an address of the receiving bus node; responsive to determining that the address of the target receiving bus node matches the address of the receiving bus node, determining, by the receiving bus node, whether the parity signal is an expected parity signal; and responsive to determining that the parity signal is not the expected parity signal, suppressing, by the receiving bus node, an acknowledgment of receipt of the address signal.

Abstract: A method, computer program product and apparatus are provided for responding to conditions within a computing system. The method includes accessing a stored historical record of user-selected actions responsive to multiple types of conditions in a computing system, wherein each instance of a condition in the historical record is associated with a user-selected action that was taken by a user within a predetermined group of users. The method further includes identifying a current instance of a condition within the computing system, using the historical record to identify one or more actions previously used in responding to the identified current instance of a condition, and displaying the one or more identified actions on a screen of the mobile computing device.

Abstract: A computing device includes a processor storing a mapping relationship of MAC addresses, IP addresses and device identifiers of client devices, and a network interface. The network interface receives dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) requests from, and transmits IP addresses to client devices. The processor, in response to receiving a DHCP request, determines if an IP address has been generated for the client device. The processor assigns the IP address to the client device in response to determining that the IP address has been generated for the client device; and obtains a device identifier from the client device in response to determining that the IP address has not been generated. The processor generates an IP address for the client device, establishes a mapping relationship of the MAC address and device identifier of the client device with the generated IP address, and assigns the generated IP address to the client device.