Abstract: A message generation mechanism for a network interface is provided. The message generation mechanism is operable to generate a message which includes data for signing and authentication procedure instructions. The message is for conveying information to a user device for presentation to a user via a user interface of the user device. The data is arranged in the message in a manner which permits the user device to utilize the data in an automated signing procedure. The automated signing procedure may be a digital signing procedure. The data for signing may be random data, pseudo-random data or secure random data and may be arranged in the message in a manner which avoids presentation to the user.

Abstract: A method for automating provisioning of services in a target computer system. The method includes providing a set of provisioning adaptors each defining an interface to a provisioning application and receiving a provisioning request from a user interface. The method further includes identifying one of the provisioning applications for completing a provisioning operation based on the received provisioning request, and then, invoking the identified one of the provisioning applications using one of the interfaces defined by one of the provisioning adaptors associated with the provisioning tool or application. The method includes providing agents on the components of the target computer system collecting configuration regarding the components from the provisioning agents, and using the collected data during identifying provisioning applications and invoking the identified applications.

Abstract: A plurality of read/write heads is disclosed for a magnetic media storage system, such as, for example a magnetic tape drive. Each head can include a plurality of data channels. In addition to enhancing data throughput, the plurality of read/write heads can be aligned to read or write bands of tracks on a magnetic tape with only one positioning mode (e.g., without coarse position actuation and control), and also obtain optimum yield and crosstalk values.

Abstract: A data structure, the distribution, may be provided to track the desired and/or actual location of computations and data that range over a multidimensional rectangular index space in a parallel computing system. Examples of such iteration spaces include multidimensional arrays and counted loop nests. These distribution data structures may be used in conjunction with locality-guided work stealing and may provide a structured way to track load balancing decisions so they can be reproduced in related computations, thus maintaining locality of reference. They may allow computations to be tied to array layout, and may allow iteration over subspaces of an index space in a manner consistent with the layout of the space itself. Distributions may provide a mechanism to describe computations in a manner that is oblivious to precise machine size or structure. Programming language constructs and/or library functions may support the implementation and use of these distribution data structures.

Abstract: A system and method for profiling a software application may include means for operating on context-specific data and costs. The system may include a descriptor apparatus for specifying identifiers of extended address elements to be profiled and locations for storing corresponding data values. In some embodiments, a list of variables to be included in profiling may be registered with an event agent and values of the variables may be captured in response to detection of a system event. Registering variables to be profiled may involve conveying a list of the variables or a pointer to such a list to the event agent. The event agent may associate the values of the registered variables with the detected system event and may store them in an event space database. The database may be accessed by a data space profiler to identify performance bottlenecks dependent on one or more registered variable values.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that allocates memory for immutable data on a computing device. During operation, the system receives an application to be executed on the computing device. Next, the system allocates a memory region on the computing device to store immutable data for the application. Note that this memory region is smaller than the immutable data for the application. When the system subsequently receives a request to access a block of immutable data for the application, the system allocates space in this memory region for the block, and proceeds to load the block into the memory region. However, if at a later time the space occupied by this first block is needed for another block, the system unloads and discards the first block.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for improving speculation success in processors. In some embodiments, the method may include executing a plurality of threads of program code, the plurality of threads comprising a first speculative load request, setting an indicator bit corresponding to a cache line in response to the first speculative load request, and in the event that a second speculative load request from the plurality of threads refers to a first cache line with the indicator bit set, determining if a second cache line is available.

Abstract: A method for generating a service action for a computer system is described. During the method, a longevity index value for a packaging technology in the computer system is calculated using a longevity model and thermal and vibration telemetry data that is collected in the computer system. This longevity model may be based on accelerated failure testing of the packaging technology, field failures of the packaging technology in a group of computer systems that includes the computer system, and/or thermal and vibration telemetry data for the group of computer systems. Furthermore, using the longevity index value, the service action for the computer system is determined. Based on the longevity index value, remedial as action, e.g., repairs to the computer system, may be scheduled and performed.

Abstract: A circuit that receives input signals from a transmitter via proximity communication, such as capacitively coupled proximity communication, is described. Because proximity communication may block DC content, the circuit may restore the DC content of input signals. In particular, a refresh circuit in the circuit may short inputs of the circuit to each other at least once per clock cycle (which sets a null value). Furthermore, a feedback circuit ensures that, if there is a signal transition in the input signals during a current clock cycle, it is passed through to an output node of the circuit. On the other hand, if there is no signal transition in the input signals during the current clock cycle, the feedback circuit may select the appropriate output value on the output node based on the output value during the immediately preceding clock cycle.

Abstract: One embodiment provides a system that protects translated guest program code in a virtual machine that supports self-modifying program code. While executing a guest program in the virtual machine, the system uses a guest shadow page table associated with the guest program and the virtual machine to map a virtual memory page for the guest program to a physical memory page on the host computing device. The system then uses a dynamic compiler to translate guest program code in the virtual memory page into translated guest program code (e.g., native program instructions for the computing device). During compilation, the dynamic compiler stores in a compiler shadow page table and the guest shadow page table information that tracks whether the guest program code in the virtual memory page has been translated. The compiler subsequently uses the information stored in the guest shadow page table to detect attempts to modify the contents of the virtual memory page.

Abstract: A floating point comparator circuit for comparing a plurality of floating point operands includes a plurality of analysis circuits, one for each of the floating point operands, configured to determine a format of each of the floating point operands based upon floating point status information encoded within each of the floating point operands, and a result generator circuit coupled to the analysis circuits, the result generator circuit configured to generate a result signal based on the format determined by each analysis circuit and based on a comparative relationship among the floating point operands. The format of each of the floating point operands may be from a group comprising: not-a-number (NaN), infinity, normalized, denormalized, zero, invalid operation, overflow, underflow, division by zero, exact, and inexact.

Abstract: A floating point max/min circuit for determining the maximum or minimum of two floating point operands includes a first analysis circuit configured to determine a format of a first floating point operand of the two floating point operands based upon floating point status information encoded within the first floating point operand, a second analysis circuit configured to determine a format of a second floating point operand of the two floating point operands based upon floating point status information encoded within the second floating point operand, a decision circuit, coupled to the first analysis circuit and to the second analysis circuit and responding to a function control signal that indicates the threshold condition is one of a maximum of the two floating point operands and a minimum of the two floating point operands, for generating at least one assembly control signal based on the format of a first floating point operand, the format of a second floating point operand, and the function control signal,

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that executes an application. During operation, the system starts the application using a web browser. Next, the system receives an execution environment change notification from a user of the application, and in response to the notification transitions the application to a second execution environment without interrupting the execution of the application.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and system for finding instances of a pattern in a main netlist include reading in the main netlist and the pattern that is used for finding pattern matches in the main netlist. The main netlist and the pattern include a plurality of vertices. Each of the vertices is a device or a net. Labels for the vertices are computed in both the pattern and the main netlist up to a depth appropriate for the pattern. A vertex of the pattern is identified and used in matching with one or more vertices in the main netlist at the depth appropriate for the pattern using the computed labels. The computed labels for each of the vertices of the main netlist are stored for possible reuse in subsequent pattern matches.

Abstract: A method and processor supporting architected instructions for tracking and determining set membership, such as by implementing Bloom filters are disclosed. The apparatus includes storage arrays (e.g., registers) and an execution core configured to store an indication that a given value is a member of a set, including by executing an architected instruction having an operand specifying the given value, wherein executing comprises applying a hash function to the value to determine an index into one of the storage arrays and setting a bit of the storage array corresponding to the index. An architected query instruction is later executed to determine if a query value is not a member of the set, including by applying the hash function to the query value to determine an index into the storage array and determining whether a bit at the index of the storage array is set.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a target device including a first input device configured to provide a first input to the target device, a second input device configured to provide a second input to the target device, and a control mixer configured to generate an output using a policy, the first input and the second input, wherein the output comprises a feedback and a target device output, wherein the feedback comprises some function of the state of the target device, the policy, and the state of each input device connected to the control mixer.

Abstract: A method and system for e-mail message user notes. E-mail servers may attach and store user notes with e-mail messages. An e-mail server may store user notes as part of user-profiles. Servers may provide notes to e-mail clients as e-mail header fields in e-mail messages and may generate custom header field names from user input. E-mail servers may associate notes with messages only when communicating with a specific e-mail client or may provide different notes for different e-mail clients. E-mail servers may provide custom views including user notes to web browser based e-mail clients. E-mail clients may allow users to specify a set of predefined notes from which specific notes may later be attached to e-mail messages.

Abstract: Transactional Lock Elision (TLE) may allow multiple threads to concurrently execute critical sections as speculative transactions. Transactions may abort due to various reasons. To avoid starvation, transactions may revert to execution using mutual exclusion when transactional execution fails. Because threads may revert to mutual exclusion in response to the mutual exclusion of other threads, a positive feedback loop may form in times of high congestion, causing a “lemming effect”. To regain the benefits of concurrent transactional execution, the system may allow one or more threads awaiting a given lock to be released from the wait queue and instead attempt transactional execution. A gang release may allow a subset of waiting threads to be released simultaneously. The subset may be chosen dependent on the number of waiting threads, historical abort relationships between threads, analysis of transactions of each thread, sensitivity of each thread to abort, and/or other thread-local or global criteria.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method and apparatus for a mechanism for data diffusion and evaporation across networks is disclosed. The method includes maintaining event data of a data management network at individual agents in the data management network without utilizing a central management server and diffusing event data between the individual agents by randomly selecting an event data entity from a local cache of an agent of the individual agents, and transmitting a copy of the randomly selected event data entity into a cache of another agent of the individual agents via a random connection created between the agent and the another agent. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method, system and article of manufacture for providing differentiated quality of service in an application server may include receiving a request and accessing pre-determined policy data in a server system. The pre-determined policy data may depend upon the particular client sending the request. A request may include identity, role, requested service, and/or time constraint information. Based upon the request and policy data, a quality of service context may be established, possibly including service class, priority, and/or deadline attributes. The quality of service context may be propagated in the server system with the request.