Patents Assigned to Softiron Limited
  • Patent number: 12289248
    Abstract: An article of manufacture includes instructions that, when loaded and executed by a processor, configure the processor to, at a coordinator electronic device, initiate a round of electronic device resource requests from a plurality of electronic devices, receive a request for an electronic device resource from each of the electronic devices, provide a fair access scheme for access to the electronic device resource for each of the electronic devices, and provide a proof to each of the electronic devices that the fair access scheme was used in providing access to the electronic device during the round.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Mark Chen
  • Patent number: 12225128
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a cryptographic key for encrypting content to be written to a storage media. The apparatus includes a control circuit configured to determine that the storage media has been physically moved, and, based on the determination that the storage media has been physically moved, erase the storage media by deleting the cryptographic key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Charles C. Ruffino, Stephen Hardwick, Mark Chen
  • Patent number: 12223053
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a cryptographic key for decrypting content to be read from a storage media, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to, upon a boot of a server, dynamically generate a new boot authentication code using a prescribed method and determine a reconstituted boot authentication code. The reconstituted boot authentication code was reconstituted from an initial boot authentication code that was previously generated using the prescribed method. The control circuit is configured to compare the new and reconstituted boot authentication codes, and, based on a determination that the new and reconstituted boot authentication codes do not match, take a corrective action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Charles C. Ruffino, Stephen Hardwick, Mark Chen
  • Patent number: 12182587
    Abstract: A system includes servers, each server including a baseboard management controller (BMC) and operating environments including motherboards and processors. One of the BMCs includes circuitry to determine that the other server is in a standby mode. In a standby mode, the operating environment including the motherboard and processor is powered down and the BMC is powered only through a connection between the BMCs. The first BMC determines that additional resources for execution by the system from the other server are to be activated, and send a wake-up signal to the other BMC. The other BMC includes circuitry configured to receive the wake-up signal, wake the operating environment, and provision the operating environment, without power from the operating environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Robert Drury, Andrew McNeil, Harry Richardson, Stephen Hardwick
  • Patent number: 12185492
    Abstract: A tray for modules may be configured to be in power communication with a motherboard. The tray may include a tray status indicator to be powered by a power storage circuit within the tray when the tray is disconnected from the motherboard. The tray may include slots to receive removable modules that are to be in power communication with the tray. The tray may include module status indicators to be powered by the power storage circuit when the tray is disconnected from the motherboard. The tray may include an indicator that a given one of the removable modules has a fault. The indication is to be persistent after disconnection of the tray from the motherboard. The tray may include a display controller circuit to selectively apply display schemes for the tray status indicator and the module status indicators depending upon whether the tray is connected to power of the motherboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Sean Michael Robin, George Brandon Dunson
  • Patent number: 12174713
    Abstract: A media failure server includes a processor, and a non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions. The instructions, when loaded and executed by the processor, cause the processor to aggregate software defined storage (SDS) performance data from a plurality of media servers, process the aggregated SDS performance data, and determine whether the aggregate SDS performance data indicates that a first media server includes a potentially failing storage medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Robert Drury, Stephen Hardwick
  • Patent number: 12066963
    Abstract: A universal serial bus (USB) server includes USB connectors. Each USB connector is configured to interface via USB to an endpoint server. The server includes a terminal manager configured to issue a command to a first endpoint server via a selected one of the USB connectors. The selected USB connector is associated with and connected to the first endpoint server. The terminal manager is further configured to determine whether a response has been received to the command, and, based on a determination that no response has been received to the command, attempt to power up the first endpoint server through the selected one of USB connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Phillip Edward Straw, Stephen Hardwick
  • Patent number: 12019528
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a communications interface and a management server. The management server is configured to access servers through the interface, determine that additional resources are needed for execution by a system, and determine that one of the servers is in a standby mode. In the standby mode, the server is powered down and a baseboard management controller (BMC) therein is only powered through a connection from the apparatus or another server of the network. The management server is configured to determine that additional resources for execution by the system from the server are to be activated and cause a wake-up signal to be sent to the BMC, wherein the wake-up signal is configured to cause the BMC to wake and provision the operating environment of the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Robert Drury, Andrew McNeil, Harry Richardson, Stephen Hardwick, Phillip Edward Straw, Alan Ott
  • Patent number: 12014066
    Abstract: A system includes control logic to boot to a waking state, configure the system, and check for the presence of non-volatile DIMMs. Based on a determination that non-volatile DIMMs are not present, the control logic is to create one or more block devices to overcome CPU utilization limitations. Based on a determination that non-volatile DIMMs are present, the control logic is to use a non-volatile DIMM for storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Kenny Van Alstyne, Phillip Edward Straw
  • Publication number: 20240129237
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a processor and instructions to cause the processor to identify a client to connect a logical unit number (LUN) in a software defined system (SDS) through a mesh network through gateway nodes. The mesh network includes Asymmetric Logical Unit Access (ALUA) port groups, each ALUA port group including possible connection to each of the LUNs and the client. Each gateway node includes an instance of each of the ALUA port groups. The processor balances a bandwidth load for a given ALUA across each of the gateway nodes through assignment of the LUNs in the given ALUA across the gateway nodes and to select, as a preferred path, a path from the client through a selected one of the gateway nodes to an assigned LUN from the assignment of the LUNs in the given ALUA across the gateway nodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Applicant: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Milan Kovacik, Kenny Van Alstyne, Stephen Hardwick
  • Patent number: 11934241
    Abstract: A fan device used with respect to a computing device. The fan device includes at least two fans that provide airflow for the computing device and a controller that adjusts the fans' speeds in an attempt to avoid harmonic vibrations of the at least two fans. The fan device may include at least one sensor, and the controller may adjust the fans' speeds based at least on information from the sensor(s) in the attempt to avoid the harmonic vibrations. The attempt to avoid the harmonic vibrations may also attempt to mitigate one or more of turbulence, pressure, over-heating, power consumption, or noise in, by, or around the computing device. Reversal of airflow may also be used. A fan bar that enables isolation of ground return noise may also be used. The controller may use sums of primes calculations, phase analysis, common divisor calculations, and the like. Also, associated methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Phillip Edward Straw, Robert Drury, David Patrick Anders, Alan Ott, Bryan Keith Larmore
  • Publication number: 20240019484
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an interface to a device-under-test (DUT), an interface to a rack of cable holders, and a control circuit. Each cable holder is configured to raise or lower respective cable. The control circuit is configured to determine an internal configuration of the DUT and, based upon an internal configuration of the DUT, identify a plurality of cables to be used in testing the DUT. The control circuit is configured to cause the rack of cable holders to actuate a plurality of the cable holders associated with the identified plurality of cables to raise or lower the cable holders associated with the identified plurality of cables.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Applicant: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Kevin Peters, Roman Laabs, Jason Van der Schyff, Stephen Hardwick
  • Patent number: 11842048
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a processor, a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, an acceleration framework circuit communicatively coupled to the memory and the processor, and a device driver. The device driver is configured to receive a request for data manipulation by a software defined storage (SDS) application. The device driver is configured to determine whether the request for data manipulation can be offloaded from the processor to the acceleration framework circuit. The device driver is configured to, based upon the determination of whether the request for data manipulation can be offloaded from the processor to the acceleration framework circuit, selectively cause the request to be executed by the acceleration framework circuit or the SDS application through execution on the processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Lionel Corbet, Phillip Edward Straw, Steve Hardwick, Harry Richardson
  • Publication number: 20230388246
    Abstract: An article of manufacture includes instructions that, when loaded and executed by a processor, configure the processor to, at a coordinator electronic device, initiate a round of electronic device resource requests from a plurality of electronic devices, receive a request for an electronic device resource from each of the electronic devices, provide a fair access scheme for access to the electronic device resource for each of the electronic devices, and provide a proof to each of the electronic devices that the fair access scheme was used in providing access to the electronic device during the round.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Mark Chen
  • Publication number: 20230389217
    Abstract: A tray for modules may be configured to be in power communication with a motherboard. The tray may include a tray status indicator to be powered by a power storage circuit within the tray when the tray is disconnected from the motherboard. The tray may include slots to receive removable modules that are to be in power communication with the tray. The tray may include module status indicators to be powered by the power storage circuit when the tray is disconnected from the motherboard. The tray may include an indicator that a given one of the removable modules has a fault. The indication is to be persistent after disconnection of the tray from the motherboard. The tray may include a display controller circuit to selectively apply display schemes for the tray status indicator and the module status indicators depending upon whether the tray is connected to power of the motherboard.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Sean Michael Robin, George Brandon Dunson
  • Publication number: 20230388397
    Abstract: A server includes a processor and a medium with instructions that cause the processor to determine machines in a network. Each of the machines are to have a same IPv4 address. The processor is further to derive an IPv6 packet for communication to a first machine of the machines to have the same IPv4 address. The IPv6 packet is to include an address. The address is to include the IPv4 address and a subnetwork identifier. The subnetwork identifier is to identify a portion of the network in which the first machine is an only machine with the IPv4 address.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Kenny Van Alstyne
  • Patent number: 11755729
    Abstract: A system includes a server interface and a management server. The management server includes instructions for execution by a processor. The instructions, when loaded and executed by the processor, cause the processor to access a server through the remote interface and, through the interface, monitor current usage by an electronic device communicatively coupled to the server. The instructions further cause the processor to determine a security status of the electronic device based upon the current usage, and to take a corrective action based upon the security status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Phillip Edward Straw, Bryan Keith Larmore, David Patrick Anders, Stephen Hardwick, Robert Drury, Andrew McNeil, Harry Richardson
  • Patent number: 11747993
    Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a non-transitory machine-readable medium. The medium includes instructions. The instructions, when loaded and executed by a processor, configure the processor to, from an operating system, determine that a software defined storage (SDS) application installed in the operating system is configured to access a disk. The disk includes an SDS partition. The instructions are further configured to cause the processor to determine that the disk is to be monitored for performance and access a monitoring partition on the disk. The monitoring partition is inaccessible to the SDS application. The instructions are further configured to cause the processor to write test data to the monitoring partition and validate the test data written to the monitoring partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Harry Richardson
  • Patent number: 11748478
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an interface for an electronic device and a baseboard management controller (BMC). The BMC includes circuitry configured to, through the interface, monitor current usage by the electronic device, determine a security status of the electronic device based upon the current usage, and take a corrective action based upon the security status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Phillip Edward Straw, Bryan Keith Larmore, David Patrick Anders, Stephen Hardwick, Robert Drury
  • Patent number: 11751332
    Abstract: A baseboard includes a first connection configured to electrically interface with a motherboard, a second connection configured to electrically interface with a module, and a switch circuit configured to route data channels and power channels between the motherboard and the module. The first connection is configured to interface with more than one connection protocol or standard. The second connection is configured to interface with the more than one connection protocol or standard. The baseboard allows for cableless connections to allow unobstructed airflow over the components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: SOFTIRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Robert Drury, Sean Michael Robin