Abstract: The present invention involves a system and method for performing motion estimation. For each candidate motion vector, encoding distortion is determined between a macroblock and a reconstructed macroblock by determining discrete cosine transform coefficients of the macroblock and quantizing the discrete cosine transform coefficients. An estimate unit determines the length of the bit stream required to encode the quantized discrete cosine transform coefficients along with the mode information bits including mode and motion vector information. The reconstructed macroblock is determined based on the quantized discrete cosine transform coefficients. A bit-rate term based on the length of the bit-rate stream is determined and included in the encoding distortion. The candidate motion vector which minimizes the encoding distortion of the macroblock is chosen to be the motion vector for the macroblock.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a scalable routing system for use in an interconnection fabric are disclosed. In this routing scheme, a routing directive describes a route in the interconnection fabric between a sending node and a destination node. Either the sending node or a sending device connected to the sending node encodes the routing directive in a message to be sent to the destination node. The routing directive may include a variable number of segments. Each segment includes a distance component and a direction component that tell each node along the route how it should send the message. Generally, each distance component describes a distance in the interconnection fabric while each direction component specifies a direction in the interconnection fabric.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for streaming a media track to multiple clients using a single copy of the track's metadata, rather than making separate copies of the metadata for each stream. A media track's metadata includes information that is used to identify and locate media corresponding to different time positions in the track or media program. Sharing one copy of the metadata among multiple client streams promotes more efficient use of a media streaming server's resources. When a media track is first requested, a track object is generated to store and allow access to the metadata. For each client stream, a separate track handle object is created to manage access to the metadata for the stream's specific context. The streamed media track may be part of a live media event or may be part of a pre-recorded media program.

Abstract: A method for delivering keystrokes to descendants of an inactive window includes remembering a descendant of the inactive window as the next focus owner when the descendant receives a focus-in event, creating a focus proxy for the inactive window and issuing a request to set focus to the focus proxy, marking the next focus owner as the true focus owner when the focus proxy receives a focus-in event, and directing the focus-in event received by the focus proxy to the true focus owner.

Abstract: The clock signal is the dominant source of electromagnetic interference (EMI) for many electronic devices. EMI generated by an electronic device must be suppressed to avoid interference with other electronic devices and to satisfy FCC regulations. EMI emissions are reduced by phase-modulating the clock signal using tunable delay lines. Phase modulation causes a spreading of the energy spectrum of the clock signal thereby reducing EMI emissions. Implementations of the tunable delay lines are provided. In one implementation, a tunable delay line includes a first pipeline, a second pipeline, and a coupling mechanism for coupling the first pipeline to the second pipeline at various transfer points. The forward latency of the second pipeline is longer than that of the first pipeline.

Abstract: Versioning may be utilized in a knowledge base decision tree in order to provide several useful features. To accomplish this, when a decision tree is traversed, the decision tree representing a knowledge base and having non-leaf nodes with one or more branches representing possible symptoms, and leaf nodes with no branches, branches may be followed corresponding to symptoms experience by the application until a leaf node is reached. This traversal may be recorded as a version, with subsequent traversals having a different version. This allows a user to rerun performance tuning either from the beginning or from an earlier node without having to re-enter information already provided. It also allows a user to resume the performance tuning should he be interrupted in the middle, such as by a crash or by having to halt a long traversal.

Abstract: A garbage collector employs the train algorithm to collect a generation in a dynamically allocated heap. When direct allocation of an object into the generation results in the need to allocate a new car section, the collector makes a determination of whether a new collection increment or interval needs to be initiated. It makes this determination by comparing the amount of new allocation in that generation with a threshold value. During each collection increment, it updates the threshold value by determining how much can occur during the next collection increment without exceeding an allowable pause time. It then projects from that value how much memory-space reclamation is likely to occur. From that likely amount of reclamation, it arrives at a limit on the permitted amount of allocation.

Abstract: A computer system including a storage device, a first and second device driver, and a nexus driver. The storage device has multiple bit positions, and is coupled to a set of electrical terminals. A first portion of the electrical terminals is adapted for coupling to a first device, and a second portion of the electrical terminals is adapted for coupling to a second device. Each device driver controls a respective device by generating an access to the storage device, and writing a value to a respective portion of the bit positions. The nexus device driver is coupled between the first and second device drivers and the storage device, and arbitrates between the first and second device drivers for access to the storage device.

Abstract: A method and system perform a rounding step of a floating point computation on at least one floating point operand to preserve an inexact status. Inexact status information generated from the rounding step may be encoded within the result, instead of requiring a separate floating point status register for the inexact status information. In one embodiment, inexact status information is preserved by determining whether the at least one operand is inexact. Further, an intermediate result of the floating point computation is analyzed to determine whether it is inexact. Finally, the intermediate result is rounded based on whether the at least one operand is inexact and whether the intermediate result is inexact to preserve an inexact status of the at least one operand and the intermediate result.

Abstract: A system and method for assessing binary compatibility between software modules permits software end users to register with a system, download software tools for testing binary compatibility between one or more ABIs and binary files resident on the end users' computer system(s). The testing generates a file including the results of the binary compatibility test for each binary file tested. A unique identifier of each binary file, e.g., the MD5 signature of the binary code, may be uploaded with the results of the compatibility test. The results of the compatibility test and the unique identifier may be further analyzed to determine a risk profile that the binary file(s) on the end user's computer system(s) is not binary compatible with a particular ABI. A report may be generated indicating the binary compatibility risk profile of the files resident on the user's computer system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for ensuring the integrity of a system PROM. In one embodiment, a computer system includes a system PROM mounted upon a system board, which may also include a processor. The system PROM may include a static storage area reserved for storing system information that is not to be overwritten during normal system operations. Responsive to booting the computer system, the contents stored in the static portion of the system PROM may be duplicated and stored in a storage unit. During computer system operations, the duplicated contents stored in the storage unit may be compared with the contents of the static portion of the system PROM. If the duplicate contents are different from the contents stored in the static portion of the system PROM, a system alert may be performed in order to notify an operator or technician that the system PROM is corrupted.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and apparatus for restricted run-time environment with dynamic user context. In one embodiment, a user interacts with the computer system through a restricted run-time environment. When the user begins using the computer system at a local machine (i.e., a client), a user context is dynamically created at the local machine. Then, a user interface is initiated in the run-time environment which is isolated from the local machine's system files. In one embodiment, the user interface and all actions resulting from interaction through the interface take place in the isolated run-time environment. In one embodiment, the isolated run-time environment contains its own set of system files that the user may need to access. In one embodiment, the local machine is running the Unix™ operating system. A user interacts with the system through an interface running from the chroot directory.

Abstract: A method to convert a wire layout geometry to a filament topology for determination of chip resistance is provided. The method includes resolving overlap of layout segments of the wire layout geometry and inserting a vertical filament into each of the layout segments. The method further includes connecting vertical filaments using lateral connections and merging connected parallel filaments. The method also includes removing open filaments and modifying the filament structure in a bend region based on relative dimensions of the vertical filaments within the bend region.

Abstract: A programmable computer processing apparatus is connected to a number of servers. Each server stores one or more separate components which, when combined, make up a processing application. Each component specifies any other components which it requires. Computer is arranged to identify a first component needed by an application requested by a user, to fetch the first component from the server storing the component, to fetch any additional components needed by the first component, and to continue fetching components until all of the components required for the application have been fetched. Computer is arranged to install the components in a Java virtual machine using a different classloader for each component and to perform control to permit inter-component interaction and interaction between the components and the resources of computer only in accordance with predefined rules. This prevents unauthorized access by a component to the functionality of another component or computer.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates instant failover during packet routing by employing a flooding protocol to send packets between a source and a destination. Upon receiving a packet containing data at an intermediate node located between the source and the destination, the system determines whether the packet has been seen before at the intermediate node. If not, the system forwards the packet to neighboring nodes of the intermediate node. In one embodiment of the present invention, forwarding the packet to neighboring needs involves forwarding the packet to all neighboring nodes except the node from which the packet was received. In one embodiment of the present invention, determining whether the packet has been seen before involves examining a sequence number, SR, contained within the packet to determine whether the sequence number has been seen before.

Abstract: A method for optimizing a cache memory used for multitexturing in a graphics system is implemented. The graphics system comprises a texture memory, which stores texture data comprised in texture maps, coupled to a texture cache memory. Active texture maps for an individual primitive, for example a triangle, are identified, and the texture cache memory is divided into partitions. In one embodiment, the number of texture cache memory partitions equals the number of active texture maps. Each texture cache memory partition corresponds to a respective single active texture map, and is operated as a direct mapped cache for its corresponding respective single active texture map. In one embodiment, each texture cache memory partition is further operated as an associative cache for the texture data comprised in the partition's corresponding respective single active texture map. The cache memory is dynamically re-configured for each primitive.

Abstract: A copying garbage collector evacuates to a to space the objects in a from space that are referred to by references, including references in previously evacuated objects, that are located outside the from space. It divides the to space into local-allocation buffers (“LABs”), and it adopts one of these as a destination LAB, i.e., as the LAB into which it places the objects that it evacuates. When a destination LAB becomes full, the thread adopts a new LAB as its destination LAB. When a destination LAB's contents fill it to some predetermined fill threshold, that destination LAB becomes the source LAB, i.e., the LAB that the collector scans for references to the collection-set objects. If a previous source LAB's contents has not yet been completely scanned when the collector thus adopts a new source LAB, the previous source LAB is placed on a LAB stack.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention allow a program designer to conveniently specify and support watchdog checking of a program under development. The resulting programs are more robust than programs developed without watchdog support. The method and systems provide a convenient, automated mechanism for adding watchdog support to a program. Thus, a developer need not incur the substantial time and effort costs that would be associated with manually designing and configuring separate watchdog programs. Rather, the methods and systems provide substantial assistance to the developer in designing a robust program.

Abstract: A platform- and browser-independent project tracking tool is described for tracking projects of interest to a large number of organizations connected via a wide area network. This project tracking tool includes a database server for managing project information and data, and a graphical user interface server for interacting with users in the interested organization. The graphical user interfaces are created such that they can be accessed over the wide area network using web browsers.

Abstract: In one general aspect, a stream-based memory circuit is disclosed that includes physical storage elements and at least a first physical access port. A stream-based access controller is operatively connected to the physical storage elements and to the access port. The controller includes function-specific hardware logic operative to access data as streams in the physical memory in response to stream-based access commands at the access port.