Abstract: A computer system employing redundant power distribution. A computer system includes power distribution boards arranged to distribute power such that the computer system may continue to operate if there is any single point of power failure. The computer system includes a first plurality of circuit boards, a plurality of switch circuit boards and a first and second power distribution board. The plurality of switch circuit boards may be coupled to the first plurality of circuit boards and may convey address and data information between the first plurality of circuit boards. The first power distribution board and the second power distribution board may be coupled to independently distribute power to each of the first plurality of circuit boards. At least two of the first plurality of circuit boards may be coupled to independently distribute power to each of the plurality of switch circuit boards.

Abstract: Techniques have been developed whereby lock state sharing can be extended to provide a low-space overhead lock management facility with comprehensive support for bulk lock delegation. Operating in conjunction with delegation request validation methods, the techniques provide an efficient bulk lock delegation facility for many advanced transaction models. Some implementations in accordance with the present invention provide bulk lock delegation with computational costs that are generally independent of the number of locks being delegated. Accordingly, such implementations may be particularly attractive for systems that demand for fine-granularity locking, large transaction sizes (in term of number of locks acquired), and efficient delegation mechanisms.

Abstract: An invention is disclosed for performing failure recovery in a Java platform. An application is executed that includes a service module and a control module. The control module includes application-specific polices for the application. When an error is detected in a system component, the detected error is reported to a runtime executive, and the system component is isolated. The control module is then notified of the system component failure.

Abstract: A fabric configuration interface may provide for storing multiple configuration repositories identifying different configurations of fabric devices for a host system coupled to a fabric. Each configuration repository identifies one or more fabric devices. The fabric configuration interface may receive a request to online fabric devices according to a specified one of the configuration repositories. In response to such a request, the configuration repository may access the specified configuration repository and request a configuration operation to configure, for the host system, the fabric devices identified in the specified configuration repository according. The fabric configuration interface may provide for requesting that fabric devices listed in a specified configuration repository be onlined or offlined. The fabric configuration interface may also provide for deleting entries from a specified configuration repository.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for design verification. The method comprises operating a device in the system in a first state, modifying at least one operational characteristic of the device to operate in a second state, and determining if an error condition occurs in the system in response to modifying the operational characteristic of the device. The apparatus comprises an interface and a verification module adapted to receive a control signal from the interface and to adjust an operating characteristic of the apparatus to exercise a system in a manner that is capable of revealing one or more error conditions in the system in response to receiving the control signal.

Abstract: A flip-flop circuit with embedded scan capabilities uses a skewed latch to pull one end of the flip-flop either up or down while another end of the flip-flop is active. Further, the flip-flop is designed such that a data node and a scan node are coupled to a master stage, which contains the skewed latch. The data node and scan node values are initially generated from different ends of the flip-flop. Based upon clock dependencies and whether the flip-flop is in a normal mode or a scan mode, the master stage passes a value to a slave stage dependent upon the data node and scan node values. Thereafter, the slave stage outputs a result based on the value passed from the master stage.

Abstract: Improved techniques for managing propagation of data through software modules used by computer systems are disclosed. The improved techniques allow a plurality of threads running on different processors to propagate data between software modules by providing concurrent access to queued data by multiple threads. The techniques are particularly well suited for use with the STREAMS model that uses software models arranged in a stack to provide data communications.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed at gathering position information of mobile and stationary entities and using the position information in a wide variety of applications. Various embodiments use a plurality of signal transmitting devices and/or a plurality of signal gathering devices to gather position information. In one embodiment, the signal transmitting device is an existing mobile electronic device. In another embodiment, the signal transmitting device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag attached to an entity. In another embodiment, the signal gathering device is a collection of wall mounted antennas. The entity location is calculated by gathering the phase difference or other timing information of signal generated by the signal transmitting device on the entity. This location information is then given to end user applications. One embodiment is a network security application using gathered location information of wireless ethernet cards.

Abstract: A method and system for storing instructions retrieved from memory in a memory cache to provide said instructions to a processor. First a new instruction is received from the memory. The system then determines whether the new instruction is a start of a basic block of instructions. If the new instruction is the start of a basic block of instructions, the system determines whether the basic block of instructions is stored in the memory cache responsive. If the basic block of instructions is not stored in the memory cache, the system retrieves the basic block of instructions for the new instruction from the memory. The system then stores the basic block of instructions in a buffer. The system then predicts a next basic block of instructions needed by the processor from the basic block of instructions.

Abstract: Disclosed are novel methods and apparatus for provision of an efficient, effective, and/or flexible removable HDD cartridge. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for holding a removable assembly (3) is disclosed. The apparatus comprising: a cage (2) to hold the assembly, a cage bracket (1) slideably engaging the cage (2), and a latch (6) coupled to the cage. The cage may include a plurality of slide receptacles (20). The assembly may include a plurality of slides (19) slideably engaging the plurality of slide receptacles (20). The cage bracket may be mountable on an external device. The latch may include a latch cap (9) and a locking lip (11). The locking lip may engage a receptacle (12) on the cage bracket to lock together the cage bracket and the cage.

Abstract: A profiling service for accessing user data. The profiling service includes a hierarchical structure of profile objects. Each profile object contains true-data attributes and meta-data attributes associated to the true-data attributes. Methods in the profiling service allow a client to access user data according to meta-data attribute settings. The true-data attributes may include the user data, or an external reference to the user data. The profile objects may also include bindings to other profile objects. Meta-data attributes can be identified with a prefix field in a meta-data value field, and methods to read and write the true and meta-data attributes may be included in the profile objects. The methods may also set an owner, an access privilege, a group, a creation time, a update time, expiration time, a trigger location, a binding flag, and an assurance level of true-data attributes. The profile objects can include profile level meta-data attributes.

Abstract: Systems and methods consistent with embodiments of the present invention provide for efficient and compact encoding. In an exemplary method for associating a codeward with a symbol in a file, the frequency of occurrence of the symbols in the file is determined. Next, a threshold is determined. Explicit codewords are assigned to symbols with greater then the threshold. The remaining symbols are ordered in sequence and implicit codewords are assigned to all of remaining symbols. Finally, an encoding table associating the codeword for each symbol is generated.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a proxy object that aids in returning a set of column names in a relational database. A predetermined method may be called which returns the proxy object, the proxy object representing a table in the relational database. The proxy object may be recursive, such that it may contain references to other proxy objects, as well as to column proxy objects, which represent individual columns in the database. Accessing the column proxy object then allows an object-oriented language program to retrieve a column name and therefore access individual columns in the relational database without forehand knowledge of the column names. The calls to the methods returning the proxy objects will typically never change, and if column names are changed, deleted, or added, these changes can be easily handled if a database provider maintains the column proxy object by having the database provider update the proxy object(s).

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for finding the roots of a system of nonlinear equations within an interval vector X=(X1, . . . , Xn), wherein the system of non-linear equations is specified by a vector function ƒ=(ƒ1, . . . , ƒn). The system operates by receiving a representation of the interval vector X (which is also called a box), wherein for each dimension, i, the representation of Xi includes a first floating-point number, ?i, representing the left endpoint of Xi, and a second floating-point number, bi, representing the right endpoint of Xi. Next, the system performs an interval Newton step on X to produce a resulting interval vector, X?, wherein the point of expansion of the interval Newton step is a point, x, within the interval X, and wherein performing the interval Newton step involves evaluating ƒ(x) to produce an interval result ƒ1(x).

Abstract: The invention is directed to a flexible method of allocating groups of virtual circuits in a network as a virtual circuit bunch. A virtual circuit bunch of arbitrary number can be set up with the ease of setting up a single virtual circuit. A single virtual circuit bunch can have plural destinations. Further, a virtual circuit bunch can be routed to the same destination over different routes. Connections across the network can be initiated as separate virtual circuits and then be grouped together as a virtual circuit bunch. The implementation of virtual circuit bunches permits rapid setup of virtual circuits and reduced table sizes at individual nodes of the network. A fast connect service can be implemented using virtual circuit bunches without establishing a connection by assigning a fast connect packet to one virtual circuit of a virtual circuit bunch. Virtual circuit bunches permit cell interleaving problems found in ATM switches to be circumvented in a particularly convenient way.

Abstract: A method for executing a dynamically loaded program having a main program unit includes executing the main unit a first time, creating at least one library file containing only application program files loaded during the first execution, specifying a system program file input and executing the main program unit a second time using the system program file input and the at least one library file for dynamically loaded program files. A method for optimizing a dynamically loaded program, the program including a main program unit includes creating at least one library file containing only application program files loaded during execution of the main program unit and optimizing the program based upon a list of application program files in the library file.

Abstract: A system and method for spawning new spaces in a distributed computing environment. A client may access a first space service at a first Internet address. The first space service may store one or more service advertisements and/or other content in a first space, and each of the service advertisements may include information which is usable to access and execute a corresponding service. The first space service may include a first XML schema which specifies one or more messages usable to invoke functions of the first space service. The creation of a second space may be requested such as by the client sending an appropriate request to an interface of the first space. The second space may be created to store the results of running a service. In response, a second space service with a second space may be created at a second Internet address. The second space service may include a second schema which includes at least the first schema, and the second schema may include additional functionality as well.

Abstract: A computer system for controlling access to an application used to provide a service to users in a network and to facilitate feature development in the application. The system includes a service application including features or feature mechanisms for providing service functions. The feature mechanisms each include a model interface portion, a view portion, and a controller portion to separate access to business model properties and data from content presentation. Memory stores application-specific data and lists of the feature mechanisms of the application. The system further includes a portal framework that receives user requests from client devices and for transmitting responses. The framework processes the request to determine which feature mechanism is being requested, routes the user request to appropriate feature mechanism, and builds a response with a content page from the view portion and a reusable portion built by the framework.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and device for ordering memory operation instructions in an optimizing compiler. for a processor that can potentially enter a stall state if a memory queue is full. The method uses a dependency graph coupled with one or more memory queues. The dependency graph is used to show the dependency relationships between instructions in a program being compiled. After creating the dependency graph, the ready nodes are identified. Dependency graph nodes that correspond to memory operations may have the effect of adding an element to the memory queue or removing one or more elements from the memory queue. The ideal situation is to keep the memory queue as full as possible without exceeding the maximum desirable number of elements, by scheduling memory operations to maximize the parallelism of memory operations while avoiding stalls on the target processor.

Abstract: The invention relates to performing a service operation on a computer. In one embodiment, information indicative of the need for a service operation is sent by a customer computer to a support center. Based on this received information, the support center then identifies the service operation to be performed on the computer, such as the replacement of a faulty component. The support center then creates a service task record describing this service operation, which is transmitted from the support center to a mobile computing device associated with an engineer who is to complete the service operation. This typically includes schedule information, detailing when and where the service operation is to be performed. When the engineer then arrives at the customer location, a direct communication link is established between the customer computer to be serviced and the mobile computing device, for example using an infrared link.