Abstract: Embodiments of the invention can be used to assess whether a software application is compatible with an operating platform. A specification that describes the operating platform is generated using a definitional language. The specification identifies the programming resources of an operating platform. The application's dependencies and programming resources are identified. A compatibility engine is executed to resolve an application's dependencies to the specification. The output of the compatibility engine identifies whether the application conforms to the operating platform and how it deviates from the specification.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for reducing computing overhead by creating fast, local-only objects in a distributed client/server based computing system are disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, within an object-based computing system, a method for creating an object reference that is associated with a local-only servant object includes implementing a first base class to create a first object that represents the object reference, and obtaining a local-only create closure. An operation is called on a second base class using the local-only create closure. The operation creates a server-side representation associated with the local-only servant object, and is stored in the first object that represents the object reference. In one embodiment, creating the local-only create closure includes creating a skeleton object and calling a local m-table builder for the skeleton object.

Abstract: A system and method for collecting information from a vehicle wherein the vehicle incorporates an internal network having a device coupled thereto for collecting or generating the vehicle information and a communication device coupled thereto for transmitting the vehicle information to an external receiver. In one embodiment, the devices coupled to the network are addressable using corresponding IP addresses. In another embodiment, the devices are addressable using object terminology which references their respective services. The vehicle information may include location, traffic, diagnostic or other types of information. The vehicle information may be transmitted to the external receiver automatically or the transmission may be initiated by a network user within the vehicle.

Abstract: A stiffener for a printed circuit board where the stiffener is placed between the printed circuit board and a wall of the metal chassis in a computer system housing. The loaded printed circuit board may first be mounted on the stiffener, which, in turn, may then be mounted on the appropriate wall of the chassis along with the circuit board. Alternately, the stiffener may first be mounted on the appropriate chassis wall, and the circuit board may then be mounted on the stiffener. Additional circuit components may then be added onto the circuit board. The lies between the circuit board and the wall of the chassis on which the circuit board is being mounted. The back plane support provided by the stiffener may reduce damage to the conducting paths of the printed circuit board due to pressures exerted during component mounting, manufacture, transportation, etc. Additionally, a circuit board carrying densely populated electronic components may be easily mounted on or removed from the chassis without damage.

Abstract: An improved output driver for HSTL includes a bias control transistor to absorb current leaking through the base-collector capacitance of the drive transistor and maintain the base voltage on the drive transistor. The bias control transistor is biased by a series network coupled between a base of the bias control transistor and ground, which keeps the bias control transistor at a bias near its turn-on bias, with a feedback capacitor coupled between the output and the base of the bias control transistor to turn on the bias control transistor when the output rises.

Abstract: A system that automatically integrates a module into a computer system to replace a module that has failed. The system operates by detecting an insertion of the module into the computer system. In response to this insertion, the system reads information from the module in order to identify what type of module has been inserted into the computer system. If the newly inserted module cannot perform functions of the prior module, the system signals an error condition. The system additionally reads information from the module in order to determine if the module has failed since it was first shipped or last repaired. This information was originally written by this or another system upon detection of a failure. If the module has failed since it was first shipped or last repaired, the system signals an error condition. Finally, if no error condition is signaled, the system integrates the module into the computer system.

Abstract: A method for arithmetic expression optimization includes receiving a first instruction defined for a first processor having a first base, the first instruction including an operator and at least one operand, converting the first instruction to a second instruction optimized for a second processor having a second base when all operands do not carry potential overflow or when the operator is insensitive to overflow, the second base being smaller than the first base, and converting to a wider base a third instruction that is the source of the overflow when the at least one operand the potential for overflow and when the operator is sensitive to overflow.

Abstract: A direct memory access (DMA) controller is provided for a computer system having a processor and a command buffer. The command buffer can be defined, for example, as a ring buffer in the main processor memory and can be directly accessible by the processor, for example over a bus. The DMA controller provides a head register and a tail register operable to hold a head pointer and a tail pointer for addressing the head and tail, respectively, of a sequence of direct memory access commands in the command buffer. The processor is able to store DMA commands in the command buffer. Subsequently, the DMA controller is able to access those DMA commands using the DMA tail pointer held locally in the DMA controller. The DMA controller is operable to compare the head and tail pointers, and to respond to non-equivalence thereof to use the tail pointer value to access direct memory access commands from the command buffer.

Abstract: A system and method for a user to encrypt data in a way that ensures the data cannot be decrypted after a finite period. A number of ephemeral encryption keys are established by a first party, each of which will be destroyed at an associated time in the future (the “expiration time”). A second party selects or requests one of the ephemeral encryption keys for encrypting a message. The first party provides an ephemeral encryption key to the second party. Subsequently, the first party decrypts at least a portion of the message, using an ephemeral decryption key associated with the ephemeral encryption key provided to the second party. At the expiration time, the first party destroys all copies of at least the ephemeral decryption key, thus rendering any messages encrypted using the ephemeral encryption key permanently undecipherable. In an alternative embodiment, a number of ephemeral key servers provide a respective number of ephemeral encryption keys having associated expiration times.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for handling exceptions as a part of normal program control flow are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for processing an exception in an object-based system includes obtaining source code that includes a code segment which is arranged to explicitly specify instructions pertaining to an exception check. The method also includes creating a final internal representation of the source code at least in part by removing a call associated with the exception check, and generating machine code associated with the final internal representation. In one embodiment, the method further includes executing the machine code. In another embodiment, creating the final internal representation of the source code includes processing the exception check as a part of a control flow associated with the source code.

Abstract: A play to air controller station system in a distributed object television broadcast studio. In one embodiment, a play to air control workstation is used to control a variety of resources in a broadcast studio system interconnected by a communications network. The resources of the broadcast studio system include a transmitter unit, various media source devices such as tape decks and file servers, a network routers unit, and various decoders and encoders. The broadcast studio system is managed as a network distributed object system where an all physical devices are attached to the network either by containing appropriate software within themselves, or by attaching themselves to a computer proxy that is on the network and is able to control their functionality. The control system includes one or more device objects configured to store, route and transmit selected video segments to be aired from the television broadcast studio.

Abstract: A hot plugging system has a first mechanism for selectively connecting, responsive to a first control signal, each of a plurality of slots with a primary bus, e.g.,a PCI bus connected to a system bus of a computer system; and a second mechanism for connecting, responsive to a second control signal, at least one of the slots with a secondary bus, e.g., a dedicated PCI bus, or other connection interface, used for testing purposes during hot-plug insertion of an adapter card. In another aspect, a hot plug controller makes the connection of the at least one slot to the primary bus in response to a BUS_IDLE signal from the host bridge that indicates when the PCI bus is idle. The BUS_IDLE signal can be generated from the FRAME and IRDY signals for the primary bus by combinational logic in the host bridge. In this way, the hot plug controller need not be connected to and load the shared lines, e.g., the FRAME and IRDY lines, of that bus.

Abstract: Systems and methods consistent with the present invention allocate memory of a memory array by partitioning the memory array into subheaps dedicated to frequently used memory blocks. To this end, the system collects memory statistics on memory usage patterns to determine memory block sizes most often used in the memory array. The system uses these statistics to partition the memory array into a main heap and at least one memory subheap. The system then allocates or deallocate memory of the memory array using the memory subheap. Furthermore, the system allocates memory of the memory subheap only for memory blocks having one of the memory block sizes most often used in the memory array.

Abstract: A rework nozzle includes a gripping device that is used to remove a soldered device from a circuit board. The rework nozzle attaches to a module that generates hot gas. The device that is to be removed from the circuit board is placed within the nozzle. The module generates hot gas, and the hot gas is directed by the nozzle to soldered connections that couple the device to the circuit board. The hot gas melts the solder and the gripping mechanism is used to grasp the device. The device may be removed from the circuit board by separating the circuit board from the nozzle after the hot gas melts the solder. The nozzle will release the device if the force needed to remove the device is greater than the force applied to the device by the gripping mechanism. The release of the device will prevent damage to the device or to the circuit board.

Abstract: A system for performing visible object determination. Visualization software running on a host processor represents space with a hierarchy of cones, and generates a hierarchy of bounding hulls from a collection of objects by recursively grouping clusters of objects. Each hull node in the hull hierarchy stores parameters which characterize a bounding hull for the corresponding cluster or object. The visualization software searches the cone and hull hierarchies starting with the root cone and the root hull. Before exploring a given cone-hull pair, a normalized cone size for the cone and a normalized hull size for the hull may be computed, and the sizes compared. If the cone size is larger than the hull size, subcones of the cone are explored with respect to the hull. Conversely, if the hull size is larger than the cone size, subhulls of the hull are explored with respect to the cone.

Abstract: A scheme is provided that permits the use of a selectable depacketization module to depacketize data streams. An RTP session manager is responsible for receiving RTP packets from a network and parsing/processing them. A depacketizer module is located using the type of data received on the stream. Thus a specific depacketizer is located at runtime depending on the coding decoding scheme (“codec”) used to compress the incoming data stream. A naming convention is followed in order for a specific depacketizer to be located. The depacketizer receives data that has already been parsed and is in a readable form. The depacketizer outputs this data using a well defined interface. This interface has been designed such that it is generic across a number of codecs. The interface passes all relevant information to the decoder where the actual depacketized data stream will be decompressed. The session manager need not know of any codec details since the depacketizer handles all codec specific issues.

Abstract: In an object oriented software environment, a system and method is disclosed that addresses both state recovery and relationship recovery in the event of a system halt. The system is suited to enterprise-class distributed systems with extensive object relationships. Each essential object is saved in persistent storage. Essential values within each object are updated in storage according to a method within each object. After a partial or total halt of the system, the state of the software is reconstructed in a two phase process. In the first phase, the essential objects are restored from persistent storage, along with essential values. In the second phase, a method uniquely implemented by each object will reconstruct non-essential objects and variables. The second phase is ideally tailored to allow the system to be reconstructed even when the underlying hardware or software has been altered.

Abstract: A self-reconfiguring name service that distributes workload among the available servers in a system. A Service Monitor for each host system of a site periodically broadcasts information about available servers. The broadcast message also indicates the workload of the host. Each name service (DNS) has an associated process called a Name Binder Modifier that receives the broadcast messages from the Service Monitors. Periodically, each Name Binder Modifier reviews the information it has received from various Service Monitors and updates zones that are used by the DNS to perform load balancing. The Service Monitor and the Name Binding Modifier have associated configuration files.

Abstract: A modular enclosure for electronic equipment of selectable height is achieved via the use of intermediate stackable frame members. The enclosure consists of a lid and a base and optionally, one or more intermediate frame members that may be disposed between the lid and the base. The lid and base may be assembled one to the other to form a minimum height enclosure. To obtain enclosures of greater height than the minimum height, one or more intermediate frame members are interposed between the lid and the base.