Patents Examined by Eric Wai
  • Patent number: 8458722
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for thread selection during context switching on a plurality of compute nodes that includes: executing, by a compute node, an application using a plurality of threads of execution, including executing one or more of the threads of execution; selecting, by the compute node from a plurality of available threads of execution for the application, a next thread of execution in dependence upon power characteristics for each of the available threads; determining, by the compute node, whether criteria for a thread context switch are satisfied; and performing, by the compute node, the thread context switch if the criteria for a thread context switch are satisfied, including executing the next thread of execution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles J. Archer, Michael A. Blocksome, Amanda E. Peters, Joseph D. Ratterman, Brian E. Smith
  • Patent number: 8176494
    Abstract: A method is presented for processing data in a multithreaded application to alleviate impaired or substandard performance conditions. Work items that are pending processing by the multithreaded application are placed into a data structure. The work items are processed by a plurality of threads within the multithreaded application in accordance with a first algorithm, e.g., first-in first-out (FIFO). A thread within the multithreaded application is configured apart from the plurality of threads such that it processes work items in accordance with a second algorithm that differs from the first algorithm, thereby avoiding the impairing condition. For example, the thread may process a pending work item only if it has a particular characteristic. The thread restricts its own processing of work items by intermittently evaluating workflow conditions for the plurality of threads; if the workflow conditions improve or are unimpaired, then the thread does not process any work items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark J. Cavage, Kristin M. Hazlewood, Richard A. Heller, Gary D. Williams
  • Patent number: 8171480
    Abstract: In a processing system which includes a physical processor that includes multiple logical processors, multiple domains are defined for multiple processes that can execute on the physical processor. Each of the processes is assigned to one of the domains. Processor utilization associated with the logical processors is measured, and each of the domains is allocated to a subset of the logical processors according to the processor utilization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Network Appliance, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander D. Petruncola, Nareshkumar M. Patel, Grace Ho, Jeffrey S. Kimmel
  • Patent number: 8146086
    Abstract: A method for gathering operational metrics can include the step of identifying a host within a grid environment, wherein the host can be a software object. A ghost agent can be associated with the host. The ghost agent can replicate actions of the host. Operational metrics for at least a portion of the replicated actions can be determined. The operational metrics can be recorded. The host can move within the grid environment. The ghost agent can responsively move in accordance with movement of the host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas E. Creamer, Bill H. Hilf, Neil Katz, Victor S. Moore
  • Patent number: 8141091
    Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method in which application program-specified resource allocation and allocation strength preferences are used to allocate hardware resources from a computer for that application program. The resource allocation preference is used to allocate hardware resources for the application program, while the allocation strength preference is used to determine whether to allocate alternate hardware resources when the resource allocation preference specified by the application program cannot be met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lynn Keat Chung, Chistopher Francois, Richard Karl Kirkman, Henry Joseph May, Patrick Joseph McCarthy, Don Darrell Reed, Kenneth Charles Vossen
  • Patent number: 8141086
    Abstract: A method and system for validating a scan of a chain in a multithreaded environment. A modification counter and an anchor address are atomically copied from the chain's header into a first variable (browse counter) and second variable, respectively. The second variable is set to a next address stored in a current element of the chain. The next address references a next element of the chain. The browse counter is incremented. If the browse counter is greater than a current value of the modification counter (M.Counter) and if the second variable includes a valid address, then the scan is valid up to the current element, the scan continues with the next element as the current element, and the process repeats starting with setting the second variable to the next address. Otherwise, if the browse counter is less than or equal to M.Counter, then the scan is invalid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Martin William John Cocks, Felicity Jane Merrison
  • Patent number: 8117615
    Abstract: Intra-node data transfer in collective communications is facilitated. A memory object of one task of a collective communication is concurrently attached to the address spaces of a plurality of other tasks of the communication. Those tasks that attach the memory object can access the memory object as if it was their own. Data can be directly written into or read from an application data structure of the memory object by the attaching tasks without copying the data to/from shared memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert S. Blackmore, Bin Jia, Richard R. Treumann
  • Patent number: 8112759
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment determine a group associated with a command, wherein the command comprises a resource-allocating command in a logically-partitioned electronic device and determine when to perform the command based on the group. By grouping commands and scheduling the commands based on the group to which they belong, in an embodiment commands may be performed at an appropriate time when their impact on the performance of the logical partitions will be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Patrick Abbey, Jonathan Ross Van Niewaal
  • Patent number: 8108872
    Abstract: Resources to be used by concurrent threads in a multithreaded processor are allocated based on thread types of the threads. For each of at least two thread types, an amount of the resource is reserved, and amounts currently allocated are tracked. When a request to allocate some of the resource to a new thread is received, a determination as to whether the allocation can be made is based on the thread type of the new thread, the amount of the resource reserved for that thread type, and the amount currently allocated to threads of that type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: John Erik Lindholm, Bryon S. Nordquist, Simon S. Moy, Svetoslav D. Tzvetkov
  • Patent number: 8108869
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system, method and computer-reliable medium, as well as grids and clusters managed according to the method described herein. An example embodiment relates to a method of processing a request for resources within a compute environment. The method is practiced by a system that contains modules configured or programmed to carry out the steps of the invention. The system receives a request for resources, generates a credential map for each credential associated with the request, the credential map comprising a first type of resource mapping and a second type of resource mapping. The system generates a resource availability map, generates a first composite intersecting map that intersects the resource availability map with a first type of resource mapping of all generated credential maps and generates a second composite intersecting map that intersects the resource availability map and a second type of resource mapping of all the generated credential maps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Adaptive Computing Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: David B. Jackson
  • Patent number: 8087025
    Abstract: Each of a plurality of nodes in an overlay network includes information for a corresponding resource-on-demand system, wherein the information may be used to select a resource-on-demand system to host the workload. A request to place a workload is received at a node in an overlay network. A distributed control algorithm is executed for selecting a resource-on-demand system host the workload.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Sven Graupner
  • Patent number: 8087020
    Abstract: An information processing system performs a real-time operation periodically at specific time intervals. The system includes a unit for performing a scheduling operation of assigning the real-time operation to a processor to perform the real-time operation periodically at the specific time intervals by the processor, a unit for computing a ratio of an execution time of the real-time operation to be performed by the processor at a first operating speed, based on the specific time intervals and cost information concerning a time required to perform the real-time operation by the processor at the first operating speed, and a unit for performing an operating speed control operation to operate the processor at a second operating speed that is lower than the first operating speed, the second operating speed being determined based on the computed ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tatsunori Kanai, Seiji Maeda, Hirokuni Yano, Kenichiro Yoshii
  • Patent number: 8079033
    Abstract: A method and system is provided for routing data in a system. The method includes determining an initial fixed distribution pattern, determining a queue parameter based on at least a current amount of system use and a maximum potential system use, determining a time parameter based on the time that a message in the application has been waiting for its processing, determining a load parameter based on at least the time parameter and the queue parameter, and modifying the distribution pattern based on at least the load parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Amadeus SAS
    Inventors: Jerome Daniel, Cyril Deguet
  • Patent number: 8079030
    Abstract: A computer has a hypervisor that supervises a virtual machine. The virtual machine includes a guest security module that enforces a security policy on network traffic entering and exiting the virtual machine. Malicious software (malware) uses stealth network communications to avoid the guest security module and attempts to communicate with its home base. A security module within the hypervisor has access to all network communications entering and exiting the computer. The security module communicates with the guest security module to identify communications of which the guest security module is aware. The security module analyzes the network communications for the computer to identify a stealth network communication of which the guest security module is unaware. The security module alters the stealth network communication, thereby prevent the malware from communicating with its home base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Sourabh Satish, Brian Hernacki
  • Patent number: 8079032
    Abstract: A method and system for rendering harmless a locked pestware executable object is described. In one illustrative embodiment, a locked pestware executable object is detected on a storage device of a computer, the locked pestware executable object being inaccessible via the computer's operating system; the locked pestware executable object is accessed through direct drive access; and data in the locked pestware executable object is modified in a manner that renders it harmless to the computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Webroot Software, Inc.
    Inventor: Tony Nichols
  • Patent number: 8074221
    Abstract: Methods and systems of processing print jobs are disclosed. A feasible route for processing each of a plurality of jobs is determined. For each feasible route, the time to process the job via the feasible route is determined. Each job is assigned to a first feasible route. A first objective function value is determined using a time to process each job assigned to each autonomous cell. A job is selected. A second feasible route is selected for the selected job. A second objective function value is determined by substituting the second feasible route for the first feasible route for the selected job. If the first value plus a threshold exceeds the second value, the second value replaces the first value, and the second feasible route replaces the first feasible route. Selection and substitution are repeated for each job. The jobs are then processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Sudhendu Rai
  • Patent number: 8065679
    Abstract: A method of dynamically hosting an application program on a wireless device, a content of the application partitioned into a plurality of module envelopes, each of the module envelopes having a portion of the modules comprising the application, the method comprising the steps of initializing the loading of the application comprising referencing an application information structure, the structure comprising relational information of the module envelopes, selecting one of the module envelopes from the plurality of the module envelopes according to the relational information, configuring a state of the selected module envelope according to a predefined envelope state, the envelope state being selected from a set of envelope states comprising at least two states selected from the group comprising an offline state, an executable state, and a raw state for conversion to the executable state, and providing the selected module envelope, when configured in the executable state, to an application manager for changing t
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Bryan Richard Goring, Michael Shenfield, Viera Bibr
  • Patent number: 8042114
    Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method in which application program-specified resource allocation and allocation strength preferences are used to allocate hardware resources from a computer for that application program. The resource allocation preference is used to allocate hardware resources for the application program, while the allocation strength preference is used to determine whether to allocate alternate hardware resources when the resource allocation preference specified by the application program cannot be met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lynn Keat Chung, Chistopher Francois, Richard Karl Kirkman, Henry Joseph May, Patrick Joseph McCarthy, Don Darrell Reed, Kenneth Charles Vossen