Abstract: A method and system for automatically checking the quality of computer source code based on rules for identifying quality concerns. The computer source code comprises instructions for execution on the computer. Each of the instructions are represented by at least one node stored in a parse tree. Both the parse tree and the rules are stored in the computer. A violation of one of the rules is checked by examining each of the instructions as represented by nodes in the parse tree. An error message for describing the quality concern identified is generated whenever such a rule violation is found in the computer source code.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of remotely booting a target computer system from a host computer system over a communication medium comprises exchanging messages between the host and target computer systems. The host computer system controls the remote booting and communicates the initial booting request to the target computer system. The target computer system may respond by communicating to the host computer system whether it will boot. During booting, the target computer system transitions between a polling or stopped state and an interrupt-driven state by transitioning both a target operating system and network hardware in the target computer system between the polling and interrupt-driven states.

Abstract: A process for automatically generating declaration statements from the external definitions (I, II) of a source file (12). The process identifies the data-type identifiers of an external declaration (I, II, IV, V), converts user-selected data-type identifiers into data-type keywords, and stores them in a first memory location (38, 50). Object declarators of the external declaration are also identified and stored in a second memory location (49, 50). External declarations that are external definitions are identified and a declaration statement for each external definition is written to an EXTERN or STATIC include file using the stored data-type identifiers and object declarators. External declarations that are typedef declarations are identified and an entry is generated in a symbol table for converting user-selected data-type identifiers to data-type keywords.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for controlling the access to objects in an object oriented data processing application, where the objects are being hierarchically structured and either locally available or retrievable from an external unit. Each object has a dependent object counter which indicates the existence or the number of dependent objects associated with that object. When at least one dependent object is not locally available, a dummy object is appended to that object, enabling the object expansion even if the dependent objects of the selected object are not yet locally available in local memory. The objects to be retrieved from the external unit are locked from user access, while access is allowed to the locally available dependent objects.

Abstract: A method for generating a new configuration of a program containing a plurality of modules and stored in a data processing system. A first table built in response to data entered by a user at a workstation contains the correspondence between each program function and an assigned user. A second table built in response to requests for creating or modifying specified functions indicates for each request, a request number, a description of the requested work, and the function assignee retrieved from the first table. Then, a message is sent to a function assignee that contains the request number and description of the requested work. A third table built in response to users starting the work requested contains for each request number, a status for the requested work. By reading the third table, a report of the status of the requests is prepared which helps the program administrator to prepare a new configuration of the program.

Abstract: A method, in a data processing system, of imposing constraints on data files which are changed by update statements, includes the steps of: a) identifying a particular object of the update O.sub.x and a particular attribute being updated; b) finding an applicable constraint based on the particular attribute being updated; c) converting the particular update object O.sub.x to at least one other object which is in the applicable constraint and is different than the update object O.sub.x ; and, d) generating an error message, if after the update, the applicable constraint is not satisfied by any object from the converting step.