Abstract: A method and apparatus for executing target application programs with employment of a supervisor that is coupled to the executing target application through a conventional status reporting port of the computer. Events that represent execution errors or unexpected behavior are provided to the reporting port, or discovered through the reporting port, and the supervisor responds to such events by perusing a configuration that is tailored to the executing target application. For each reported event, the supervisor retrieves one or more actions that the configuration file specifies for the reported events and executes the specified actions. The configuration file includes actions that aim to effect a recovery, from reported events, including restart application, or a thread of the application, based on checkpointed data, restart target application as soon as it becomes idle, and suspend a thread when a thread starvation condition exists.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detecting a termination of a process within a plurality of processes in a data processing system. A monitoring policy is established, within the plurality of processes, wherein the monitoring policy assigns a first process within the plurality of processes to monitor a second process within the plurality of processes. Responsive to a termination of execution of the second process, a cause of the execution termination is determined by the first process. Responsive to a determination that the second process terminated execution in an abnormal manner, the first process attempts to restart the second process. Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for inserting a process within a plurality of processes containing a first process and a monitoring policy in a data processing system. A request is received from a second process to join the plurality of processes.

Abstract: The present invention is a control technique for a data storage system, for performing exclusive control of duplicated volumes generated among separately established storage devices having a remote copy function, and uniquely determining the host device having exclusive control of duplicated volumes.

Abstract: A method or system for supporting a computer systems self repair, including the computer executed steps for booting from a first boot device, and booting from a second boot device in response to a signal indicating a need for repair. While booted from the second boot device the computer system is capable of repairing software on the first boot device. The signal may effect a logical or physical switch. Repairing software may be performed in part by copying BIOS, template, backup or archive software from a device other than the first boot device. Repairing software may be performed automatically without direction by a user or according to preset preferences.

Abstract: A method for operating at least one computing device and at least one monitoring circuit (watchdog) which is allocated to the at least one computing device and which is to be controlled by the computing device according to a specific temporal pattern, in particular, for a control or safety device for a motor vehicle, the computing device being reset if the monitoring circuit fails to be controlled according to the temporal pattern. To synchronize, in as easy a manner as possible, the computing device to the monitoring circuit, subsequent to a start-up of the computing device from a reset mode into a working mode, a time base may be ascertained which elapses subsequent to the start-up of the computing device until a reset of the computing device occurs due to a failure to control the monitoring circuit according to the temporal pattern, and the monitoring circuit is controlled at time intervals that are determined as a function of the time base.