Patents Examined by Michael C Maskulinski
  • Patent number: 7716520
    Abstract: A multi-CPU computer which is capable of positively performing error handling, and restarting a system even when a fatal error has occurred in a CPU. When a hardware error has occurred in a first CPU, error information is notified to a second CPU by a first error notification circuit of the first CPU. Then, the error information notified from the first CPU is obtained by a second error notification circuit of the second CPU, and error handling based on the error information is requested of an operating system. The second CPU executes a process for storing fault information including the error information in a storage device and a process for restarting the system, according to the operating system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Ryo Tabei, Hiroshi Kondo
  • Patent number: 7716531
    Abstract: A system and method for mapping exceptions from a first programming model to a second programming model is disclosed. The system comprises a first device operating a first programming model and a second device operating a second programming model. The first device sends an instruction to, or invokes the second device to execute an instruction. As a result, a fault occurs during execution of the instruction in the second programming model. An exception based on the fault is raised, and returned to the first device. The system further comprises a fault mapping module configured to receive the exception from the first device. The fault mapping module attempts to determine the type of exception received. This determination may be accomplished by comparing an identifier within the exception with one or more predetermined identifiers that indicate exception type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Corville O. Allen
  • Patent number: 7711981
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus including: a connector to which a backup device is connected; a data storing unit that stores an objective data; and a processor that is configured: to write the objective data to the backup device as a backup data; to record a change log that specifies an updated part of the objective data; to detect a difference part between the objective data and the backup data when the backup device is connected to the connector; to determine whether the difference part matches the updated part specified by the change log; and if the difference part does not match the updated part, to identify a mismatching part between the difference part and the updated part as an abnormal data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Jun Watanabe, Hiroshi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 7711980
    Abstract: The present invention provides for indicating devices that are impacted by the failures of another device. Then when allocating workloads to devices, non-impacted devices are given priority over impacted devices as allocation targets for workloads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Samuel L. Scarpello, Jr., Erik C. Colnick
  • Patent number: 7694192
    Abstract: A method (which can be computer implemented) for assisted remediation of at least one problem with a computer system includes the steps of obtaining data from the computer system, the data being indicative of the at least one problem; hypothesizing at least a first candidate remediation process for the problem from among a plurality of annotated remediation process descriptions, based at least in part on the data; associating at least a first attribute with the at least first candidate remediation process; and facilitating presentation of the at least first candidate remediation process with the associated attribute to a remediation agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David F. Bantz, Thomas E. Chefalas, Srikant Jalan
  • Patent number: 7694191
    Abstract: A self healing file system is designed for proactive detection and containment of faults, errors, and corruptions, in order to enable in place (online) and non-intrusive recovery. For proactive fault detection, the file system maintains certain per-block metadata of each file system block. The per-block metadata includes a redundancy check, and for file system data blocks, an inode identifier, and an offset of the file system data block in the file including the file system data block. The redundancy check is used to detect and mark bad file system blocks. The inode identifier and offset is used for validating connectivity of the file system blocks to the inodes, and for tracing bad blocks to files that contain the bad blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Jean-Pierre Bono, John M. Hayden, Sairam Veeraswamy, Uresh K. Vahalia, Morgan A. Clark, Sachin Mullick
  • Patent number: 7694178
    Abstract: Method, apparatus and computer program product for transaction resolution in a system comprising a transaction manager, a plurality of resource managers and a connection distributor for distributing transaction requests from the transaction manager amongst the plurality of resource managers. The transaction manager is allocated a first resource manager via which to conduct its transactions and the first resource manager has a transaction resolution queue associated with it. The system also comprises an asynchronous messaging infrastructure able to transmit messages originating at the transaction manager to the transaction resolution queue. The resource managers may comprise part of the asynchronous messaging infrastructure. Responsive to a failure between the transaction manager and the first resource manager, state data is received from the transaction manager at a second resource manager, the state data being addressed to the transaction resolution queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Steve J Hobson
  • Patent number: 7689859
    Abstract: Backup of a production instance of an application in a production machine environment is performed by creating a snapshot image that captures the state of the production machine, and then backing up the application from a backup machine created using the snapshot image. The backup of the application can be effected by shutting down the backup machine and backing up its storage, or by using backup software to act on the backup version of the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation
    Inventor: Guido Westenberg
  • Patent number: 7681077
    Abstract: A graphics processing unit has a reduced memory space shadow memory as a source of state information for performing validation of commands. The reduced memory space shadow memory is smaller in size than a full version of state variables associated with an abstract state machine representation of a class of commands received from a software driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory M. Eitzmann, John S. Montrym, Richard A. Silkebakken
  • Patent number: 7681089
    Abstract: A redundant storage controller system that robustly provides failure analysis information (FAI) to an operator of the system is disclosed. The system includes first and second storage controllers in communication with one another, such as via a PCI-Express link. When one of the controllers fails, the FAI is transferred from the failed controller to the surviving controller over the link. The operator issues a command to the surviving storage controller, which responsively provides the FAI. In one embodiment, the failed storage controller writes the FAI to the second storage controller. In one embodiment, each storage controller periodically writes the FAI before there is a failure. In one embodiment, the second storage controller reads the FAI from the failed storage controller. The FAI may include boot logs, crash logs, debug logs, and event logs. The FAI may also be written to a disk drive connected to the controllers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Paul Andrew Ashmore
  • Patent number: 7681078
    Abstract: A method for operating a processor in data processing system comprises: asserting a debug control signal to cause the processor to enter a debug operating mode; initializing a plurality of shared processor resources with debug configuration information, wherein the plurality of shared processor resources are shared between a normal operating mode and the debug operating mode; executing instructions with the processor while in the debug operating mode; re-initializing the processor in response to a reset event; and preventing the reset event from re-initializing a predetermined portion of the debug configuration information in the plurality of shared processor resources. This allows processor debugging through reset events without losing the debug information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventor: William C. Moyer
  • Patent number: 7676704
    Abstract: A system and method for storing data. In one embodiment, a file system stores data including associated metadata. In response to detecting that a file system error has occurred, the file system identifies a container including data in which the error occurred and performs a consistency check of the data included in the container. If a bidirectional link exists between the container and another container and if an error is found in the bidirectional link, the file system performs a consistency check of data included in the other container and determines if another bidirectional link exists between the other container and a third container. If another bidirectional link exists between the other container and a third container and if an error is found in the other bidirectional link, the file system performs a consistency check of data included in the third container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Bo Hong, John Colgrove, Ramon Pantin, Feng Wang, Oleg Kiselev
  • Patent number: 7676689
    Abstract: A method and system for restoring data on a production server by recovering individual data objects from a recovery storage group to a database residing on the production server. In one example method, a recovery interface accesses a recovery storage group containing a recovered database. The recovered database has been recovered from a backup storage location and contains a copy of a database residing on the production server. The method then identifies each data object residing in the recovery storage group and displays each of the data objects on a graphical user interface configured to allow a user to select and individual data objects for recovery from the recovered database. The selected data objects are restored to the appropriate location on the production server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: George Scott Shioyama, Scott Forrest Bingham, Patrick M. Simonich, Upanshu Singhal
  • Patent number: 7673185
    Abstract: A SAS expander adaptively configures a Serial-Attached-SCSI (SAS) PHY to accommodate varying lengths of a cable coupling the PHY to a remote PHY. The expander (a) configures the SAS PHY with settings of an entry of a table of PHY configuration settings, each entry in the table having different PHY configuration setting values; (b) clears a counter; (c) operates the PHY to communicate with the remote PHY for a monitoring period, after configuring the PHY and clearing the counter; (d) increments the counter when the PHY detects a PHY event during the monitoring period, and otherwise decrements the counter; (e) repeats steps (c) and (d) unless the counter rises above a threshold; and (f) when the counter rises above the threshold, repeats steps (a) through (e), wherein step (a) is performed with the settings of a different entry of the table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation
    Inventors: George Alexander Kalwitz, James Boyd Lenehan
  • Patent number: 7669081
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for performing a process is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Richard Lett, Gregory Renno, Thomas Terwiel
  • Patent number: 7669085
    Abstract: A wireless diagnostics framework that is non-intrusive and stays out of the way of a user is presented. In the case of a failure, prescriptive guidance is provided and/or the framework possibly automatically fixes the problem. The framework includes a wireless diagnostics module that interacts with the operating system's diagnostics framework, helper classes, and wireless components to collect and log wireless diagnostic events and notifications, and issues queries and requests for active diagnostics. The helper classes perform diagnosis and troubleshooting fore their expertise areas based on the information provided by the wireless diagnostics module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mohammad Shabbir Alam, Abhishek Abhishek, Ari Pekka Niikkonen, Hui Shen
  • Patent number: 7664993
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for implementing automation of testing in remote sessions. In an implementation, a test agent is deployed at a remote server to automate testing of various components in a remote session between the remote server and a remote client. The test agent enables automation, synchronization and monitoring of test commands between the remote client and the remote server. The test agent communicates with test applications deployed at the remote client to test the components in the remote session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mahadeva Alladi, Thirunavukkarasu Elangovan
  • Patent number: 7664983
    Abstract: The present invention provides an exemplary system and method for event driven recovery management. One or more data blocks that are generated from a computing device are continually copied. At least one event marker is associated with the copies of the one or more data blocks. Access to the copies of the one or more data blocks according to the at least one event marker is allowed in order to provide event driven recovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Curtis Anderson, John P. Woychowski, Pratik Wadher, Balaji Narasimhan
  • Patent number: 7661021
    Abstract: A method for defect management of a rewritable optical disc is provided. The rewritable optical disc has a data area comprises recording units for storing a target data and a replacement area comprising first replacement units for replacing defective recording units of the data area. First, a fragmented status of the target data is calculated, wherein the fragmented status reflects a dispersion level of the first replacement units in view of a distribution of the defective recording units. The fragmented status is then compared with a threshold value to determine whether to perform a defragment operation about the target data. Finally, the defragment operation about the target data is performed by rearranging the first replacement units in accordance with the sequence of the defective recording units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Mediatek Inc.
    Inventors: Ching-Wen Hsueh, Shih-Hsin Chen, Kuo-Lung Chien
  • Patent number: 7657795
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for writing to a target memory page of a memory has an initial memory page having allocated thereto a marking memory containing information whether a content of the initial memory page is written correctly to the target memory page. The apparatus includes a memory controller for determining whether the target memory page has an error, if the target memory page has an error, for erasing it, if the marking memory indicates that the target memory page is not written correctly, for writing the target memory page based on the initial memory page, if the target memory page is written correctly, for changing the marking memory such that the marking memory indicates that the target memory page is written correctly, and if the marking memory of the initial memory page indicates that the target memory page is written correctly, for erasing the initial memory page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Wieland Fischer