Abstract: The present invention describes a method for superimposing prespecified locational, environmental, and contextual controls on user interactions, including interactions of mobile users, with computational resources. A system is described for electronically monitoring contextual information concerning users and machines, including state and locational information including proximity. Interaction policies, including user specified interaction policies, may be registered on an identifiable address path. Methods are described for detecting, selecting and controlling computercontrolled devices, based on the proximity of the device to the user, the current context of the user, the location of other nearby users and devices, and the current state of the devices. Temporary transfer of control, including exclusive control, of particular computers and computer controlled devices to individual users based on the context and environment in proximity to those computing devices is also described.

Abstract: A data communications system including a network and a number of data communication stations attached to the network wherein each of the stations includes a processor, a memory, a bus, and a communications adaptor for operatively connecting the processor and memory to the network, the communications adaptor including a means for monitoring network activity on a real time basis and enabling or disabling data compression when network activity exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: An interface having two optical isolators which produce bidirectional communication interfaces between first and second devices. The first device provides positive, negative and neutral ports to its portion of the interface. The second device provides first and second power ports for its portion of the interface. The power ports are independent of the signals or data inputs and outputs of the interface and are used to power their portion of the interface and define the two levels of signals necessary at each output of the interface. The positive and negative ports of the interface are from the first device which preferably is a computer and are signals provided on unused data or control signal ports. The interface may be incorporated into the second or non-computer device.

Abstract: Seek affinity is preserved in a segment oriented, cached, log structured array (LSA) of DASDs responsive to accesses dominated by sequential read and random writes of logical tracks stored in the segments. This is achieved by collecting all the write modified read active tracks and clean read active tracks either destaged from the cache or garbage collected from the LSA and rewriting them out to the LSA as segments into regions of contiguous segments of read active tracks. Also, all write modified read inactive tracks and clean read inactive tracks either destaged from cache or garbage collected from the LSA are collected and rewritten out to the LSA as segments into regions of contiguous segments of read inactive tracks. Garbage collection is initiated when the detected free space in a region falls below a threshold and continues until the collected segments exceed a second threshold.

Abstract: In a multiprocessor system including a plurality of processors and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switches in the number corresponding to a bit width of internal buses of respective processors each processor has an interface for connecting in parallel to each of the plurality of ATM switches. Each interface splits a transmission data block into a plurality of bit data blocks at every bit position, converts them into a plurality of cells by adding a header including routing information determined by a destination processor to each bit data block, and sends these cells in parallel to the plurality of ATM switches. The plurality of cells are transferred in parallel to the destination processors by the ATM switches and reassembled into an original data block in the interface of the destination processor.

Abstract: A security system for connecting a first computer network to a second computer network is provided. The security device has a pair of computer motherboards, each of which has a network interface adapter for receiving and transferring communications from a computer network to a transfer adapter to be transmitted to the other computer network through a transfer adapter and network interface adapter provided on the other computer motherboard. Each motherboard provides protocol translation from a first protocol to a second protocol and removes source and destination address information from communications transferred to the other computer motherboard. Application program interface shim software or dynamic link library software provides control of communications between the two motherboards for passing code necessary to request and receive services from the other computer network.

Abstract: In an assignment of input-output memory space for selectively assigning a plurality of the input-output devices to be connected to a computer to the input-output memory space in a predetermined range, after a signal train data group including a combination of signal train data deliberately determined for every system of a computer to be used and signal train data at a time when a system is set up by any of the plurality of input-output devices is written in a storage area of the input-output device for assignment, the signal train data group is compared with a signal train data group previously stored in the input-output device. Only when they coincide with each other, an address assigned to said input-output device is written and held in the storage area.

Abstract: A computer system includes a peripheral device connector interface that automatically identifies the type of peripheral device, if any, coupled to the interface and configures itself for handling data flows to and from peripheral devices of the identified type. The system includes a connector that receives a number of peripheral identification signals that are generated by a peripheral device attached to the connector. Peripheral device data signals, which are also received at the connector, are routed by a connector interface. A number of interface circuits are provided to control the different types of peripheral devices that may be attached to the connector. The interface circuits are coupled to configuration registers that provide operational information for the interface circuits. A transition detector identifies any change in the peripheral identification signals. Any change in the peripheral identification signals corresponds to a change in the peripheral device attached to the connector.

Abstract: On a multi-node client server network, a client node obtains access to remote services by means of a communications directory service located in each node of the network. The communications directory service includes a tree structure to which existing directory services and other network services can be added. The tree structure has a plurality of nodes each of which includes specific methods that query and browse the associated directory service if such actions are supported by the underlying service. The communications directory service further includes shared libraries which store a service object associated with each service offered on the network. The service object, in turn, includes the service exchange address and communication link configuration information. A client desiring to access a remote service retrieves the appropriate service object from the communications directory service and uses the service object to set up the communications path.

Abstract: A peripheral data storage subsystem has means for responding to a MOUNT command received from a host processor to create and mount a host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volume. Such logical data-storage volume has a serial number VOLSER indicated in the MOUNT command. The logical data volume is assigned a predetermined area of a physical data volume, such area being termed a partition. The illustrated embodiment shows a tape subsystem in which the partitions are accessed by a control using a reel tachometer that identifies segments of the tape. Each partition has a number of the tape segments. Controls and methods are described for initializing the subsystem for effecting the automatic volume creation, appending data into a logical volume, how logical volumes are made to be portable, moving logical volumes amongst diverse physical media, tape formats usable for such logical volumes, data base control of the logical volumes and volume creation processing.

Abstract: A computer arrangement that offloads computationally intensive tasks from portable computer devices to larger servers is disclosed. A portable computer device that relies on handwriting or speech for input is equipped with a wireless communication subsystem. When a user writes on the display or speaks into the portable computer device, the central processing unit passes the handwriting or speech information to the wireless communication subsystem. While the user is still inputting information, the wireless communication subsystem transmits received information to a communication server. The communication server routes the handwriting or speech information to a server that performs handwriting or speech recognition to translate the information into encoded text. The communication server then transmits the encoded text information back to the portable computer device.

Abstract: The present invention describes a method for superimposing prespecified locational, environmental, and contextual controls on user interactions, including interactions of mobile users, with computational resources. A system is described for electronically monitoring contextual information concerning users and machines, including state and locational information including proximity. Interaction policies, including user specified interaction policies, may be registered on an identifiable address path. Methods are described for detecting, selecting and controlling computercontrolled devices, based on the proximity of the device to the user, the current context of the user, the location of other nearby users and devices, and the current state of the devices. Temporary transfer of control, including exclusive control, of particular computers and computer controlled devices to individual users based on the context and environment in proximity to those computing devices is also described.

Abstract: A combination of computer software and hardware that measures the maximum communication speed of a computer's parallel printer port.

Abstract: The present invention provides a program that creates a preliminary map of a multiple bus network used to connect peripheral devices to the central processing unit of an information handling system. This preliminary map is then used by configuration software of the information handling system to locate the peripheral devices in the multiple bus network to configure them. If the physical configuration of the multiple bus network should change in any way, the inventive program can make corresponding changes in the preliminary map without having to rewrite or change the program.

Abstract: A data driven type information processor connects a data memory interface including a comparison unit and a memory accessing unit, and an external data memory device including a data memory unit. In response to reception of a data packet, the comparison units reads out memory data from the memory unit according to addressing based on address data stored in the input packet through the memory accessing unit, applies operation processing to the read out memory data according to an instruction code stored in the input packet, and updates memory data stored in the memory unit with operand data stored in the input packet according to the result of the operation.

Abstract: A method is described of operating a computer in a network of computers using an improved load balancing technique. Logical links are generated between the computer and other computers in the network so that a tree structure is formed, the computer being logically linked to one computer higher up the tree and a number of computers lower down the tree. Stored information is maintained in the computer regarding the current load on the computer and the load on at least some of the other computers in the network by causing the computer periodically to distribute the information to the computers to which it is logically linked, and to receive from the computers similar such information and to update its own information in accordance therewith, so that the information can be used to determine a computer in the network that can accept extra load.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for interfacing a printer to a local area network utilizes a circuit board coupled to the printer. A Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) is disposed on the board for transmitting print data to the printer and for receiving printer status data from the printer. A RAM is also disposed on the board, for storing the print data, the printer status data, and a plurality of application programs. A Local Area Network (LAN) interface is also disposed on the board, for receiving the print data from the LAN, and for transmitting the printer status data to the LAN. A processor is disposed on the board, for executing the plurality of application programs to cause the print data to be transmitted to the printer and the printer status data to be transmitted to the LAN. Preferably, printer control data may also be transmitted over the LAN to control printer functions.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling a communications adapter interface such that supplemental data can be interleaved with data being transferred. The interleaving is performed in a manner such that the supplemental data is transparent to the data mover portion of the communications adapter. The supplemental data can be transferred in either read or write cycles that are interleaved at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of data bursts or block data transfers. As a result of the interleaving, the slave interface bus is more fully utilized because arbitration and bus ownership changes do not create unused cycles. The interleaving is accomplished by temporarily halting an existing transfer of data and transferring the requested supplemental data while the data transfer is halted. After the supplemental data is transferred, the transfer of the balance of the data block is then allowed to continue.

Abstract: A data processing system gives an application running on the operating system exclusive ownership of a hardware device. The system is operable in two modes. In the first mode the application interacts with the hardware device by making use of the processing system. In this mode many layers of the processing system are involved and the interaction time with the hardware is slow and inconsistent. In the second mode, exclusive ownership of the hardware device is granted to the application by the driver. In this mode the application has direct access to the hardware device thus avoiding the involvement of the processing system layers. The application accesses and uses the driver through a low latency processor interface linked into the application program itself.

Abstract: A method and system for maintaining a routing path between a selected workstation within a multisegment local area network and a mobile workstation wherein individual segments within the multisegment local area network are interconnected by a router device and wherein selected segments within the multisegment local area network include radio frequency transceivers adapted to provide a wireless communications link with mobile workstations. Each time communication is established between a mobile workstation and a selected workstation within the multisegment local area network via a radio frequency transceiver a routing table entry is established which identifies a segment location for the mobile workstation within a routing table associated with each router device within the multisegment local area network.