Abstract: A circuit card apparatus includes a circuit card and a heat dissipation device in thermal contact with the circuit card at a thermal interface to conduct heat from the circuit card. An adjustable spacing element is adjustably coupled to one of the heat dissipation device and the circuit card. The adjustable spacing element is configured to be adjusted to set a minimum spaced distance between a portion of the circuit card and a portion of the heat dissipation device. A locking element is coupled to the adjustable spacing element to lock the minimum spaced distance. In further examples, methods of manufacturing a circuit card apparatus include the step of adjusting a spacing element to set the spaced distance as a minimum spaced distance between a portion of a heat dissipation device and a portion of a circuit card. The method further comprises the step of locking the minimum spaced distance.

Abstract: Implementing synchronization among threads in a workflow. A memory area stores a plurality of work items in a scheduler queue. The work items are associated with an activity in the workflow, and each work item is associated with a thread. A processor is configured to assign a synchronization handle to each of the work items. The synchronization handle indicates a particular shared resource to be accessed by the work items. A token value is computed for each work item based on the assigned synchronization handle and the work items in a hierarchy in the activity. The work items are sorted in a synchronization queue based on the token value associated with each work item. The processor sequentially executes each of the sorted work items in the synchronization queue to serialize the access to the particular shared resource and effects a synchronous execution of the threads associated with the work items.

Abstract: Asynchronous fault handling for a workflow. A state automaton for an activity in the workflow is defined. The state automaton includes at least an executing state, a faulting state, and a closed state and classifies an execution lifetime of the activity. The activity is defined to include work items and includes an execution hierarchy for the work items. Each work item includes an operation for executing a portion of the activity. Each work item is transitioned to the executing state. The included operation of transitioned work items is executed in the executing state. One or more of the transitioned work items are identified in response to the faulting event as a function of the execution hierarchy and the included operation. The faulting event is asynchronously handled by transitioning the one or more identified work items to the faulting state while executing the included operation of the remaining transitioned work items.

Abstract: Declaratively canceling execution of an activity. A state automaton for an activity is defined, and the state automaton includes an executing state, a canceling state, and a closed state and classifies an execution lifetime of the activity. The activity includes work items and organizes the work items in an execution hierarchical structure. The work items are transitioned from the executing state to the closed state indicating a completion of executing the each work item of the activity. Upon having one of the work items being transitioned to the closed state, a cancellation request is transmitted to the work items currently in the executing state. The executing work items are identified as a function of the transmitted cancellation request and the execution hierarchical structure of the defined activity. The execution lifetime of the activity is canceled by transitioning the identified work items from the executing state to the canceling state.

Abstract: Implementing synchronization among threads in a workflow. A memory area stores a plurality of work items in a scheduler queue. The work items are associated with an activity in the workflow, and each work item is associated with a thread. A processor is configured to assign a synchronization handle to each of the work items. The synchronization handle indicates a particular shared resource to be accessed by the work items. A token value is computed for each work item based on the assigned synchronization handle and the work items in a hierarchy in the activity. The work items are sorted in a synchronization queue based on the token value associated with each work item. The processor sequentially executes each of the sorted work items in the synchronization queue to serialize the access to the particular shared resource and effects a synchronous execution of the threads associated with the work items.

Abstract: Asynchronous fault handling for a workflow. A state automaton for an activity in the workflow is defined. The state automaton includes at least an executing state, a faulting state, and a closed state and classifies an execution lifetime of the activity. The activity is defined to include work items and includes an execution hierarchy for the work items. Each work item includes an operation for executing a portion of the activity. Each work item is transitioned to the executing state. The included operation of transitioned work items is executed in the executing state. One or more of the transitioned work items are identified in response to the faulting event as a function of the execution hierarchy and the included operation. The faulting event is asynchronously handled by transitioning the one or more identified work items to the faulting state while executing the included operation of the remaining transitioned work items.