Patents by Inventor Brian G. Holthaus

Brian G. Holthaus has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9910718
    Abstract: A management controller in a distributed network switch may operate on sets of ports such that sets of ports containing a same port are processed serially, and sets that do not contain any of the same ports can be processed in parallel. When receiving a set of ports for processing, the management controller organizes the ports into lanes that each correspond to a unique port. If any of the lanes overlap, subsequent port sets are blocked from proceeding until the lanes of preceding port sets are cleared. If no lanes overlap, the sets may be deemed disjoint, and subsequent port sets may be processed in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: LENOVO ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Brent R. Inches, Brian G. Holthaus, Jonathan L. Kaus, Eric G. Thiemann, Scott J. Timmerman, Robert W. Todd
  • Publication number: 20150205645
    Abstract: A management controller in a distributed network switch may operate on sets of ports such that sets of ports containing a same port are processed serially, and sets that do not contain any of the same ports can be processed in parallel. When receiving a set of ports for processing, the management controller organizes the ports into lanes that each correspond to a unique port. If any of the lanes overlap, subsequent port sets are blocked from proceeding until the lanes of preceding port sets are cleared. If no lanes overlap, the sets may be deemed disjoint, and subsequent port sets may be processed in parallel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Publication date: July 23, 2015
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brent R. INCHES, Brian G. HOLTHAUS, Jonathan L. KAUS, Eric G. THIEMANN, Scott J. TIMMERMAN, Robert W. TODD
  • Publication number: 20150207694
    Abstract: A management controller in a distributed network switch may operate on sets of ports such that sets of ports containing a same port are processed serially, and sets that do not contain any of the same ports can be processed in parallel. When receiving a set of ports for processing, the management controller organizes the ports into lanes that each correspond to a unique port. If any of the lanes overlap, subsequent port sets are blocked from proceeding until the lanes of preceding port sets are cleared. If no lanes overlap, the sets may be deemed disjoint, and subsequent port sets may be processed in parallel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2014
    Publication date: July 23, 2015
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brent R. INCHES, Brian G. HOLTHAUS, Jonathan L. KAUS, Eric G. THIEMANN, Scott J. TIMMERMAN, Robert W. TODD
  • Patent number: 8922224
    Abstract: An electronic system having a high speed signaling bus requiring training (calibration) of a calibrated item in a driver circuitry or a receiver circuitry for reliable operation. At manufacturing or in a secure location, secure calibration coefficients are determined for the electronic system and are stored in a non-volatile storage. During operation, the high speed signaling bus may be re-calibrated, resulting in a new currently active calibration coefficient for the calibrated item. A coefficient watchdog checks a new coefficient value selected by the re-calibration at present environmental conditions such as voltage and temperature against the secure calibration coefficients. If the new calibration coefficient value is the same as a calibration coefficient value in an acceptably close secure calibration coefficient, the new calibration coefficient is accepted; if not, a potentially probed warning is created by the coefficient watchdog.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Ronald L. Billau, Roger J. Gravrok, Brian G. Holthaus, Darryl Solie
  • Patent number: 8843688
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to perform an operation to facilitate concurrent repair of PCIe switch units in processing environments such as a tightly coupled, multi-switch, multi-adapter, multi-host distributed system. The operation, for an identified switch unit to be repaired, reconfigures all switch unit hardware in the switch fabric by removing all upstream to downstream connections utilizing the identified switch unit. Connections to hosts via the upstream ports are also removed by the operation. Once the switch unit is powered back on, the operation reconfigures all switch unit hardware in the switch fabric by adding all upstream to downstream connections utilizing the identified switch unit. The operation further restores connections to hosts via the upstream ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David R. Engebretsen, Brian G. Holthaus, Jonathan L. Kaus, Eric G. Thiemann, Robert W. Todd
  • Patent number: 8843689
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to perform an operation to facilitate concurrent repair of PCIe switch units in processing environments such as a tightly coupled, multi-switch, multi-adapter, multi-host distributed system. The operation, for an identified switch unit to be repaired, reconfigures all switch unit hardware in the switch fabric by removing all upstream to downstream connections utilizing the identified switch unit. Connections to hosts via the upstream ports are also removed by the operation. Once the switch unit is powered back on, the operation reconfigures all switch unit hardware in the switch fabric by adding all upstream to downstream connections utilizing the identified switch unit. The operation further restores connections to hosts via the upstream ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David R. Engebretsen, Brian G. Holthaus, Jonathan L. Kaus, Eric G. Thiemann, Robert W. Todd
  • Publication number: 20140075083
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to perform an operation to facilitate concurrent repair of PCIe switch units in processing environments such as a tightly coupled, multi-switch, multi-adapter, multi-host distributed system. The operation, for an identified switch unit to be repaired, reconfigures all switch unit hardware in the switch fabric by removing all upstream to downstream connections utilizing the identified switch unit. Connections to hosts via the upstream ports are also removed by the operation. Once the switch unit is powered back on, the operation reconfigures all switch unit hardware in the switch fabric by adding all upstream to downstream connections utilizing the identified switch unit. The operation further restores connections to hosts via the upstream ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: David R. Engebretsen, Brian G. Holthaus, Jonathan L. Kaus, Eric G. Thiemann, Robert W. Todd
  • Publication number: 20140075068
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to perform an operation to facilitate concurrent repair of PCIe switch units in processing environments such as a tightly coupled, multi-switch, multi-adapter, multi-host distributed system. The operation, for an identified switch unit to be repaired, reconfigures all switch unit hardware in the switch fabric by removing all upstream to downstream connections utilizing the identified switch unit. Connections to hosts via the upstream ports are also removed by the operation. Once the switch unit is powered back on, the operation reconfigures all switch unit hardware in the switch fabric by adding all upstream to downstream connections utilizing the identified switch unit. The operation further restores connections to hosts via the upstream ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: David R. Engebretsen, Brian G. Holthaus, Jonathan L. Kaus, Eric G. Thiemann, Robert W. Todd
  • Publication number: 20140043042
    Abstract: An electronic system having a high speed signaling bus requiring training (calibration) of a calibrated item in a driver circuitry or a receiver circuitry for reliable operation. At manufacturing or in a secure location, secure calibration coefficients are determined for the electronic system and are stored in a non-volatile storage. During operation, the high speed signaling bus may be re-calibrated, resulting in a new currently active calibration coefficient for the calibrated item. A coefficient watchdog checks a new coefficient value selected by the re-calibration at present environmental conditions such as voltage and temperature against the secure calibration coefficients. If the new calibration coefficient value is the same as a calibration coefficient value in an acceptably close secure calibration coefficient, the new calibration coefficient is accepted; if not, a potentially probed warning is created by the coefficient watchdog.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ronald L. Billau, Roger J. Gravrok, Brian G. Holthaus, Darryl Solie
  • Publication number: 20090063894
    Abstract: A system with an autonomic PCI Express hardware detection and failover mechanism includes a plurality of combination root complex capable and endpoint capable devices. A combination root complex capable and endpoint capable device may be selectively configured to operate in either a root complex mode or an endpoint mode. One of the devices assumes the root complex mode and the remaining devices each assume the endpoint mode. Each of the endpoint mode devices is adapted to detect a failure of the root complex mode device. In response to detection of the failure of the root complex mode device, one of the endpoint mode devices assumes root complex mode. An endpoint device may include a timer with a timeout value. Whenever, an endpoint device receives a communication from the root complex device, the endpoint device restarts its timer. If the timer times out with the endpoint device receiving a communication from the root complex device, the endpoint device issues a read request to the root complex device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2007
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventors: Ronald L. Billau, John D. Folkerts, Ross L. Franke, James S. Harveland, Brian G. Holthaus