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: 9910718Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 20, 2014Date of Patent: March 6, 2018Assignee: 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: 20150205645Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2014Publication date: July 23, 2015Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Brent R. INCHES, Brian G. HOLTHAUS, Jonathan L. KAUS, Eric G. THIEMANN, Scott J. TIMMERMAN, Robert W. TODD
-
Publication number: 20150207694Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: January 20, 2014Publication date: July 23, 2015Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Brent R. INCHES, Brian G. HOLTHAUS, Jonathan L. KAUS, Eric G. THIEMANN, Scott J. TIMMERMAN, Robert W. TODD
-
Patent number: 8922224Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 7, 2012Date of Patent: December 30, 2014Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.Inventors: Ronald L. Billau, Roger J. Gravrok, Brian G. Holthaus, Darryl Solie
-
Patent number: 8843688Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 11, 2012Date of Patent: September 23, 2014Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: David R. Engebretsen, Brian G. Holthaus, Jonathan L. Kaus, Eric G. Thiemann, Robert W. Todd
-
Patent number: 8843689Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 11, 2013Date of Patent: September 23, 2014Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: David R. Engebretsen, Brian G. Holthaus, Jonathan L. Kaus, Eric G. Thiemann, Robert W. Todd
-
Publication number: 20140075083Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 11, 2013Publication date: March 13, 2014Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: David R. Engebretsen, Brian G. Holthaus, Jonathan L. Kaus, Eric G. Thiemann, Robert W. Todd
-
Publication number: 20140075068Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2012Publication date: March 13, 2014Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: David R. Engebretsen, Brian G. Holthaus, Jonathan L. Kaus, Eric G. Thiemann, Robert W. Todd
-
Publication number: 20140043042Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2012Publication date: February 13, 2014Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Ronald L. Billau, Roger J. Gravrok, Brian G. Holthaus, Darryl Solie
-
Publication number: 20090063894Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2007Publication date: March 5, 2009Inventors: Ronald L. Billau, John D. Folkerts, Ross L. Franke, James S. Harveland, Brian G. Holthaus