Patents by Inventor Bruce M. Jackson

Bruce M. Jackson 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: 9940206
    Abstract: Data integrity is maintained during failed communications between a member node of a primary cluster and a backup cluster by assigning an assisting member node to run an assisting process that transmits data entered into the member node to the backup cluster. In this way, a replicated database is maintained during a partial communication failure between the primary cluster and the backup cluster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kirill Bogdanov, Mark Dennehy, Diarmuid Flynn, Bruce M. Jackson, Marzia Mura, Effi Ofer, Jason C. Young, Roger L. Q. Zheng, Yuke Zhuge
  • Publication number: 20160103740
    Abstract: Data integrity is maintained during failed communications between a member node of a primary cluster and a backup cluster by assigning an assisting member node to run an assisting process that transmits data entered into the member node to the backup cluster. In this way, a replicated database is maintained during a partial communication failure between the primary cluster and the backup cluster.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Publication date: April 14, 2016
    Inventors: Kirill Bogdanov, Mark Dennehy, Diarmuid Flynn, Bruce M. Jackson, Marzia Mura, Effi Ofer, Jason C. Young, Roger L. Q. Zheng, Yuke Zhuge
  • Patent number: 9251017
    Abstract: Data integrity is maintained during failed communications between a member node of a primary cluster and a backup cluster by assigning an assisting member node to run an assisting process that transmits data entered into the member node to the backup cluster. In this way, a replicated database is maintained during a partial communication failure between the primary cluster and the backup cluster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kirill Bogdanov, Mark Dennehy, Diarmuid Flynn, Bruce M. Jackson, Marzia Mura, Effi Ofer, Jason C. Young, Roger L. Q. Zheng, Yuke Zhuge
  • Publication number: 20150278039
    Abstract: Data integrity is maintained during failed communications between a member node of a primary cluster and a backup cluster by assigning an assisting member node to run an assisting process that transmits data entered into the member node to the backup cluster. In this way, a replicated database is maintained during a partial communication failure between the primary cluster and the backup cluster.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kirill Bogdanov, Mark Dennehy, Diarmuid Flynn, Bruce M. Jackson, Marzia Mura, Effi Ofer, Jason C. Young, Roger L. Q. Zheng, Yuke Zhuge
  • Patent number: 8286026
    Abstract: A cluster recovery and maintenance technique for a server cluster having plural nodes implementing a server tier in a client-server computing architecture. A first group of N active nodes each run a software stack comprising a cluster management tier and a cluster application tier that actively provides services on behalf of one or more client applications running in a client application tier on the clients. A second group of M spare nodes each run a software stack comprising a cluster management tier and a cluster application tier that does not actively provide client application services. First and second zones in the cluster are determined in response to an active node membership change involving one or more active nodes departing from or being added to the first group as a result of an active node failing or becoming unreachable or as a result of a maintenance operation involving an active node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sudhir G. Rao, Bruce M. Jackson
  • Publication number: 20120166866
    Abstract: A cluster recovery and maintenance technique for a server cluster having plural nodes implementing a server tier in a client-server computing architecture. A first group of N active nodes each run a software stack comprising a cluster management tier and a cluster application tier that actively provides services on behalf of one or more client applications running in a client application tier on the clients. A second group of M spare nodes each run a software stack comprising a cluster management tier and a cluster application tier that does not actively provide client application services. First and second zones in the cluster are determined in response to an active node membership change involving one or more active nodes departing from or being added to the first group as a result of an active node failing or becoming unreachable or as a result of a maintenance operation involving an active node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sudhir G. Rao, Bruce M. Jackson
  • Patent number: 8195976
    Abstract: A cluster recovery and maintenance technique for use in a server cluster having plural nodes implementing a server tier in a client-server computing architecture. A first group of N active nodes each run a software stack comprising a cluster management tier and a cluster application tier that actively provides services on behalf of client applications running in a client application tier. A second group of M spare nodes each run a software stack comprising a cluster management tier and a cluster application tier that does not actively provide services on behalf of client applications. First and second zones in the cluster are determined in response to an active node membership change involving active nodes departing from or being added to the first group as a result of an active node failing or becoming unreachable or as a result of a maintenance operation involving an active node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sudhir G. Rao, Bruce M. Jackson
  • Patent number: 7941690
    Abstract: A method and system for localizing and resolving a fault in a cluster environment. The cluster is configured with at least one multi-homed node, and at least one gateway for each network interface. Heartbeat messages are sent between peer nodes and the gateway in predefined periodic intervals. In the event of loss of a heartbeat message by any node or gateway, an ICMP echo is issued to each node and gateway in the cluster for each network interface. If neither a node loss not a network loss is validated in response to the ICMP echo, an application level ping is issued to determine if the fault associated with the absence of the heartbeat message is a transient error condition or an application software fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sudhir G. Rao, Bruce M. Jackson, Mark C. Davis, Srikanth N. Sridhara
  • Patent number: 7870230
    Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for use in a server cluster having plural server nodes implementing a server tier in a client-server computing architecture in order to determine which of two or more partitioned server subgroups has a quorum. A determination is made of relative priorities of the subgroups and a quorum is awarded to the subgroup having a highest relative priority. The relative priorities are determined by policy rules that evaluate comparative server node application state information. The server node application state information may include one or more of client connectivity, application priority, resource connectivity, processing capability, memory availability, and input/output resource availability, etc. The policy rules evaluate the application state information for each subgroup and can assign different weights to different types of application state information. An interface may be provided for receiving policy rules specified by a cluster application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sudhir G. Rao, Bruce M. Jackson, Soumitra Sarkar
  • Publication number: 20100115338
    Abstract: A method and system for localizing and resolving a fault in a cluster environment. The cluster is configured with at least one multi-homed node, and at least one gateway for each network interface. Heartbeat messages are sent between peer nodes and the gateway in predefined periodic intervals. In the event of loss of a heartbeat message by any node or gateway, an ICMP echo is issued to each node and gateway in the cluster for each network interface. If neither a node loss not a network loss is validated in response to the ICMP echo, an application level ping is issued to determine if the fault associated with the absence of the heartbeat message is a transient error condition or an application software fault.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2007
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventors: Sudhir G. Rao, Bruce M. Jackson, Mark C. Davis, Srikanth N. Sridhara
  • Patent number: 7284147
    Abstract: A method and system for localizing and resolving a fault in a cluster environment. The cluster is configured with at least one multi-homed node, and at least one gateway for each network interface. Heartbeat messages are sent between peer nodes and the gateway in predefined periodic intervals. In the event of loss of a heartbeat message by any node or gateway, an ICMP echo is issued to each node and gateway in the cluster for each network interface. If neither a node loss nor a network loss is validated in response to the ICMP echo, an application level ping is issued to determine if the fault associated with the absence of the heartbeat message is a transient error condition or an application software fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sudhir G. Rao, Bruce M. Jackson, Mark C. Davis, Srikanth N. Sridhara
  • Patent number: 7197632
    Abstract: A method and system for maintaining a discovery record and a cluster bootstrap record is provided. The discovery record enables shared storage system discovery and the cluster bootstrap record enables cluster discovery and cooperative cluster startup. The cluster bootstrap record is updated in response to a change in the cluster membership. The update is performed by a cluster leader in the form of a transactionally consistent I/O update to the cluster bootstrap record on disk and a distributed cache update across the cluster (30, 50). The update is aborted (80) in the event of a failure in the cluster leaving the cluster bootstrap record in a consistent state. In the event of a disastrous cluster and/or storage system failure, the discovery record may be recovered (228) from a restored storage system (214) and the cluster bootstrap record may be reset to install a new cluster in the old cluster's place (232).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sudhir G. Rao, Bruce M. Jackson
  • Publication number: 20040221149
    Abstract: A method and system for maintaining a discovery record and a cluster bootstrap record is provided. The discovery record enables shared storage system discovery and the cluster bootstrap record enables cluster discovery and cooperative cluster startup. The cluster bootstrap record is updated in response to a change in the cluster membership. The update is performed by a cluster leader in the form of a transactionally consistent I/O update to the cluster bootstrap record on disk and a distributed cache update across the cluster (30, 50). The update is aborted (80) in the event of a failure in the cluster leaving the cluster bootstrap record in a consistent state. In the event of a disastrous cluster and/or storage system failure, the discovery record may be recovered (228) from a restored storage system (214) and the cluster bootstrap record may be reset to install a new cluster in the old cluster's place (232).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Publication date: November 4, 2004
    Inventors: Sudhir G. Rao, Bruce M. Jackson