Patents by Inventor James Alan Ruddy

James Alan Ruddy 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: 7882202
    Abstract: A method is disclosed that places data-intensive subprocesses in close physical and logical proximity to the facility responsible for storing the data, so that high efficiencies at reduced cost are achieved. In one specific example, new computer programs, termed adjuncts, are added and placed in a logical partition on a storage facility so that they can be invoked using appropriate commands issued on the I/O channel. Further, programs or changes are added to existing programs on the host machine, wherein such programs or changes discover the function extensions and invoke them to perform data processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Guillermo Alejandro Alvarez, David Darden Chambliss, Prashant Pandey, Vijayshankar Raman, James Alan Ruddy, Garret Frederick Swart, Harry Morris Yudenfriend
  • Patent number: 7603336
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and program storage device readable by a computer tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer is provided for reorganization of database data. The computer database reorganization method reorganizes one set of database data blocks at a time, allowing concurrent data manipulation. Method identifies a set of data blocks for reorganization in a sliding peephole mode, re-orders the set of data blocks and replaces the original set of data blocks with the re-ordered set of data blocks. The method include an overlapping peephole method, which chooses, for each set of data block to be reorganized, a next succeeding set of data blocks plus an overlap segment, wherein the overlap segment includes a set of empty pages other than intentionally specified free pages, and the overlap segment is a subset of the preceding set of data blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Curt Lee Cotner, James Alan Ruddy
  • Publication number: 20090248699
    Abstract: A method is disclosed that places data-intensive subprocesses in close physical and logical proximity to the facility responsible for storing the data, so that high efficiencies at reduced cost are achieved. In one specific example, new computer programs, termed adjuncts, are added and placed in a logical partition on a storage facility so that they can be invoked using appropriate commands issued on the I/O channel. Further, programs or changes are added to existing programs on the host machine, wherein such programs or changes discover the function extensions and invoke them to perform data processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2008
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Guillermo Alejandro Alvarez, David Darden Chambliss, Prashant Pandey, Vijayshankar Raman, James Alan Ruddy, Garret Frederick Swart, Harry Morris Yudenfriend
  • Patent number: 7418441
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture is provided for loading data from a remote data source record by record, in a computer system network connecting a source site and a target site via a database connection communication line. The source site has at least one data source and a Distributed Relational Database Architecture (DRDA) software server having multi-database access to DBMSs. The target site requests data loading from the source site DRDA via a block of Structured Query Language (SQL) statements. Data are transported record by record via the database connection communication line according to the DRDA communication protocol, wherein the target site loads records concurrently with the unloading of records in the source site. The data loading may also be performed in a pipeline manner, loading data records in multiple partitions with a plurality of parallel streams, pointed to by a plurality of data source partition cursors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Elizabeth Belva Hamel, Michael T. Ho, James C. Kleewein, Mark Donald Leitch, Sam Sampson Lightstone, John Ai McPherson, Jr., James Alan Ruddy
  • Patent number: 7120648
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system and method for predicting the elapsed time required to execute a database utility command. A base of historical data is maintained containing information relating to the elapsed time required for previous database utility commands to execute. The elapsed time for a database utility command provides a consolidated measurement of all factors that affect processing time, including amount and type of data stored as well as changes within the computer system environment. Upper and lower control limits are calculated using statistical process control techniques to predict database utility command execution times. The technique may be used to validate and/or edit database utility command files containing multiple database utility commands, based upon whether the commands contained within are likely to fully execute within a specified batch window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John M. Garth, James Alan Ruddy
  • Patent number: 7058952
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture of a computer-implemented parallel database loading system. The optimum number of tasks to be processed by the system is determined by identifying the memory constraints of the system, by identifying available processing capabilities, and by determining a number of load and sort processes to be started in parallel based on the identified memory constraints and processing capabilities. Optimizing the number of load and sort processes increases overall system processing speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Marland Garth, James Alan Ruddy, Akira Shibamiya
  • Patent number: 6678701
    Abstract: A technique for loading data into a data store connected to a computer. Under control of a main process, multiple agent load processes are started for loading data in parallel. The main process awaits receipt of a checkpoint signal from each agent load process. Then, upon receiving the checkpoint signal from each load process, the main process performs a checkpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Marland Garth, James Alan Ruddy
  • Publication number: 20030163469
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system and method for predicting the elapsed time required to execute a database utility command. A base of historical data is maintained containing information relating to the elapsed time required for previous database utility commands to execute. The elapsed time for a database utility command provides a consolidated measurement of all factors that affect processing time, including amount and type of data stored as well as changes within the computer system environment. Upper and lower control limits are calculated using statistical process control techniques to predict database utility command execution times. The technique may be used to validate and/or edit database utility command files containing multiple database utility commands, based upon whether the commands contained within are likely to fully execute within a specified batch window.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2002
    Publication date: August 28, 2003
    Inventors: John M. Garth, James Alan Ruddy
  • Patent number: 6535893
    Abstract: A reorganizer utility performs an online reorganization of a database that provides applications with concurrent access to data during an iterative process of log apply operations to a shadow version of the data. The reorganizer continues this iterative process of log apply operations until an estimate of an elapsed time necessary to complete a last iteration is less than or equal to a user-specified maximum length of time that read-only (RO) access may be provided to the data. When this threshold is reached, the reorganizer performs the last iteration, which includes draining all applications making modifications to the data; allowing read-only access to the data, performing log apply operations against the shadow version of the data, and then switching all of the applications to the shadow data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Craig Alan Friske, James Alan Ruddy, Akira Shibamiya
  • Patent number: 6535870
    Abstract: A technique for identifying changes in a data store connected to a computer. Initially, one or more interval changes are measured. Each interval change indicates an amount of change in the data store at an interval. Next, a data store change is estimated that indicates an amount of change in the data store across all of the intervals using each interval change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Craig Alan Friske, John Marland Garth, James Alan Ruddy
  • Publication number: 20020161748
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture is provided for loading data from a remote data source record by record, in a computer system network connecting a source site and a target site via a database connection communication line. The source site has at least one data source and a Distributed Relational Database Architecture (DRDA) software server having multi-database access to DBMSs. The target site requests data loading from the source site DRDA via a block of Structured Query Language (SQL) statements. Data are transported record by record via the database connection communication line according to the DRDA communication protocol, wherein the target site loads records concurrently with the unloading of records in the source site. The data loading may also be performed in a pipeline manner, loading data records in multiple partitions with a plurality of parallel streams, pointed to by a plurality of data source partition cursors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2001
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Elizabeth Belva Hamel, Michael T. Ho, James C. Kleewein, Mark Donald Lcilch, Sam Sampson Lightstone, John Ai McPherson, James Alan Ruddy
  • Patent number: 6272486
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer-implemented building indexes system. Indexes are built for a database that is stored in a data storage device coupled to a computer. An amount of available memory is determined. An amount of memory for use in transmitting data between extract, sort, and index build tasks is determined. Then, a number of sort tasks to be used to build indexes is determined based on the determined amount of available memory, the determined amount of memory for use in transmitting data between tasks, and task memory requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Marland Garth, James Alan Ruddy
  • Patent number: 6269375
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer implemented rebalancing system. Partitioned data is rebalanced in a database stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. Range values are redefined for each partition. Next, the data is reordered into the redefined ranges for the partitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James Alan Ruddy, Bryan Frederick Smith
  • Patent number: 6161109
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer implemented image copying system for identifying modifications in a database in a computer. The database contains data objects and is stored on a primary data storage device connected to the computer. A data object identifier is generated for each data object as the data object is modified. An image identifier is generated for an image copy of the database when the image copy is updated, wherein the image copy is stored on a secondary data storage device. When one or more data objects are to be copied from the primary data storage device to the secondary data storage device, the data objects to be copied are determined by comparing the data object identifier of each data object to the image identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Deborah A. Matamoros, James Alan Ruddy
  • Patent number: 6125370
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer-implemented repartitioning system. Data is repartitioned in a database stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. First, it is detected that a partitioning scheme for the data has been altered. Next, partitions that would be affected by the altered partitioning scheme are identified. Then, the identified partitions are reorganized based on the altered partitioning scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2000
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel Keith Courter, Paramesh Sampatrai Desai, Craig Alan Friske, John Marland Garth, Kevin Daniel Gougherty, Laura Michiko Kunioka-Weis, David Elmer Raiman, James Alan Ruddy, Julie Ann Watts, Kathryn Ruth Zeidenstein
  • Patent number: 6119128
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer implemented recovery system for restoring a database in a computer. The database contains objects and is stored on a primary data storage device connected to the computer. Objects of different types in the database are copied from the primary data storage device to a secondary data storage device. Modifications to the objects are logged in a log file. A recovery indicator is received that indicates that recovery of the objects in the database is required. The objects are copied from the secondary data storage device to the database on the primary data storage device. Modifications in the log file are applied to the copied objects during one pass through the log file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2000
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel Keith Courter, Ming-Hung Hu, Laura Michiko Kunioka-Weis, Thomas Majithia, Deborah A. Matamoros, James Alan Ruddy, Yufen Wang
  • Patent number: 5897641
    Abstract: A primary database's log records are used to update a second database that has a different encoding scheme than the log record and the primary database. This encoding scheme, for example, may involve compression, encryption, or another data transformation. First, a stale encoded data record from the second database is identified. This data record is one whose counterpart in the primary database has been updated in the primary database and where update has been logged. The stale data record is modified to reflect its contents as encoded by the first encoding scheme rather than the second. Then, the logged change is applied to update the modified record. The updated record is then decoded and subsequently re-encoded according to the second encoding scheme. This record is then stored in the second database replacing the stale second data record.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James Alan Ruddy, Kalpana Shyam, Gary H. Sockut, Julie Ann Watts
  • Patent number: 5873091
    Abstract: A multiprocessing system forms a data structure, such as by loading reorganizing, or recovering, while concurrently collecting various statistics about the data structure. The data structure may comprise tables and/or indices, for example. A first processing unit forms the data structure by assimilating data from one or more data sources into data rows, storing the rows in a buffer, and copying the rows from the buffer to the data structure. Concurrently with the forming step, the same or a second processing unit retrieves the rows from the buffer and applies a predetermined analysis to the rows to formulate statistics regarding the data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Marland Garth, Koshy John, James Alan Ruddy, David Ray Schwartz, Bryan Frederick Smith
  • Patent number: 5842208
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer implemented recover/build index system. The recover/build index system builds a database index for a database file by scanning partitions of the database file in parallel to retrieve key values and their associated record identifier (rid) values. The recover/build index system then sorts the scanned key/rid values for each partition in parallel. Next, the recover/build index system performs one or more merges on the sorted key/rid values from all of the partitions to generate a single key/rid value stream. Finally, the recover/build index system builds the index using the single key/rid value stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ted E. Blank, John Marland Garth, James Alan Ruddy, Bryan Frederick Smith