Abstract: A laser marking system comprises a laser energy source that generates a laser beam, a laser controller configured to focus the laser beam over a field of view greater than a size of laser-markable items, and a start-up target that includes laser-safe material and is located within the field of view. The laser controller is further configured to point the laser beam at the start-up target during a start-up phase of the laser energy source and focus the laser beam on one of the laser-markable items after the start-up phase.

Abstract: A portable safe that includes a lower shell defining an internal cavity and having a cable aperture and a cable end aperture defined on the body of the safe. The lower shell is lockably and translatably coupled to the cover and the safe includes a cable-reel assembly with a retractably extendable cable having a free end. The cable is operably configured to extend a cable length sufficient for the free end to at least partially surround the safe body and be received within the cable end aperture. The safe includes a cable locking position along a cover translation path with the cover and lower shell encapsulating the second cavity and with the free end of the cable longitudinally retained by the cover and/or the lower shell. The safe also includes an article loading position to expose the second cavity.

Abstract: A portable safe that includes a lower shell defining an internal cavity and having a cable aperture and a cable end aperture defined on the body of the safe. The lower shell is lockably and translatably coupled to the cover and the safe includes a cable-reel assembly with a retractably extendable cable having a free end. The cable is operably configured to extend a cable length sufficient for the free end to at least partially surround the safe body and be received within the cable end aperture. The safe includes a cable locking position along a cover translation path with the cover and lower shell encapsulating the second cavity and with the free end of the cable longitudinally retained by the cover and/or the lower shell. The safe also includes an article loading position to expose the second cavity.

Abstract: A system, method, service method, and program product for defining and/or managing entitlements and/or authentication entitlements to resources in a computer networking environment is disclosed. Upon receiving one or more dynamic events, the invention verifies one or more users (a selected user) has (entitlement) attributes that satisfy one or more access criteria to access one or more resources. The invention then permits and/or provides access to one or more resources for the selected user over one or more networks without revealing the identity of the selected user to the resource provider.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the problem of scheduling work for employees and/or other resources in a help desk or similar environment. The employees have different levels of training and availabilities. The jobs, which occur as a result of dynamically occurring events, consist of multiple tasks ordered by chain precedence. Each job and/or task carries with it a penalty which is a step function of the time taken to complete it, the deadlines and penalties having been negotiated as part of one or more service level agreement contracts. The goal is to minimize the total amount of penalties paid. The invention consists of a pair of heuristic schemes for this difficult scheduling problem, one greedy and one randomized. The greedy scheme is used to provide a quick initial solution, while the greedy and randomized schemes are combined in order to think more deeply about particular problem instances.

Abstract: A method (and system) of storing data in a value-based storage system, includes optimizing a value of data stored in the value-based storage system.

Abstract: A method of choosing jobs to run in a stream based distributed computer system includes determining jobs to be run in a distributed stream-oriented system by deciding a priority threshold above which jobs will be accepted, below which jobs will be rejected. Overall importance is maximized relative to the priority threshold based on importance values assigned to all jobs. System constraints are applied to ensure jobs meet set criteria.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for making fractional assignments of processing elements to processing nodes for stream-based applications in a distributed computer system includes determining an amount of processing power to give to each processing element. Based on a list of acceptable processing nodes, a determination of fractions of which processing nodes will work on each processing element is made. To update allocations of the amount of processing power and the fractions, the process is repeated.

Abstract: A system and method for optimizing a storage system to support short data object lifetimes and highly utilized storage space are provided. With the system and method, data objects are clustered based on when they are anticipated to be deleted. When an application stores data, the application provides an indicator of the expected lifetime of the data, which may be a retention value, a relative priority of the data object, or the like. Data objects having similar expected lifetimes are clustered together in common data structures so that clusters of objects may be deleted efficiently in a single operation. Expected lifetimes may be changed by applications automatically. The system automatically determines how to handle these changes in expected lifetime using one or more of copying the data object, reclassifying the container in which the data object is held, and ignoring the change in expected lifetime for a time to investigate further changes in expected lifetime of other data objects.

Abstract: A system and method for optimizing a storage system to support full utilization of storage space are provided. With the system and method, data objects/containers of data objects are assigned retention values when they are created. These retention values may be dynamically modified based on a modification function associated with the data objects/containers. When storage space needs to be freed for the storage of new data objects/containers, the retention values of existing data objects/containers provide a prioritization as to which data objects/containers should be deleted from the storage system and the order by which these data objects/containers are to be deleted to make available storage space for the new data objects/containers. The identification of the data objects/containers that are to be deleted may be based on a dynamically modified delete threshold, a sorted list of retention values, or the like.

Abstract: A system, method, service method, and program product for defining and/or managing entitlements and/or authentication entitlements to resources in a computer networking environment is disclosed. Upon receiving one or more dynamic events, the invention verifies one or more users (a selected user) has (entitlement) attributes that satisfy one or more access criteria to access one or more resources. The invention then permits and/or provides access to one or more resources for the selected user over one or more networks without revealing the identity of the selected user to the resource provider.

Abstract: Methods and arrangements for planning and scheduling change management requests in computing systems are disclosed. Included are an arrangement for deciding whether or not an RFC should be done, an arrangement for assigning individual tasks to acceptable servers for each RFC to be done, and an arrangement for assigning the start times to said individual tasks for each RFC to be done.

Abstract: Methods and arrangements for automatically determining allowable sequences of changes, e.g., sequences where the order in which changes are carried out will transition a computing system from a workable state into another workable state, are disclosed.

Abstract: Methods and arrangements for operating distributed computing systems, and more particularly, to techniques for constructing and analyzing change plans are disclosed. Included are an arrangement for submitting a request for change to the system, an arrangement for specifying the order in which tasks execute in compliance with data and temporal dependency constraints; and an arrangement for creating a change plan.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for representing and managing data and associated relationships. In one aspect of the invention, a technique for managing data associated with a given domain comprises the following steps. A specification of data attributes representing one or more types of data to be managed is maintained. Further, a specification of algorithms representing one or more types of operations performable in accordance with the data attributes is maintained. Still further, a specification of relationships representing relationships between the data attributes and the algorithms is maintained. The data attribute specification, the algorithm specification and the relationship specification are maintained in a storage framework having multiple levels, the multiple levels being specified based on the given domain with which the data being managed is associated. The techniques may be provided in support of service level management.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the problem of scheduling work for employees and/or other resources in a help desk or similar environment. The employees have different levels of training and availabilities. The jobs, which occur as a result of dynamically occurring events, consist of multiple tasks ordered by chain precedence. Each job and/or task carries with it a penalty which is a step function of the time taken to complete it, the deadlines and penalties having been negotiated as part of one or more service level agreement contracts. The goal is to minimize the total amount of penalties paid. The invention consists of a pair of heuristic schemes for this difficult scheduling problem, one greedy and one randomized. The greedy scheme is used to provide a quick initial solution, while the greedy and randomized schemes are combined in order to think more deeply about particular problem instances.