Patents by Inventor John C. Elliott
John C. Elliott 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).
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Publication number: 20200081809Abstract: A method for protecting data in a storage system is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes detecting, by a first hardware management console, first battery-on status associated with a first uninterruptible power supply. The method further detects, by a second hardware management console, second battery-on status associated with a second uninterruptible power supply. The method communicates, from the first hardware management console to the second hardware management console, the first battery-on status. The method then triggers, by the second hardware management console, a dump of modified data from memory to more persistent storage upon detecting both the first battery-on status and the second battery-on status. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2018Publication date: March 12, 2020Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Todd C. Sorenson, Ronald D. Martens, Keith G. Morrison, Brian A. Rinaldi, Jiwu Duan, John C. Elliott, Gary W. Batchelor
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Publication number: 20200081630Abstract: A method for protecting data in a storage system is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes detecting, by a first rack power controller, first battery-on status associated with a first uninterruptible power supply. The method further detects, by a second rack power controller, second battery-on status associated with a second uninterruptible power supply. The method communicates, from the first rack power controller to the second rack power controller, the first battery-on status. The method then triggers, by the second rack power controller, a dump of modified data from memory to more persistent storage upon detecting both the first battery-on status and the second battery-on status. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2018Publication date: March 12, 2020Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Todd C. Sorenson, Brian A. Rinaldi, John C. Elliott, Gary W. Batchelor, Jiwu Duan
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Publication number: 20200051045Abstract: A method includes establishing, for a transaction processing system, a maximum number of transactions that the transaction processing system can optimally handle at a time, as well as an optimal transaction rate. The method monitors a current number of transactions being processed by the transaction processing system. Incoming transactions that would cause the current number to exceed the maximum number are received into a queue, and transactions are released from the queue in accordance with the optimal transaction rate. The method further monitors a number of transactions waiting in the queue. When the number reaches an upper threshold, the method declines to admit additional transactions into the queue. When the number reaches a lower threshold, the method begins to admit additional transactions into the queue. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 13, 2018Publication date: February 13, 2020Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Lokesh M. Gupta, Matthew G. Borlick, John C. Elliott
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Publication number: 20190384509Abstract: A method for avoiding data loss in a storage system is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes monitoring a degradation level associated with a battery. The battery provides backup power to a storage system in the event of a primary power outage. The storage system includes volatile storage media storing modified data to destage to more persistent storage media, such as an array of storage drives. In the event the degradation level crosses a designated threshold, the method automatically takes steps to alter a time period needed to completely copy the modified data off of the volatile storage media. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 17, 2018Publication date: December 19, 2019Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Matthew G. Borlick, Micah Robison, John C. Elliott, Kevin J. Ash, Lokesh M. Gupta, Brian A. Rinaldi
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Patent number: 10466751Abstract: A method for providing stable and reliable power to electronic devices is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes providing a backplane having several power supplies coupled thereto. The method further provides connectors to connect multiple power-consuming devices, such as storage drives, expansion cards, memory expansion cards, or the like, to the backplane. In certain embodiments, the backplane provides a data transfer path and shared power distribution to the power-consuming devices. In the event a power supply is electrically decoupled from the backplane, the method enables a supplemental power-supplying device to supply power to the backplane by way of one of the connectors. A corresponding system is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2017Date of Patent: November 5, 2019Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Matthew G. Borlick, Brian J. Cagno, John C. Elliott, Lokesh M. Gupta, Karl A. Nielsen
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Publication number: 20190332471Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for receiving, at a secondary storage controller, information on modified data from a primary storage controller to use to calculate parity data. The secondary storage controller receives from the primary storage controller difference data calculated from modified data and a pre-modified version of the modified data for a primary group of tracks at the primary storage and one of the modified data and new primary parity data calculated at the primary storage controller from the modified data and the difference data. The secondary storage controller uses the difference data and one of the modified data and the new primary parity data to write new secondary parity data and the modified data to a secondary group of tracks at the secondary storage.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2018Publication date: October 31, 2019Inventors: Lokesh M. Gupta, Matthew G. Borlick, Kevin J. Ash, John C. Elliott
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Publication number: 20190332276Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for performing workload balancing of tracks in storage areas assigned to processing units. For each processing unit, there is an assignment of a storage area of tracks in the storage to the processing unit, at least one queue having I/O requests to the storage area, and queue usage information indicating a quantity related to the I/O requests in the at least one queue. A determination is made from the queue usage information whether to perform workload balancing for a source processing unit having at least one source queue. A target processing unit is selected in response to determining to perform the workload balancing for the source processing unit. Tracks in a source storage area assigned to the source processing unit are moved to a target storage area assigned to the target processing unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2018Publication date: October 31, 2019Inventors: Lokesh M. Gupta, Matthew G. Borlick, Kevin J. Ash, John C. Elliott
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Publication number: 20190332470Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for mirroring information on modified data from a primary storage controller to a secondary storage controller for the secondary storage controller to use to calculate parity data. New primary parity data is calculated from modified data for a primary group of tracks in the primary storage and difference data from the modified data and a pre-modified version of the modified data. The difference data and one of the modified data and the new primary parity data are sent to the secondary storage controller to cause the secondary storage controller to write new secondary parity data and the modified data to a secondary group of tracks at the secondary storage. The modified data and the new primary parity data are written to the primary group of tracks in the primary storage.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2018Publication date: October 31, 2019Inventors: Lokesh M. Gupta, Matthew G. Borlick, Kevin J. Ash, John C. Elliott
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Publication number: 20190297006Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present description, a node of the distributed computing system has multiple communication paths to a data processing resource lock which controls access to shared resources, for example. In this manner, at least one redundant communication path is provided between a node and a data processing resource lock to facilitate reliable transmission of data processing resource lock signals between the node and the data processing resource lock. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 13, 2019Publication date: September 26, 2019Inventors: Yolanda Colpo, John C. Elliott, Enrique Q. Garcia, Larry Juarez, Todd C. Sorenson
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Patent number: 10405451Abstract: In one general embodiment, a server rack is provided. The server rack includes a sidewall having at least one fixed rail, and an aperture in the sidewall. Further, the server rack includes a retractable terminal configured to extend through the aperture of the sidewall on sliding rails configured to slide along the at least one fixed rail in a direction parallel to the sidewall. In another general embodiment, a server rack is provided. The server rack includes a sidewall and an aperture in the sidewall. The server rack also includes a first fixed rail within the sidewall, a second fixed rail within the sidewall, a retractable terminal configured to extend through the aperture of the sidewall on sliding rails configured to slide along the first and second fixed rails, and an immovable cable bracket mounted on one of the fixed rails for holding a cable extending from the retractable terminal.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2017Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Dale H. Anderson, Angel E. Delgado, Eric A. Eckberg, John C. Elliott, Markus A. Navarro, Scott A. Shurson, Will A. Wright
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Patent number: 10374940Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present description, a node of the distributed computing system has multiple communication paths to a data processing resource lock which controls access to shared resources, for example. In this manner, at least one redundant communication path is provided between a node and a data processing resource lock to facilitate reliable transmission of data processing resource lock signals between the node and the data processing resource lock. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2017Date of Patent: August 6, 2019Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Yolanda Colpo, John C. Elliott, Enrique Q. Garcia, Larry Juarez, Todd C. Sorenson
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Patent number: 10234927Abstract: A method includes monitoring power usage for a storage system that includes a set storage units at a first level of storage granularity and a set of storage sub-units at a second level of storage granularity, wherein the second level of storage granularity is finer than the first level of storage granularity. The method further includes assigning a non-uniform power budget to the set of storage units and adjusting a power budget for the storage sub-units according to the non-uniform power budget assigned to the storage units. A corresponding computer program product and computer system are also disclosed herein.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2015Date of Patent: March 19, 2019Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Malcolm S. Allen-Ware, Shawn P. Authement, John C. Elliott, Charles R. Lefurgy, J. Carlos A. Pratt, Karthick Rajamani, David B. Whitworth
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Publication number: 20190034265Abstract: Mechanisms for controlling access to storage volumes on the secondary storage system is provided. A determination is made as to whether a first site computing device has sent a notification of a failure condition of a first site. In response to a determination that the notification of the failure condition of the first site has not been received, secondary workloads of a second site computing device are permitted to access storage volumes on the secondary storage system. In response to a determination that the notification of the failure condition of the first site has been received, a mode of operation of the second site is modified from a normal mode of operation to a failure mode of operation. In the failure mode of operation, the storage system controller of the second site blocks at least a portion of access requests from secondary workloads of the second site computing device.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2018Publication date: January 31, 2019Inventors: Chiahong Chen, John C. Elliott, William G. Sherman
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Patent number: 10083074Abstract: Mechanisms for controlling access to storage volumes on the secondary storage system is provided. A determination is made as to whether a first site computing device has sent a notification of a failure condition of a first site. In response to a determination that the notification of the failure condition of the first site has not been received, secondary workloads of a second site computing device are permitted to access storage volumes on the secondary storage system. In response to a determination that the notification of the failure condition of the first site has been received, a mode of operation of the second site is modified from a normal mode of operation to a failure mode of operation. In the failure mode of operation, the storage system controller of the second site blocks at least a portion of access requests from secondary workloads of the second site computing device.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2015Date of Patent: September 25, 2018Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Chiahong Chen, John C. Elliott, William G. Sherman
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Publication number: 20180239414Abstract: A method for providing stable and reliable power to electronic devices is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes providing a backplane having several power supplies coupled thereto. The method further provides connectors to connect multiple power-consuming devices, such as storage drives, expansion cards, memory expansion cards, or the like, to the backplane. In certain embodiments, the backplane provides a data transfer path and shared power distribution to the power-consuming devices. In the event a power supply is electrically decoupled from the backplane, the method enables a supplemental power-supplying device to supply power to the backplane by way of one of the connectors. A corresponding system is also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 20, 2017Publication date: August 23, 2018Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Matthew G. Borlick, Brian J. Cagno, John C. Elliott, Lokesh M. Gupta, Karl A. Nielsen
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Publication number: 20180102966Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present description, a node of the distributed computing system has multiple communication paths to a data processing resource lock which controls access to shared resources, for example. In this manner, at least one redundant communication path is provided between a node and a data processing resource lock to facilitate reliable transmission of data processing resource lock signals between the node and the data processing resource lock. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2017Publication date: April 12, 2018Inventors: Yolanda Colpo, John C. Elliott, Enrique Q. Garcia, Larry Juarez, Todd C. Sorenson
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Patent number: 9913534Abstract: An apparatus includes a base unit configured to hold electronic equipment, a top panel, a first extension arm that is vertically extendable from a proximal position along a selected dimension of the base unit and a second extension arm that is vertically extendable from a distal position along the selected dimension of the base unit, the first extension arm slide-ably coupled to the top panel, and the second extension arm rotate-ably coupled to the top panel. A corresponding method includes providing the apparatus and raising one end of the top panel previous to raising the other end of the top panel.Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 2015Date of Patent: March 13, 2018Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Dale H. Anderson, Angel E. Delgado, John C. Elliott
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Publication number: 20180070470Abstract: In one general embodiment, a server rack is provided. The server rack includes a sidewall having at least one fixed rail, and an aperture in the sidewall. Further, the server rack includes a retractable terminal configured to extend through the aperture of the sidewall on sliding rails configured to slide along the at least one fixed rail in a direction parallel to the sidewall. In another general embodiment, a server rack is provided. The server rack includes a sidewall and an aperture in the sidewall. The server rack also includes a first fixed rail within the sidewall, a second fixed rail within the sidewall, a retractable terminal configured to extend through the aperture of the sidewall on sliding rails configured to slide along the first and second fixed rails, and an immovable cable bracket mounted on one of the fixed rails for holding a cable extending from the retractable terminal.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 2, 2017Publication date: March 8, 2018Inventors: Dale H. Anderson, Angel E. Delgado, Eric A. Eckberg, John C. Elliott, Markus A. Navarro, Scott A. Shurson, Will A. Wright
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Patent number: 9887908Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present description, a node of the distributed computing system has multiple communication paths to a data processing resource lock which controls access to shared resources, for example. In this manner, at least one redundant communication path is provided between a node and a data processing resource lock to facilitate reliable transmission of data processing resource lock signals between the node and the data processing resource lock. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2015Date of Patent: February 6, 2018Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Yolanda Colpo, John C. Elliott, Enrique Q Garcia, Larry Juarez, Todd C. Sorenson
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Patent number: 9880903Abstract: A method for intelligently rebuilding a RAID includes subjecting a storage drive in an existing RAID to a stress workload test by placing the storage drive in a RAID 1 configuration with a spare storage drive. In the event the storage drive fails the stress workload test but can still be read, the method uses the RAID 1 configuration to copy recoverable data from the failing storage drive to the spare storage drive. The method uses other storage drives in the existing RAID to reconstruct, on the spare storage drive, data that is not recoverable from the failing storage drive. Either before or after all non-recoverable data has been reconstructed on the spare storage drive, the method logically replaces, in the existing RAID, the failing storage drive with the spare storage drive. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2015Date of Patent: January 30, 2018Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Matthew G. Borlick, John C. Elliott, Lokesh M. Gupta, Clint A. Hardy, Karl A. Nielsen