Patents by Inventor John E. Watkins

John E. Watkins 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).

  • Publication number: 20240254137
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to modulators of Cot (cancer Osaka thyroid) and methods of use and manufacture thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2023
    Publication date: August 1, 2024
    Inventors: Elizabeth M. Bacon, Gayatri Balan, Chien-Hung Chou, Christopher T. Clark, Jeromy J. Cottell, Musong Kim, Thorsten A. Kirschberg, John O. Link, Gary Phillips, Scott D. Schroeder, Neil H. Squires, Kirk L. Stevens, James G. Taylor, William J. Watkins, Nathan E. Wright, Sheila M. Zipfel
  • Patent number: 10078543
    Abstract: A switched fabric hierarchy (e.g., a PCIe hierarchy) may utilize hardware, firmware, and/or software for filtering duplicative or otherwise undesirable correctable error messages from reaching a root complex. An operating system of the root complex may detect a persistent stream or storm of correctable errors from a particular endpoint and activate filtering of correctable errors from that endpoint. A filtering device may receive filtering commands and parameters from the operating system, implement the filtering, and monitor further correctable errors from the offending device. While an offending device is being filtered, correctable error messages from the offending device may be masked from the operating system, while correctable error messages from other devices in the switched fabric hierarchy may be transmitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Joseph R. Wright, John R. Feehrer
  • Patent number: 10067900
    Abstract: A system that includes a switched fabric hierarchy (e.g., a PCIe hierarchy) may realize efficient utilization of a shared I/O device (e.g., a network or storage switch) across multiple physically separate processing nodes (endpoints). For example, each processing node (endpoint) in a distributed processing system may be allocated a portion of the address map of a shared I/O device and may host a device driver for one of multiple virtual functions implemented on the shared device. Following enumeration and initialization of the hierarchy by the root complex, the endpoints may access the virtual functions directly (without intervention by the root complex). Data and interrupt traffic between endpoints and virtual functions may take place over peer-to-peer connections. Interrupt reception logic in each endpoint may receive and handle interrupts generated by the virtual functions. The root complex may host a device driver for a physical function on the shared device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Aron J. Silverton, Lance G. Hartmann, Kenneth S Goss
  • Publication number: 20170344419
    Abstract: A switched fabric hierarchy (e.g., a PCIe hierarchy) may utilize hardware, firmware, and/or software for filtering duplicative or otherwise undesirable correctable error messages from reaching a root complex. An operating system of the root complex may detect a persistent stream or storm of correctable errors from a particular endpoint and activate filtering of correctable errors from that endpoint. A filtering device may receive filtering commands and parameters from the operating system, implement the filtering, and monitor further correctable errors from the offending device. While an offending device is being filtered, correctable error messages from the offending device may be masked from the operating system, while correctable error messages from other devices in the switched fabric hierarchy may be transmitted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Joseph R. Wright, John R. Feehrer
  • Patent number: 9806904
    Abstract: A system that includes a PCIe hierarchy may utilize a ring controller for message handling. Nodes acting as the root complex or as endpoint devices may include such ring controllers, portions of which may be implemented by dedicated circuitry on each node. The ring controllers may receive posted transactions representing messages, may return flow control credits for those transactions, may classify each message as to its type, and may write information about each message to a respective ring buffer storing information about messages of that type. A processor (or processing logic/circuitry) on the node may subsequently retrieve messages from the ring buffers and process them. The sizes and locations of the ring buffers in memory may be configurable by software (e.g., by writing to registers within the ring controllers). The message types may include correctable and non-correctable error messages, and non-error messages (including, but not limited to, vendor-defined messages).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Joseph R. Wright
  • Publication number: 20170070363
    Abstract: A system that includes a PCIe hierarchy may utilize a ring controller for message handling. Nodes acting as the root complex or as endpoint devices may include such ring controllers, portions of which may be implemented by dedicated circuitry on each node. The ring controllers may receive posted transactions representing messages, may return flow control credits for those transactions, may classify each message as to its type, and may write information about each message to a respective ring buffer storing information about messages of that type. A processor (or processing logic/circuitry) on the node may subsequently retrieve messages from the ring buffers and process them. The sizes and locations of the ring buffers in memory may be configurable by software (e.g., by writing to registers within the ring controllers). The message types may include correctable and non-correctable error messages, and non-error messages (including, but not limited to, vendor-defined messages).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Joseph R. Wright
  • Publication number: 20170060800
    Abstract: A system that includes a switched fabric hierarchy (e.g., a PCIe hierarchy) may realize efficient utilization of a shared I/O device (e.g., a network or storage switch) across multiple physically separate processing nodes (endpoints). For example, each processing node (endpoint) in a distributed processing system may be allocated a portion of the address map of a shared I/O device and may host a device driver for one of multiple virtual functions implemented on the shared device. Following enumeration and initialization of the hierarchy by the root complex, the endpoints may access the virtual functions directly (without intervention by the root complex). Data and interrupt traffic between endpoints and virtual functions may take place over peer-to-peer connections. Interrupt reception logic in each endpoint may receive and handle interrupts generated by the virtual functions. The root complex may host a device driver for a physical function on the shared device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Aron J. Silverton, Lance G. Hartmann, Kenneth S. Goss
  • Patent number: 8527745
    Abstract: An I/O device includes a host interface configured to process function level reset (FLR) requests in a specified amount of time. The host interface includes a control unit and groups of configuration space registers, each group corresponding to a function. The host interface also includes application availability registers, each associated with a respective function, and which may indicate whether application hardware within the respective function is available for access by a corresponding application device driver. The I/O device also includes application hardware resources associated with a respective function. In response to receiving an FLR request of a particular function, the control unit may cause the associated application availability register to indicate that the application hardware within the particular function is not available to the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Elisa Rodrigues
  • Patent number: 8458368
    Abstract: A system includes a virtualized I/O device coupled to one or more processing units. The virtualized I/O device includes programmed I/O (PIO) configuration registers corresponding to hardware resources, and a storage for storing a resource table that includes a plurality of entries. Each entry corresponds to a respective hardware resource. A system processor may allocate the hardware resources to functions that may include physical and virtual functions, and may program each entry of the resource discovery table for each function with an encoded value that indicates whether a requested hardware resource has been allocated to a requesting process, and whether the requested hardware resource is shared with another function. Processing units may execute a device driver instance associated with a given process to discover allocated resources by requesting access to the resource discovery table. The virtualized I/O device protects the resources by checking access requests against the resource discovery table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventor: John E. Watkins
  • Patent number: 8402320
    Abstract: An I/O device includes a host interface that may be configured to receive and process a plurality of transaction packets sent by a number of processing units, with each processing unit corresponding to a respective root complex. The host interface includes an error handling unit having error logic implemented in hardware that may be configured to determine whether each transaction packet has an error and to store information corresponding to any detected errors within a storage. More particularly, the error handling unit may perform the error detection and capture of the error information as the transaction packets are received, or in real time, while the error handling unit may include firmware that may subsequently process the information corresponding to the detected errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Elisa Rodrigues
  • Patent number: 8312187
    Abstract: An I/O device includes a host interface coupled to a plurality of hardware resources. The host interface includes a transaction layer packet (TLP) processing unit that may receive and process a plurality of transaction layer packets sent by a plurality of processing units. Each processing unit may correspond to a respective root complex. The TLP processing unit may identify a transaction type and a processing unit corresponding to each transaction layer packet and store each transaction layer packet within a storage according to the transaction type and the processing unit. The TLP processing unit may select one or more transaction layer packets from the storage for process scheduling based upon a set of fairness criteria using an arbitration scheme. The TLP processing unit may further select and dispatch transaction layer packets for processing by downstream application hardware based upon additional criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: Elisa Rodrigues, John E. Watkins
  • Patent number: 8312461
    Abstract: A system includes a virtualized I/O device coupled to one or more processing units. The virtualized I/O device includes a storage for storing a resource discovery table, and programmed I/O (PIO) configuration registers corresponding to hardware resources. A system processor may allocate the plurality of hardware resources to one or more functions, and to populate each entry of the resource discovery table for each function. The processing units may execute one or more processes. Given processing units may further execute OS instructions to allocate space for an I/O mapping of a PIO configuration space in a system memory, and to assign a function to a respective process. Processing units may execute a device driver instance associated with a given process to discover allocated resources by requesting access to the resource discovery table. The virtualized I/O device protects the resources by checking access requests against the resource discovery table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventor: John E. Watkins
  • Patent number: 8286027
    Abstract: An I/O device includes a host interface that may receive and process transaction packets sent by a number of processing units, with each processing unit corresponding to a respective root complex. The host interface includes an error handling unit having error logic implemented in hardware that may determine, as each packet is received, whether each transaction packet has an error and to store information corresponding to any detected errors. The error handling unit may include an error processor that may be configured to execute error processing instructions to determine any error processing operations based upon the information. The error processor may also generate and send one or more instruction operations, each corresponding to a particular error processing operation. The error handling unit may also include an error processing unit that may execute the one or more instruction operations to perform the particular error processing operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Elisa Rodrigues, Abbas Morshed
  • Patent number: 8225007
    Abstract: A method for reducing address space in a shared virtualized I/O device includes allocating hardware resources including variable resources and permanent resources, to one or more functions. The method also includes allocating address space for an I/O mapping of the resources in a system memory, and assigning a respective portion of that address space for each function. The method further includes assigning space within each respective portion for variable resources available for allocation to the function to which the respective portion is assigned, and further assigning space within each respective portion for a set of permanent resources that have been allocated to the function to which the respective portion is assigned. The method further includes providing a translation table having a plurality of entries, and storing within each entry of the translation table, a different internal address of a permanent resource that has been allocated to a particular function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventor: John E. Watkins
  • Patent number: 8176304
    Abstract: An I/O device having function level reset functionality includes a host interface that may include a master reset unit, a plurality of client interfaces, each corresponding to one or more functions, and a plurality of hardware resources. Each hardware resource may be associated with a respective function. In response to receiving a reset request to reset a specific function, the master reset unit may provide to each client interface, a request signal corresponding to the reset request, and a signal identifying the specific function. Each client interface having an association with the specific function may initiate a reset operation of the associated hardware resources, and also provide a client reset done signal for the specific function to the master reset unit in response to completion of the reset operations of the hardware resources. The master reset unit provides a reset done signal for the specific function to the host interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: Rahoul Puri, Arvind Srinivasan, Louise Y. Yeung, Marcelino M. Dignum, John E. Watkins
  • Patent number: 8117350
    Abstract: The described embodiments provide a system for accessing values for configuration space registers (CSRs). This system includes a CSR data storage mechanism with an address input and a CSR data output. The CSR data storage mechanism includes a memory containing a number of memory locations for storing the true or actual values for CSRs for functions for corresponding devices. In these embodiments, the memory locations are divided into at least one shared region and at least one unique region. In these embodiments, in response to receiving an address for a memory location on the address input, the CSR data storage mechanism accesses the value for the CSR in the memory location in a corresponding shared region or unique region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Elisa Rodrigues
  • Publication number: 20110296255
    Abstract: An I/O device includes a host interface that may be configured to receive and process a plurality of transaction packets sent by a number of processing units, with each processing unit corresponding to a respective root complex. The host interface includes an error handling unit having error logic implemented in hardware that may be configured to determine whether each transaction packet has an error and to store information corresponding to any detected errors within a storage. More particularly, the error handling unit may perform the error detection and capture of the error information as the transaction packets are received, or in real time, while the error handling unit may include firmware that may subsequently process the information corresponding to the detected errors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Elisa Rodrigues
  • Publication number: 20110296256
    Abstract: An I/O device includes a host interface that may receive and process transaction packets sent by a number of processing units, with each processing unit corresponding to a respective root complex. The host interface includes an error handling unit having error logic implemented in hardware that may determine, as each packet is received, whether each transaction packet has an error and to store information corresponding to any detected errors. The error handling unit may include an error processor that may be configured to execute error processing instructions to determine any error processing operations based upon the information. The error processor may also generate and send one or more instruction operations, each corresponding to a particular error processing operation. The error handling unit may also include an error processing unit that may execute the one or more instruction operations to perform the particular error processing operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Elisa Rodrigues, Abbas Morshed
  • Publication number: 20110138161
    Abstract: An I/O device includes a host interface configured to process function level reset (FLR) requests in a specified amount of time. The host interface includes a control unit and groups of configuration space registers, each group corresponding to a function. The host interface also includes application availability registers, each associated with a respective function, and which may indicate whether application hardware within the respective function is available for access by a corresponding application device driver. The I/O device also includes application hardware resources associated with a respective function. In response to receiving an FLR request of a particular function, the control unit may cause the associated application availability register to indicate that the application hardware within the particular function is not available to the driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2009
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Elisa Rodrigues
  • Publication number: 20110106981
    Abstract: The described embodiments provide a system for accessing values for configuration space registers (CSRs). This system includes a CSR data storage mechanism with an address input and a CSR data output. The CSR data storage mechanism includes a memory containing a number of memory locations for storing the true or actual values for CSRs for functions for corresponding devices. In these embodiments, the memory locations are divided into at least one shared region and at least one unique region. In these embodiments, in response to receiving an address for a memory location on the address input, the CSR data storage mechanism accesses the value for the CSR in the memory location in a corresponding shared region or unique region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Elisa Rodrigues