Patents by Inventor John Lewis Hufferd

John Lewis Hufferd 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: 8713162
    Abstract: This invention permits all FCoE (Fiber Channel over Ethernet) frames to be transferred from one FCoE network adapter to another without having to traverse through a Fiber Channel Forwarder (FCF) device. After the FCF is determined not to be present, a logical End-To-End connection is established between Peer FCoE Adapters. This invention permits an FCoE message originating at an FCoE network adapter to be sent to an FCoE receiving adapter across “Ethernet” links and switches, or via a single “Ethernet” link (Point-To-Point) but without having to pass through FCF devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Inventor: John Lewis Hufferd
  • Patent number: 8176187
    Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program performed at a local node to communicate with a remote node. A first communication protocol is used to communicate with the remote node to establish a connection for a second communication protocol. Data structures are created to enable communication with the remote node to establish the connection with the remote node for the second communication protocol. An extension layer is invoked for the second communication protocol. The data structures are passed to the extension layer to use to communicate with the remote node using the second communication protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John Lewis Hufferd
  • Patent number: 7966380
    Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for forwarding a message from a transmitting node. A first message is received encoded using a first communication protocol from the transmitting node, wherein the first message includes a direct reference to a memory location in one node. A determination is made as to whether the first message is directed to a receiving node using a second communication protocol. A second message is generated that is compatible with the second communication protocol, wherein the second message causes an operation to be performed with respect to the direct reference in the first message. The second message is transmitted to the receiving node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John Lewis Hufferd
  • Publication number: 20110135303
    Abstract: This invention permits all FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) frames to be transferred from one FCoE network adapter to another without having to traverse through a Fiber Channel Forwarder (FCF) device. After the FCF is determined not to be present, a logical End-To-End connection is established between Peer FCoE Adapters. This invention permits an FCoE message originating at an FCoE network adapter to be sent to an FCoE receiving adapter across “Ethernet” links and switches, or via a single “Ethernet” link (Point-To-Point) but without having to pass through FCF devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventor: John Lewis Hufferd
  • Patent number: 7849228
    Abstract: The present invention provides mechanisms that enable application instances to pass block mode storage requests directly to a physical I/O adapter without run-time involvement from the local operating system or hypervisor. In one aspect of the present invention, a mechanism is provided for handling user space creation and deletion operations for creating and deleting allocations of linear block addresses of a physical storage device to application instances. For creation, it is determined if there are sufficient available resources for creation of the allocation. For deletion, it is determined if there are any I/O transactions active on the allocation before performing the deletion. Allocation may be performed only if there are sufficient available resources and deletion may be performed only if there are no active I/O transactions on the allocation being deleted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Todd Boyd, John Lewis Hufferd, Agustin Mena, III, Renato John Recio, Madeline Vega
  • Publication number: 20100220740
    Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for forwarding a message from a transmitting node. A first message is received encoded using a first communication protocol from the transmitting node, wherein the first message includes a direct reference to a memory location in one node. A determination is made as to whether the first message is directed to a receiving node using a second communication protocol. A second message is generated that is compatible with the second communication protocol, wherein the second message causes an operation to be performed with respect to the direct reference in the first message. The second message is transmitted to the receiving node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2010
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: John Lewis Hufferd
  • Publication number: 20100217878
    Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program performed at a local node to communicate with a remote node. A first communication protocol is used to communicate with the remote node to establish a connection for a second communication protocol. Data structures are created to enable communication with the remote node to establish the connection with the remote node for the second communication protocol. An extension layer is invoked for the second communication protocol. The data structures are passed to the extension layer to use to communicate with the remote node using the second communication protocol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: John Lewis Hufferd
  • Patent number: 7779081
    Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for forwarding a message from a transmitting node. A first message is received encoded using a first communication protocol from the transmitting node, wherein the first message includes a direct reference to a memory location in one node. A determination is made as to whether the first message is directed to a receiving node using a second communication protocol. A second message is generated that is compatible with the second communication protocol, wherein the second message causes an operation to be performed with respect to the direct reference in the first message. The second message is transmitted to the receiving node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John Lewis Hufferd
  • Patent number: 7761588
    Abstract: Provided are a system and article of manufacture performed at a local node to communicate with a remote node. A first communication protocol is used to communicate with the remote node to establish a connection for a second communication protocol. Data structures are created to enable communication with the remote node to establish the connection with the remote node for the second communication protocol. An extension layer is invoked for the second communication protocol. The data structures are passed to the extension layer to use to communicate with the remote node using the second communication protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John Lewis Hufferd
  • Patent number: 7752486
    Abstract: Methods for recovery from server-failures wherein servers control a communication initiator's access to a set of resources. A probable server failure leads to a communication initiator performing a discovery operation to identify available servers capable of accessing a required resource. A server checks whether any of the servers has failed. If a server has failed, a server other than the failed server sends the communication initiator an identification of the failed server together with a network address of an identified available server. The identified available server configures itself to respond to resource access requests directed to the failed server. The communication initiator establishes a connection to an available server enabling access to the required resource. The available server uses initiator-provided elements to recreate a reservation identifier, so that replacing server can also manage resources that were reserved by the failed server at the time of its failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Julian Satran, John Lewis Hufferd, Kalman Meht
  • Patent number: 7657662
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided that enables user space middleware or applications to pass file name based storage requests directly to a physical I/O Adapter without run-time involvement from the local Operating System (OS). A mechanism is provided for using a file protection table (FPT) data structure, which may include a file name protection table (FNPT) and file extension protection table (FEPT), to control user space and out of user space Input/Output (I/O) operations. In addition, a mechanism is provided for managing the FPT based on user space operations to create, query, modify and delete entries in the FPT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Todd Boyd, John Lewis Hufferd, Agustin Mena, III, Renato J. Recio, Madeline Vega
  • Patent number: 7577761
    Abstract: Enabling user space middleware or applications to pass file name based storage requests directly to a physical I/O Adapter without run-time involvement from the local Operating System (OS)is provided. A mechanism is provided for using a file protection table (FPT) data structure, which may include a file name protection table (FNPT) and file extension protection table (FEPT), to control user space and out of user space Input/Output (I/O) operations. The FNPT has an entry for each file managed by the OS? file system and points to a segment of the FEPT. Each entry in the FEPT may include a protection domain, along with other protection table context information, against which I/O requests may be checked to determine if an application instance that submitted the I/O requests may access the file identified in the I/O requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Todd Boyd, John Lewis Hufferd, Agustin Mena, III, Renato J. Recio, Madeline Vega
  • Patent number: 7577707
    Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for transferring data between an initiator node and target node. A request is received conforming to a first data transfer protocol at the initiator node to transmit to the target node. A reference to a memory location is obtained to use to transfer the request to the target node. At least one function is called that executes in a user address space of the initiator node, wherein the initiator node includes a kernel address space and the user address space. The at least one function executing in the user address space interfaces with an adaptor to transmit the request and reference to the memory location to the target node using a second data transfer protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Lewis Hufferd, Michael Anthony Ko
  • Patent number: 7552240
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method that enables application instances to pass block mode storage requests directly to a physical I/O adapter without run-time involvement from either the local operating system or hypervisor. In one aspect of the present invention, a mechanism is provided for determining whether a user space operation is a resource management operation of a work processing operation. If the user space operation is a resource management operation, appropriate functions are performed to either query, create, modify or destroy resource allocations in the I/O adapter. If the user space operation is a work processing operation, appropriate functions are performed to create work queue entries and inform the I/O adapter of the work queue entries and to retrieve completion queue entries for work queue entries whose processing has been completed by the I/O adapter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Todd Boyd, John Lewis Hufferd, Agustin Mena, III, Renato John Recio, Madeline Vega
  • Patent number: 7526574
    Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for communicating data transfer requests between data transfer protocols. A request is received conforming to a first data transfer protocol at an initiator node to transmit to a target node, wherein the request includes a request identifier in the first data transfer protocol. A reference is obtained to a memory location to use for the request using a second data transfer protocol, wherein the reference is used by the second data transfer protocol. An entry is added to a map associating the reference to the memory location for the second data transfer protocol with the request identifier for the first data transfer protocol. The second data transfer protocol is used to transfer the request with the request identifier and the reference to the memory location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Lewis Hufferd, Michael Anthony Ko
  • Patent number: 7502872
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method that enables application instances to pass block mode storage requests directly to a physical I/O adapter without run-time involvement from the local operating system or hypervisor. Specifically, a mechanism for providing and using a linear block address (LBA) translation protection table (TPT) to control out of user space I/O operations is provided. In one aspect of the present invention, the LBATPT includes an adapter protection table that has entries for each portion of a storage device. Entries include access control values which identify whether the entry is valid and what access type operations may be performed on a corresponding portion of a storage device. I/O requests may be checked against these access control values to determine if an application instance that submitted the I/O requests may access the LBAs identified in the I/O requests in the manner requested.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: International Bsuiness Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Todd Boyd, John Lewis Hufferd, Agustin Mena, III, Renato John Recio, Madeline Vega
  • Patent number: 7502871
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method, that enables application instances to pass block mode storage requests directly to a physical I/O adapter without run-time involvement from the local operating system or hypervisor. In one aspect of the present invention, a mechanism is provided for handling user space query and modification operations for querying and modifying attributes of allocations of linear block addresses of a physical storage device. For modification, it is determined if there are sufficient available resources for the modification of the allocation. In addition, it is determined if there are any 1/0 transactions active on the allocation before performing the modification. Modification of the attributes of the allocation may be performed only if there are sufficient available resources and only if there are no active I/O transactions on the allocation being modified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Todd Boyd, John Lewis Hufferd, Agustin Mena, III, Renato John Recio, Madeline Vega
  • Publication number: 20090064163
    Abstract: The present invention provides mechanisms that enable application instances to pass block mode storage requests directly to a physical I/O adapter without run-time involvement from the local operating system or hypervisor. In one aspect of the present invention, a mechanism is provided for handling user space creation and deletion operations for creating and deleting allocations of linear block addresses of a physical storage device to application instances. For creation, it is determined if there are sufficient available resources for creation of the allocation. For deletion, it is determined if there are any I/O transactions active on the allocation before performing the deletion. Allocation may be performed only if there are sufficient available resources and deletion may be performed only if there are no active I/O transactions on the allocation being deleted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Todd Boyd, John Lewis Hufferd, Agustin Mena, III, Renato John Recio, Madeline Vega
  • Patent number: 7500071
    Abstract: A method that enables user space middleware or applications to pass I/O storage requests directly to a network attached storage device via a storage server that performs authentication is provided. A mechanism is provided for using a translation protection table (TPT) data structure, which may include a file name protection table (FNPT) and file extension protection table (FEPT), or logical volume protection table (LVPT), to control user space and out of user space Input/Output (I/O) operations. The storage server performs authentication of an application instance's request to open an operating system logical volume and, upon being authenticated, permits the application instance to submit I/O storage requests via the TPT to the opened OS logical volume. I/O storage requests are translated into storage commands using the TPT and the storage commands are encapsulated for transmission via one or more networks to the storage server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Todd Boyd, John Lewis Hufferd, Agustin Mena, III, Renato J. Recio, Madeline Vega
  • Patent number: 7496698
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and a data processing system for posting and retrieving WQEs to a shared receive queue in a manner that alleviates head-of-line blocking issues is provided. The present invention provides a shared receive queue and a posting routine for allowing non-sequential work request postings in the shared receive queue. Additionally, a fetch routine is provided for non-sequential fetching of work queue elements from the shared receive queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Giora Biran, John Lewis Hufferd, Zorik Machulsky, Vadim Makhervaks, Renato John Recio