Patents by Inventor Kenneth C. Debacker

Kenneth C. Debacker 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: 6263452
    Abstract: A computer system in a fault-tolerant configuration employees multiple identical CPUs executing the same instruction stream, with multiple, identical memory modules in the address space of the CPUs storing duplicates of the same data. The system detects faults in the CPUs and memory modules, and places a faulty unit offline while continuing to operate using the good units. The faulty unit can be replaced and reintegrated into the system without shutdown. The multiple CPUs are loosely synchronized, as by detecting events such as memory references and stalling any CPU ahead of others until all execute the function simultaneously; interrupts can be synchronized by ensuring that all CPUs implement the interrupt at the same point in their instruction stream. Memory references via the separate CPU-to-memory busses are voted at the three separate ports of each of the memory modules. I/O functions are implemented using two identical I/O busses, each of which is separately coupled to only one of the memory modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas E. Jewett, Tom Bereiter, Bryan Vetter, Randall G. Banton, Richard W. Cutts, Jr., Donald C. Westbrook, Krayn W. Fey, Jr., John Posdro, Kenneth C. Debacker, Nikhil A. Mehta
  • Patent number: 6073251
    Abstract: A computer system in a fault-tolerant configuration employs multiple identical CPUs executing the same instruction stream, with multiple, identical memory modules in the address space of the CPUs storing duplicates of the same data. The system detects faults in the CPUs and memory modules, and places a faulty unit offline while continuing to operate using the good units. The faulty unit can be replaced and reintegrated into the system without shutdown. The multiple CPUs are loosely synchronized, as by detecting events such as memory references and stalling any CPU ahead of others until all execute the function simultaneously; interrupts can be synchronized by ensuring that all CPUs implement the interrupt at the same point in their instruction stream. Memory references via the separate CPU-to-memory busses are voted at the three separate ports of each of the memory modules. I/O functions are implemented using two identical I/O busses, each of which is separately coupled to only one of the memory modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas E. Jewett, Tom Bereiter, Bryan Vetter, Randall G. Banton, Richard W. Cutts, Jr., Donald C. Westbrook, deceased, Krayn W. Fey, Jr., John Posdro, Kenneth C. DeBacker, Nikhil A. Mehta
  • Patent number: 5890003
    Abstract: A computer system in a fault-tolerant configuration employs three identical CPUs executing the same instruction stream, with two identical, self-checking memory modules storing duplicates of the same data. Memory references by the three CPUs are made by three separate busses connected to three separate ports of each of the two memory modules. The three CPUs are loosely synchronized, as by detecting events such as memory references and stalling any CPU ahead of others until all execute the function simultaneously; interrupts can be synchronized by ensuring that all three CPUs implement the interrupt at the same point in their instruction stream. Memory references via the separate CPU-to-memory busses are voted at the three separate ports of each of the memory modules. I/O functions are implemented using two identical I/O busses, each of which is separately coupled to only one of the memory modules. A number of I/O processors are coupled to both I/O busses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Assignee: Tandem Computers Incorporated
    Inventors: Richard W. Cutts, Jr., Kenneth C. Debacker, Robert W. Horst, Nikhil A. Mehta, Douglas E. Jewett, John David Allison, Richard A. Southworth
  • Patent number: 5758113
    Abstract: A computer system in a fault-tolerant configuration employs three identical CPUs executing the same instruction stream, with two identical, self-checking memory modules storing duplicates of the same data. Memory references by the three CPUs are made by three separate busses connected to three separate ports of each of the two memory modules. The three CPUs are loosely synchronized, as by detecting events such as memory references and stalling any CPU ahead of others until all execute the function simultaneously; interrupts can be synchronized by ensuring that all three CPUs implement the interrupt at the same point in their instruction stream. Memory references via the separate CPU-to-memory busses are voted at the three separate ports of each of the memory modules. I/O functions are implemented using two identical I/O busses, each of which is separately coupled to only one of the memory modules. A number of I/O processors are coupled to both I/O busses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1998
    Assignee: Tandem Computers Incorporated
    Inventors: Charles E. Peet, Jr., John David Allison, Kenneth C. Debacker, Robert W. Horst
  • Patent number: 5295258
    Abstract: A computer system in a fault-tolerant configuration employs multiple identical CPUs executing the same instruction stream, with multiple, identical memory modules in the address space of the CPUs storing duplicates of the same data. The system detects faults in the CPUs and memory modules, and places a faulty unit offline while continuing to operate using the good units. The faulty unit can be replaced and reintegrated into the system without shutdown. The multiple CPUs are loosely synchronized, as by detecting events such as memory references and stalling any CPU ahead of others until all execute the function simultaneously; interrupts can be synchronized by ensuring that all CPUs implement the interrupt at the same point in their instruction stream. Memory references via the separate CPU-to-memory busses are voted at the three separate ports of each of the memory modules. I/O functions are implemented using two identical I/O busses, each of which is separately coupled to only one of the memory modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1994
    Assignee: Tandem Computers Incorporated
    Inventors: Douglas E. Jewett, Tom Bereiter, Brian Vetter, Randall G. Banton, Richard W. Cutts, Jr., Donald C. Westbrook, deceased, Kyran W. Fey, Jr., John Pozdro, Kenneth C. Debacker, Nikhil A. Mehta
  • Patent number: 5193175
    Abstract: A computer system in a fault-tolerant configuration employs three identical CPUs executing the same instruction stream, with two identical, self-checking memory modules storing duplicates of the same data. Memory references by the three CPUs are made by three separate busses connected to three separate ports of each of the two memory modules. The three CPUs are loosely synchronized, as by detecting events such as memory references and stalling any CPU ahead of others until all execute the function simultaneously; interrupts can be synchronized by ensuring that all three CPUs implement the interrupt at the same point in their instruction stream. Memory references via the separate CPU-to-memory busses are voted at the three separate ports of each of the memory modules. I/O functions are implemented using two identical I/O busses, each of which is separately coupled to only one of the memory modules. A number of I/O processors are coupled to both I/O busses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1993
    Assignee: Tandem Computers Incorporated
    Inventors: Richard W. Cutts, Jr., Peter C. Norwood, Kenneth C. DeBacker, Nikhil A. Mehta, Douglas E. Jewett, John D. Allison, Robert W. Horst
  • Patent number: 5146589
    Abstract: A computer system in a fault-tolerant configuration employs three identical CPUs executing the same instruction stream, with two identical, self-checking memory modules storing duplicates of the same data. Memory references by the three CPUs are made by three separate busses connected to three separate ports of each of the two memory modules. The three CPUs are loosely synchronized, as by detecting events such as memory references and stalling any CPU ahead of others until all execute the function simultaneously; interrupts can be synchronized by ensuring that all three CPUs implement the interrupt at the same point in their instruction stream. Memory references via the separate CPU-to-memory busses are voted at the three separate ports of each of the memory modules. Each CPU has a local memory, separate from the memory modules, and this local memory is of the dynamic type so it must be periodically refreshed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1992
    Assignee: Tandem Computers Incorporated
    Inventors: Charles E. Peet, Jr., John D. Allison, Kenneth C. Debacker, Robert W. Horst