Patents by Inventor Leonard W. Helmer, Jr.

Leonard W. Helmer, Jr. 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: 10616115
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer system for managing data transfer. The computer system includes a memory, a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, a send component and a receive component having a message queue and a controller. A single link interface communicatively couples the send component to the receive component. The single link interface includes a mainline channel and a sideband channel, and the computer system is configured to perform a method. The method includes transmitting mainline channel messages over the mainline channel from the send component to the receive component. The method further includes transmitting sideband channel messages over the sideband channel from the send component to the message queue of the receive component. The method further includes utilizing the controller to control a flow of the sideband channel messages to the message queue without relying on sending feedback to the send component about the flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Thomas A. Gregg, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., Michael P. Lyons, Kulwant M. Pandey, Peter K. Szwed
  • Patent number: 9923824
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer system for managing data transfer. The computer system includes a memory, a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, a send component and a receive component having a message queue and a controller. A link interface communicatively couples the send component to the receive component. The link interface includes a mainline channel and a sideband channel, and the computer system is configured to perform a method. The method includes transmitting mainline channel messages over the mainline channel from the send component to the receive component. The method further includes transmitting sideband channel messages over the sideband channel from the send component to the message queue of the receive component. The method further includes utilizing the controller to control a flow of the sideband channel messages to the message queue without relying on sending feedback to the send component about the flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Thomas A. Gregg, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., Michael P. Lyons, Kulwant M. Pandey, Peter K. Szwed
  • Publication number: 20180054387
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer system for managing data transfer. The computer system includes a memory, a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, a send component and a receive component having a message queue and a controller. A single link interface communicatively couples the send component to the receive component. The single link interface includes a mainline channel and a sideband channel, and the computer system is configured to perform a method. The method includes transmitting mainline channel messages over the mainline channel from the send component to the receive component. The method further includes transmitting sideband channel messages over the sideband channel from the send component to the message queue of the receive component. The method further includes utilizing the controller to control a flow of the sideband channel messages to the message queue without relying on sending feedback to the send component about the flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2017
    Publication date: February 22, 2018
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Thomas A. Gregg, Leonard W. Helmer, JR., Michael P. Lyons, Kulwant M. Pandey, Peter K. Szwed
  • Publication number: 20180006947
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer system for managing data transfer. The computer system includes a memory, a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, a send component and a receive component having a message queue and a controller. A link interface communicatively couples the send component to the receive component. The link interface includes a mainline channel and a sideband channel, and the computer system is configured to perform a method. The method includes transmitting mainline channel messages over the mainline channel from the send component to the receive component. The method further includes transmitting sideband channel messages over the sideband channel from the send component to the message queue of the receive component. The method further includes utilizing the controller to control a flow of the sideband channel messages to the message queue without relying on sending feedback to the send component about the flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Thomas A. Gregg, Leonard W. Helmer, JR., Michael P. Lyons, Kulwant M. Pandey, Peter K. Szwed
  • Patent number: 9843518
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer system for managing data transfer. The computer system includes a memory, a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, a send component and a receive component having a message queue and a controller. A link interface communicatively couples the send component to the receive component. The link interface includes a mainline channel and a sideband channel, and the computer system is configured to perform a method. The method includes transmitting mainline channel messages over the mainline channel from the send component to the receive component. The method further includes transmitting sideband channel messages over the sideband channel from the send component to the message queue of the receive component. The method further includes utilizing the controller to control a flow of the sideband channel messages to the message queue without relying on sending feedback to the send component about the flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Thomas A. Gregg, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., Michael P. Lyons, Kulwant M. Pandey, Peter K. Szwed
  • Patent number: 9794178
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer system for managing data transfer. The computer system includes a memory, a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, a send component and a receive component having a message queue and a controller. A link interface communicatively couples the send component to the receive component. The link interface includes a mainline channel and a sideband channel, and the computer system is configured to perform a method. The method includes transmitting mainline channel messages over the mainline channel from the send component to the receive component. The method further includes transmitting sideband channel messages over the sideband channel from the send component to the message queue of the receive component. The method further includes utilizing the controller to control a flow of the sideband channel messages to the message queue without relying on sending feedback to the send component about the flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Thomas A. Gregg, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., Michael P. Lyons, Kulwant M. Pandey, Peter K. Szwed
  • Publication number: 20170187626
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer system for managing data transfer. The computer system includes a memory, a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, a send component and a receive component having a message queue and a controller. A link interface communicatively couples the send component to the receive component. The link interface includes a mainline channel and a sideband channel, and the computer system is configured to perform a method. The method includes transmitting mainline channel messages over the mainline channel from the send component to the receive component. The method further includes transmitting sideband channel messages over the sideband channel from the send component to the message queue of the receive component. The method further includes utilizing the controller to control a flow of the sideband channel messages to the message queue without relying on sending feedback to the send component about the flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Thomas A. Gregg, Leonard W. Helmer, JR., Michael P. Lyons, Kulwant M. Pandey, Peter K. Szwed
  • Patent number: 9628388
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer system for managing data transfer. The computer system includes a memory, a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, a send component and a receive component having a message queue and a controller. A link interface communicatively couples the send component to the receive component. The link interface includes a mainline channel and a sideband channel, and the computer system is configured to perform a method. The method includes transmitting mainline channel messages over the mainline channel from the send component to the receive component. The method further includes transmitting sideband channel messages over the sideband channel from the send component to the message queue of the receive component. The method further includes utilizing the controller to control a flow of the sideband channel messages to the message queue without relying on sending feedback to the send component about the flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Thomas A. Gregg, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., Michael P. Lyons, Kulwant M. Pandey, Peter K. Szwed
  • Publication number: 20160173380
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer system for managing data transfer. The computer system includes a memory, a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, a send component and a receive component having a message queue and a controller. A link interface communicatively couples the send component to the receive component. The link interface includes a mainline channel and a sideband channel, and the computer system is configured to perform a method. The method includes transmitting mainline channel messages over the mainline channel from the send component to the receive component. The method further includes transmitting sideband channel messages over the sideband channel from the send component to the message queue of the receive component. The method further includes utilizing the controller to control a flow of the sideband channel messages to the message queue without relying on sending feedback to the send component about the flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Thomas A. Gregg, Leonard W. Helmer, JR., Michael P. Lyons, Kulwant M. Pandey, Peter K. Szwed
  • Publication number: 20150263956
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer system for managing data transfer. The computer system includes a memory, a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, a send component and a receive component having a message queue and a controller. A link interface communicatively couples the send component to the receive component. The link interface includes a mainline channel and a sideband channel, and the computer system is configured to perform a method. The method includes transmitting mainline channel messages over the mainline channel from the send component to the receive component. The method further includes transmitting sideband channel messages over the sideband channel from the send component to the message queue of the receive component. The method further includes utilizing the controller to control a flow of the sideband channel messages to the message queue without relying on sending feedback to the send component about the flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Thomas A. Gregg, Leonard W. Helmer, JR., Michael P. Lyons, Kulwant M. Pandey, Peter K. Szwed
  • Patent number: 8432793
    Abstract: A computer program product, apparatus and method for managing recovery of a link in a multi-tasking multi-processor environment. An exemplary embodiment includes shutting off timers for a failed channel associated with the communications link, storing a loss of link condition in a data structure, disabling communications on the failed channel and sending an external notification of the loss of link condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., John S. Houston
  • Patent number: 8429662
    Abstract: A computer program product for passing initiative in a multitasking multiprocessor environment includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes writing a request to process a resource of the environment to an associated resource control block, setting a resource flag in a central bit vector, the resource flag indicating that a request for processing has been received for the resource, and setting a target processor initiative flag in the environment, the target processor initiative flag indicating a pass of initiative to a target processor responsible for the resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., John S. Houston, Ambrose A. Verdibello, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8364849
    Abstract: In a multinode data processing system in which the nodes communicate with one another via communication adapters over a network or switch, the adapters are provided with a dual register mechanism for tracking microcode task status. Upon the issuance of a disruptive command that requires attention from one of the nodes, the task status maintained in one register is copied to the snapshot register. As tasks within the adapter are completed, both registers are updated, thus providing a mechanism for the nodes to determine that all tasks active at the time of the disruptive command have completed. This means that the nodes now have a mechanism for determining, as soon as possible, that all tasks that are active when a disruptive command occurs have completed, thus allowing the data processing node to perform such operations as releasing system memory that is associated with the disruptive command, thus eliminating temporal overhead that can affect performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Piyush Chaudhary, Jason E. Goscinski, Rama K. Govindaraju, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., Peter H. Hochschild, Deryck X. Hong, John S. Houston, Jang-Soo Lee, Steven J. Martin, Yuqing Zhu
  • Patent number: 8225280
    Abstract: A computer program product for incorporating state machine controls into existing non-state machine environments includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes determining a state machine representation for an existing environment, assigning state indicators to each state of the state machine, transcoding existing software flags of the environment into modifier values associated with the state indicators, assigning state values based on the modifier values and the state indicators, assigning event identifiers for transitions from the state values, and creating a tabular representation of the determined state machine, the tabular representation providing next state information based on the event identifiers and the state values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., John S. Houston, R. Timothy Tomaselli, Ambrose A. Verdibello, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8023417
    Abstract: In remote direct memory access transfers in a multinode data processing system in which the nodes communicate with one another through communication adapters coupled to a switch or network, failures in the nodes or in the communication adapters can produce the phenomenon known as trickle traffic, which is data that has been received from the switch or from the network that is stale but which may have all the signatures of a valid packet data. The present invention addresses the trickle traffic problem in two situations: node failure and adapter failure. In the node failure situation randomly generated keys are used to reestablish connections to the adapter while providing a mechanism for the recognition of stale packets. In the adapter failure situation, a round robin context allocation approach is used with adapter state contexts being provided with state information which helps to identify stale packets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert S. Blackmore, Fu Chung Chang, Piyush Chaudhary, Jason E. Goscinski, Rama K. Govindaraju, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., Peter H. Hochschild, John S. Houston, Steven J. Martin, Donald G. Grice
  • Patent number: 7895462
    Abstract: A computer program product, apparatus and method for managing recovery and control of a communications link via out-of-band signaling. An exemplary embodiment includes sending a command, sending an invalidate request to a buffer associated with the command and receiving a response to the invalidate request at least one of prior to the command reaching the recipient and after the command reaching the recipient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., John S. Houston
  • Patent number: 7813369
    Abstract: In a multinode data processing system in which nodes exchange information over a network or through a switch, a structure and mechanism is provided within the realm of Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) operations in which DMA operations are present on one side of the transfer but not the other. On the side in which the transfer is not carried out in DMA fashion, transfer processing is carried out under program control; this is in contrast to the transfer on the DMA side which is characteristically carried out in hardware. Usage of these combination processes is useful in programming situations where RDMA is carried out to or from contiguous locations in memory on one side and where memory locations on the other side is noncontiguous. This split mode of transfer is provided both for read and for write operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert S. Blackmore, Fu Chung Chang, Piyush Chaudhary, Kevin J. Gildea, Jason E. Goscinski, Rama K. Govindaraju, Donald G. Grice, Leonard W. Helmer, Jr., Patricia E. Heywood, Peter H. Hochschild, John S. Houston, Chulho Kim, Steven J. Martin
  • Publication number: 20090216927
    Abstract: A computer program product, apparatus and method for managing recovery and control of a communications link via out-of-band signaling. An exemplary embodiment includes sending a command, sending an invalidate request to a buffer associated with the command and receiving a response to the invalidate request at least one of prior to the command reaching the recipient and after the command reaching the recipient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Leonard W. Helmer, JR., John S. Houston
  • Publication number: 20090217284
    Abstract: A computer program product for passing initiative in a multitasking multiprocessor environment includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes writing a request to process a resource of the environment to an associated resource control block, setting a resource flag in a central bit vector, the resource flag indicating that a request for processing has been received for the resource, and setting a target processor initiative flag in the environment, the target processor initiative flag indicating a pass of initiative to a target processor responsible for the resource.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Leonard W. Helmer, JR., John S. Houston, Ambrose A. Verdibello, JR.
  • Publication number: 20090217238
    Abstract: A computer program product for incorporating state machine controls into existing non-state machine environments includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes determining a state machine representation for an existing environment, assigning state indicators to each state of the state machine, transcoding existing software flags of the environment into modifier values associated with the state indicators, assigning state values based on the modifier values and the state indicators, assigning event identifiers for transitions from the state values, and creating a tabular representation of the determined state machine, the tabular representation providing next state information based on the event identifiers and the state values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard K. Errickson, Leonard W. Helmer, JR., John S. Houston, R. Timothy Tomaselli, Ambrose A. Verdibello, JR.