Patents by Inventor Mark G. Atkins

Mark G. Atkins 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: 9853906
    Abstract: A first method includes a plurality of nodes communicating with a network switch, each node transmitting a packet with a packet header that includes a value of a node-level attribute selected from a node utilization level, a node role, and a dependency involving the node, and the network switch receiving the packet and prioritizing transmission of the packet based on the value of the node-level attribute identified in the packet header. In a related second method, each node reports the value of the node-level attribute to a management entity, the management entity determines a priority for each node based on the value of the node-level attribute received from each node, and the management entity provides the priority for each node to the network switch, such that the network switch prioritizes, for each packet, transmission of the packet based on the priority for the node involved in communication of the packet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, Gary D. Cudak, Joseph F. Herman, Laura A. Weaver, William J. Sommerville
  • Publication number: 20170078207
    Abstract: A first method includes a plurality of nodes communicating with a network switch, each node transmitting a packet with a packet header that includes a value of a node-level attribute selected from a node utilization level, a node role, and a dependency involving the node, and the network switch receiving the packet and prioritizing transmission of the packet based on the value of the node-level attribute identified in the packet header. In a related second method, each node reports the value of the node-level attribute to a management entity, the management entity determines a priority for each node based on the value of the node-level attribute received from each node, and the management entity provides the priority for each node to the network switch, such that the network switch prioritizes, for each packet, transmission of the packet based on the priority for the node involved in communication of the packet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, Gary D. Cudak, Joseph F. Herman, Laura A. Weaver, William J. Sommerville
  • Patent number: 9344381
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for event management in a distributed processing system are provided. Embodiments include receiving, by the incident analyzer, one or more events from one or more resources, each event identifying a location of the resource producing the event; identifying, by the incident analyzer, an action in dependence upon the one or more events and the location of the one or more resources producing the one or more events; identifying, by the incident analyzer, a location scope for the action in dependence upon the one or more events; and executing, by the incident analyzer, the identified action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 9246865
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for prioritized alert delivery in a distributed processing system are provided. Embodiments include receiving a plurality of events from a plurality of tiered event producing components in a distributed computing system; identifying a plurality of potential alerts in dependence upon the events; wherein each potential alert includes a priority and one or more condition events describing the event producing component creating the event; comparing the potential alerts and their condition events and priorities; identifying the highest priority potential alert having condition events whose event producing component is in a tier that is higher than the tier of condition events of one or more lower priority potential alerts; and creating an alert in dependence upon the identified highest priority potential alert and the condition events corresponding to the identified highest priority potential alert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 9213621
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for administering event pools for relevant event analysis are provided. Embodiments include assigning, by an incident analyzer, a plurality of events to an events pool; determining, by the incident analyzer, an event suppression duration; determining, by the incident analyzer in dependence upon event analysis rules, to suppress events having particular attributes indicating the events occurred during the event suppression duration; and suppressing, by the incident analyzer, each event assigned to the events pool having the particular attributes indicating the events occurred during the event suppression duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 9201756
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for administering event pools for relevant event analysis are provided. Embodiments include assigning, by an incident analyzer, a plurality of events to an events pool; determining, by the incident analyzer, an event suppression duration; determining, by the incident analyzer in dependence upon event analysis rules, to suppress events having particular attributes indicating the events occurred during the event suppression duration; and suppressing, by the incident analyzer, each event assigned to the events pool having the particular attributes indicating the events occurred during the event suppression duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 8898299
    Abstract: Administering incident pools including creating a pool of incidents, the pool having a predetermined initial period of time; assigning each received incident to the pool; assigning, by the incident analyzer, to each incident a predetermined minimum time for inclusion in a pool; extending for one or more of the incidents the predetermined initial period of time of the pool by a particular period of time assigned to the incident; determining whether conditions have been met to close the pool; and if conditions have been met to close the pool determining for each incident in the pool whether the incident has been in the pool for its predetermined minimum time for inclusion in a pool; and if the incident has not been in the pool for its predetermined minimum time, evicting the incident from the closed pool and including the incident in a next pool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Matthew W. Markland, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 8688769
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for selected alert delivery in a distributed processing system are provided. Embodiments include receiving a plurality of events from one or more event producing components of the distributed processing system; creating, by an incident analyzer, in dependence upon the events a truth space representing events that make one or more conditional event processing rules true, the truth space including a set of truth points, each truth point including a set of events and a set of event locations; creating, by the incident analyzer, in dependence upon the truth space one or more alerts including assigning one of the locations of the truth space to one or more of the alerts; and sending, by the incident analyzer, the alerts to at least one component of the distributed processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 8676883
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for event management in a distributed processing system are provided. Embodiments include receiving, by the incident analyzer, one or more events from one or more resources, each event identifying a location of the resource producing the event; identifying, by the incident analyzer, an action in dependence upon the one or more events and the location of the one or more resources producing the one or more events; identifying, by the incident analyzer, a location scope for the action in dependence upon the one or more events; and executing, by the incident analyzer, the identified action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 8645757
    Abstract: Administering incident pools including receiving, by an incident analyzer from an incident queue, a plurality of incidents from one or more components of the distributed processing system; assigning, by the incident analyzer, each received incident to a pool of incidents; assigning, by the incident analyzer, to each incident a particular combined minimum time for inclusion in one or more pools, each particular combined minimum time corresponding to a particular incident; in response to the pool closing, determining, by the incident analyzer, for each incident in the pool whether the incident has met its combined minimum time for inclusion in one or more pools; and if the incident has been in the pool for its combined minimum time, including, by the incident analyzer, the incident in the closed pool; and if the incident has not been in the pool for its combined minimum time, including the incident in a next pool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 8639980
    Abstract: Administering incident pools including receiving, by an incident analyzer from an incident queue, a plurality of incidents from one or more components of the distributed processing system; assigning, by the incident analyzer, each received incident to a pool of incidents; assigning, by the incident analyzer, to each incident a particular combined minimum time for inclusion in one or more pools, each particular combined minimum time corresponding to a particular incident; in response to the pool closing, determining, by the incident analyzer, for each incident in the pool whether the incident has met its combined minimum time for inclusion in one or more pools; and if the incident has been in the pool for its combined minimum time, including, by the incident analyzer, the incident in the closed pool; and if the incident has not been in the pool for its combined minimum time, including the incident in a next pool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 8560689
    Abstract: Administering incident pools including creating a pool of incidents, the pool having a predetermined initial period of time; assigning each received incident to the pool; assigning, by the incident analyzer, to each incident a predetermined minimum time for inclusion in a pool; extending for one or more of the incidents the predetermined initial period of time of the pool by a particular period of time assigned to the incident; determining whether conditions have been met to close the pool; and if conditions have been met to close the pool determining for each incident in the pool whether the incident has been in the pool for its predetermined minimum time for inclusion in a pool; and if the incident has not been in the pool for its predetermined minimum time, evicting the incident from the closed pool and including the incident in a next pool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Matthew W. Markland, Philip J. Sanders
  • Publication number: 20130097272
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for prioritized alert delivery in a distributed processing system are provided. Embodiments include receiving a plurality of events from a plurality of tiered event producing components in a distributed computing system; identifying a plurality of potential alerts in dependence upon the events; wherein each potential alert includes a priority and one or more condition events describing the event producing component creating the event; comparing the potential alerts and their condition events and priorities; identifying the highest priority potential alert having condition events whose event producing component is in a tier that is higher than the tier of condition events of one or more lower priority potential alerts; and creating an alert in dependence upon the identified highest priority potential alert and the condition events corresponding to the identified highest priority potential alert.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Publication number: 20130097215
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for selected alert delivery in a distributed processing system are provided. Embodiments include receiving a plurality of events from one or more event producing components of the distributed processing system; creating, by an incident analyzer, in dependence upon the events a truth space representing events that make one or more conditional event processing rules true, the truth space including a set of truth points, each truth point including a set of events and a set of event locations; creating, by the incident analyzer, in dependence upon the truth space one or more alerts including assigning one of the locations of the truth space to one or more of the alerts; and sending, by the incident analyzer, the alerts to at least one component of the distributed processing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 8364813
    Abstract: Administering incident pools including creating a pool of incidents, the pool having a predetermined initial period of time; assigning each received incident to the pool; assigning, by the incident analyzer, to each incident a predetermined minimum time for inclusion in a pool; extending for one or more of the incidents the predetermined initial period of time of the pool by a particular period of time assigned to the incident; determining whether conditions have been met to close the pool; and if conditions have been met to close the pool determining for each incident in the pool whether the incident has been in the pool for its predetermined minimum time for inclusion in a pool; and if the incident has not been in the pool for its predetermined minimum time, evicting the incident from the closed pool and including the incident in a next pool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Matthew W. Markland, Philip J. Sanders
  • Patent number: 8347143
    Abstract: The management and analysis of events of communications environments are facilitated. Events, such as alert and network events, are separated into a plurality of pools, depending on the classification of event. Each pool has events exclusive of one type of event. The events are placed in the appropriate pools via one or more analysis routines. Additionally, events of at least one type of pool are further analyzed using one or more analysis routines to determine which events, if any, are to be reported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, Dawn S. Moyer
  • Publication number: 20120304013
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for administering event pools for relevant event analysis are provided. Embodiments include assigning, by an incident analyzer, a plurality of events to an events pool; determining, by the incident analyzer, an event suppression duration; determining, by the incident analyzer in dependence upon event analysis rules, to suppress events having particular attributes indicating the events occurred during the event suppression duration; and suppressing, by the incident analyzer, each event assigned to the events pool having the particular attributes indicating the events occurred during the event suppression duration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Publication number: 20120303815
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for event management in a distributed processing system are provided. Embodiments include receiving, by the incident analyzer, one or more events from one or more resources, each event identifying a location of the resource producing the event; identifying, by the incident analyzer, an action in dependence upon the one or more events and the location of the one or more resources producing the one or more events; identifying, by the incident analyzer, a location scope for the action in dependence upon the one or more events; and executing, by the incident analyzer, the identified action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Publication number: 20120304012
    Abstract: Administering incident pools including receiving, by an incident analyzer from an incident queue, a plurality of incidents from one or more components of the distributed processing system; assigning, by the incident analyzer, each received incident to a pool of incidents; assigning, by the incident analyzer, to each incident a particular combined minimum time for inclusion in one or more pools, each particular combined minimum time corresponding to a particular incident; in response to the pool closing, determining, by the incident analyzer, for each incident in the pool whether the incident has met its combined minimum time for inclusion in one or more pools; and if the incident has been in the pool for its combined minimum time, including, by the incident analyzer, the incident in the closed pool; and if the incident has not been in the pool for its combined minimum time, including the incident in a next pool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2011
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Philip J. Sanders
  • Publication number: 20120110153
    Abstract: Administering incident pools including creating a pool of incidents, the pool having a predetermined initial period of time; assigning each received incident to the pool; assigning, by the incident analyzer, to each incident a predetermined minimum time for inclusion in a pool; extending for one or more of the incidents the predetermined initial period of time of the pool by a particular period of time assigned to the incident; determining whether conditions have been met to close the pool; and if conditions have been met to close the pool determining for each incident in the pool whether the incident has been in the pool for its predetermined minimum time for inclusion in a pool; and if the incident has not been in the pool for its predetermined minimum time, evicting the incident from the closed pool and including the incident in a next pool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2010
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark G. Atkins, James E. Carey, Matthew W. Markland, Philip J. Sanders