Patents by Inventor Nathan C. Skalsky

Nathan C. Skalsky 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: 9038179
    Abstract: Secure code verification enforcement in a trusted computing device, including: examining, by a secure code validation module, a trusted computing device that is locked in a powered down state in response to an impermissible physical access of the trusted computing device; determining, by the secure code validation module, whether content of trusted memory in the trusted computing device has been altered; and responsive to determining that the content of trusted memory in the trusted computing device has not been altered, unlocking, by the secure code validation module, the trusted computing device such that the trusted computing device can be powered up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Paul Klustaitis, Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Patent number: 8903967
    Abstract: Out-of-band management of third party adapter configuration settings in a computing system, the computing system including one or more configurable adapters, including: retrieving, by an out-of-band configuration manager from an out-of-band configuration repository, out-of-band configuration settings for a configurable adapter; determining, by the out-of-band configuration manager, whether the out-of-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter have been updated; and responsive to determining that the out-of-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter have been updated: updating, by the out-of-band configuration manager, in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter, wherein the in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter are stored in an in-band configuration repository; retrieving, by the out-of-band configuration manager from the in-band configuration repository, metadata that includes updated in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Randall L. Murphy, Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Patent number: 8898345
    Abstract: Out-of-band management of third party adapter configuration settings in a computing system, the computing system including one or more configurable adapters, including: retrieving, by an out-of-band configuration manager from an out-of-band configuration repository, out-of-band configuration settings for a configurable adapter; determining, by the out-of-band configuration manager, whether the out-of-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter have been updated; and responsive to determining that the out-of-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter have been updated: updating, by the out-of-band configuration manager, in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter, wherein the in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter are stored in an in-band configuration repository; retrieving, by the out-of-band configuration manager from the in-band configuration repository, metadata that includes updated in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Randall L. Murphy, Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Patent number: 8863109
    Abstract: Updating secure pre-boot firmware in a computing system in real-time, including: storing in a secure firmware memory region a firmware update module configured to update the secure pre-boot firmware; responsive to a user request to update the secure pre-boot firmware: entering a processor management mode, including suspending operating system and user-level data processing operations; executing the firmware update module; and determining whether the secure pre-boot firmware was successfully updated; and exiting the processor management mode, including resuming operating system and user-level data processing operations and notifying the user of the successful update.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Patent number: 8832435
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for providing a real-time indication of platform trust are provided. Embodiments include an integrity reporting module determining that a platform is currently operating in a system management mode (SMM) and receiving from an integrity measurement module, an integrity measurement results signal. Embodiments also include the integrity reporting module determining whether the received integrity measurement results signal indicates the platform is trusted. If the received integrity measurement results signal indicates that the platform is trusted, the integrity reporting module provides to a user of the platform, a real-time visual indication that the platform is trusted. If the received integrity measurement results signal indicates that the platform is not trusted, the integrity reporting module provides to the user a real time visual indication that the platform is not trusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Klustaitis, Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Patent number: 8826076
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products for visually marking computing components within a computing system are disclosed that include: detecting that a particular computing component has failed, wherein the particular computing component has a physical surface that may be altered with the application of some physical stimulus; and applying a requisite physical stimulus to the physical surface such that the appearance of the physical service is altered, thereby visually identifying that the component has failed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael G. Brinkman, Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Patent number: 8671171
    Abstract: Wireless configuration for a computing device, the computing device including computer memory, a wireless receiver, and a device configuration management module, including: receiving, by the device configuration management module via the wireless receiver, configuration data for the computing device, wherein the computing device is packaged in original equipment manufacturer (‘OEM’) packaging; and storing, by the device configuration management module, the configuration data for the computing device in the computer memory of the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Publication number: 20140068766
    Abstract: Secure code verification enforcement in a trusted computing device, including: examining, by a secure code validation module, a trusted computing device that is locked in a powered down state in response to an impermissible physical access of the trusted computing device; determining, by the secure code validation module, whether content of trusted memory in the trusted computing device has been altered; and responsive to determining that the content of trusted memory in the trusted computing device has not been altered, unlocking, by the secure code validation module, the trusted computing device such that the trusted computing device can be powered up.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul Klustaitis, Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Publication number: 20130144991
    Abstract: Wireless configuration for a computing device, the computing device including computer memory, a wireless receiver, and a device configuration management module, including: receiving, by the device configuration management module via the wireless receiver, configuration data for the computing device, wherein the computing device is packaged in original equipment manufacturer (‘OEM’) packaging; and storing, by the device configuration management module, the configuration data for the computing device in the computer memory of the computing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Publication number: 20130138934
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and apparatus for loading configuration information. The method for loading configuration information according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: obtaining a first digest from a baseboard management controller BMC, wherein the first digest is generated according to first configuration information stored in BMC; comparing the first digest with a second digest locally stored in a host system, wherein the second digest is generated according to second configuration information locally stored in the host system, and the second configuration information is configuration information loaded in the last boot of the host system; and in response to determining that the first digest differs from the second digest, obtaining the first configuration information from BMC for overwriting the second configuration information, so as to load the first configuration information in the course of booting the host system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Fei X. Lin, Nan X. Mei, Nathan C. Skalsky, Jun Y. Wang, Dao Q. Yang
  • Publication number: 20130117493
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products for reliable memory mapping in a computing system, the computing system including a plurality of memory modules, including: determining, by a channel mapping module, a reliability rating for each of a plurality of memory controller address ranges; mapping, by the channel mapping module, critical system-level memory addresses to the most reliable memory controller address ranges; and directing, by the channel mapping module, memory accesses addressed to a critical system-level memory address to the most reliable memory controller address ranges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nathan C. Skalsky, Ivan R. Zapata
  • Publication number: 20130091259
    Abstract: Out-of-band management of third party adapter configuration settings in a computing system, the computing system including one or more configurable adapters, including: retrieving, by an out-of-band configuration manager from an out-of-band configuration repository, out-of-band configuration settings for a configurable adapter; determining, by the out-of-band configuration manager, whether the out-of-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter have been updated; and responsive to determining that the out-of-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter have been updated: updating, by the out-of-band configuration manager, in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter, wherein the in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter are stored in an in-band configuration repository; retrieving, by the out-of-band configuration manager from the in-band configuration repository, metadata that includes updated in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Randall L. Murphy, Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Publication number: 20130091260
    Abstract: Out-of-band management of third party adapter configuration settings in a computing system, the computing system including one or more configurable adapters, including: retrieving, by an out-of-band configuration manager from an out-of-band configuration repository, out-of-band configuration settings for a configurable adapter; determining, by the out-of-band configuration manager, whether the out-of-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter have been updated; and responsive to determining that the out-of-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter have been updated: updating, by the out-of-band configuration manager, in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter, wherein the in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter are stored in an in-band configuration repository; retrieving, by the out-of-band configuration manager from the in-band configuration repository, metadata that includes updated in-band configuration settings for the configurable adapter
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: RANDALL L. MURPHY, NATHAN C. SKALSKY
  • Publication number: 20130031538
    Abstract: Updating secure pre-boot firmware in a computing system in real-time, including: storing in a secure firmware memory region a firmware update module configured to update the secure pre-boot firmware; responsive to a user request to update the secure pre-boot firmware: entering a processor management mode, including suspending operating system and user-level data processing operations; executing the firmware update module; and determining whether the secure pre-boot firmware was successfully updated; and exiting the processor management mode, including resuming operating system and user-level data processing operations and notifying the user of the successful update.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Publication number: 20120192019
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products for visually marking computing components within a computing system are disclosed that include: detecting that a particular computing component has failed, wherein the particular computing component has a physical surface that may be altered with the application of some physical stimulus; and applying a requisite physical stimulus to the physical surface such that the appearance of the physical service is altered, thereby visually identifying that the component has failed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael G. Brinkman, NATHAN C. SKALSKY
  • Patent number: 8185780
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products for visually marking computing components within a computing system are disclosed that include: detecting that a particular computing component has failed, wherein the particular computing component has a physical surface that may be altered with the application of some physical stimulus; and applying a requisite physical stimulus to the physical surface such that the appearance of the physical service is altered, thereby visually identifying that the component has failed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael G. Brinkman, Nathan C. Skalsky
  • Publication number: 20110276841
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products for visually marking computing components within a computing system are disclosed that include: detecting that a particular computing component has failed, wherein the particular computing component has a physical surface that may be altered with the application of some physical stimulus; and applying a requisite physical stimulus to the physical surface such that the appearance of the physical service is altered, thereby visually identifying that the component has failed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2010
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael G. Brinkman, Nathan C. Skalsky