Patents by Inventor Todd W. Mummert

Todd W. Mummert 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: 10530837
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for monitoring a virtual machine in a distributed computing system. An out-of-virtual machine monitor receives, via an out-of-band path, disk and memory state data of the virtual machine exposed in a hypervisor hosting the virtual machine. The out-of-virtual machine monitor interprets logical information from the virtual machine disk and memory state data. The out-of-virtual machine monitor parses the logical information to extract related system or log information for a monitoring endpoint. The out-of-virtual machine monitor translates the system or log information to a standard format expected by the monitoring endpoint. The out-of-virtual machine monitor forwards a monitoring data stream to the monitoring endpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Vasanth Bala, Canturk Isci, Todd W. Mummert, Sahil Suneja
  • Patent number: 9304885
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention provide a solution for passively monitoring a computer system. In an embodiment, a read-only target is created based on the configuration of the virtual server disk used by the virtual server to access the storage associated therewith. This read-only target can be used to expose the virtual server disk for access by a monitoring crawler. Using the read-only target, a monitoring crawler can acquire a set of features regarding the virtual server from the virtual server disk. One or more of this set of features can be analyzed to perform passive monitoring of the virtual server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Vasanth Bala, Canturk Isci, James A. Lindeman, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer
  • Patent number: 9229758
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention provide a solution for passively monitoring a computer system. In an embodiment, an indexing agent operates on a physical server having a plurality of virtual servers. The indexing agent has a framework having a plurality of indexing layers. Each of these indexing layers is adapted to index a virtual server along a different abstraction level to extract abstraction level features indicative of changes in the virtual server. Further, each of the indexing layers has an application programming interface, which is adapted to receive one or more external indexing modules to be plugged into the framework. Each indexing module is adapted to provide instructions to the indexing agent while the indexing layer to which it is plugged is indexing the associated abstraction level of the virtual machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn S. Ammons, Vasanth Bala, Sastry S. Duri, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer
  • Patent number: 9218139
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention provide a solution for creating a snapshot of a virtual server. In an embodiment, a first write storage is created in response to a snapshot request. For each write from the virtual server to primary storage that is the first write of that particular data block since the snapshot request, the data that resided in the data block previous to the write is copied from the primary storage to the first write storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn S. Ammons, Vasanth Bala, Canturk Isci, Sastry S. Duri, Todd W. Mummert, Giovanni Pacifici, Darrell C. Reimer
  • Patent number: 9195482
    Abstract: A composite software stack is distributed as a virtual appliance. A new virtual appliance is published by obtaining a parent virtual appliance; configuring the new virtual appliance; obtaining file level differences between the parent virtual appliance and the new virtual appliance; and publishing the new virtual appliance as a patch comprising the file level differences relative to the parent virtual appliance. The file level differences comprise additions, deletions and/or modifications to the parent virtual appliance. An update to a given virtual appliance can be published as a fix pack, wherein the fix pack comprises file level differences relative to the given virtual appliance. An end user obtains a desired virtual appliance by selecting the desired virtual appliance; obtaining metadata for the desired virtual appliance comprising an identifier of a patch file and a parent virtual appliance; and applying the patch file to the parent virtual appliance to get a modified virtual appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn S. Ammons, Vasanth Bala, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer, Xiaolan Zhang
  • Publication number: 20150295800
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for monitoring a virtual machine in a distributed computing system. An out-of-virtual machine monitor receives, via an out-of-band path, disk and memory state data of the virtual machine exposed in a hypervisor hosting the virtual machine. The out-of-virtual machine monitor interprets logical information from the virtual machine disk and memory state data. The out-of-virtual machine monitor parses the logical information to extract related system or log information for a monitoring endpoint. The out-of-virtual machine monitor translates the system or log information to a standard format expected by the monitoring endpoint. The out-of-virtual machine monitor forwards a monitoring data stream to the monitoring endpoint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Vasanth Bala, Canturk Isci, Todd W. Mummert, Sahil Suneja
  • Publication number: 20150052321
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention provide a solution for creating a snapshot of a virtual server. In an embodiment, a first write storage is created in response to a snapshot request. For each write from the virtual server to primary storage that is the first write of that particular data block since the snapshot request, the data that resided in the data block previous to the write is copied from the primary storage to the first write storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn S. Ammons, Vasanth Bala, Canturk Isci, Sastry S. Duri, Todd W. Mummert, Giovanni Pacifici, Darrell C. Reimer
  • Publication number: 20140372596
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention provide a solution for passively monitoring a computer system. In an embodiment, a read-only target is created based on the configuration of the virtual server disk used by the virtual server to access the storage associated therewith. This read-only target can be used to expose the virtual server disk for access by a monitoring crawler. Using the read-only target, a monitoring crawler can acquire a set of features regarding the virtual server from the virtual server disk. One or more of this set of features can be analyzed to perform passive monitoring of the virtual server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Inventors: Vasanth Bala, Canturk Isci, James A. Lindeman, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer
  • Patent number: 8914403
    Abstract: A method for managing a virtual machine image includes receiving a request to change a package configuration of a machine, processing an image action received in the request, wherein the processing the image action received includes, opening the image action with associated action inputs, comparing the opened image action inputs with inputs associated with action instances in a database, determining whether the compared opened image action inputs match the inputs associated with action instances, retrieving from the database, image difference data associated with the image action responsive to determining that the compared opened image action inputs match the inputs associated with action instances in the database, and applying the image difference data to an image to transform the image, determining whether each image action in the request has been processed and processing a second image action responsive to determining that each image action has not been processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bowen L. Alpern, Glenn S. Ammons, Mona Attariyan, Vasanth Bala, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer, Jian Yin, Xiaolan Zhang
  • Patent number: 8806479
    Abstract: A novel method is disclosed for capturing an installed state of a conventional application and converting the captured state into a virtual application. The novel method starts with a bare machine in a known state, preferably soon after the OS was installed. Installation scripts are used to install one or more software applications along with required components and dependencies. Other artifacts can be added and configured such as files, trees, directories, entries, data, values, among others. These also may include updates to various system databases, such as the Windows registry in which certain metadata is stored. The installed applications are tested and verified to work as desired. Undesired artifacts can be deleted manually or removed by the OS. The state of the virtual machine with the installed applications is captured. The installed applications can be tested on the frozen virtual machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bowen L. Alpern, Glenn Ammons, Vasanth Bala, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer
  • Patent number: 8762965
    Abstract: An information processing system includes a preparation machine with an installed image; an execution machine on which the installed image is virtually installed; and a virtualizer for virtualizing the installed image on the execution machine to produce a virtually installed image by using a hierarchy of selective virtualizers, wherein the virtualizing is selective such that not all operations of the executing software of the installed image at any particular level are virtualized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bowen L. Alpern, Joshua S. Auerbach, Vasanth Bala, Thomas V. Frauenhofer, Jobi George, Todd W. Mummert, Michael A. Pigott
  • Patent number: 8677357
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for distributing a composite software stack as a virtual appliance. A new virtual appliance is published by obtaining a parent virtual appliance; configuring the new virtual appliance; obtaining file level differences between the parent virtual appliance and the new virtual appliance; and publishing the new virtual appliance as a patch comprising the file level differences relative to the parent virtual appliance. The file level differences comprise one or more of additions, deletions and modifications to the parent virtual appliance. An update to a given virtual appliance can be published as a fix pack, wherein the fix pack comprises file level differences relative to the given virtual appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn S. Ammons, Vasanth Bala, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer, Xiaolan Zhang
  • Publication number: 20130111018
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention provide a solution for passively monitoring a computer system. In an embodiment, a virtual server is accessed by an indexing agent that is contained in an indexing appliance. The virtual server is located on a physical server and is one of a plurality of virtual system instances on a common physical server. The indexing appliance is separate from the virtual server and, as such, the indexing agent is not executed within the virtual server, itself. The indexing agent retrieves a virtual image of the virtual server and indexes the virtual image to extract features indicative of changes in the virtual server. These features are analyzed to perform passive monitoring of the virtual server. Since the indexing appliance is separate from the virtual server for which passive monitoring is being performed, the indexing agent can perform the retrieving and the indexing without utilizing agents executing within the virtual server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES COPORATION
    Inventors: Glenn S. Ammons, Ahmed M. Azab, Vasanth Bala, Sastry S. Duri, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer, Lakshminarayanan Renganarayana, Xiaolan Zhang
  • Publication number: 20130111473
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention provide a solution for passively monitoring a computer system. In an embodiment, an indexing agent operates on a physical server having a plurality of virtual servers. The indexing agent has a framework having a plurality of indexing layers. Each of these indexing layers is adapted to index a virtual server along a different abstraction level to extract abstraction level features indicative of changes in the virtual server. Further, each of the indexing layers has an application programming interface, which is adapted to receive one or more external indexing modules to be plugged into the framework. Each indexing module is adapted to provide instructions to the indexing agent while the indexing layer to which it is plugged is indexing the associated abstraction level of the virtual machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn S. Ammons, Vasanth Bala, Sastry S. Duri, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer
  • Patent number: 8407696
    Abstract: A method for updating an application on a host system includes steps or acts of: installing an application on the host system; installing a virtual machine monitor on the host system, installing a first virtual container on the host system, wherein the first virtual container comprises at least one update to the installed application; and instantiating the first virtual container under the virtual machine monitor in a mode wherein the host system can be accessed but not modified and wherein instantiating the first virtual container includes updating the installed application in the first virtual computer and running the updated application in the first virtual container. The method may also include a step of confirming that the updated application runs properly. Optionally, the virtual container may be devirtualized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bowen Alpern, Glenn S Ammons, Vasanth Bala, Todd W Mummert, Balachandar Rajaraman, Darrell Christopher Reimer, Mark N. Wegman
  • Publication number: 20130061226
    Abstract: A composite software stack is distributed as a virtual appliance. A new virtual appliance is published by obtaining a parent virtual appliance; configuring the new virtual appliance; obtaining file level differences between the parent virtual appliance and the new virtual appliance; and publishing the new virtual appliance as a patch comprising the file level differences relative to the parent virtual appliance. The file level differences comprise additions, deletions and/or modifications to the parent virtual appliance. An update to a given virtual appliance can be published as a fix pack, wherein the fix pack comprises file level differences relative to the given virtual appliance. An end user obtains a desired virtual appliance by selecting the desired virtual appliance; obtaining metadata for the desired virtual appliance comprising an identifier of a patch file and a parent virtual appliance; and applying the patch file to the parent virtual appliance to get a modified virtual appliance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Glenn S. Ammons, Vasanth Bala, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer, Xiaolan Zhang
  • Publication number: 20120330640
    Abstract: An information processing system includes a preparation machine with an installed image; an execution machine on which the installed image is virtually installed; and a virtualizer for virtualizing the installed image on the execution machine to produce a virtually installed image by using a hierarchy of selective virtualizers, wherein the virtualizing is selective such that not all operations of the executing software of the installed image at any particular level are virtualized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bowen L. Alpem, Joshua S. Auerbach, Vasanth Bala, Thomas V. Frauenhofer, Jobi George, Todd W. Mummert, Michael A. Pigott
  • Patent number: 8286147
    Abstract: An information processing system includes a preparation machine with an installed image; an execution machine on which the installed image is virtually installed; and a virtualizer for virtualizing the installed image on the execution machine to produce a virtually installed image by using a hierarchy of selective virtualizers, wherein the virtualizing is selective such that not all operations of the executing software of the installed image at any particular level are virtualized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bowen L. Alpern, Joshua S. Auerbach, Vasanth Bala, Thomas V. Frauenhofer, Jobi George, Todd W. Mummert, Michael A. Pigott
  • Publication number: 20120192179
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for distributing a composite software stack as a virtual appliance. A new virtual appliance is published by obtaining a parent virtual appliance; configuring the new virtual appliance; obtaining file level differences between the parent virtual appliance and the new virtual appliance; and publishing the new virtual appliance as a patch comprising the file level differences relative to the parent virtual appliance. The file level differences comprise one or more of additions, deletions and modifications to the parent virtual appliance. An update to a given virtual appliance can be published as a fix pack, wherein the fix pack comprises file level differences relative to the given virtual appliance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Glenn S. Ammons, Vasanth Bala, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer, Xiaolan Zhang
  • Publication number: 20120185499
    Abstract: A method for managing a virtual machine image includes receiving a request to change a package configuration of a machine, processing an image action received in the request, wherein the processing the image action received includes, opening the image action with associated action inputs, comparing the opened image action inputs with inputs associated with action instances in a database, determining whether the compared opened image action inputs match the inputs associated with action instances, retrieving from the database, image difference data associated with the image action responsive to determining that the compared opened image action inputs match the inputs associated with action instances in the database, and applying the image difference data to an image to transform the image, determining whether each image action in the request has been processed and processing a second image action responsive to determining that each image action has not been processed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bowen L. Alpern, Glenn S. Ammons, Mona Attariyan, Vasanth Bala, Todd W. Mummert, Darrell C. Reimer, Jian Yin, Xiaolan Zhang