International Business Machines Corporation

Barbara J Bryant

William E Spencer

Margaret M Bennett

Glen E Garrison

Dale Francis Riedy, Jr

William J Rooney

Scott Brady Compton

David Harold Surman

Danny R Sutherland

Robert M Abrams

Kenneth G Rubsam

Donald T Durand

Ming-Yin Ng

Nicole M Fagen

A methodology for creating and using information identifying what and how software and/or firmware modules are used in computer systems, called functional exploitation data. The functional exploitation data can be used to identify what modules should be updated and how updates should be implemented. The functional exploitation data can also be used to identify other computer systems as candidates for updates based on similarity to computer systems that have reported problems, and propose implementing similar updates on the candidates. Functional exploitation data can also be used to identify under-utilized modules for enhancements or greater advocacy. The functional exploitation data can be implemented in the form of a concatenated string.

Making and using functional exploitation information in performing software or firmware updates

A method for providing security vulnerability information is provided. The method may include checking for the security vulnerability information product supplier servers. The method may further include sending alerts to a security vulnerability administrator associated with a client environment. Additionally, the method may include performing a security check on the security vulnerability administrator to authorize the security vulnerability administrator to receive the security vulnerability information. The method may also include authenticating customers associated with the client environment to authorize the customers to receive the security vulnerability information. The method may further include prompting the authorized security vulnerability administrator to acknowledge an information confidentiality reminder. The method may also include sending an audit record to the product supplier server. The method may further include presenting the security vulnerability information to the authorized security vulnerability administrator and the authorized customers associated with the client environment.

Controlled delivery and assessing of security vulnerabilities

A method of identifying errors in a computing system operation is provided and includes identifying that a certain record of interest in system trace information has a number of entries that exceeds a predefined number and inferring from the excessive number of entries that a work unit associated with the certain record of interest is affected by an error.

Error identification

A computer-implemented method, system, and computer program product for assessing environment specific maintenance actions are provided. The method includes identifying a maintenance update for a specific environment including one or more computer systems, where the maintenance update addresses one or more known problems. The method also includes applying factors to determine an assessment index for the one or more known problems as a function of the specific environment. The assessment index indicates a level of installation criticality relative to the specific environment. The method further includes outputting an installation recommendation for the identified maintenance update in response to determining the assessment index.

Maintenance assessment management

A virtual storage computer system having token controlled storage protection. The computer system includes a processor, a real storage, and a virtual storage containing a user space and a system space. A virtual storage area in the user space provides a protected view of one or more pages of memory located in the real storage. A virtual storage area in the system space provides a token-accessible view of the corresponding pages of memory. To protect the pages of memory, a user program first requests that token controlled protection be provided via the virtual address in the user space and that a corresponding user token be returned by the processor. The user program stores the user token for later use when accessing the protected pages. When the user program requests access to the protected pages, the processor matches the user token with a system token to obtain a token-accessible view in the system space of the protected pages.

Virtual storage computer system having methods and apparatus for

A token controlled page protection technique for use in a virtual memory computer system (99). Generally, this technique assigns a unique token (440) to each program when that program requests a protected page of memory. The token is also assigned to the protected page. This protected page of memory cannot be altered by any process, even the operating system, without presenting the correct token. Subsequently, the program may use the assigned token to access and alter the information stored within a protected page. However, to alter a protected page of memory, a token supplied by the program and a token associated with the protected page must match. In this manner, the protected page cannot be altered by any other programs other than the program having the correct token. Additionally, the program uses a special instruction to alter the protected page of memory such that the program associated with a protected page does not have to remove the page protection to alter the information within the protected page. Consequently, the protected page is protected from inadvertent alteration by other programs even though the program using the special instruction and having the correct token can alter the contents of the page.

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Clinton Corners, NY, United States of America

Barbara J Bryant