International Business Machines Corporation

Bruno Portaluri

Antonio Secomandi

Riccardo Rossi

Gianluca Mariani

Domenico D'Alterio

Domenico Di Giulio

Silvia Bellucci

Ricardo Rossi

Bernardo Pastorelli

Luisa Attanasio

Remo Freddi

Giorgio Cognigni

Lorenzo Amorosa

A method and system for Orthogonal Defect Classification (ODC) analysis in a computing system, is provided. One implementation involves determining a defect in a software application, providing a defect fix to the software application, linking the source code fix to the defect, and automatically performing ODC analysis and calculating ODC information has based on calculations against the source code linked to the defect fixed.

Automatic calculation of orthogonal defect classification (ODC) fields

A provisioning method and a corresponding apparatus for managing a data processing system including a plurality of exploiter entities and a plurality of resources, the system maintaining a repository with system requirements of the plurality of exploiter entities. The provisioner monitors any possible needs for further resources of the exploiters. When such needs arise, the provisioner select an available resource within a pool of possible available resources. Such selection is done so that the effort for configuring the resource according to exploiter requirements is reduced. One feature of the method of the present invention is that two levels of requirements are defined: the 'Hard Properties', i.e. those system features which cannot be easily configured; and the 'Soft Properties', i.e. those features which can be easily configured. Of course the definition of Hard and Soft can be customized according to predetermined conditions. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Hard Properties are those features which cannot be automatically configured and which may require an operator intervention or long awaiting times, while Soft Properties are those which can be automatically modified.

Dynamic resource allocation using a resource configuration effort score

A mechanism is provided for minimizing network resource overhead consumption by reports from one or more agents distributed in an electronic data network of nodes having a hierarchical reporting structure. Reports are received from other nodes in an electronic network of nodes or one or more agents further from a network root node in the electronic network of nodes. The reports are submitted to another node closer to the network root node in response to another node existing between the node and the network root node. The reports are submitted to the network root node in response to no other node existing between the node and the network root node. The node is adapted to only report variations in the expected report flow associated with the received reports.

Minimising network resource overhead consumption by reports from one or more agents distributed in an electronic data network of nodes

Minimizing network resource overhead consumption by reports from one or more agents distributed in an electronic data network of nodes

Mechanisms for enforcing reproduction rights for hard copies of physical hard copy articles are provided. The mechanisms electronically scan a surface of the physical hard copy article using a scanning mechanism to generate scanned data. A reproduction control identifier is extracted from the scanned data and output of a copy of the article is controlled based on the reproduction control identifier that was extracted from the scanned data. The physical hard copy article has a plurality of reproduction control identifiers present in multiple locations on the surface of the physical hard copy article such that content of portions of the physical hard copy article provided on the surface cannot be electronically scanned by the scanning mechanism without detecting a reproduction control identifier.

Enforcing reproduction rights for hard copies of documents

Mechanisms for Orthogonal Defect Classification (ODC) analysis in a computing system are provided. One implementation involves determining a defect in a software application, providing a defect fix to the software application, linking the source code fix to the defect, and automatically performing ODC analysis and calculating ODC information based on calculations against the source code linked to the defect fixed.

A method and a corresponding apparatus for metering usage of software products on a computer are proposed. The metering system is based on the use of a software catalogue. The software catalogue lists all the known products to be metered; each product is identified by one or more executable modules indicative of its running. A licensing agent detects the executable modules that have been launched. For each executable module, the system checks if a corresponding product is listed in the catalogue, and can decide an appropriate action, or simply meter the usage of the product for future reporting and invoicing activity. If no corresponding product is found in the catalogue, the method according to the present invention performs a similarity check between the unknown detected module and the product identifiers existing on the catalogue. Sometimes the difference between a new product and a catalogued one is very limited. If such difference is evaluated to be within a predetermined threshold, than the unknown module is added to the catalogue.

Method and apparatus for metering usage of software products with automatic catalog population

A load balancing system and a corresponding computer-readable medium are proposed. The load balancing system is used in environments (e.g., implementing a licensing management application) wherein each client is associated with a preferred server storing specific information for the client. Each client periodically detects a workload and a response time of all the servers. The client selects a subset of nearest servers (according to their response times). The server in that subset with the lowest workload is set as an eligible server. Whenever a ratio between the workload of the preferred server and the workload of the eligible server exceeds a predefined threshold value (e.g., 1.1), the client switches to the eligible server (transferring the corresponding specific information). The system of the invention exhibits a slow dynamic, and tends to reach a steady condition (wherein the specific information of the clients is not continuously moved across the system).

Slow-dynamic load balancing system and computer-readable medium

A load balancing method and a corresponding system are proposed. The load balancing method is used in environments (e.g., implementing a licensing management application) wherein each client is associated with a preferred server storing specific information for the client. Each client periodically detects a workload and a response time of all the servers. The client selects a subset of nearest servers (according to their response times). The server in that subset with the lowest workload is set as an eligible server. Whenever a ratio between the workload of the preferred server and the workload of the eligible server exceeds a predefined threshold value (e.g., 1.1), the client switches to the eligible server (transferring the corresponding specific information). The method of the invention exhibits a slow dynamic, and tends to reach a steady condition (wherein the specific information of the clients is not continuously moved across the system).

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Rome, Italy

Bruno Portaluri