Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

International Business Machines Corporation

J Mark Weber

Gary David Cudak

Shareef Fathi Alshinnawi

Edward Stanely Suffern

Joseph Francis Herman

Christopher J Hardee

Margaret M Quinn

Adam Roberts

Jason Aaron Matteson

Mark Edward Steinke

Robert William Stegner

Randall C Humes

William Mark Megarity

Andrew Hamilton Wray

John Joseph Struble, Jr

Bryan M Reese

David G Dean

Christine Marie Stamm-Nettleship

William E Lohmeyer, Jr

Thomas J Alandt

Zendre Necole Simmons

Gerald A Price

A method is provided for controlling access to a target device. The method comprises receiving, by the target device, primary input from a user or user device, wherein the primary input matches a predetermined input stored by the target device and authorizes the user or user device to access the target device. The method further comprises storing, by the target device, one or more wireless secondary signals that are detected by the target device during a time period in which the primary input is received. Still further, the method comprises allowing access to the target device in response to receiving the primary input, and then allowing access to the target device in response to subsequently receiving at least one of the one or more wireless secondary signals matching one or more of the stored wireless secondary signals in the absence of receiving the primary input.

Allowing access to a device responsive to secondary signals previously associated with authorized primary input

Profiling operating efficiency deviations of a computing system includes: generating a profile of expected operating efficiency for a computing system in an ideal configuration; for each of a plurality of alternative configurations of the computing system, wherein each of the alternative configurations includes a variation of the ideal configuration that introduces a deviation in operating efficiency of the computing system, said variation comprising a root cause of the deviation: monitoring operating efficiency of the computing system identifying, from the monitored operating efficiency, a deviation of operating efficiency from the expected operating efficiency; and recording, in a data structure, an association of the deviation and the root cause of the deviation.

Profiling operating efficiency deviations of a computing system

Automatically orienting hardware ports in a computing device, including: determining a location of a first hardware port configured to receive a first cable connector of a cable; determining a location of a second hardware port configured to receive a second cable connector of the cable; determining, in dependence upon the location of the first hardware port and the location of the second hardware port, orientation information for at least one of the hardware ports; and transmitting an instruction to position at least one of the hardware ports in accordance with the orientation information.

Automatically orienting hardware ports in a computing device

A method includes tracking access to files that are stored on a single disk, and identifying a file access sequence involving a first file and a second file stored on the disk, wherein the first file is accessed before the second file. The method further includes determining a time differential between a time that the first file is accessed and a time that the second file is accessed, and determining a direction and speed at which a drive head of the disk can move between sectors and tracks of the disk. Still further, the method includes migrating one or both of the first and second files to a new location on the disk so that, after the drive head of the disk has read the first file, the drive head is repositioned at a beginning of the second file in a period of time that is a function of the time differential.

Controlling file placement on a disk drive to improve file access

Using a conversation context to manage conference participants including receiving a request from an invitee to join a conference in progress; extracting audio from the conference; converting said audio to data describing the conference; matching data to a context, wherein the context comprises a specification of a subject matter of the conference and a list of authorized participants for the conference; comparing the invitee to the list of the authorized participants for the conference; responsive to determining that the invitee matches an authorized participant of the list of authorized participants for the conference, granting permission to the invitee to join the conference; and responsive to determining that the invitee does not match an authorized participant of the list of authorized participants for the conference, denying the invitee access to the conference.

Using a conversation context to manage conference participants

A method and computer program product are provided for controlling the airflow direction through a device enclosure. A first device enclosure is positioned adjacent a second device enclosure, wherein both enclosures have an airflow pathway extending from the front to the back, and a fan for moving air through the airflow pathway, wherein the fan of the first device enclosure is a reversible rotary fan. The method automatically determines whether the first device enclosure is in a first orientation with its front facing in the same direction as the front of the adjacent second device enclosure or in a second orientation with the front facing in the same direction as the back of the adjacent second device enclosure. The airflow direction imparted by a reversible rotary fan is then controlled according to the determined orientation of the first device enclosure relative to the second device enclosure.

Reversible fan direction control responsive to device enclosure orientation

A method includes determining a topic and a media type of a communication to be sent from a sending communication device to a designated receiving communication device, assigning one or more security requirements to the communication based on the topic and the media type, identifying a security state of the receiving communication device for receiving the communication via the media type, and transmitting the communication from the sending communication device to the receiving communication device only in response to the security state of the receiving communication device satisfying the one or more security requirements.

Security considerations for outgoing communications

A method and apparatus are provided for detecting and recovering from a damaged signal line in a communication cable. Signals are transmitted over a first plurality of signal lines within the cable from a first end, signals are transmitted over a second plurality of signal lines within the cable from the second end, and the quality of signals received on each of the first plurality of signal lines at the second end of the cable are monitored. A first one of the first plurality of signal lines that is not providing a signal of a predetermined minimum quality is identified, the identified first signal line is automatically switched out for a first spare signal line within the cable, and one of the second plurality of signal lines that is logically associated with the identified first signal line is automatically switched out for a second spare signal line within the cable.

Cable having a spare signal line for automatic failure recovery

Water is circulated through a cooling system within a compute node to remove heat from a heat-generating component within the compute node. Water leakage from the cooling system is collected into a containment reservoir within the compute node. A rate of the water leakage is measured, a temperature of the compute node is measured, a rate of water evaporation from the containment reservoir is determined based upon the measured temperature, and the rate of water leakage is compared to the rate of water evaporation to determine whether water is accumulating in the containment reservoir. A period of time before the containment reservoir reaches a critical level may also be determined.

Managing water leakage from a water cooling system within a compute node

Predictive block allocation in a flash device, where the flash device includes a plurality of blocks may include: receiving a request to store data to the flash device; determining, in dependence upon one or more characteristics of the data, a usage prediction value for the data; determining, in dependence upon the usage prediction value for the data and upon wear levels for the plurality of blocks, a block from among the plurality of blocks; and; and storing the data in the block of the plurality of blocks.

Predictive block allocation in a flash device

A method includes, for each of a plurality of configured switch ports, identifying switch port settings being used by the configured switch port and device parameters of an installed device connected to the configured switch port. The method further includes correlating one or more of the device parameters to one or more of the switch port settings. In response to an additional device being connected to an additional switch port, the method obtains device parameters of the additional device and automatically configures the additional switch port to use the one or more of the switch port settings that are correlated to one or more of the device parameters matching the device parameters of the additional device.

Automatic configuration of switch port settings based on the device attached to the switch port

Management of power consumption in large computing clusters is disclosed herein. According to an aspect, a method includes using a power manager to receive, via a communication interface, information associated with the cluster of computing nodes. The method includes determining whether a switch is coupled to an inactive computing node of the cluster of computing nodes based on the received information. Further, the method includes communicating a command to the switch to remove power supplied to a switch port of the switch coupled to the inactive computing node in response to determining that the switch is coupled to an inactive computing node of the cluster of computing nodes.

Management of power consumption in large computing clusters

Positioning autonomous vehicles based on field of view, including: identifying, by a vehicle management module, one or more critical sight lines for a subject vehicle, each critical sight line representing a boundary of an area of space surrounding the subject vehicle; determining, by the vehicle management module, physical location information for one or more surrounding vehicles; determining, by the vehicle management module in dependence upon the physical location information for one or more surrounding vehicles, whether one or more surrounding vehicles are located within the area of space surrounding the subject vehicle; and responsive to determining that one or more surrounding vehicles are located within the area of space surrounding the subject vehicle, altering a location of the subject vehicle relative to at least one of the surrounding vehicles.

Positioning autonomous vehicles based on field of view

Management of power consumption in large computing clusters is disclosed herein. According to an aspect, a computing device comprising a power manager may be configured to receive, via a communication interface, information associated with the cluster of computing nodes. The power manager of the computing device may also be configured to determine whether a switch is coupled to an inactive computing node of the cluster of computing nodes based on the received information. Further, the power manager of the computing device may be configured to communicate a command to the switch to remove power supplied to a switch port of the switch coupled to the inactive computing node in response to determining that the switch is coupled to an inactive computing node of the cluster of computing nodes.

A system includes an electronic device including a baseboard management controller (BMC), a power supply unit (PSU), and an external connector, wherein the BMC controls a serial communication bus, and the external connector includes AC voltage contacts and serial communication bus contacts. A power distribution unit (PDU) includes multiple outlets, a management entity, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader, and a visual indicator. A power cable includes a first plug end for coupling to the external connector, a second plug end for coupling to one of the outlets, AC voltage wires extending end-to-end, a read/write RFID tag in the second plug end, and communication wires extending from the first plug end to the read/write RFID tag. Coupling the first plug end to the external connector connects the AC voltage and connects the serial communication bus such that the BMC is in serial communication with the read/write RFID tag.

Growing community of inventors

Wake Forest, NC, United States of America

J Mark Weber