Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Other

International Business Machines Corporation

Joseph Francis Herman

Gary David Cudak

Shareef Fathi Alshinnawi

John Mark Weber

J Mark Weber

Jason Aaron Matteson

Laura Ann Weaver

William James Sommerville

Karl Klaus Dittus

William Mark Megarity

Mark G Atkins

John Geoffrey Gundlach

John Joseph Struble, Jr

Keith T Adams

Jennifer Lynn Burlingham

James Ray Lee

Christine Marie Stamm-Nettleship

Zendre Necole Simmons

A method includes: determining a configuration of one or more networked hardware components; determining a usage level associated with one or more of the networked hardware components; determining a functional category of one or more of the networked hardware components based at least in part on the configuration of the one or more networked hardware components and the usage level associated with the one or more networked hardware components; and one or more of: outputting a suggested configuration of one or more of the networked hardware components based on the determined functional category of the one or more networked hardware components; and configuring of one or more of the networked hardware components based on the determined functional category of the one or more networked hardware components. Corresponding systems and computer program products are also disclosed.

Efficient method for managing and adding systems within a solution

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

Systems, computing devices, and methods for setting data usage levels among computing devices based on predicted data usage are disclosed. According to an aspect, a method includes predicting data usage by a computing device. The computing device is associated with a data usage plan including the computing device and at least one other computing device. The method also includes setting a data usage level of the at least one other computing device based on the predicted data usage.

Systems, computing devices, and methods for setting data usage levels among computing devices based on predicted data usage

An apparatus for user authentication based on tracked activity includes an activity tracker module, a challenge module, and an authentication module. The activity tracker module is configured to electronically track one or more activities of a user. Electronically tracking the one or more activities includes obtaining information about at least one activity from an electronic device of the user. The challenge module is configured to present an authentication challenge to the user via a user interface for the electronic device. The authentication challenge is based on the one or more electronically tracked activities for the user. The authentication module is configured to determine whether to authenticate the user for access to one or more resources via the electronic device, based on the user's response to the authentication challenge.

User authentication based on tracked activity

An apparatus for determining and using correlative thermal efficiency impacts to distribute workloads includes a baseline module, a deviation module, and a transfer module. The baseline module determines a baseline system thermal efficiency of a plurality of servers based on a utilization level of the plurality of servers, the baseline system thermal efficiency including a baseline thermal efficiency of a first server of the plurality of servers. The deviation module determines a deviation in a thermal efficiency from the baseline thermal efficiency of the first server of the plurality of servers based on a new workload assigned to the first server of the plurality of servers. The transfer module transfers the new workload to a second server of the plurality of servers in response to the deviation being above a deviation threshold.

Determining and using correlative thermal efficiency impacts to distribute workloads

A computing device determines a collaboration event in which users are participating. For instance, the users' computing devices may be located within a same location, the users' communication devices may be currently engaging in a common communication session, or calendar entries of the users' calendars may indicate that they are currently participating in a common session. The computing device determines data related to the collaboration event, and may filter this data to yield the data most related to the collaboration event. The computing device provides the data related to the collaboration event to at least one of the users participating in the collaboration event.

Determining and providing data related to collaboration event

Network devices, like switches, selectively store network addresses of data packets received at their interfaces within forwarding tables. A management device determines workload devices related to a workload. The management device determines the network devices through which network traffic related to the workload among the workload devices traverses, and the network devices through which network traffic related to the workload among the workload devices does not traverse. The management device causes each network device to store or not store the network addresses of the workload devices depending on whether network traffic among the workload device traverses therethrough.

Selective network address storage within network device forwarding table

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

An apparatus for contacting a user via an alternate device includes a tracker module, an accessibility module, a contact identification module, and a contact router module. The tracker module obtains tracking information from one or more electronic devices of a user. At least one of the one or more electronic devices includes a communication device. The accessibility module determines, based on the tracking information, that the user is inaccessible via the communication device. The contact identification module autonomously identifies an alternate device for contacting the user. The alternate device is projected, based on the tracking information, to be in proximity to the user. The contact router module reroutes an incoming communication based on the alternate device.

Autonomously identifying an alternate contact device

A first method includes a plurality of nodes communicating with a network switch, each node transmitting a packet with a packet header that includes a value of a node-level attribute selected from a node utilization level, a node role, and a dependency involving the node, and the network switch receiving the packet and prioritizing transmission of the packet based on the value of the node-level attribute identified in the packet header. In a related second method, each node reports the value of the node-level attribute to a management entity, the management entity determines a priority for each node based on the value of the node-level attribute received from each node, and the management entity provides the priority for each node to the network switch, such that the network switch prioritizes, for each packet, transmission of the packet based on the priority for the node involved in communication of the packet.

Network prioritization based on node-level attributes

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 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

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

Rack assemblies for server carrying and pivoting are disclosed. According to an aspect, a rack assembly includes a server rack including multiple stand columns. The server rack defines server spaces for receiving servers, and defines an opening for access of the server spaces. The rack assembly includes first and second slide rails supported by the stand columns and configured to move between a first position within a server spaces and a second position that is outside of the opening. Further, the rack assembly includes a first connector being configured to releasably attach a first side of the server to the first slide rail. The rack assembly also includes a second connector configured to attach the second side to the second slide rail, and configured to pivot about the second side when the first side is detached from the second slide rail.

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Joseph Francis Herman