International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Keylabs, Inc.

Lawrence K Stephens

Paul L Hickman

Kevin J Turpin

Christopher P Clark

Robert B Hayes

A method, implemented as a computer program in a digital computer system, for interrupting, modifying and/or controlling the boot process of a computer, automatically (without manual intervention) across a computer network. When a network manager needs to install software, test, maintain or gather information concerning one or more of the computer systems on the network, this invention permits the network manager to take control of the networked computer during its boot process, and in so doing to reconfigure both the networked computer's hardware and software, and to do so remotely. When fully implemented an entire network may be automatically controlled and tested remotely, all networked computers simultaneously or in sequence. An important improvement over methods of modifying the boot process which require manual intervention on individual computers or which require the use of expensive special purpose hardware devices which must be installed within each networked computer. In the best mode of operation, the method of this invention is performed on standard digital computer hardware through the use of special computer programs.

Method and system for the interception and control of the computer boot

A method and apparatus for communication configuring in digital equipment based on the location of the equipment includes a mechanism determining the location of the digital equipment and a mechanism configuring a communication channel of the equipment based on the location. The location may be determined using a Global Positioning System, Global Paging System, or similar wireless communication system, or by connection to a wired network. User input may also be used in determining, in part or in whole, the location of the digital equipment. Once the location of the digital equipment has been determined, the communication channel for the digital equipment is configured based upon the location using configuration data stored with the digital equipment.

Communication configurator and method for implementing same

A personal computer having an interactive all points addressable display thermal (44) and a cursor positioning device (52) is provided with apparatus for facilitating the generation of a graphics display. At least one table of selectable cursor characters is stored in memory (16), and from this table, any character can be selected to be the cursor character. The selected character is displayed as the cursor and movable to any point on the all points addressable display by the cursor positioning device. Once the current cursor character is at a desired point on the display, it is fixed in that position by reading the position and cursor data into the display buffer of the display terminal.

Schematic building cursor character

A monitoring and alarm system of general purpose design can be customized for use with many different applications to provide sophisticated alarming and control functions based on logical relationships among several sensed variables. A central processing unit is connected to receive a plurality of inputs from various sensors, the variety and type of which are the choice of the user depending on the specific application to which the monitoring and alarm system is to be connected. The central processing unit is programmed to provide the user with an interactive display to first define the variables in the application and the states and/or limits of the variables. This action defines a logical group. Next, the user enters the alarm/action functions to be performed on the condition that all the conditions in the logical group are true. Once this interactive process has been completed, the central processing unit performs the alarm and control functions specified by the user.

Monitoring and alarm system for custom applications

A personal computer having an interactive all points addressable display terminal (44) and a cursor positioning device (52) is provided with a keyboard (28) for inputting alphanumeric character strings not exceeding a predetermined maximum length. Once the desired alphanumeric character string has been input, it can be selected as the current cursor character. As the selected current cursor character, the alphanumeric character string is displayed on the all points addressable display and movable by said cursor positioning device. When the alphanumeric character string is positioned at a desired location on the all points addressable display, it can be fixed in that location by reading the alphanumeric character string data into the display buffer.

Text placement on graphics screen

A user-friendly procedure for the generation and display of geometric figures on a graphics screen uses a cursor placement device such as a joy stick to both define the initial position and size of the geometrical figure. Two specific examples are described: the generation of a circle and the generation of a square or rectangle. In the first example, the cursor is first positioned to point to the center of the circle at which point a small circle is drawn. The circle is expanded in response to the pressing of a designated key by the user until the desired size is attained. In the second example, the pointing by the cursor is to the upper left corner of the square or rectangle, and the square or rectangle is then expanded in response to the user deflecting the joy stick down and to the right.

Geometrical display generator

A display system is provided for a monitoring and alarm system. The monitoring and alarm system includes a central processing unit (10) and a plurality of sensors (14) polled by the central processing unit. A display which is part of the central processing unit is used to prompt user inputs to group a plurality of the sensed variables and the states and limits of each of the variables in a group. The display system is employed by the user to generate a schematic display of the system or environment being monitored. In the process of generating the schematic display, the user links alarm areas on the schematic display with a group or single variable defined by the user. In addition, the user links message areas on the schematic display with user defined messages to be displayed in the event all the conditions defined by the states and limits of variables in a group are true. After each schematic has been generated, it is stored together with the data defining the linked areas of the display. A stored schematic display may then be invoked, and once invoked, messages and status conditions are displayed in response to the sensed conditions of groups of variables sensed by said monitoring and alarm system.

Display system for monitoring and alarm system

A personal computer having an interactive all points addressable display terminal (44) and a cursor positioning device (52) and provided with apparatus for facilitating the generation of a graphics display using cursor characters selected from a table of cursor characters is capable of clearly demarking the currently selected cursor character from characters previously fixed at various points on the all points addressable display. This is accomplished by exclusive ORing the selected cursor character data with the corresponding data in the all points addressable display at the current position of the selected cursor character.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Lawrence K Stephens