Unisys Corporation

Lev Smorodinsky

James W Thompson

Norman Roy Smith

Leonard Eugene Eismann

Joseph Craig McSweeney

A method and a novel estimator program are provided for Server Metafarm optimization for a given particular large number of the Metafarm users/clients 'L' by balancing a number of separate Server Farms and their availability requirements. By the optimization of the Metafarm is herein meant the process of finding the optimum values of the selected optimization parameters (such as a number of Server Farms and/or a Redundancy Factor value) that deliver the optimum value for the selected optimization criterion (such as Server Metafarm availability) and a given set of input data.

Method for server metafarm configuration optimization

A method and an estimator program for estimating the optimum Server Farm size and the availability of the Server Farm for a given Redundancy Factor and a given particular number of clients.

Method for server farm configuration optimization

A method and an estimator program for estimating the server farm size and the availability of the server farm for a given redundancy factor and a given particular number of clients.

Method for estimating the availability of an operating server farm

A novel sales system of complex products whose configuration is designed based on the customer requirements provides method steps for generating guarantee offers. A value of the guarantee criterion for the complex product (such as product availability) can be evaluated only after the complex product configuration is determined. For each combination of the customer requirements, a system configuration and a corresponding value of the guarantee criterion is generated. Then, this value is used for the customer remedy calculations.

Method for complex products configuration and guarantee generation

An estimator program is disclosed which performs method steps for estimating the availability of an application program that runs on any computer in a cluster of at least two computers. By the availability of an application program is herein meant the probability that at any particular time instant, at least one of the computers in the cluster will actually be servicing requests from external workstations to use the application program. In one embodiment, the estimator program begins by receiving input parameters which include 1) multiple downtime periods for each computer in the cluster that occur at respective frequencies due to various downtime sources, and 2) an application failover time period for switching the running of the application program from any one computer to another. From those input parameters, the estimator program estimates first and second annual stoppage times, and then determines the availability of the application program on the cluster from the sum of the first and second annual stoppage times.

Estimator program for estimating the availability of an application program that runs in a cluster of at least two computers

A method of providing a service, to a plurality of terminals on a communication network, through a server on the communication network includes the following steps: 1) coupling a correlator to the network which links a unique name for the server to multiple network addresses; 2) providing a set of multiple computers on the network, each of which performs the service and is assigned a different one of the multiple network addresses; and, 3) incorporating a network address selector on the network which directs any one of the terminals to a single one of the computers, when an operator of that one terminal generates a request for the service which includes the unique name of the server. Due to this method, the server has a virtual single network address which means that from the point of view of an operator of a terminal, the service is being provided by a single computer on the network that has a single network address that corresponds to the server's unique name. But in reality, the requested service is being provided to the terminal by different computers at different times, depending upon which computer is selected by the network address selector.

Method of providing a service through a server with a virtual single

An electronic bill presentment and payment system includes multiple biller computers, a bill presentment computer, and multiple customer computers. Each biller computer stores complete bills for the customer of a corresponding biller, and the bill presentment computer stores a respective summary of each complete bill along with a hash of that complete bill which is digitally signed by the biller computer. Each particular customer computer makes a payment on a selected complete bill by generating a payment message which includes a) the hash of the selected complete bill digitally signed by the biller computer, and b) an authorization to pay a specified amount of funds on the selected complete bill, both of which are digitally signed by that particular customer computer. This payment message is stored in a closing record for use in resolving issues regarding whether or not the bill was changed after payment was authorized, and whether or not an alleged payment on the selected bill was authorized.

Electronic bill presentment and payment system which deters cheating by

A method of transferring funds electronically, is performed by a group of N computers X(1) thru X(N) which are intercoupled to each other, and to another computer Y, by a communication channel. Each computer of the group includes multiple customer accounts, and the computer Y includes a net account for each computer of the group. To initiate the transfer of funds between two customer accounts, a customer sends an input request to one of computers X(i) of the group; and this input request specifies that funds F(z) be transferred in a particular direction between a customer account A(r) in computer X(i) and a customer account A(s) in another computer X(j) of the group. For each input request that is received by computer X(i), a respective sequence of electronic control messages is sent on the communication channel among the computers X(i), X(j) and Y. By this sequence of control messages, computer X(i) tests the status of customer account A(r); computer X(j) tests the status of customer account A(s); and computer Y tests the status of the net accounts for computers X(i) and X(j). If all of the tests by the computers X(i) and x(j) are satisfied, then those computers both authorize computer Y to transfer the funds F(z) between the net accounts for computers X(i) and X(j); and if all of the tests by computer Y are satisfied, then computer Y authorizes the computers X(i) and X(j) to transfer the funds F(z) between the customer accounts A(r) and A(s). This authorization from all three computers eliminates the need to reverse a transfer of funds; and consequently, the transferred funds are available for withdrawal immediately after the sequence of messages is completed successfully.

Growing community of inventors

Laguna Hills, CA, United States of America

Lev Smorodinsky