International Business Machines Corporation

Matthew David Bomhoff

Gregg Steven Lucas

Brian James Cagno

Robert Akira Kubo

Andrew Ellis Seidel

John Charles Elliott

Kenny Nian Gan Qiu

Carl Evan Jones

Katherine S Tyldesley

Paul Nicholas Cashman

Kenny N Qiu

A method to provide a signal using a communication link. The method disposes a passive transponder on the communication link, where that passive transponder includes a memory. The method reads information relating to the communication link from the memory, and then, based upon that information, adjusts certain characteristics of a signal provided using the communication link.

Apparatus and method to provide a signal using a communication link

A method is disclosed to set the speed of a network. The method supplies a network interconnected with a system controller and a plurality of switch domains, where each of those plurality of switch domains comprises one or more information storage devices and a switch domain controller, and sets by each of the plurality of switch domains a signaling rate for that switch domain. The method queries in-band by the system controller each of the plurality of switch domains for that switch domain's signaling rate, and provides in-band by each of the plurality of switch domains the signaling rate for that switch domain. The method provides in-band by the system controller to each of the plurality of switch domains a first speed selection command specifying a first network speed, and resets by each of the plurality of switch domains the signaling rate for that switch domain to the first network speed.

Apparatus and method to set the signaling rate of a network disposed within an information storage and retrieval system

An apparatus and system are disclosed for performing a storage device maintenance operation. A management module receives a command through an interconnection module configured as a non-blocking switch. The management module performs a maintenance operation on a storage device through the interconnection module in response to the command. In addition, the management module may receive queries on the status of the maintenance operation through the interconnection module and report the status of the maintenance operation through the interconnection module.

Apparatus, system, and method for performing storage device maintenance

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for automatically and transparently managing addresses in an arbitrated loop network. An arbitrated loop network switch is programmed with an address map and configured with the necessary modules to monitor an address assignment process and associate soft assigned addresses claimed during the address arbitration process with physical slot addresses. In one embodiment, the address fields of packets addressing a specific physical slot are changed (in route) to the soft address assigned during the address arbitration process. The entire process may be transparent to the rest of the network and to users. The present invention facilitates maintaining a physically ordered addressing scheme despite any soft addressing that occurs during loop initialization.

Arbitrated loop address management apparatus method and system

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for detecting and reporting network mis-cabling. One embodiment of the apparatus includes a detection module, a comparison module, and a cabling connection module. The detection module is configured to detect a new connection at a network switch. The new connection is formed by physically connecting a network cable to the network switch, at one termination, and to another network device, at another termination. The comparison module is configured to compare the new connection to a connection rule, where the connection rule defines either a legal cabling connection or an illegal cabling connection. The cabling connection module is configured to control whether or not the new connection is inserted into the data network or maintained isolated from the data network. Certain implementations of the present invention beneficially allow a new network connection to be verified prior to logical insertion so that potential mis-routing of data and other mis-communications within the data network may be avoided.

Apparatus, system, and method for identifying network mis-cabling

A method is disclosed to set the signaling rate of a switch domain disposed in an information storage and retrieval system. The method establishes a switch domain target operating speed, and determines if that switch domain target operating speed comprises a first signaling rate. If the switch domain target operating speed comprises a first signaling rate, then the method asserts first Device Control Code bits to each of the plurality of data storage devices, and each of the plurality of data storage devices communicates with the switch using that first signaling rate. If the switch domain target operating speed does not comprise the first signaling rate, then the method asserts second Device Control Code bits to each of the plurality of data storage devices, and each of the plurality of data storage devices communicates with the switch using a second signaling rate.

Apparatus and method to set the signaling rate of a switch domain disposed within an information storage and retrieval system

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for integrating an enclosure. An initialization module initializes a second enclosure. A discovery module discovers a connection of the second enclosure to a first enclosure. An address module creates a valid address for the second enclosure. An assignment module assigns the address to the second enclosure. A power control module cycles power to the second enclosure to reinitialize the second enclosure and set the address.

Apparatus, system, and method for integrating an enclosure

Method, logic arrangement or program employ trunking identifiers to assign primary trunking connection between a switch pair.

Method, logic arrangement and program for assigning a primary trunk

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for performing a storage device maintenance operation. A management module receives a command through an interconnection module configured as a non-blocking switch. The management module performs a maintenance operation on a storage device through the interconnection module in response to the command. In addition, the management module may receive queries on the status of the maintenance operation through the interconnection module and report the status of the maintenance operation through the interconnection module.

A data processing unit including a first active cooling device configured to respond to a first control signal and a second active cooling device configured to respond to a second control signal. The control signals may be any type of control signal suitable to control the operation of the first and second active cooling devices. The data processing unit also includes a first control function selectively capable of providing the first control signal and/or the second control signal, and a second control function selectively capable of providing the first control signal and/or the second control signal. Logic associated with the first and second control functions is included to determine which of the control functions will provide which control signal at a specific time. Logic and/or switching or isolation apparatus is also included to prevent both the first and second control functions from attempting to provide one of the control signals simultaneously.

Cooling system control with clustered management services

A multiple-master Inter Integrated Circuit ('IC') bus system includes a first master device including a first processing device within a first power boundary and a second master device including a second processing device within a second power boundary connected through a single IC bus to one or more slave devices. The second master device utilizes a software algorithm or hardware component to detect or manage power up of the first power boundary. Additionally, the second master device includes a bus control algorithm that allows it, once initiated, to communicate with the connected slave device, to direct the first power boundary to activate or detect that the first power boundary has powered up, and to release the IC bus. Once the first processor has initialized, the first master device acquires control of the IC bus without arbitration or interference with the second master device.

Multiple master inter integrated circuit bus system

A state machine is used to remove residual electric charge from a sense line and to sample the voltage of the sense line at multiple pre-determined times to determine the presence of a terminating capacitor and its value. Various values of capacitors identify discrete conditions. These discrete conditions may identify different types of plug-in cards or models of plug-in cards within a group type.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Matthew David Bomhoff