International Business Machines Corporation

Richard Alan Diedrich

John Matthew Santosuosso

Randy William Ruhlow

Richard Allen Saltness

Bruce Joseph Ryba

James Kevan Finkenaur

Scott Thomas Evans

Mark Matthew Even

Harvey Gene Kiel

Jeffrey Michael Ryan

Joseph Phillip Bigus

Michael E Aho

Hao Wang

Keith D Cramer

Jinmei Shen

Eric John Nelson

Jay A Lawrence

Charles E Smith

Michael J Diedrich

A program which is linked or bound by reference (referenced program) into one or more other programs supports multiple valid export signatures, each corresponding to a respective version of the referenced program. When a program is built, it records the current signature of each referenced program it is bound to. When subsequently determining whether to rebuild the program, the previously recorded signature of any referenced program is compared with all currently supported signatures of the referenced program, and only if none of the supported signatures matches does the program need to be re-built to ensure compatibility with the referenced program. Preferably, the referenced program is a program library containing supporting procedures, intended to be used by multiple applications programs which are bound to it.

Method and apparatus for building executable computer programs using compiled program libraries

A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, accumulate multiple work units into a bundle and send the bundle to a selected active server. The active server is selected based on the relative costs for the work units and costs for servers. In an embodiment, selecting the active server includes determining relative work unit costs and relative server costs, calculating total weighted costs for the servers based on the relative work unit costs and the relative server costs, and selecting the active server that has the lowest total weighted cost. The active server may either process a work in the bundle locally or send the work unit to a passive server for processing. The active server determines whether each work unit can be executed at the active server. If the work unit can be executed on the active server, the active server executes the work unit and creates local results. If the work unit cannot be executed on the server, the active server sends the work unit to a passive server, and the passive server creates remote results. The active server receives the remote results from the passive server, combines the local results with the remote results into combined results, and sends the combined results to a client. In various embodiments, branch and dependency data are included in the bundle, which the active server uses to order and conditionally process for the work units.

Bundling and sending work units to a server based on a weighted cost

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture utilizing the biological principle of dominance to affect the operation of a genetic algorithm are provided. The genetic algorithm may be used to select a multi-parameter solution set to a user-defined problem, with each parameter modeled as a gene. Dominance may be introduced by associating a dominance attribute with one or more gene values (i.e., traits), for example, that are known to lead to good solution sets, allowing the corresponding gene values to be specified as dominant or recessive. By specifying the known good gene values as dominant, system performance may be optimized as the genetic algorithm may quickly arrive at a good solution set (e.g., due to the known good value appearing more often in future generations). On the other hand, by specifying the known good gene value as recessive, the search space may be increased as the genetic algorithm may evaluate a larger number of possible solution sets (e.g., due to the known good value appearing less often in future generations).

Use of dominance to improve performance or increase search space in genetic algorithms

The present invention relates to a method and program product for facilitating the maintenance of current bookmarks and preventing the loss of information associated with a bookmark. In one aspect, the invention bookmarks a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with one or more HTML documents at a user's request and creates a database table containing each bookmarked URL. The source code of the bookmarked URL is scanned for embedded links which are stored in the table according to the related bookmarked URL. To ensure that the bookmarks are current, a periodic verification of the status of a bookmarked URL is performed. A change in the location or/and contents of the one or more bookmarked HTML documents results in one or more actions to prevent the loss of data to the user. In one embodiment, the database table is refreshed to reflect any changes to the content of the HTML documents. In another embodiment, where a bookmarked HTML document has been moved to a new URL, the table is updated with a forwarding URL, i.e., the original URL is replaced with the new URL. Where a forwarding URL is not available, a backup document containing the stored embedded links related to the original URL is created.

Method of updating network information addresses

An object oriented computer apparatus and method provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for existing host-based (i.e., green screen) applications by defining some object oriented classes that reside on the client workstation, and by substituting function calls for display data in the green screen application with function calls that interface with the object oriented GUI defined by the classes. In this manner the present invention takes advantage of the processing power of client workstations in a network computing environment by having the client run the GUI. The underlying green screen application is modified to replace all display function calls with new function calls to the GUI, but this change is relatively minor and does not affect the underlying core logic of the application. In addition, the new function calls access the GUI screens directly without having to determine which screen is being displayed.

Object oriented apparatus and method for providing a graphical user interface for host-based software applications

A method and apparatus for efficient multimedia data interchange which utilizes multimedia pacing in a distributed data processing system. During a multimedia communications session, each of a plurality of receiving stations transmits multimedia pacing requests to a sending station at negotiated set time intervals. The multimedia pacing request includes information on the availability of current storage for multimedia data at the receiving station, a minimum data time remaining in storage in the receiving station and other information pertaining to the interchange of the multimedia data. The sending station then allocates various priorities to the transmission of data to the plurality of receiving stations in an order indicative of the type of data, i.e. multimedia or non-multimedia, and the information in the multimedia pacing request pertaining to the minimum data time remaining in storage at the receiving station. In addition, the sending station periodically determines the availability of the transmission queue. When the transmission queue is not readily available, the sending station transfers only high priority multimedia data to the transmission queue; however when the transmission queue is available, the sending station transfers lower priority multimedia data to the transmission queue as well. The sending station can then supply a plurality of receiving stations with significant multimedia data in advance when the communications interface is not overloaded.

Method and apparatus for multimedia data interchange with pacing capability in a distributed data processing system

An application program interface (API) provides an interface for common gateway interface (CGI) programs to parse a CGI input string of keywords and their values, each keyword/value pair being all text data separated by a deliminter character, into a buffer which is formated according to a data definition (DDS) file specification or template, thus building a data structure of converted values without keywords from an input string including keyword and text value pairs.

System and method for building a data structure of converted values without keywords from an input string including keyword/text value pairs

Object oriented apparatus and method for providing a graphical user

A computer implemented method and apparatus for creating a data structure comprising a non-linear data object with typed data fields and field names from a common gateway interface type input string.

Apparatus and method for constructing a non-linear data object from a

A mechanism for monitoring and responding to the changes of a local area network (LAN) is disclosed. The automatic configuration mechanism (ACM) of the present invention is initiated as part of the normal 'startup' of a network node. Once initialized, the ACM has three functions. First, nodes use the ACM to obtain configuration information from other nodes. Second, nodes use the ACM to provide configuration information to the other nodes of the network. Lastly, nodes use the ACM to respond to other nodes which seek configuration information.

Automatic configuration mechanism

A predictive dialing system having a computer connected to a telephone switch stores a group of call records in its internal storage. Each call record contains a group of input parameters, including the date, the time, and one or more workload factors. Workload factors can indicate the number of pending calls, the number of available operators, the average idle time, the connection delay, the completion rate, and the nuisance call rate, among other things. In the preferred embodiment, each call record also contains a dial action, which indicates whether a call was initiated or not. These call records are analyzed by a neutral network to determine a relationship between the input parameters and the dial action stored in each call record. This analysis is done as part of the training process for the neutral network. After this relationship is determined, the computer system sends a current group of input parameters to the neural network, and, based on the analysis of the previous call records, the neural network determines whether a call should be intiated or not. The neural network bases its decision on the complex relationship it has learned from its training data--perhaps several thousand call records spanning several days, months, or even years. The neural network is able to automatically adjust--in a look ahead, proactive manner--for slow and fast periods of the day, week, month, and year.

Look ahead method and apparatus for predictive dialing using a neural

An interpreter is provided which enables a user of a computer to add additional function to existing programming applications independent of the applications. The interpreter interfaces between an advanced function, such as voice synthesis, and an application, such as an office calendar and mail system. The user defines the part of the application on which to apply the voice synthesis in a high level computer language. This definition can include transformation of touch tone pulses to commands for the application as would generally be entered by keyboard. The definition then applies the function as directed by the user, such as to read the mail, or read the calendar, either by means of speaker coupled to the computer or over telephone lines to a remote user.

Interpreter program for providing commands to a computer application

A digital multiplier has recoders for recoding the multiplier bits to form selection bits which are applied to selectors for selecting forms of the multiplicand, either the multiplicand itself or multiples of the multiplicand, the selected forms being applied to adders which produce partial products, the adders being interconnected to produce the product. Special product generators simultaneously generate multiples of the multiplicand which are applied to the selectors.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, MN, United States of America

Richard Alan Diedrich