International Business Machines Corporation

Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

William Bradley Schwartz

Eric Richard Kern

Sumeet Kochar

Scott Neil Dunham

Edward Victor Zorek, Sr

Richard Alan Dayan

Barry Alan Kritt

Jeffrey Buchanan Williams

Carl A Morrell

Adam Lee Soderlund

Jason Robert Almeida

Joseph Allen Kirscht

Alfredo Aldereguia

Shiva R Dasari

Grace Ann Richter

William Edward Atherton

Aaron Eliahu Merkin

Thomas James Fox

Michael Scott Rollins

Robert H C Lin

Prasenjit Roy

Howard J Locker

Daryl Carvis Cromer

Kenneth Alan Goldman

Simon C Chu

Brandon John Ellison

Edward Klodnicki

Lee Hardy Wilson

Gregg Kent Gibson

Doug Oliver

Edward Zorek

William L Jaeger

Scott N Durham

Willie James Nathan, Jr

Methods and systems for performing one or more operations on a first computing device are disclosed. A method includes receiving, from a second computing device via a short-range wireless communication, a service session setup request and an identifier of one of the second computing device and an associated user of the second computing device. The method further includes determining whether to authorize the service session setup request based on the identifier. Then in response to determining to authorize the service session setup request, a service session may be established between the first and the second computing devices. The method also includes receiving one or more service instructions that are allowable based on the identifier. The method furthermore includes performing, at the first computing device, the one or more operations based on the service instructions.

Systems and methods for performing operations on a computing device

Aspects for monitoring audible tones indicative of operational status of each planar in a multiple planar chassis are described. Included in the aspects is the monitoring of a speaker channel of each planar of a plurality of planars in a common chassis for state changes of beep tones. An operational status of a specific planar emitting the beep tones is identified based on the state changes.

System for monitoring audible tones in a multiple planar chassis

Updating programmable logic devices ('PLDs') in a symmetric multiprocessing ('SMP') computer, each compute node of the SMP computer including a PLD coupled for data communications through a bus adapter, the bus adapter adapted for data communications through a set of one or more input/output (&#x2018;I/O&#x2019;) memory addresses, including configuring the primary compute node with an update of the configuration instructions for the PLDs; assigning, by the PLDs at boot time in an SMP boot, a unique, separate set of one or more I/O addresses to each bus adapter on each compute node; and providing, by the primary compute node during the SMP boot, the update to all compute nodes, writing the update as a data transfer to each of the PLDs through each bus adapter at the unique, separate set of one or more I/O addresses for each bus adapter.

Updating programmable logic devices in a multi-node system configured for symmetric multiprocessing

Method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for operating a plurality of computer nodes while maintaining trust. A primary computer node and at least one secondary computer node are connected into a cluster, wherein each of the clustered computer nodes includes a trusted platform module (TPM) that is accessible to software and includes security status information about the respective computer node. Each clustered computer node is then merged into a single node with only the TPM of the primary computer node being accessible to software. The TPM of the primary computer node is updated to include the security status information of each TPM in the cluster. Preferably, the step of merging is controlled by power on self test (POST) basic input output system (BIOS) code associated with a boot processor in the primary node.

Method for securely merging multiple nodes having trusted platform modules

Memory is logically partitioned into two regions. A first region may be a similar size relative to the second region or the first region may be a small subset of the memory. The first region of memory is initialized and an operating system utilizes the first region. A system handler simulates a physical hot add of the second region. After the simulated physical hot add, the operating system may utilize the second region as if it were newly added physical memory and/or may utilize both the first region and second region.

Simulating memory hot add

Updating programmable logic devices

A computer system that initializes a fraction of the computer system's memory for execution of video during booting of the computer system is provided. The computer system can include a first portion of BIOS code on a ROM device, wherein the first portion includes instructions for initializing the fraction. The computer system further can include a second portion of BIOS code that copies itself to the fraction upon completion of initialization of the fraction, wherein the second portion executes on the fraction and wherein the second portion initializes system memory and initializes a video buffer. The computer system further can include a copy of the second portion located on the ROM device, wherein the copy of the second portion executes until video buffer initialization is completed but before all of the system memory is initialized. Further, the video buffer displays video before all of the computer system's memory is initialized.

Expedient preparation of memory for video execution

Detection of a reset failure in a multinode data processing system is provided by a diagnostic circuit in each of a plurality of the server nodes of the system. Each diagnostic circuit is coupled to a code fetch chain of its corresponding node. At reset, prior to a node processor retrieving startup code from the code fetch chain, the diagnostic circuit provides diagnostic signals to the code fetch chain. A problem in the code fetch chain is detected from a response to the diagnostic signals. When a problem is detected, a node failure status for the problem node may be signaled to the other nodes. The multinode system may be configured in response to signaled node failure status, such as by dropping failed nodes and replacing a failed primary node with a secondary node if necessary.

Diagnosis of and response to failure at reset in a data processing system

This invention generally provides a method for speeding up system boot time, by initializing a subset of memory during the system firmware test/initialization, and allowing the system to boot an operating system with this subset of installed memory. While the system is completing the operating system boot with the subset of installed memory, a remainder of the installed system memory is being initialized/tested. When the initialization the remainder of system memory is completed (and after the OS has booted), the SMI handler is invoked. The SMI handler then simulates a physical memory 'Hot Add' event, and reports the event to the OS. This allows much of the memory initialization/test activity to occur in parallel with the firmware initialization/test and operating system startup processes.

Reducing power-on time by simulating operating system memory hot add

A design structure embodied in a machine readable storage medium for at designing, manufacturing, and/or testing a design is disclosed for initializing expansion adapters installed in a computer system having similar expansion adapters that include detecting an expansion adapter installed in a computer system having a plurality of expansion adapters, the detected expansion adapter having an option ROM containing initialization code, identifying similar expansion adapters installed in the computer system that correspond to the detected expansion adapter, each of the identified similar expansion adapters having an option ROM containing initialization code, disabling the option ROM of each of the identified similar expansion adapters, and initializing the plurality of expansion adapters installed in the computer system without executing the initialization code of the identified similar expansion adapters.

Structure for initializing expansion adapters installed in a computer system having similar expansion adapters

A method of managing resources in a data processing configuration includes allocating system resources to an application to ensure a specified level of performance for the application. A system parameter is then modified to conserve power consumption upon detecting a condition resulting in a reduction of available system power. The original system resource allocation is then modified to maintain the specified level of performance following the modification of the system parameter. The system resources may include system CPU cycles and allocating system resources may include allocating a specified percentage of the CPU cycles to a high priority application. The reduction of available system power may be caused by an excessive ambient temperature or the failure of a power supply. Modifying the system parameter to conserve power consumption includes throttling the CPU speed and then dynamically increasing the percentage of CPU cycles allocated to the high priority application.

Maintaining server performance in a power constrained environment

A system, method, and computer program product for reporting and recovering from an internal processor error in a multiprocessor system supporting system management mode. In accordance with the method of the present invention one or more replacement agents are allocated such as during system startup within the multiprocessor system. Machine specific error-reporting registers are monitored for one or more active processor agents during system operation. In response to detecting a faulty agent via the monitoring, a system management interrupt (SMI) request is issued to one or both the faulty agent and a selected replacement agent. In response to receiving the SMI request, the operating state of the faulty agent is copied to the selected replacement agent in system management mode. Operating system processing is then resumed using the replacement agent.

System and method for predictive processor failure recovery

Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for initializing expansion adapters installed in a computer system having similar expansion adapters that include detecting an expansion adapter installed in a computer system having a plurality of expansion adapters, the detected expansion adapter having an option ROM containing initialization code, identifying similar expansion adapters installed in the computer system that correspond to the detected expansion adapter, each of the identified similar expansion adapters having an option ROM containing initialization code, disabling the option ROM of each of the identified similar expansion adapters, and initializing the plurality of expansion adapters installed in the computer system without executing the initialization code of the identified similar expansion adapters.

Initializing expansion adapters installed in a computer system having similar expansion adapters

Embodiments of the invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to boot ROM handling and provide a method, system and computer program product for optimized boot ROM handling for I/O devices. In one embodiment of the invention, a ROM scan area optimization method can be provided. The method can include pre-processing multiple boot ROM images to determine memory space requirements in the ROM scan area for all of the boot ROM images. The method further can include partitioning the ROM scan area into multiple, different static portions and at least one dynamic paged portion. Finally, the method can include generating an optimal arrangement of the boot ROM images defining placement of some of the boot ROM images in corresponding ones of the static portions, and others of the boot ROM images in the dynamic paged portion.

Growing community of inventors

Apex, NC, United States of America

William Bradley Schwartz