Method for performing cache coherency in a computer system
Granted: September 21, 2010
Patent Number:
7802058
In a computing system, cache coherency is performed by selecting one of a plurality of coherency protocols for a first memory transaction. Cache coherency is performed on appropriate caches in the computing system in accordance with the selected one of the plurality of coherency protocols. For a second memory transaction, another selection is made of the plurality of coherency protocols. The selected one of the coherency protocols for the second memory transaction may be the same as or…
Flow-through cooling for computer systems
Granted: August 3, 2010
Patent Number:
7768780
Systems and method for cooling computer systems are provided. A rack system for housing a plurality of computers is provided, the rack system including: a rack assembly configured to support a first stack of computers and a second stack of computers; and at least one fan assembly configured to create an airflow through the first stack of computers and into the second stack of computers. A method of cooling a plurality of computers in a rack system is provided, including: supporting a…
Messaging between heterogeneous clients of a storage area network
Granted: July 27, 2010
Patent Number:
7765329
A cluster of computer system nodes connected by a storage area network transmit messages using a messaging protocol having multiple layers. The storage area network supports computer system nodes running different operating systems on different endian processors. A heartbeat signal is transmitted in a common wire format over the lowest level of the messaging protocol; however other messages between the nodes may be transmitted in a format different from the common wire format. The node…
Container-based data center
Granted: May 25, 2010
Patent Number:
7724513
A computing system and method of operating a computing system is provided. The computer system includes: a housing comprising a shipping container having a first interior lateral wall and a second interior lateral wall; a first row of equipment provided along the first interior lateral wall with a first exhaust region between the first row of equipment and the first interior lateral wall; a second row of equipment provided along the second interior lateral wall with a second exhaust…
System and method for conveying information
Granted: May 4, 2010
Patent Number:
7712006
A system for conveying information includes a signal transport device. The signal transport device includes a set of links operable to convey a first set of information signals from a first computer module to a second computer module and a link operable to convey a transaction request credit signal associated with the first set of information signals, the signal indicating whether at least a portion of a transaction request message may be sent using the first set of information signals.…
Interface assembly
Granted: April 6, 2010
Patent Number:
7692928
A computer system comprising an interface assembly configured to support one or more I/O connections. In one variations the computer system comprises a main board housed within a chassis, a chassis connector coupled to the chassis, and one or more I/O cables coupled to the chassis connector. In another variation, the computer assembly comprises a computer rack with a plurality of connector interfaces, each of which is adapted for engaging a computer through a chassis connector with a…
Clustered filesystem for mix of trusted and untrusted nodes
Granted: December 29, 2009
Patent Number:
7640582
A cluster of computer system nodes share direct read/write access to storage devices via a storage area network using a cluster filesystem. At least one trusted metadata server assigns a mandatory access control label as an extended attribute of each filesystem object regardless of whether required by a client node accessing the filesystem object. The mandatory access control label indicates the sensitivity and integrity of the filesystem object and is used by the trusted metadata…
Maintaining process group membership for node clusters in high availability computing systems
Granted: December 1, 2009
Patent Number:
7627694
A high availability computing system includes a plurality of computer nodes (for example, a server system) connected by a first and a second network, wherein the computer nodes communicate with each other to detect server failure and transfer applications to other computer nodes on detecting server failure. The system incorporates methods of maintaining high availability in a server cluster having a plurality of nodes. A group communications service, a membership service and a system…
Multi-class heterogeneous clients in a clustered filesystem
Granted: November 10, 2009
Patent Number:
7617292
A cluster of computer system nodes connected by a storage area network include two classes of nodes. The first class of nodes can act as clients or servers, while the other nodes can only be clients. The client-only nodes require much less functionality and can be more easily supported by different operating systems. To minimize the amount of data transmitted during normal operation, the server responsible for maintaining a cluster configuration database repeatedly multicasts the IP…
System and method for optimizing computational density
Granted: October 13, 2009
Patent Number:
7603573
A system and method of designing a computer system having a plurality of processors. A computational density is selected for the computer system, wherein the computational density is expressed as a function of a desired computational power for a given volume. A number of processors is selected for used in the computer system and the desired computational power is allocated across the selected number of processors. One or more constraints are selected and a particular processor is…
Recovery and relocation of a distributed name service in a cluster filesystem
Granted: September 22, 2009
Patent Number:
7593968
A cluster of computer system nodes share direct read/write access to storage devices via a storage area network using a cluster filesystem. During relocation of a server for a distributed name service and recovery of a cluster, entries related to the distributed name service for filesystems is updated. During relocation, a new server for a filesystem informs all nodes in the cluster of the new server's location. During recovery, a process executing on each node deletes entries related to…
Hot plug control apparatus and method
Granted: May 12, 2009
Patent Number:
7533208
An apparatus for controlling a hot plug bus slot on a bus has an input for receiving a set of float signals (i.e., the set may have one or more float signals), and a driver having an output electrically couplable with the bus. The apparatus also has float logic operatively coupled with the input. The float logic is responsive to the set of float signals to cause the output to float at a high impedance in response to receipt of the set of float signals.
Method of and apparatus for compressing and uncompressing image data
Granted: April 28, 2009
Patent Number:
7526125
The present invention provides for a method of and apparatus for compressing and uncompressing image data. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method of compressing a color cell comprises the steps of: defining at least four luminance levels of the color cell; generating a bitmask for the color cell, the bitmask having a plurality of entries each corresponding to a respective one of the pixels, each of the entries for storing data identifying one of the luminance…
Display system having floating point rasterization and floating point framebuffering
Granted: April 14, 2009
Patent Number:
7518615
A floating point rasterization and frame buffer in a computer system graphics program. The rasterization, fog, lighting, texturing, blending, and antialiasing processes operate on floating point values. In one embodiment, a 16-bit floating point format consisting of one sign bit, ten mantissa bits, and five exponent bits (s10e5), is used to optimize the range and precision afforded by the 16 available bits of information. In other embodiments, the floating point format can be defined in…
System for synchronizing display of images in a multi-display computer system
Granted: March 3, 2009
Patent Number:
7499044
An image display system synchronizes the display of images on a plurality of display devices. The system includes a first computer system generating a first signal representing first image data to be displayed on a first display device, a second computer system generating a second signal representing second image data to be displayed on a second display device, and means for synchronizing the first and second image data. The synchronizing means includes a phase-locked loop circuit having…
Method and system for managing memory in a multiprocessor system
Granted: March 3, 2009
Patent Number:
7500068
A method and system for managing memory in a multiprocessor system includes defining the plurality of processor coherence domains within a system coherence domain of the multiprocessor system. The processor coherence domains each include a plurality of processors and a processor memory. Shared access to data in the processor memory of each processor coherence domain is provided only to elements of the multiprocessor system within the processor coherence domain. Non-shared access to data…
Electromagnetic interference cable backshell assembly for high-density interconnect
Granted: February 3, 2009
Patent Number:
7485003
A cable connector assembly for high frequency applications having reduced electromagnetic emissions. Aspects include providing physical spacing and electrical isolation between the signal conductors and a conductive housing. An isolative member provides reduced capacitive coupling. One embodiment includes spring preloading of the electrical connector relative to the housing. One embodiment includes a connector floating longitudinally within a conductive housing.
Generation and use of system level defect tables for main memory
Granted: January 13, 2009
Patent Number:
7478285
Methods and apparatus for maintaining and utilizing system memory defect tables that store information identifying defective memory locations in memory modules. For some embodiments, the defect tables may be utilized to identify and re-map defective memory locations to non-defective replacement (spare) memory locations as an alternative to replacing an entire memory module. For some embodiments, some portion of the overall capacity of the memory module may be allocated for such…
System for insertion and extraction of an electronic module
Granted: December 16, 2008
Patent Number:
7466561
The system includes a chassis and a printed circuit board (e.g., a motherboard) that is attached to the chassis. The system further includes an actuator that is slidably engaged with the chassis and a cam plate that is rotatably engaged with the chassis. The actuator engages the cam plate such that maneuvering the actuator rotates the cam plate. The system further includes a blade (e.g., an electronic module) which is slidably engaged with the chassis such that the blade slides in a…
Node synchronization for multi-processor computer systems
Granted: December 9, 2008
Patent Number:
7464115
A method and apparatus for controlling access by a set of accessing nodes to memory of a home node (in a multimode computer system) determines that each node in the set of nodes has accessed the memory, and forwards a completion message to each node in the set of nodes after it is determined that each node has accessed the memory. The completion message has data indicating that each node in the set of nodes has accessed the memory of the home node.
