| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080276024 | Method for Stabilizing Asynchronous Interfaces - A method and computer system apparatus for asynchronous data transfer between a source and sink without the use of an asynchronous control signal. includes metastability circuits, data change detection logic, a stability window delay counter, and a mux/register pair to allow for the holding of previous stable data during the transition. While the processing logic employed specifically applies to asynchronous logic, the logic can be extended to synchronous or untimed interfaces as well. Also disclosed is a programmable means to adjust the window delay. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20090070622 | Multi nodal Computer System and Method for Handling Check Stops in the Multi nodal Computer System - A new multi nodal computer system comprising a number of nodes on which chips of different types reside. The new multi nodal computer system is characterized in that there is one clock chip per node, each clock chip controlling only the chips residing on that node said chips being appropriate for sending a check stop request to the associated clock chip in case of a malfunction. A new check stop handling method is characterized in that depending on the source of the check stop request the clock chip that received the check stop request initiates a system check stop, a node check up, or a chip check stop. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090106588 | Method and Apparatus for Parallel and Serial Data Transfer - A method and apparatus are disclosed for performing maintenance operations in a system using address, data, and controls which are transported through the system, allowing for parallel and serial operations to co-exist without the parallel operations being slowed down by the serial ones. It also provides for use of common shifters, engines, and protocols as well as efficient conversion of ECC to parity and parity to ECC as needed in the system. The invention also provides for error detection and isolation, both locally and in the reported status. The invention provides for large maintenance address and data spaces (typically 64 bits address and 64 bits data per address supported). | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090164874 | Collecting Failure Information On Error Correction Code (ECC) Protected Data - Methods and means of error correction code (ECC) debugging may comprise detecting whether a bit error has occurred; determining which bit or bits were in error; and using the bit error information for debug. The method may further comprise comparing ECC syndromes against one or more ECC syndrome patterns. The method may allow for accumulating bit error information, comparing error bit failures against a pattern, trapping data, counting errors, determining pick/drop information, or stopping the machine for debug. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090217108 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR PROCESSING ERROR INFORMATION IN A SYSTEM - A system for processing errors in a processor comprising, a first register having a unique identifier operative to store a first error data, a processor operative to retrieve the first error data from the first register, associate the first error data with the unique identifier, and generate a first uniform error packet including the first error data and the unique identifier and a storage medium operative to store the first uniform error packet. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20090217110 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT INVOLVING ERROR THRESHOLDS - A system for processing errors in a processor comprising, an error counter, a pass counter, and a processing portion operative to determine whether a first error is active, increment an error counter responsive to determining that the first error is active, increment the pass counter responsive to determining that all errors have been checked, and clear the error counter responsive to determining that the pass counter is greater than or equal to a pass count threshold value. | 08-27-2009 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090106607 | Method and Apparatus for SRAM Macro Sparing in Computer Chips - SRAM macro sparing allows for full chip function despite the loss of one or more SRAM macros. The controls and data flow for any single macro within a protected group are made available to the spare or spares for that group. This allows a defective or failed SRAM macro to be shut off and replaced by a spare macro, dramatically increasing manufacturing yield and decreasing field replacement rates. The larger the protected group, the fewer the number of spares required for similar improvements in yield, but also the more difficult the task of making all the controls and dataflow available to the spare(s). In the case of the Level 2 Cache chip for the planned IBM Z6 computer, there are 4 protected groups with 192 SRAM macros per group. Each protected group is supplanted with an additional 2 spare SRAM macros, along with sparing controls and dataflow that allow either spare to replace any of the 192 protected SRAM macros. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090210843 | Method of Automating Creation of a Clock Control Distribution Network in an Integrated Circuit Floorplan - The process of laying out a floorplan for a clock control distribution network in an integrated chip design is simplified and the efficiency of a staging network created is improved. Rather than manually create the staging network in HDL or as a network description table while looking at a picture of the chip floorplan in a Cadence Viewer, an automated method which runs in the Cadence environment uses an algorithmic approach to the problem of maximizing the utilization of staging latches, eliminating unnecessary power and area usage. Efficiency is maximized by updating the Physical Layout directly with the staging solution arrived at by the algorithm. | 08-20-2009 |
| 20090217115 | Method for Optimizing Scan Chains in an Integrated Circuit that has Multiple Levels of Hierarchy - A method for optimizing scan chains in an integrated circuit that has multiple levels of hierarchy addresses unlimited chains and stumps and separately all other chains and stumps. Unlimited chains and stumps are optimized by dividing an area encompassed by the chains and by a start point and an end point of the stump into a grid comprised of a plurality of grid boxes, and determining a grid box to grid box connectivity route to access all of the grid boxes between the start point and the end point by means of a computer running a routing algorithm. All other chains and stumps are optimized randomly assigning to a stump a chain that can be physically reached by that stump and adding an additional chain to that stump based on the number of latches in the additional chain, its physical location, and the number of latches already assigned. | 08-27-2009 |