Michael M Cheng

US Patent:

6473773, Oct 29, 2002

Filed:

Jun 6, 1998

Appl. No.:

09/092737

Inventors:

Michael Cheng - Austin TX
Tim Scott Hanson - Austin TX
Kim Lawson Rochat - Austin TX
Simon Christopher Nash - Stockbridge, GB
Brian Ward Thomson - North York, CA

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 1700

US Classification:

707200, 707103 R, 707103 Z, 717116

Abstract:

Memory management to support calls between objects in language environments support automatic garbage collection and language environments requiring explicit control of object destruction is provided. Reference counting is used to automatically control the lifetime of objects requiring explicit destruction and that are to be accessible across the language boundary. A data structure is maintained in a runtime component for each object that is accessed over a language boundary. The reference count for each non-garbage collected object is incremented by the runtime in accordance with the number of cross-language references held to it. When the count reaches zero through decrements as the references are returned and destroyed, the non-garbage collected object can be safely and automatically destroyed. The runtime creates a strong reference to any garbage collected object accessed by a cross-language call. The reference is visible to the garbage collector, and prevents the object being collected while the reference is in existence.

US Patent:

7036127, Apr 25, 2006

Filed:

Oct 11, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/975342

Inventors:

Michael Cheng - Austin TX, US
James Irwin Knutson - Austin TX, US
Russell Ley Newcombe - Round Rock TX, US

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 9/44

US Classification:

719315, 719316, 707103 R, 7071041

Abstract:

A method, apparatus, and computer implemented instructions for binding object references from a remote name space into a local name space using a Web application. Information is collected to generate a request for an object reference. Information, such as an application server to use as the source, a source name space path, an identification of destination server, and a destination name space path to which the object reference is to be bound, may be used. The request is sent using a communications protocol, such as hypertext transfer protocol to the application server to be used as the source for the object reference. An object reference is located using the name space. The object reference may be serialized into a format, such as a common object request broker architecture format and sent to the destination. The destination will unserialize the object reference and perform binding using the destination name space path.

US Patent:

7295952, Nov 13, 2007

Filed:

May 24, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/420019

Inventors:

Michael Cheng - Austin TX, US
Leigh Allen Williamson - Austin TX, US
Tom Zhongyu Zhou - Austin TX, US

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 19/00

US Classification:

702185, 340 31

Abstract:

Provided is a method for programming module load balancing and failover in a distributed computing environment. The Java Management extensions (JMX) specification is enhanced to support load balancing and provide a high-availability of JMX management beans (Mbeans). Also provided are enhancements to the programming model and infrastructure to support the enhanced programming model. Two exemplary approaches for load balancing and failover are provided, one based both upon clustered Mbeans and one based upon unclustered Mbeans. In the unclustered approach, client affinity is supported in that a request from a particular client can be routed to a particular Mbean. In the clustered approach, a specific Mbean can be invoked by providing a special parameter in the Mbean invocation or by adding a special property to the specific Mbean's ObjectName to indicate that during runtime automatic routing should not be employed.

US Patent:

7603256, Oct 13, 2009

Filed:

Oct 18, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/874475

Inventors:

Michael Cheng - Austin TX, US
Leigh Allen Williamson - Austin TX, US
Tom Zhongyu Zhou - Austin TX, US

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 19/00

US Classification:

702185, 717124

Abstract:

Provided is a method for programming module load balancing and failover in a distributed computing environment. The Java Management extensions (JMX) specification is enhanced to support load balancing and provide a high-availability of JMX management beans (Mbeans). Also provided are enhancements to the programming model and infrastructure to support the enhanced programming model. Two exemplary approaches for load balancing and failover are provided, one based both upon clustered Mbeans and one based upon unclustered Mbeans. In the unclustered approach, client affinity is supported in that a request from a particular client can be routed to a particular Mbean. In the clustered approach, a specific Mbean can be invoked by providing a special parameter in the Mbean invocation or by adding a special property to the specific Mbean's ObjectName to indicate that during runtime automatic routing should not be employed.

US Patent:

8364747, Jan 29, 2013

Filed:

Dec 17, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/322101

Inventors:

Michael Cheng - Austin TX, US
Stephen James Cocks - Winchester, GB
Ian Robinson - Southampton, GB

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

709203, 709201, 709202, 709212

Abstract:

The present invention provides a method, apparatus and computer program product which enables a target service to provide operations which behave, on a per operation basis, in a way appropriate to the type of client that requested the operation to be performed. As a result the target service can provide operations which behave differently for different clients. Further the client can obtain details of the behavior characteristics of the operations, according to its type, at runtime and act appropriately in the event of the request being timed out or resulting in a communication failure. For example, the client middleware can take action to re-issue a timed out request if the behavior characteristic for that operation indicates that multiple invocations of the operation will yield the same result.

US Patent:

20060133417, Jun 22, 2006

Filed:

Dec 2, 2004

Appl. No.:

11/002698

Inventors:

Michael Cheng - Austin TX, US
Randy Fox - Kingsland TX, US

Assignee:

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION - ARMONK NY

International Classification:

H04J 3/16

US Classification:

370467000

Abstract:

The present invention is directed to a method and system to preserve interoperability among processes in a distributed system through transformation of in-memory representation of different versions of the same data. When an upgraded process receives data from an un-upgraded process, the old protocol for desterilizing the data is used to convert the data into in-memory representation of the old protocol format. Then, the converted data is transformed in to the in-memory presentation of the new protocol format for use by the upgraded process. When the upgraded process sends data to the un-upgraded process, the in memory representation of the data in new protocol format is first transformed into the in-memory representation of the old protocol format. The old protocol for serializing data is then used to convert it into the old protocol format understood by the un-upgraded process.

US Patent:

20080172727, Jul 17, 2008

Filed:

Jan 12, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/622698

Inventors:

Michael Cheng - Austin TX, US
Vishwanath Venkataramappa - Austin TX, US
Tom Zhongyu Zhou - Austin TX, US

International Classification:

G06F 21/00

US Classification:

726 7

Abstract:

A system and method for using a declarative approach to enforce instance based security in a distributed environment is presented. The invention described herein includes security logic in declarative specifications that, in turn, decouples the security logic from distributed object administration logic. An access manager identifies access requirements by combining object name property keys included in a distributed object with property key specifications included in a declarative specification. In turn, the access manager compares a caller's access attributes with the access requirements to determine whether to create a distributed object instance and allow the caller to invoke a method on the distributed object instance. The access requirements may also include role specifications and method parameter specifications.

US Patent:

20080175268, Jul 24, 2008

Filed:

Mar 25, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/055128

Inventors:

Michael Cheng - Austin TX, US
Randy Eugene Fox - Kingsland TX, US

Assignee:

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION - Armonk NY

International Classification:

H04J 3/22

US Classification:

370467

Abstract:

The present invention is directed to a method and system to preserve interoperability among processes in a distributed system through transformation of in-memory representation of different versions of the same data. When an upgraded process receives data from an un-upgraded process, the old protocol for desterilizing the data is used to convert the data into in-memory representation of the old protocol format. Then, the converted data is transformed in to the in-memory presentation of the new protocol format for use by the upgraded process. When the upgraded process sends data to the un-upgraded process, the in memory representation of the data in new protocol format is first transformed into the in-memory representation of the old protocol format. The old protocol for serializing data is then used to convert it into the old protocol format understood by the un-upgraded process.