John Scott Stevenson
Engineers at Ranlo Dr, Raleigh, NC

4965772, Oct 23, 1990

Jun 15, 1987

7/063618

Arthur A. Daniel - Rochester MN
Robert E. Moore - Durham NC
Catherine J. Anderson - Raleigh NC
Thomas J. Gelm - Raleigh NC
Raymond F. Kiter - Poughkeepsie NY
John P. Meeham - Raleigh NC
John G. Stevenson - Raleigh NC
Lawrence E. Troan - Raleigh NC

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

G06F 15403

364900

The construction and display of operator messages representative of alert conditions in a network is described. Code points, which are strings of bits, are generated in response to an event in a device attached to the network. The code points are used to index predefined tables that contain relatively short units of text messages in operator selectable languages to be used in building an operator's information display. A product attached to a network, an alert sender, will generate a series of code points representative of desired display messages for an operator. The messages are indepedent of the specific alert sending product insofar as an alert receiver is concerned. The operator can also choose between detailed and general display messages. The code points are hierarchically arranged so that if the alert receiver does not have the most up to date set of messages, the alert receiver will display a more generic message which is still representative of the event.

5023873, Jun 11, 1991

Jun 15, 1989

7/366947

John G. Stevenson - Raleigh NC
Raymond C. Williams - Raleigh NC

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

G06F 1120

371 82

A communication link manager for problem determination and recovery of a failing resource on a communication link segment in a data communication network. When a problem occurs on a link segment, the using node passes link event data to the communication link manager for analysis. The communication link manager interacts with a configuration data base to determine the physical configuration of the failing link segment and the controlling link connection subsystem manager. The communication link manager directs the appropriate link connection subsystem manager to initiate tests of the various link connection components on the link segment under its control. When the failing resource is identified, the communication link manager initiates the appropriate non-disruptive recovery procedure through the link connection subsystem manager and prompts the data link control to restart the line.

5668800, Sep 16, 1997

May 2, 1994

8/236800

John George Stevenson - Raleigh NC

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

H04J 314

370248

A packet communications network includes both packet switched and circuit switched transmission links. A path test command launched from a source resource on the network to a destination resource follows a current path from the source to the destination. At each resource, the path test command initiates a process which identifies the next resource in the path, the port of the current resource through which the next resource is accessed, and the current time. This data is returned to the source resource where the data is accumulated for the entire path and then analyzed to determine the location of failed links, if any, the response time from the source to the destination, the response time of each resource in the path, and the location of congested links. Packet switched resources identify the path test command themselves and carry out the testing procedure. Circuit switched resources utilize the control point controlling that resource to carry out the testing procedure.

4937825, Jun 26, 1990

Jun 15, 1988

7/207097

Christopher P. Ballard - Rome, IT
A. Bell; Rodney - Raleigh NC
William V. Evans - Raleigh NC
Curtis J. Frantz - Durham NC
John D. Hajian - Holly Springs NC
William G. Kreps - Raleigh NC
Ronald D. Martin - Durham NC
Barbara A. Smith - Durham NC
Marshall E. Sprague - Raleigh NC
James B. Staton - Greensboro NC
John G. Stevenson - Raleigh NC
Petre N. Turcu - Cary NC
Raymond C. Williams - Raleigh NC

International Business Machines - Armonk NY

G06F 1100

371 201

Data communications neworks may be composed of many different physical devices linked together in various layers and using various protocols for communication. The multiple physical elements that make up such communication networks or links are often supplied by diverse vendors. As a result, isolation and diagnosis of communication failures becomes an extremely difficult and cumbersome process. The present system and method simplify the process greatly by premitting a system control operator or control application program to issue generic, non-device-specific problem isolation, control or diagnostic commands to the communication neetwork by identifying the link and target node for which problem isolation and diagnosis is required. The non-device-specific commands are received first at an intermediate translation facility which retrieves communication link physical configuration data and identifies the physical components and characteristics thereof that make up that communication link to the identified target node. The translation facility then issues one or more device-specific problem determination commands on the communication link directed toward said node.

5276440, Jan 4, 1994

May 6, 1991

7/701322

Charles H. Jolissaint - Sunnyvale CA
Ronald D. Martin - Durham NC
Stephen A. Owen - Raleigh NC
William C. Schaal - Turnersville NJ
Gary R. Shippy - Cary NC
John G. Stevenson - Raleigh NC

International Business Machines Corporation - Santa Clara CA

H04J 116

34082502

A network has a plurality of devices connected together in pairs. When a physical connection between a pair of devices is initiated, the devices exchange information regarding a unique device identifier, and details of the physical connection. This information is provided in a report to a network manager. When a failure occurs on the network, the connection information is used to locate the failure.