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Three state utility regulators targeted by a negative campaign conducted behind the scenes by Florida Power & Light said Tuesday they were angered and disturbed by news reports that the company used secretive tactics to find personal information about them.
Commissioners Nancy Argenziano, Nathan Skop and David Klement each condemned what the company described in internal memos as "opposition research.'' Sources in and close to FPL told the Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times that FPL officials used people inside and outside the company to investigate state utility regulators, challenge their impartiality and post negative comments about them and the governor on the Internet.
"To be very honest, my first reaction was anger such that, upon reflection, I realized there's a lot at stake,'' said Commissioner David Klement, who was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist in October to replace Commissioner Katrina McMurrian. "They're doing what they think they have to do. I certainly wouldn't go that way.''
Klement said he will reserve his "overall reaction to what that article said" to the Jan. 13 hearing when the full commission will decide FPL's rate case. "I'll address the executives when we start debating it from the bench,'' he said.
FPL vigorously denied using negative tactics and said the Herald/Times story was "designed to politicize'' the pending rate case. FPL is seeking a $1.3 billion increase in its base rate.
According to internal FPL documents obtained by the papers, the company assigned an employee to "plan and execute opposition research, media countermeasures and a social media campaign.'' An FPL manager told the Herald/Times that meant using computers untraceable to FPL to post blog comments about commissioners and the governor using aliases and conducting credit, property-records and criminal-background checks on commissioners Klement, Nancy Argenziano and Nathan Skop, along with Crist's new appointee, Benjamin ``Steve'' Stevens, the FPL manager said.
Argenziano, who becomes the commission chairman in January, recalled how she knew she was the target of negative attacks but, "I didn't think it would be the company because I didn't think they would be that stupid. Well, I'm being enlightened every day seeing how stupid some people can be.''
Skop said the tactics were "reprehensible'' and reminded him of Watergate dirty tricks. "If the facts are indeed true, I would find it to be deeply disturbing,'' he said. "I don't know why someone would have to engage in opposition research.''
Commissioner Chairman Matthew Carter, who will be replaced by Stevens in January, said he was "really, really offended'' that it appeared that the company thought it right to target a commissioner based on a prediction about how he or she would vote.
"I'm offended any time people think that they can predict how I will vote,'' he said. "I'm even more offended that they think they can predict how my colleagues can vote.''
Argenziano and Skop said that while they were disappointed in learning of the activities by the company, they do not expect it to influence how they vote on the FPL rate case.
"I never let anything like that get in the way,'' Argenziano said. "I don't think anybody can point to when I've ever been unfair. My promise is to God and me that I will never be unfair. I have to question the other side though, whether they play fair.''
Skop said, "it has no bearing on my ability to make a fair and deliberate decision.''


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Hello Ladies 'N Gents,
Thanks for taking the time to check out my thread, I think its time a get some feedback from all you lovely people, but first a little about me.
Always had an interest for web design, even back in the days of geocity, excite and lycos (hahaha how many remember those?) i was always trying out and clicking on that damn "free website here" link. Did some hobbyist website back then which i can safely say were very basic. Web design back then was, lets say, boring and hideous; so my sites looked rather standard to the trends at the time.. Alas, the internet has come a long way since then with web design and development trends being refined and enhanced.
Graduated from a Management faculty with a double major in Information Systems and Marketing, woohoo! do i join the the corporate slave trade? Or follow the norm and work at my father's business (He owns a kitchen mnfg brand) Or start another phase of education to get up to speed with the latest and greatest of webdev.
Yup you guessed it; it was back headfirst into xHTML/CSS/JS/PHP/Adobe suite. So i got some clients started working and here i am ~3 years later. My specialty lies in front-end development, but i like being a jack of all trades and a master of none so you'll find me tinkering with many other technologies
The funny thing is my portfolio site isn't 100% finished still. but i have managed to rely on word-of-mouth to string projects with little downtime in between for the past 2 years. I aim to setup my own company soon as a webdev agency but i'm enjoying the freelance perks too much atm.
Here are some of the recent projects that made it to final or close to final stages. feel free to give me any feedback you have. or any questions you might have regarding my sites and/or experience.
www.yonifurniture.com (Dads Business)
www.marinetechegypt.com (first client ever, recently got a discounted redesign. his first site was not up to par)
www.dbmegypt.com (only development, and my first WP experience)
www.3agalmasr.com (e-commerce site, was also a first of its kind)
www.tammenny.com (only front-end)
www.behman.com (only front-end)
www.omarsabet.com (my portfolio 'comingsoon' page, the full one is 80% complete. ill probably tell you the link when its finished tho :-p)
That is enough for now. As expected, some projects didn't make it to the web, some were strictly design work (and ofcouse the client butchered it using a incompetent dev), some were maintenance packages, and a bit of SEO here and there.
I really want to get better still and focus on my strengths, but i noticed staring at your own work for too long dulls your self-critique and thats why i feel more public constructive criticism is in order.
NOTE: be nice, English isn't my mother tongue. mistakes are inevitable :-p

subset: commoncrawl


text:
hi all.
first time posting here, have been sport climbing and bouldering in the gym and at the crags for some time now and wanting to progress to a bigger scene.
summer vacation is coming up and i want to get my alpine start in chamonix this august.
thinking of a basic alpine course or a intro to mountaineering via a guided week long trial which could end with a 4000 m peak bid.
i am looking for some partners available for a intro climbing course or maybe a mont blanc ascent after some time acclimating and getting firm grasp of the task at hand.
also a good idea where one could find decent lodging in chamonix this time of year baring in mind i'm a girl.
this is all last minute planning so i know im at a disatvantage any advice is most welcome.


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RIP: Fathers Larry Rosebaugh and Gerard Jean-Juste
While clerics in Ireland and Europe (apparently following the horrendous model of their U.S. freres) continued a clumsy parade of gaping insensitivity in responding to the release of a study depicting decades of child abuse in Ireland, and the rest of us wait in expectant hope for a single graceful, straightforward mea culpa from clerics on the scandal of their murderous abuse of our children (and a comprehensive accounting on the same), a reminder of why we ever look up to these men in the first place arrived in my e-mail: Pax Christi USA notes the untimely passing of two good men.
Both Father Larry Rosebaugh of Guatemala and Father Gerard Jean-Juste of Haiti had devoted their lives to the church, to justice, to peace, and to their communities, whether born into them or not. Juste died suddenly of a stroke; Rosebaugh was stolen from us by the senseless violence that continues to plague the nation and the people he took up as his own.
They have competed well; they have finished the race; they have kept the faith. May they rest in peace. Amen.


text:
Love that picture- looks as yummy as the salad dressing tasted!
Salad Dressing Recipe
We found a new favorite salad Dressing. A little zip, but sweet and light. Delicious.
We have some exciting news to share tomorrow (NO, I am not having a baby also ;)
2 Comments on "Salad Dressing Recipe"
That dressing sounds great.
I bet your second comment is a relief to you!! (ha, ha) ;o)


text:
AUSTIN, Texas - State health officials are trying to trace the origin of an intestinal parasite that has infected 77 Texans so far this year.
In a statement Wednesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services says 77 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported around Texas this year, including 69 in the last month alone.
The intestinal illness involves watery diarrhea and is caused by the parasite Cyclospora, which is spread through food and water.
Last year, Texas reported 351 cases, more than any other state in the country. In most previous years, the number of cases totaled only in the single or low double digits.
State health officials recommend thoroughly washing fresh produce, although Cyclospora can be difficult to wash off. Cooking will kill the bug, however.


text:
Video Dr. Richard Dawkins On Education, 'Innocence of Muslims,' and Rep. Paul Broun 862
Slashdot: In a recent Gallup poll, it's been shown that the American population has shown no change over the past thirty years in their acceptance of evolution as truth. Why do you think that is?
Dr. Richard Dawkins: Well, I'm aware of that. It's a disturbing fact. This is Gallup poll results. It's slightly unfortunate in a way, that the way that they phrased the question in that particular Gallup poll is to say, on the one hand, mankind was created more or less in its present form some time during the last 10,000 years. Or.. the right answer.. evolution. Or, God had nothing to do with it. And, that "God had nothing to do with it" kind of puts people off. Nevertheless, that's the way Gallup phrased it. And, you're right that the poll hasn't changed. It's somewhere between 40%, 45% consistently.
I think religion is to blame. I mean, I can think of no other reason why, of all the scientific facts that people might disagree with or disbelieve, this is the one they pick on. Physics gets through OK. Chemistry gets through OK. But, not biology/geology and I think it's got to be because of religion.
Slashdot: Is that something you think can be easily remedied through education?
Dawkins: It should be. Education is the answer to the problem. I think that scientists are somewhat to blame for not getting out more and bringing their subject to people. So, I think we're not entirely blameless of that. The evidence is absolutely clear, isn't it? No doubt about it. It's not the sort of thing that one can be at all doubtful about, once you've seen the evidence. And, clearly, most people haven't seen the evidence. You've only got to talk to people who call themselves creationists to realize they haven't the faintest idea what the evidence is, or indeed, what evolution is.
Slashdot: Do you think there's a better way that people could be shown what the evidence is?
Dawkins: Well, there are books. There are plenty of television documentaries. There are plenty of websites that you can go look up Q & A and things. There's quite a lot of stuff out there. I'm not quite sure what that better way would look like, but I'd be grateful for any suggestions.
Slashdot: Earlier this year, the Tennessee State Legislature passed a law [allowing] public schools to teach the controversy with regard to evolution, global warming and a few other scientific theories. Much more recently, Representative Paul Broun, a Republican in Georgia, said that evolution, embryology, the big bang theory--are "lies straight from the pit of Hell." How does that tie in with the educational aspect? It seems to me, you're working at two problems. You have students who are not educated, with respect to evolution, the big bang theory, and similar things. And, those students grow up to be voters and legislators, who are now contributing the the problem.
Dawkins: It's very evident that Representative Paul Broun is uneducated, ignorant, probably stupid, too, which is very sad. It's very sad that somebody as ill-qualified to hold high office as that has been elected. There was a rather amusing tweet I saw on Twitter, which went something like this. "Doctor, you say that brushing teeth is a good way to keep them healthy. I say smearing them with chocolate is. Let's teach the controversy!" And the fact is, there is no controversy about evolution. It's a fact, demonstrated beyond all possible doubt by scientific evidence. Every qualified person who looked at the evidence agrees that it's an absolutely secure fact. There is no controversy to teach.
Slashdot: What is the effect, do you think, of this unwillingness to commit to science, on the production of scientists and engineers. In other words, if you suddenly could wave a magic wand and solve all these issues, do you think we would see more engineers and scientists come out of this country?
Dawkins: Yes. I mean, it's an odd fact that the United States is, beyond any doubt, the preeminent scientific power in the world. No doubt about it. Measure it with Nobel Prizes, with numbers of scientific papers published, and so on. It is the world leader. Yet, at the same time, it's being dragged backwards by nearly 50% of the population, who are anti- intellectual, anti-education, despise people who have education, and it's a big problem. Fortunately, the 50% who are doing the right thing are so good that they are still pulling the country in the right direction.
Slashdot: Is it important to focus on the United States and similar countries in this matter? Or, for example, South Korea recently had a win, actually, in which they kept the teaching of creationism out of their school textbooks. Is it more important to focus on the larger, more established educational systems, or to get into the smaller ones before that?
Dawkins: Yeah. I wouldn't say more important, but it sort of hits one in the gut, rather, that a country like the United States, which is so ahead of the field in half the country should be so way backward in the other half. It does rather stand out like a sore thumb in world statistics, but it's still important to teach in other parts of the world. Particularly, the Islamic part of the world, which is shrouded in darkness, really, educationally speaking, in this field.
Slashdot: Speaking of which: the recent controversy over the "Innocence of Muslims" video. Could you talk a little about that, and what you think the repercussions it's had throughout the world?
Dawkins: I've only seen the trailer for that video. It's quite astonishingly badly done, as everybody agrees. So, the fact that the Islamic propagandists decided to pick on that one is extremely unfortunate. They should simply have ignored it. Everybody else would have ignored if they had. So, that's a deplorable incident. On the other hand, freedom of speech is very important. Freedom of speech is something that Islamic theocracies simply do not understand. They don't get it. They're so used to living in a theocracy, that they presume that if a film is released in the United States, the United States Government must be behind it! How could it be otherwise? So, they need to be educated that, actually, some countries do have freedom of speech and government is not responsible for what any idiot may do in the way of making a video.
Slashdot: I want to read a quote from an article you wrote earlier this year. You said, "My point is not that religion itself is the motivation for wars, murders and terrorist attacks, but that religion is the principal label, and the most dangerous one, by which a "they" as opposed to a "we" can be identified at all." Now, nations can be conquered and nationalities can be merged. Racism is slowly getting eroded by education. Do you feel that religion can be educated in a similar way?
Dawkins: The context of the quote which you just read out was probably Northern Ireland, where I had been upbraided for suggesting that the Northern Ireland Conflict is about religion. People said, "no, no, it's about politics. It's about economics. It's about centuries of oppression." Which it is. But, when one group is said to be oppressing another, there has to be some label by which the groups can identify themselves. Now, in countries where there are racial differences, like South Africa, it's easy to see which group you belong to. In countries like Belgium, where there's a linguistic friction between those who speak French and those who speak Dutch, once again, language is the barrier, is the label by which people can identify the "them" or "us." But, in Northern Ireland — and I think probably in the Indian subcontinent — the predominant label, by far, is religion. So, that's how people identify the "them" and "us."
If you think about it, it's not surprising, because psychologists have shown that if you take, for example, children, and give them arbitrary labels — you arbitrarily divide the children into two halve — and give these ones orange t-shirts and those ones green t-shirts, and give them various other labels, they will develop loyalties to those of their own labeled group. And that happens very quickly. Now, if you imagine that you set up a rule, such that oranges only marry oranges, and greens only marry greens, and children of orange couples only ever go to orange schools, and children of green couples only go to green schools, and you carry that on for 300 years, what have you got? I mean, you've got a deep, deep division in society. And if it's possible for one of those two groups to oppress the other economically, they will. And then you'll get all sorts of vendettas and feuds developing.
Part 2 of this video will be coming soon.


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This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/273,104 filed Nov. 18, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/598,554 filed Nov. 13, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,454,549, issued Nov. 18, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/786,620, filed Feb. 24, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,146,447, issued Dec. 5, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/552,032, filed Apr. 19, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,645, issued Mar. 23, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/942,317, filed Oct. 1, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,615, issued Oct. 17, 2000, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/046,310, filed May 13, 1997, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Appendix A, which fowls a part of this disclosure, is a list of commonly owned copending U.S. patent applications. Each one of the applications listed in Appendix A is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to user interfaces for computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to implementing a graphical user interface (GUI) to allow for easy and efficient management and maintenance of peripheral devices in a computer network.
2. Description of the Related Art
As enterprise-class servers, which are central computers in a network that manage common data, become more powerful and more capable, they are also becoming ever more sophisticated and complex. For many companies, these changes lead to concerns over server reliability and manageability, particularly in light of the increasingly critical role of server-based applications. While in the past many systems administrators were comfortable with all of the various components that made up a standards-based network server, today's generation of servers can appear as an incomprehensible, unmanageable black box. Without visibility into the underlying behavior of the system, the administrator must "fly blind." Too often, the only indicators the network manager has on the relative health of a particular server is whether or not it is running.
It is well-acknowledged that there is a lack of reliability and availability of most standards-based servers. Server downtime, resulting either from hardware or software faults or from regular maintenance, continues to be a significant problem with significant costs. With emerging Internet, intranet and collaborative applications taking on more essential business roles every day, the cost of network server downtime will continue to spiral upward.
While hardware fault tolerance is an important element of an overall high availability architecture, it is only one piece of the puzzle. Studies show that a significant percentage of network server downtime is caused by transient faults in the I/O subsystem. These faults may be due, for example, to the device driver, the device firmware or hardware, which does not properly handle concurrent errors, and often causes servers to crash or hang. The result is hours of downtime per failure while a system administrator discovers the failure, takes some action and manually reboots the server. In many cases, data volumes on hard disk drives become corrupt and must be repaired when the volume is mounted. A dismount-and-mount cycle may result from the lack of "hot pluggability" or "hot plug" in current standards-based servers. Hot plug refers to the addition and swapping of peripheral adapters to an operational computer system. An adapter is simply any peripheral printed circuit board containing microchips, such as a PCI card, that may be removed from or added to a server peripheral device slot. Diagnosing intermittent errors can be a frustrating and time-consuming process. For a system to deliver consistently high availability, it should be resilient to these types of faults.
Existing systems also do not have an interface to control the changing or addition of an adapter. Since any user on a network could be using a particular adapter on the server, system administrators need a software application that controls the flow of communications to an adapter before, during, and after a hot plug operation on an adapter.
Current operating systems do not by themselves provide the support users need to hot add and swap an adapter. System users' need software that will freeze and resume the communications of their adapters in a controlled fashion. The software needs to support the hot add of various peripheral adapters such as mass storage and network adapters. Additionally, the software should support adapters that are designed for various bus systems such as Peripheral Component Interconnect, Card Bus, Microchannel, Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA), and Extended ISA (EISA). System users also need software to support the hot add and swap of adapters within canisters, which are detachable bus casings for a detachable bus system, and which also provide multiple slots for adapters.
In a typical PC-based server, upon the failure of an adapter, the system must be powered down, the new adapter and adapter driver installed, the server powered back up and the operating system reconfigured. However, various entities have tried to implement the hot plug of these adapters to a fault tolerant computer system. One significant difficulty in designing a hot plug system is protecting the circuitry contained on the adapter from being short-circuited when an adapter is added to a powered system. Typically, an adapter, contains edge connectors which are located on one side of the printed circuit board. These edge connectors allow power to transfer from the system bus to the adapter, as well as supplying data paths between the bus and the adapter. These edge connectors fit into a slot on the bus on the computer system. A traditional hardware solution for "hot plug" systems includes increasing the length of at least one ground contact of the adapter, so that the ground contact on the edge connector is the first connector to contact the bus on insertion of the I/O adapter and the last connector to contact the bus on removal of the adapter.
An example of such a solution is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,855 to Bartol.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,491 to Jeffries discloses an alternative solution to the hot installation of I/O adapters. Here, each hotly installable adapter is configured with a user actuable initiator to request the hot removal of an adapter. The I/O adapter is first physically connected to a bus on the computer system. Subsequent to such connection, a user toggles a switch on the I/O adapter which sends a signal to the bus controller. The signal indicates to the bus controller that the user has added an I/O adapter. The bus controller then alerts the user through a light emitting diode (LED) whether the adapter can be installed on the bus.
However, the invention disclosed in the Jeffries patent also contains several limitations. It requires the physical modification of the adapter to be hotly installed. Another limitation is that the Jeffries patent does not teach the hot addition of new adapter controllers or bus systems. Moreover, the Jeffries patent requires that before an I/O adapter is removed, another I/O adapter must either be free and spare or free and redundant. Therefore, if there was no free adapter, hot removal of an adapter is impossible until the user added another adapter to the computer system.
A related technology, not to be confused with hot plug systems, is Plug and Play defined by Microsoft® Corporation and PC product vendors. Plug and Play is an architecture that facilitates the integration of PC hardware adapters into systems. Plug and Play adapters are able to identify themselves to the computer system after the user installs the adapter on the bus. Plug and Play adapters are also able to identify the hardware resources that are needed for operation. Once this information is supplied to the operating system, the operating system can load the adapter drivers for the adapter that the user had added while the system was in a non-powered state. However, to date, Plug and Play has only been utilized for the hot docking of a portable computer to an expansion base.
Therefore, a need exists for improvements in server management which can result in continuous operation despite adapter failures. System users should be able to replace failed components, upgrade outdated components, and add new functionality, such as new network interfaces, disk interface adapters and storage, without impacting existing users. Additionally, system users need a process to hot add their legacy adapters, without purchasing new adapters that are specifically designed for hot plug. As system demands grow, organizations must frequently expand, or scale, their computing infrastructure, adding new processing power, memory, mass storage and network adapters. With demand for 24 hour access to critical, server-based information resources, planned system downtime for system service or expansion has become unacceptable.
The improvements of co-pending applications entitled "Hot Add of Devices Software Architecture" and "Hot Swap of Devices Software Architecture," as well as their related applications, all filed on Oct. 1, 1997, adds hot swap and hot add capabilities to server networks. The recent availability of hot swap and hot add capabilities requires that a user maintaining the server, usually a server network system administrator, knows or learns the numerous and complicated steps required to swap or add a peripheral device, including how to suspend the device adapters, how to power down and up the correct server slot and/or canister, etc. These steps are more fully disclosed in the co-pending applications referenced above and incorporated herein by reference. In addition, because servers have become very reliable, the system administrator will often be caught in a position of not knowing or having forgotten how to swap or add a peripheral adapter when a server malfunctions or when a new adapter needs to be added. Today's servers do not often malfunction, and the system administrator may add adapters only a few times a year.
Without detailed knowledge of the hot swap and hot add processes, the system administrator will be unable to change out and install peripheral devices. In that case, the entire server system must then be shut down, the peripheral adapter replaced or inserted, and the system restarted. This can result in severe losses to the system users in terms of network I downtime and inability to service clients. In addition, it results in a failure to take advantage of the currently available hot swap and hot add technology. However, without an automated step-by-step process from the user's point of view, these results are inevitable.
Therefore, a need exists to automate, as much as possible, the hot swap and hot add processes, so that the benefits of those capabilities in a server are not compromised by insufficient technical knowledge of those processes on the part of the network administrator. Because implementation of the hot add and hot swap processes only depends on (1) which process is necessary (Le. hot swap or hot add) and (2) which particular server peripheral device slot is concerned, the user should be able to perform these processes knowing such information. The remaining steps in the hot swap and hot add processes may be completely automated. This can allow the necessary hot swapping and hot addition of adapters to be performed quickly and efficiently, by non-expert personnel, while the server is running. In the usual case, it would allow the system administrator to perform a hot swap or a hot add with little or no learning curve.
In a first aspect of the invention, a method of reducing server downtime in a server network that manages data is disclosed. In one embodiment, the server network comprises one or more interfaces configured to receive at least one peripheral component and also includes a graphical user interface. The method includes displaying to a user, using the graphical user interface, status information for at least one peripheral component for the server network, transmitting one or more instructions to the server network that allow the user to perform a series of steps necessary to execute a hot swap function, at least a portion of the one or more instructions being utilized by a hardware module to control operation of a selected interface and performing, by the user, the series of steps necessary to execute the hot swap function. The acts of displaying, transmitting and performing cooperate to reduce server downtime in the server network.
In a second aspect of the invention, a server that manages data is disclosed. In one embodiment, the server includes one or more interfaces configured to receive at least one peripheral component, a graphical user interface, software configured to, when executed, display to a user using the graphical user interface, status information for at least one peripheral component for the server and a processor configured to implement one or more instructions that allow the user to perform a series of steps necessary to execute a hot swap function. At least a portion of the instructions being utilized, when executed by a hardware module, control operation of a selected interface. The display, implementation of instructions, and hot swap functionality contribute to reducing server downtime in the server.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a fault-tolerant computer system which uses one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a server, having eight peripheral adapter slots.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another embodiment of a server, having four canisters and sixteen peripheral adapter slots.
FIG. 4 is a logic block diagram illustrating the software modules that may be used to implement the functions of one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the connection, between a user interface and the peripheral adapters of a server which can be hot swapped or hot added, including other major parts of the system.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the present invention in a network server running the NetWare® operating system.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the present invention in a network server running the Windows® NT operating system.
FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps of one embodiment of a hot swap process.
FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps of one embodiment of a hot add process for a server having independent peripheral device slots (NF-9008) and running the NetWare® operating system.
FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps of one embodiment of a hot add process for a server having peripheral device slot canisters (NF-9016) and running the NetWare® operating system.
FIGS. 11 through 18 show the screen displays generated by one embodiment of the graphical user interface for a hot swap process Implemented in the NF-9008 server environment.
FIGS. 19 through 26 show the screen displays generated by one embodiment of the graphical user interface for a hot swap process implemented in the NF-9016 server environment.
FIGS. 27 through 32 show the screen displays generated by one embodiment of the graphical user interface for a hot add process implemented in the NF-9008 server environment running the NetWare® operating system.
The various features of the invention will be described with reference to a particular software module (referred to as the "Hot Plug PCI Wizard") and various related components. The Hot Plug PCI Wizard is part of the Maestro Central ("Maestro") computer program, sold by NetFRAME Systems, Inc. In these drawings, reference numbers are reused, where appropriate, to indicate a correspondence between referenced items. Moreover, although the following detailed description describes particular embodiments of the invention, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways as defined and covered by the claims. Finally, the following detailed description describes embodiments of the invention under the Windows® NT and the NetWare® operating systems. Alternative embodiments of the invention may use other commercial operating systems, such as Macintosh® OS, OS/2, VMS, DOS, Windows® 3.1195/98 or UNIX.
In addition, in the following description of the invention, a "module" includes, but is not limited to, software or hardware components which perform certain tasks. Thus, a module may include object-oriented software components, class components, procedures, subroutines, data structures, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, tables, arrays, etc: A module also includes all components within the definition of "module" found in RFC 1213, Management Information Base for Network Management of TCP/IP-based Internets: MIB-II, which contains a module defining the basic objects needed to manage a TCP/IP network. Separate RFC documents contain modules defining objects for specific technologies such as Token-Ring interfaces, Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing, and Appletalk® networking. Those with ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that a module can be implemented using a wide variety of different software and hardware techniques.
FIG. 1 presents an overview of a computer system in which the invention may be used. One or more servers 10 are used to support one or more clients 12 in a typical client-server network, which is made up of various hardware components, including standard microprocessors. The microprocessors used may be any conventional general purpose single- or multi-chip microprocessor such as a Pentium® processor, a Pentium® Pro processor, a 8051 processor, a MIPS® processor, a Power PC® processor, or an ALPHA® processor. In addition, the microprocessor(s) may be any conventional special purpose microprocessor such as a digital signal processor or a graphics processor. The microprocessor(s) will have conventional address lines, conventional data lines, and one or more conventional control lines.
A user at one of the client 12 monitoring stations uses the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Manager (Maestro) 14 to obtain information regarding the status of various machines and/or devices in the server, and to send instructions to the server through an SNMP Agent 16 and various other system components as shown. The SNMP serves as a mechanism to provide and transport management information between network components, in order to manage the actual devices in a network. The SNMP was developed almost ten years ago as a standard for internetwork management. It has been widely published and is widely available today.
Maestro 14 at the client uses the SNMP to transmit instructions to the SNMP Agent 16 and SNMP Extension Agent 18, and vice versa. The SNMP permits interactive network administration via parameter checks and supervision of certain network conditions. SNMP uses a transport protocol stack such as the User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol (UDPIIP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCPIIP), DECnet (Digital Equipment Corporation network protocol), and others.
Maestro 14 provides the user, including network administrators, with a representation of the state of the target machine and/or devices in the server. It can provide this representation in simple (character-oriented) or graphical form. Maestro 14 herein described is graphical and has been specifically designed for the NF-9000 servers' Management Information Base, or MIB. A MIB is simply a virtual information database containing information necessary to manage devices in the network. The module types that represent management information transferred via the SNMP protocol through the network are gathered in the MIS 20. Thus, the MIS 20 contains variables that hold status information regarding the server(s) and other devices in the network. Maestro 14 accesses the data in the MIS to send proper instructions to and from the user over the network, using the SNMP. The devices mentioned in the discussion herein include peripheral cards or adapters that may be plugged into receiving slots in the server. The present invention alsq applies to any device that may be inserted into or removed from a server—that is, "hot pluggable" devices.
The SNMP instructions sent by Maestro 14 reach the SNMP Agent 16 and/or the SNMP Extension Agent 18 at the server end via the network drivers 26, communication hardware 28, and network medium. The SNM˜Agent 16 and SNMP Extension Agent 18 wait for incoming requests and respond to them using information retrieved from the system services 22 such as device drivers, the Intrapulse 24 firmware, and other components of the operating system. These functions and the software and hardware involved are further described in the copending applications entitled "Hot Add of Devices Software Architecture" and "Hot Swap of Devices Software Architecture," and their related applications, filed Oct. 1, 1997 and herein incorporated by reference.
The server architecture shown in FIG. 2 represents the NetFRAME Model NF-9008 server. The NF-9008 supports eight (8) peripheral devices, or adapters, through eight (8) peripheral I/O slots 30. The slots 30 are individually powered and may be accessed directly from the PCI bus 32 and its associated bridge 34. The server architecture shown in FIG. 3 represents the NetFRAME Model NF-9016 server. The NF-9016 supports sixteen (16) peripheral devices through sixteen (16) peripheral I/O slots 36. The NF-9016 additionally uses canisters 38, which are groups of four slots. In the NF-9016 each canister is accessed by the PCI Bus 40 and an associated bridge 42. Thus, it is necessary to extract a canister to change or add a device to one of the slots inside the canister; therefore, all the other boards in the canister get shut down. In the NF-9008 each peripheral device can be replaced independently of the others.
FIG. 4 shows the explicit modular software implementation of one particular embodiment of the invention. The specific implementation shown and hereinafter described is implemented in the Microsoft® Windows® environment using the C++ programming language. Other software implementations of the invention may be developed by those of ordinary skill in the art.
Upon start-up of Maestro 14, it creates a module called EnumServer 44 which retrieves information regarding how many network servers are present in the system, and then it creates Server Modules 46 for each of those servers. These and all other "modules" described herein are simply computer software elements that can issue commands to execute functions, including calling other modules, and store data. The use of software modules is well understood in the relevant art.
Thus, because one module is created for each server in the network, the Server Modules 46 provide a physical, one-to-one representation of the server network hardware. The Server Modules 46 transmit and receive information and commands to control their associated server through the MIB Manager Module 48, which uses the MIB 20 to translate the module variables and send commands to and from the SNMP Module 50, which can then send and receive logical numerical information over the network 52 to and from the SNMP Agents present at the server. The use of the MIB 20 is disclosed in detail in the copending application entitled "Data Management System Supporting Hot Plug Operations on a Computer," as well as its related applications, filed Oct. 1, 1997 and hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The Windows® GUI Module 54 is a standard software module provided in the Microsoft® Windows® 95 and Windows® NT environments. This module implements the basic screen display format in the Microsoft® Windows® environment, which is used by one embodiment of the invention, NetFRAME's Hot Plug PCI Wizard, in creating its graphical user interface (GUI). The screen displays seen by the user upon the user's implementation of either the hot swap or hot add processes, shown herein in FIGS. 11 through 32, are customized GUI's implemented by the use of subsidiary Custom GUI Modules 56. For example, Custom GUI 1 Module 56 is used to create the screen display of FIG. 11, and it contains the data shown in that screen display, including the text, graphics, and select buttons. All of the other customized screen displays are similarly created by an associated Custom GUI Module in the Microsoft® Windows® 95 and Windows® NT environments.
All of the GUI modules for the hot swap/hot add processes are associated with each other, using software pointers, in a manner that will enable them to directly call different screen displays when necessary to create an appropriate sequence of screen displays to implement the hot swap or hot add process. For example, referring to FIG. 11, the "Sack" button on the screen invokes a pointer to the previous custom screen module, the "Next" button invokes a pointer to the custom screen module representing the next step in the underlying process (i.e. hot add or hot swap), the "Cancel" button invokes a pointer to the initial custom screen module for the Hot Plug PCI Wizard, and the "Help" button invokes a pointer to a custom help screen module, which contains information to help answer the user's questions.
Referring again to FIG. 4, when the Hot Plug PCI Wizard is first accessed by the user within Maestro 14, it creates the Custom GUI-Modules 56 for the hot swap and hot add processes. At that time, Maestro 14 also creates modules 60, associated with the server modules 46, representing all of the server canisters, slots, and associated adapters present in the server network. These modules, like the server modules, are able to access and hold data regarding the status of their associated hardware at the server, and issue commands that may be used to manipulate that associated hardware. For example, the Custom GUI module shown in FIG. 15, from which the user is able to power down a selected slot in a NF-9008 server, first calls the appropriate server Slot Module 60 (here the module for Slot 1 of a one-server NF-9008 network). The Slot Module 60 checks the status of its slotPowerState integer module variable to verify that the slot is powered up, and if so the Slot Module 60 can then issue a "PowerDown" command, through the MIB Manger Module 48 and SNMP Module 50 to the server, where the server hardware receives the instruction through an SNMP agent and executes the instruction to power down the slot. The particular slot is identified by data within the Slot Module 60, specifically the slotGroupNumber and slotNumber variables for this implementation of the invention. The values associated with these variables would be 1 and 1, respectively, for the first slot on the left, viewing the NF-9008 server from the front, 1 and 2 for the second slot from the left, and so on.
The appropriate canister and adapter modules 60 are called from the Custom GUI Modules 56, and commands issued therefrom, in an identical manner as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The Specific module variables and data most often used in the hot swap/hot add processes are as follows for the particular modules:
1 MODULE VARIABLES Canister Module canisterMaximumNumberOfCanisters (=O for NF-9008) canisterNumber canisterName canisterPowerState Slot Module slotGroupNumber slotNumber slotAdapterPresence slotPowerState Adapter Module adapterNumber adapterName adapterSupportsHotSwap HotAdd adapterState adapterCommand
The module variable names are self-explanatory. Thus, within the Maestro 14 software framework, the Hot Plug PCI Wizard implementation of the present invention is able to use Custom GUI Modules 56 for each screen display that the user sees when performing a hot swap or hot add process. These custom screen displays are easily implemented, and are linked to the server modules 46, canister, slot, and adapter modules 60, which are in one-to-one correspondence with the actual server hardware, and which modules (1) provide the user with status information regarding that hardware, and (2) allow the user to easily implement highlevel software commands over the network to control the server hardware during the hot swap and hot add processes.
FIG. 5 shows the basic hardware components at the server that respond to instructions generated by the Custom GUI Modules 56 generated by the Hot Plug PCI Wizard software in Maestro 14. In FIG. 5, the specific instruction involved deals with hot swapping a peripheral adapter 62. As explained above, the server operating system could be Windows® NT or NetWare®, including others. First, the GUI 64 accepts a request by the user, such as a system manager or administrator, to perform a hot add or hot swap of a peripheral adapter 62 at the server. The GUI 64 transmits the user's instruction through the operating system 66 to the hot plug system driver 68 and the adapter driver 70 or drivers associated with the peripheral adapter 62. The hot plug system driver 68 controls the adapter driver 70 for a hot plug operation. The hot plug system driver 68 suspends and resumes the communications between the peripheral adapter 62 and the adapter driver 70. During the hot add or swap of the peripheral adapter 62, the hot plug hardware 72 deactivates the power to the peripheral adapter, allowing the user to remove it from the server and replace it with another peripheral adapter. One embodiment of the hot plug hardware 72 may include a network of microcontrollers to carry out this functionality. The peripheral adapter 62 could be any kind of peripheral device, such as a math co-processor, a sound board, or other devices well known in the art.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the system components of the NetWare® implementation of one embodiment of the present invention. A configuration manager 74 is responsible for managing all of the peripheral adapters. The configuration manager 74 keeps track of the configuration information for every adapter. The configuration manager 74 also allocates resources for every adapter and initializes each adapter during a hot swap operation. The GUI 96 initiates the requests to the configuration manager 74 to freeze and restart communications to a specified peripheral adapter.
Novellφ has created two interfaces for adapter drivers to communicate with the Netware Operating Systems. First, Novell® has provided the Open Datalink Interface (001) for network drivers. Second, Novell® has created the Netware Peripheral Architecture (NWPA) for mass storage adapters. Each of these interfaces will be briefly described.
With respect to network device drivers, such as a driver 76, 001 was created to allow multiple LAN adapters to co-exist on network systems. The 001 specification describes the set of interface and software modules used by hardware vendors to interface with the NetWare® operating system. At the core of the 001 is the link support layer (LSL) 78. The LSL 78 is the interface between drivers and protocol stacks (not shown). A protocol stack is a layered communication architecture, whereby each layer has a well defined interface.
Novell® has provided a set of support modules that provide the interface to the LSL 78. These modules are a collection of procedures, macros and structures. These modules are the media support module (MSM) 80, which contains general functions common to all drivers, and the topology specific modules (TSM) 82, which provide support for the standardized media types of token ring, Fiber Distributed Datalink Interface (FDDI) and Ethernet. The MSM 8˜manages the details of interfacing 001 multi-link interface drivers to the LSL 78 and the NetWare® Operating System. The MSM 80 handles all of the generic initialization and run-time issues common to all drivers. The topology specific module or TSM 82 manages operations that are unique to a specific media type. The Hardware Specific Modules (HSM) 84 are created by each adapter vendor for each type of peripheral adapter. The HSM 84 contains the functionality to initialize, reset and shutdown an adapter. The HSM 84 also handles packet transmission and reception to and from each adapter.
With respect to the mass storage device driver 86, the NetWare® Peripheral Architecture (NWPA) is a software architecture developed by Novell® which provides an interface for mass storage developers to interface with the NetWare® operating system. The NWPA is divided into two components: a host adapter module (HAM) 90 and a custom device module (COM) 94. The HAM 90 is a component that contains information on the host adapter hardware. The COM 94 is the component of the NWPA that regulates the mass storage adapters. The main purpose of the Filter COM 94 is to locate each HAM 90, register for adapter events, and process the 110 suspend and 110 restart requests from the configuration manager 74.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating various components of one embodiment of the present invention as implemented under the Windows® NT Operating System (WinNT). A configuration manager 100 controls the process of hot adding and swapping an adapter. An administrative agent 102 initiates requests to the configuration manager 100 and the network of microcontrollers to oversee the process of hot add and swap of an adapter. The administrative agent 102 initiates requests to the configuration manager 100 to suspend and restart the communications of a peripheral adapter. The administrative agent 102 initiates requests to the microcontroller network device driver 104 to turn on and off the power to the appropriate server slots.
The configuration manager 100 controls the communication between each adapter and adapter driver by calling the SCSI port 106 and NOIS 108. SCSI port and NOIS are interfaces which are exported by the Windows® NT Operating system and which are imported, respectively, into mass storage and network adapter drivers. These interfaces are designed to interact with a miniport 110 which is an instance of an adapter driver. In Windows® NT, each adapter (type of adapter if reentered) will have its own miniport.
The remaining FIGS. 8 through 32 delineate the hot swap and hot add processes as implemented by a user according to one embodiment of the invention, the Hot Plug PCI Wizard software. The Hot Plug PCI Wizard can operate in both the Windows® NT and NetWare® server environments, and the differences between those two implementations are noted herein.
FIG. 8 shows the steps performed in the hot swap process under either the Windows® NT or the NetWare® operating environments. The custom GUI screen displays corresponding to each step in the hot swap process are shown in FIGS. 111 through 26. Before beginning the hot plug or hot add process, the user first accesses, through a network map window icon or menu, the server management window for the particular server of interest. The user can then enter the Hot Plug PCI Wizard to perform the hot swap or hot add process.
At the first screen, the user performs the first step, Select Operation, to select the operation they wish to perform—either "Hot Swap a PCI card" or "Hot Add a PCI card" (see FIGS. 11 and 19). In this case the user selects the former. Upon this selection the Custom GUI Module 56 for that screen retrieves data from the appropriate server module 46 to identify whether the server is a NF-9008, having 8 slots, or a NF-9016, having 4 canisters. The server module 46 obtained this information using the SNMP Module when the user started Maestro 14.
At the next screen the user selects the specific peripheral device slot where they wish to perform the hot swap operation. At this screen, the display varies depending on whether the server of interest is a Model NF˜9008, having 8 independent slots, or NF-9016, having 4 canisters housing 4 slots each. The Custom GUI Module 56 identifies the server by retrieving that information from the server module 46 (see FIG. 4), and then incorporates that knowledge to create either the customized screen display of FIG. 12 or FIG. 20. Thus, if the server is a NF-9008, the user will be displayed FIG. 12, in which case the user will then select (Le. single-click) on the slot of interest. If the server is a NF-9016, the user will be displayed FIG. 20, in which case the user will select the canister first, and then select the appropriate slot within that canister. As noted in FIG. 4, in either case, the user will only be allowed to select slots that contain adapters, because only those support the hot swapping process. The Custom GUI Module 56 accesses the adapter modules 60 (see FIG. 4) to determine which ones (if any) are not hot swappable. This information is contained in the adapter module variable called "adapterSupportsHotSwapHotAdd."
Again referring to FIG. 8, the third step in the hot swap process is simply a confirmation screen, which allows the user to see the steps that the software will instruct the server hardware to perform, and prompts the user to continue when ready (see FIGS. 13 and 21). Next, the hot swap process begins at the server with the suspension of the requested slot adapters, upon the user activating the "Suspend Adapter(s)" button on the screen (see FIGS. 14 and 22). Upon receiving this instruction, the Custom GUI Module for that screen prompts the specified adapter module(s) to send an adapterCommand, "SuspendOperations," to the MIS Manager Module, which then transfers this message to the SNMP Module. The SNMP Module can then send this SuspendOperations command over the network via the SNMP, to the SNMP Agent. The SNMP Agent then transmits the command to the server hardware, and the appropriate hardware devices are engaged to suspend the affected adapter(s).
Once the adapters are suspended, the SNMP Agent transmits that status information back over the network to the SNMP Module and back through the MIS Manager Module, to the adapter object. The state of the adapterState variable in the adapter module is updated to "Suspended," and the next Custom GUI module is in communication with this module to recognize that the appropriate adapters have been suspended and the GUI can then move on to the next step in the process. As noted in FIG. 8, for a server running in the NetWare® environment, only one step is required to both suspend the appropriate adapters and power down the appropriate slot or canister. Thus, the next step for a NetWare® implementation is to actually swap out the intended card.
The next step for a Windows® NT implementation is to power down the appropriate slot, if the server is a NF-9008, or the appropriate canister, if the server is a NF-9016. In the NF-9016, individual slots may not be powered down; instead, the power must be suspended to the entire canister. The screen displays for the power down steps are shown in FIGS. 15 and 23. Once again, the Custom GUI Module 56 for this step receives the user's confirmation to go ahead with this step, and the module then proceeds to access the slotPowerState or canisterPowerState variable information from the slot or canister module 60, transmit a "PowerDown" command to the MIS Manager Module 48 and through the network via the SNMP Module 50. Once the appropriate slot or canister is powered down, the slotPowerState or canisterPowerState receives that information and updates the slot or canister module 60, and the Custom GUI Module recognized from that information that it may proceed to the next step in the hot swap process.
In either the NetWare® or Windows® NT environment, the next step in the hot swap process is to prompt the user to replace the peripheral card in the selected slot. This allows the user to physically go to the server, find the appropriate slot, and swap out and replace the peripheral card. The″ screen display for this step, shown in FIGS. 16 and 24, includes instructions to the user to make sure the LED light at the selected slot is off, and to make sure that the new card is correctly inserted into the slot. Again, once the user has finished this step, the screen display prompts the user to double-click on the "Next" button to proceed to the next step in the hot swap process. For the Windows® NT environment, the nest step is to power back up the affected slot or canister (see FIGS. 17 and 25), which the Custom GUI Module 56 for that screen display accomplishes by instructing the slot or canister module 60 to issue a "PowerUp" command to the MIB Manager Module 48 and through the network via the SNMP Module 50. Once the appropriate slot or canister is powered back up, the slotPowerState or canisterPowerState receives that information and updates the slot or canister module 60, and the Custom GUI Module recognized from that information that it may proceed to the next, and final, step. As stated above, in the NetWare® environment, this step is not necessary.
The final step in the hot swap process is to restart the adapters that were previously suspended before swapping out the peripheral card. This step is performed by the user from the last screen display, shown in FIGS. 18 and 26, by the user activating the "Restart Adapter(s)" command. The "Restart Adapter(s)" command prompts the adapter module 60 to issue a "ResumeOperations" command to the MIB Manager Module 48 and through the network via the SNMP Module 50. Once the user receives confirmation through the adapter module that the state of the adapters (i.e. adapterState) is "Active," the swapped peripheral card may be used in the server.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show the hot add process steps for the NF-9008 (FIG. 9) and NF-9016 (FIG. 10) servers. The process steps are shown for the NetWare® environment, although the process may also be implemented in the Windows® NT environment as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The hot add process is very similar to the hot swap process, except that in a hot add process, a peripheral card is inserted in a server slot that previously did not hold a card.
The screen displays for the hot add process for a NF-9008 server are shown in FIGS. 27 through 32. FIG. 27 shows that the first step in the hot add process is the same screen display as for the hot swap process, except that this time the user selects "Hot Add a PCI card." When the user selects the hot add option, the Custom GUI Module verifies from the state of the server object that the server is a NF-9008, and then verifies from the adapter and/or slot modules 60 that there is no peripheral card presently in that particular server slot. Once confirmation is received by the Custom GUI Module, in the next step, from the screen display shown in FIG. 28 the user selects the particular slot in which the peripheral card will be added, in a manner similar to the identical step in the hot swap process for the NF-9008 server, described above. The next screen display, shown in FIG. 29, is simply a confirmation screen, similar to FIG. 13 for the hot swap process, which just allows the user to hit the "Next" button to prompt the next screen. The next step in the hot add process is for the user to go to the server and physically insert the new peripheral card in the slot at the server. The screen display for this step is shown in FIG. 20. After hitting the "Next" button on the screen display, the user is prompted at the next screen display, shown in FIG. 31, to hit "Power Up" when ready to power the server slot up with the newly inserted peripheral card. At this step, the Custom GUI Module 54 accesses the appropriate slot module 60 to send a PowerUp command via the MIS Manager Module 48, the SNMP Module 50, and the network to the physical server slot, where the command operates to power up the previously inactive slot with the added adapter. Finally, the last user screen in the hot add process instructs the user to make sure to configure the new peripheral card for use. These steps to configure the new card are listed as shown in FIG. 31, and the configuration process for newly added peripheral cards is readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.
For the NF-9016 hot add operation, because the NF-9016 contains its peripheral card slots within canisters, the entire canister must be powered down and then back up in order to add a new card to one of the slots within a canister. For this reason the hot add process for the NF-9016 is nearly identical to the hot swap process for the NF-9016. The process steps in the hot add process are the identical steps implemented in the hot swap process (see FIGS. 8 and 19-26); the only difference is that when the user goes out to the peripheral card slot, the user only has to insert the new peripheral card rather than first removing an already resident card.
Thus, with respect to each of hot swap and hot add processes herein described and carried out by Maestro 14, the user is able to successfully complete a hot swap or a hot add of an adapter from the user's computer workstation screen, and is able to do so knowing no information about these processes other than which process is needed, and which particular server peripheral device slot is concerned.


text:
VANCOUVER - A 30-year-old Delta man was expected to appear in provincial court at Vancouver on Monday afternoon to face charges stemming from a violent crime spree that began in Richmond, continued into Vancouver and ended in Surrey, where he was arrested by RCMP.
Vancouver police are recommending the man remain in custody after a string of accidents, home invasions, assaults, carjackings and thefts that began around 6 p.m. Sunday.
The suspect has a previous criminal record and faces a host of charges that Crown counsel was still determining in the complicated, multi-jurisdictional affair.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS HERE, or if you're using a mobile app, tap the story image and swipe.
Sgt. Randy Fincham of the Vancouver Police Department said the three jurisdictions involved co-operated in the apprehension of the suspect, who was described as a heavily built Caucasian man in his 30s, about six feet tall.
Fincham would address only the Vancouver aspects of the spree, referring questions about the related incidents to the RCMP.
But he did note: "They were violent crimes."
The incidents began with an accident when a speeding black Ford Geo rear-ended a minivan on the East-West Connector's exit to Highway 99.
As a result of the impact, the minivan was propelled 100 metres down the road and landed on its roof.
The passengers were a family of three, two of whom were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Geo ended up in a ditch, and the alleged driver ran to a nearby home, where he stole a vehicle after stabbing the owner several times. The victim, a man in his 60s, was taken to hospital, where he is in serious but stable condition.
The suspect was next reported in Vancouver, where he was alleged to have robbed and slashed a man at an ATM at Kingsway and Victoria around 7 p.m.
That victim was later treated by paramedics.
The suspect got back in the vehicle he was driving, but was involved in a head-on collision near 27th Avenue and Victoria Drive.
He left the vehicle and tried to carjack another one occupied by a man, his wife and two children aged seven and 10 years.
He slashed at the man and woman but was unable to get their vehicle. Those two victims both suffered injuries and were treated in hospital.
The suspect ran to a nearby Esso station, where he carjacked another vehicle. The driver was outside his vehicle and attempted to fend off the suspect, but was unsuccessful.
The vehicle, a grey Honda Civic, was last seen travelling eastbound on Kingsway.
It was next spotted in north Surrey, where it tried to evade RCMP at University Drive and King George Boulevard, but ran into a curb.
The driver fled, according to RCMP, and even tried to get into a taxi, but was rejected.
He continued on foot and went into a wooded ravine in the 10900 block 132A Street, where he was located by a police service dog and its handler.
None of the alleged crimes have been proven in court.
— with files from Cheryl Chan and Mike Raptis
VIEW MORE PHOTOS HERE, or if you're using a mobile app, tap the story image and swipe.


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Memory Eternal! + Kh. Barbara Dunaway
Bishop Basil writes:
Memory Eternal! Khouriya Barbara Dunaway, 75, wife of Fr. Harold, retired from St. John Cathedral in Eagle River, AK, and mother of Khouriya Luanne Barr of St. Elias in Austin, TX, Fr. Marc of Eagle River, AK and Fr. Michael of Goldendale, WA, reposed late last night, January 25th, in hospital in Seattle, WA where she had been airlifted from Anchorage, AK. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. Please join me in praying a rope for the repose of Khouriya Barbara's soul, saying, "O Lord Jesus Christ, grant rest to the soul of Thy departed servant." May God grant her Paradise, and may He grant you long life.
The schedule of divine services is as follows: Tuesday, February 1st: 6:15PM - Vesperal Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, followed by Trisagion Prayers for the Departed. Wednesday, February 2nd, the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord: 11:15AM - Arrival of her body at the Cathedral, followed by the Trisagion Prayers for the Departed. 11:30AM - 3:15PM - Visitation and Reading of Psalms. 3:15PM - Funeral Service, Procession to Cemetery, followed immediately by a Meal of Mercy in the Cathedral's fellowship hall.


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1. What did you think tactic Bella uses to get out of her house? Does she go too far?
Bella used an excellent way out leave Charlie. If she didn't go that far or "below the belt" as she put it, he wouldn't have let her just leave. He clearly, when he grabbed her elbow, was not going to let her go.. but when you hurt/surprise/shock someone so much like that.. it's going to make their head spin. Of course it was too far, but that's what had to be done.
2. There is a lot of interaction among the Cullens. Aside from Carlisle, the one person who can get an upset Edward to listen is Alice. What do you think that says about their relationship?
They have an extremely close bond. They both have the strongest special abilities..
3. Why do you think Laurent chose to leave James and Victoria and head to Denali?
He realized he would probably die along with the other two.
4. Were you surprised that Jasper could felt that Bella was worth it. What do you think lead him to that conclusion?
I know he can feel other peoples emotions and he's probably had so many years worth of doing it he can pinpoint the exact feeling someone is having. He and everyone else have such strong romantic bonds that he knows Edward feels the same way towards Bella


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Latest update : 2011-08-29
Somalia: hungry in a war zone
Somalia is suffering the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world today, according to the UN. The population is forced to flee famine-stricken provinces. Some choose to seek help in Mogadishu, a war-torn city where humanitarian organisations are facing huge difficulties to help them.
Nearly 100,000 refugees have arrived since January. They live around Mogadishu in makeshift huts made of branches and rags. All have emaciated faces, with glazed expressions, washed out by hunger and endless days of walking under a blazing sun.
They all tell the same story: farms made barren by the worst drought in 60 years, animals starving to death one after the other, humanitarian aid blocked by Al-Shabaab, the first deaths in the village. And then the decision to abandon everything, and to flee on an empty stomach to avoid starvation.
In Mogadishu, they thought they would find help; food distribution, and a real chance to find a new life. However, more often, there is nothing, except for the daily violence of a city which has been plagued by civil war for over 20 years.
Mogadishu is hell. It is one of the most dangerous places on Earth where gunmen belonging to rival clans clash in the streets with assault rifles, for just a few bags of grain. In this context, humanitarian agencies are struggling to operate.
Gunmen cause havoc in camps
The warehouses of the World Food Programme (WFP) are full. Boxes of medicine and food are being unloaded all day long at the airport. The problem is distributing the aid. On the 5th of August, a large distribution of dry food was organised, but it ended in a gunfight. Several refugees where killed and the attackers left with truckloads of food.
In Mogadishu, foreign aid workers are targets, as food is a valuable commodity. The only solution is to rely on local partners who themselves take great risks to ensure that aid reaches those in need.
When aid distribution finally occurs, the beneficiaries themselves can find themsleves being attacked. In Badbado camp, many displaced told us they were forced to hand over the food they had been given to armed men. The camps have grown so rapidly they have become uncontrollable: insecurity is all-invasive.
The only solution humanitarian agencies have found to avoid violence is so-called "wet feeding". The idea is to distribute cooked food. The refugees are given a meal that is ready to eat and has almost no market value. The problem is that they have to return every day and queue for hours to feed their families.
Al-Shabaab withdraw, violence remains
On the 6th of August, Al-Shabaab radical Islamist insurgents withdrew from Mogadishu. Up to that point, the fighting had been almost daily between them and the forces loyal to the Transitional Federal Government which is recognised by the international community.
Since then, soldiers of the Somali army, and AMISOM, the African Union peacekeeping force, have been deployed in former Al-Shabaab strongholds. With this withdrawal, the humanitarian organisations hope to intensify their programmes. But the city still isn't safe. Pockets of insurgency are still hiding in some neighbourhoods and Al-Shabaab have announced that they are operating a tactical retreat, and that they intend to change their strategy, most probably shifting to terrorist guerrilla tactics. If they carry out their threats, Mogadishu could become a city even more dangerous than when the frontlines were clearly defined.
Famine has already killed tens of thousands of people in Somalia. According to the FAO, 3.7 million people are in crisis across the country, and 3.2 million are in need of immediate help to survive.


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Jason Wolfe, who as WEEI's program director oversaw the sports station's rise to enormous success, has been fired by parent company Entercom after a prolonged stretch of subpar ratings.
Wolfe, who had been at the station for nearly 22 years and most recently held the title of vice president of programming and operations for Entercom Boston, tweeted the news of his departure Thursday morning.
He also attached a letter that focused on highlights of his career -- including four Marconi Awards for the station during his tenure -- and how much he enjoyed his time at WEEI.
"I'm so blessed to have played a role in the station's success, and that success can never be taken away, nor should it ever be forgotten,'' Wolfe wrote.
"But this is a business, and in business companies are always looking ahead in order to decide what's best for their future. In this case, Entercom has decided to replace me because they feel it's time for a change with my position. They have an obligation to do what they feel is in the best interests of the station and the company, and I respect that, and accept it. I'm thankful for all that Entercom has done to support me, and I wish the company all the best in the future.''
Jeff Brown, the vice president and market manager for Entercom Boston, said Thursday that Wolfe's replacement would be announced in the next couple of days. He also said that other changes at the station are not imminent.
During Wolfe's tenure, WEEI had enormous success in the late 1990s and through the 2000s, fending off upstart challengers such as WWZN 1510 and ESPN 890. But the launch of 98.5 The Sports Hub in August 2009 -- a station with CBS Radio's support, broadcast rights deals with the Patriots and Bruins, and a strong FM signal -- provided the first real challenge to WEEI's sports radio supremacy.
It was not long before the Sports Hub was neck-and-neck with WEEI in the Arbitron ratings. WEEI, which never lacked for hubris during its time alone at the top, was slow to react to the challenge, finally moving from AM to FM (at 93.7) in September 2011.
That was three months after Brown was moved by Entercom from Portland, Ore., to Boston. As WEEI's ratings failed to meet previous high standards, he implemented changes, most notably replacing longtime host Glenn Ordway in afternoon drive with Mike Salk (who is paired with holdover Michael Holley) in February.
The ratings now tilt heavily in 98.5 The Sports Hub's favor. The station has finished first in the last three (fall, winter, spring) three-month ratings periods, and the gap is most significant in morning and afternoon drive.


text: When Nvidia announced its big goofy Android handheld Project Shield earlier in the month, it also quietly revealed Arma Tactics as one of its games. Developer Bohemia Interactive today formally announced that mobile game as a "turn-based close-combat strategy" affair, mentioning the XCOM and Jagged Alliance series as influences. It'll be available for other Nvidia Tegra-powered devices, mind, and may hit other platforms later too. Arma Tactics gives you control of a four-man squad, on a turn-based mission to shoot other men in the face. As well as a proper story-driven single-player campaign, it'll boast procedurally generated missions with randomised objectives. Your characters can level up across mission, and you get to unlock and upgrade weapons too. "Whether using stealth or a more direct approach, players will need to use their strategic thinking and use both basic and advanced weaponry while facing many different opponents - ranging from unorganized local militia to smart and skilled mercenaries," Bohemia says. Arma Tactics will debut for Nvidia Tegra devices between April and June this year. It'll support multiple screens on Project Shield, letting spectators see the game from other angles on a television or what have you. Bohemia says it may potentially come to platforms including PC, Mac, Linux and iOS from Q3 2013 onwards. Hit the official site for more information. Tactics!


text: Hello, I switched to LSWS and found it excellent. Soon another server is going to be switched. Both are primarily php sites. I have one cPanel server where few of our own sites are running under proxied mod_perl on port82 using mod_proxy of apache. While trying to migrate our own server to LSWS we had issues with those sites. Is there a How to for this to get working (i can contact DC and tell them to take a look) so that sooner or later i can migrate this server to LSWS with proxied mod_perl Apache. cPanel default Apache + proxied mod_perl Apache works fine.


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Scientist to Discuss Intracellular Research
Lecture Part of Asa Gray Speaker Series
Written By Colleen Bierstine '15, PR Intern
Masonic Medical research scientist to discuss work
Utica, NY (11/13/2013)- Matthew Betzenhauser, research scientist at Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, will give his lecture, "Regulation of Intracellular Ca2+ Release Channels in Physiology and Disease," as a part of Utica College's Fall 2013 Asa Gray Series.
Betzenhauser will explain how a regulated rise in intracellular Ca2+ represents a universal signal utilized by cells to control a wide range of physiological processes. He will discuss his research that aims to understand the molecular bases and physiological consequences of Inositol trisphosphate receptors (IP3R) and Ryanodine receptors (RyR) regulation, as well as how cardiovascular diseases and aging disrupt these channels.
The lecture will take place at 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18 in the Donahue Auditorium located in UC's Gordon Science Center. A reception will take place outside room 106 in Gordon immediately following the lecture. It is free and open to the public.
For more information visit www.utica.edu/asagray.
About Utica College – Utica College, founded in 1946, is a comprehensive private institution offering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. The College, located in upstate central New York, approximately 90 miles west of Albany and 50 miles east of Syracuse, currently enrolls over 4,000 students in 38 undergraduate majors, 29 minors, 20 graduate programs and a number of pre-professional and special programs.


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25 February 2006 20:00
Game/AI: Crowd Densities revisited(via)
In the comments thread on Greg's welcome post back last September, we had a bit of a chat about achieving real-world crowd densities on next-gen platforms. If you haven't yet seen Capcom's Dead Rising, it's worth checking out the new official trailer released last Friday - I count possibly 100+ NPCs on screen in dense urban environments, with no apparent interpenetrations and quite a bit of animation going on.
1 (1 marks)


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Original URL: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/04/freescale_scottish_fab_closure/
Scottish ex-Moto chip factory to close
Freescale swings the claymore
Posted in The Channel, 4th June 2008 15:43 GMT
Chip maker Freescale will close its Scottish plant with the loss of hundreds of jobs, after failing to find a buyer for the facility.
About 750 highly-skilled manufacturing jobs will be axed at the East Kilbride site, along with up to 100 support roles. The 25-acre site was opened by Motorola in 1969.
Austin, Texas-headquartered Freescale was created in 2004 when Motorola spun out its loss-making chip division. It was picked up by private equity in December 2006 and has continued to haemorrhage cash.
The decision to close the plant comes after tumbling sales prompted a review of the plant's future last year, as part of business-wide cuts. The Herald reports the company said: "All options have now been fully examined and the only current option appears to be potential closure."
Freescale East Kilbride supplies the car industry, but has seen falling demand for chips fabbed using its outdated equipment. A spokesman said: "We anticipate that we will be shipping wafers out of the fab until at least Q2 2009." ®


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Two recent reports indicate that when Greenville College Panthers step onto the basketball court, they bring far more than skillful play to the game – they bring smarts.
A report issued by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) ranked the Greenville College women's basketball team among the nation's best academically during the 2012-13 school year. The Lady Panthers held the third best grade point average in NCAA Division III and were named to the WBCA's Honor Roll. Coach Roy Mulholland's team achieved a cumulative team grade point average of 3.569, ranking third nationwide behind Gustavus Adolphus College (3.600) and Emerson College (3.571). The Lady Panthers were one of two teams from the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) to place among Division III's top ten teams academically. Westminster, the league's regular season and tournament champion, ranked fifth.
Seven players from GC's men's basketball program earned spots on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court for their excellence in the classroom. GC's players comprised half of the SLIAC players to gain recognition. The honorees include juniors Tyler Mitchell and Alex Mumphard, and seniors Simon Martin, Kyle Martin, Ben Giertz, Jordan Smith and Dan Mays. The Panthers also received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, which is based on grade point average.
Men's basketball coach George Barber reports that in addition to receiving recognition for good grades, his team earned the SLIAC 2012-13 Sportsmanship Award, making it the team's sixth Sportsmanship Award in six years.