Abstract: In one exemplary embodiment, a terminal user-interface (UI) client is configured to accept a user-scripted command from a user. The user-scripted command includes an operating system command or a user-customized command. The user-scripted command is passed to a distributed server management platform. A node tag input by a user is accepted. The node tag identifies at least one agent node in a server in the cloud-computing platform to execute the user-scripted command. A distributed server management platform that passes the user-scripted command to a group broker of an agent group comprising the agent node identified by the node tag, and to pass a command result to the terminal UI. A group broker to pass the user-scripted command to the agent node, and to pass a command result from the agent node to the distributed server management platform.

Abstract: Monitoring knowledge is distilled into platform-nonspecific patterns of high-level language elements compiled into management packs or other rule packs targeting specific platforms. A server health and/or configuration monitoring knowledge compiler accepts distillation document(s) and target-specific information, and generates target-specific rule packs to be consumed by monitoring tools to monitor specific target platforms consistent with the platform-nonspecific monitoring elements. Computational rule pack generation is qualitatively different from manual rule pack creation. Plug-ins tailor the compiler to generate on-premises or cloud-based rule packs. Distillation element examples include monitor alert types, instructional content types, target attributes and tags, monitored item types, event alert types, performance collection types, policy monitor types, and threshold monitor types.

Abstract: A network-enabled audio device that provides a display device that allows the user to select playlists of music much like a jukebox is disclosed. The user can compose playlists from disk files, CD's, Internet streaming audio broadcasts, online music sites, and other audio sources. The user can also select a desired Web broadcast from a list of available Web broadcasts. In addition, the user can play standard audio CD's and MP3 encoded CD's and have access to local AM/FM stations. Further, the software, the user controls, and the display in the network-enabled audio device are operably configured and connected such that the user can listen to playlists that include CD's and other audio sources just as the user would choose a playlist in a jukebox. The user accesses a server site via a PC and the Internet. From the server site, the user obtains a list of the devices in his or her Internet Personal Audio Network (IPAN) and what songs are on those devices.

Abstract: An Edge switch. The edge switch includes a first module configured to receive multiple coupling signals from at least one user node. a second module, and a log. For each coupling signal, the coupling signal indicates coupling one of the at least one user nodes to one of at least one target nodes via one of at least one proxy servers, the first module is configured to determine an identity of the one of the at least one user nodes and an identity of the one of the at least one target nodes from the coupling signal, and the second module is configured to record the identity of the one of the at least one user nodes, the identity of the one of the at least one target nodes, and date and time at which the coupling signal was processed by the edge switch in an entry in the log.

Abstract: An event management system that plays a central role in handling varying loads of metadata events from each of a large number of touch-points or data servers that come into a Data Centric computing environment. As a matter of distinction when compared to conventional method-centric computing environments, there is broadly contemplated herein the concept not of physically installing a software agent on a designated system as stationary entity, but of launching it in a distributed computing environment and permitting it to “roam” around the numerous data servers to ensure consistency, accuracy and currency between the data entities managed by multiple data servers and the metadata servers in a data-centric computing environment.

Abstract: An embodiment of the disclosed system provides the user of a computing device with information concerning the expected usefulness of an item, such as a hyperlink, within a network resource, such as a search result webpage, with the expected usefulness information based at least in part on an attribute of the user's computing device. For example, the system may provide the user with information identifying a particular website as poorly suited for the user's device, based on data that the system collected identifying an aggregate bounce-back rate from computing devices with a similar attribute to the user's computing device.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method of facilitating presentation and user selection of at least one timeslot, such as for an appointment, is presented. In this method, a request for available timeslots within a time period is received from a user device. In response, timeslot data identifying the available timeslots is retrieved from a scheduling system. An identifier key for each of the available timeslots, as well as graphical display data indicating the available time slots, are generated based on the timeslot data. The keys and the graphical display data are transmitted to the user device. A selection of at least one of the identifier keys is received from the user device. In response to receiving the selection, the at least one available timeslot corresponding to the selection is determined and forwarded to the scheduling system to reserve the at least one corresponding available timeslot.

Abstract: A system and method for a operating a content distribution system includes a destination device and a requesting device that communicates a primary audio stream secondary audio stream and a video stream to the destination device. The destination device communicates the primary audio stream to a display. The destination device includes a secondary decoder configured to decode the secondary audio stream to form a decoded secondary audio stream. The destination device combines the secondary decoded audio stream and the primary audio stream.

Abstract: An inspection station identifies defects such as artifacts (e.g., dust, hair, particles) in the sealing areas of sealed sterile packages. A multi-head optical scanner can include at least two fiber optic sensors each comprised of a bundle of optical fibers arranged into a linear face coupled to an image processing module and oriented towards a scanning area of sealed packages moving through a conveyance system. An image processing module can analyze input from the at least two fiber optic sensor arrangements to identify artifacts in the sealing areas of the sealed packages.

Abstract: Apparatus, and associated method, provides for downloading an application with a selectable lifetime from an application database to a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal user's identification information and the selected lifetime for the application are stored in an application-license database. When the user seeks to download the same application on a subsequent occasion the user is able to download that application for a reduced fee if lifetime remains from when the application was first downloaded. In addition, the application may be configured to delete or uninstall itself from the mobile terminal when the selected lifetime for the application expires.

Abstract: A communication method and apparatus using a virtual sink node in a wireless sensor network, in which location information about a destination node is acquired by a source node. If the location of the destination node is out of a transmission range of the source node, data including the location information about the destination node are transmitted from the source node to one of nodes adjacent to the source node, where the one node is typically closest to the destination node. The data are transmitted from the one node to another one of nodes adjacent to the one node, where another node is closest to the destination node, until the destination node is located within a transmission range of the one node. If the destination node is located within the transmission range of the one node, the data are transmitted from the one node to the destination node.

Abstract: A terminal device can connect to a first network whose communication speed is high or whose communication fee charged according to an amount of communication is low and a second network whose communication speed is lower than that of the first network or whose communication fee charged according to an amount of communication is higher than that of the first network. The terminal device first data with a large amount of data through the first network and stores the first data. Also, the terminal device second data with an amount of data smaller than that of the first data through the second network and stores the second data. The terminal device determines a connection state of the network and a storage state of data and controls reception of data used to output contents on the basis of the determination result.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of obtaining parameters of a digital video to be provided to users of a network. The method includes modifying one or more of the obtained parameters, such that the modification is based on information relating to segments of the users of the network. In addition, the method includes creating a plurality of versions of the digital video. Each one of the plurality of versions comprises a broadcast quality digital video adapted to appeal to at least one of the segments of the users of the network. Further, the method includes monitoring the computing cloud to obtain an assessment of rendering resources available to the computing cloud in rendering the plurality of digital videos, and coordinating allocations of the rendering resources in rendering the plurality of digital videos based on the real time assessment.

Abstract: A method and a system for playing a multimedia file and a computer readable medium using the method are provided. In the present invention, a control apparatus sends a control command to a destination apparatus. A multimedia playing module in the destination apparatus is enabled according to the control command. And a response message is sent to the control apparatus by the destination apparatus after receiving the controlling command. Afterwards, the control apparatus transmits the multimedia file to the destination apparatus in a streaming mode for playing the multimedia file through the multimedia playing module.

Abstract: Request processing within a computing environment is facilitated. Request processing and analytics processing for the request are performed substantially concurrently in order to improve efficiency of request execution. The analytics processing is at least commenced, and may complete, prior to receiving an indication of success or failure of the request processing. If request processing fails, analytics processing ceases, if not already complete, and results of the analytic processing are not used.

Abstract: A system and method that integrates a plurality of media service systems offering different multimedia services such as media storage, syndication, delivery, and billing services. The system and method also provides automated file transcoding. In embodiment, a method of the present invention includes receiving a plurality of physical media files, organizing the plurality of physical media files so that different bit-rates and formats of a single source material are organized into a media database entity, receiving user specified delivery settings for the distribution of the physical media file, generating a release database entity storing the delivery settings of the physical media file, generating an address indicating the storage location of the release, and transmitting the address to a remote computing device.

Abstract: An override of automatically shared meta-data of media method and apparatus are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of a server device includes automatically populating a hierarchy using a play-list history data associated with a media data of a client device and modifying the hierarchy based on a user override. The hierarchy may be a hierarchy of the play-list history data of the certain items associated with the media data of the client device. A modified hierarchy may be generated based on an addition, deletion and/or an adjust modifying operation of the user override on the hierarchy and may be automatically populated on a new mark-up language file based on the modified hierarchy. A new compatibility rating may be determined between the user and the other users based on the similar attributes between the modified hierarchy and the other hierarchies and each user of the server device may be enabled to view mark-up language files of the other users.

Abstract: Architecture that facilitates transport high availability for messaging services by providing the ability of a receiving entity (e.g., receiving message transfer agent (MTA)) to detect if a sending entity (e.g., sending MTA or client) is a legacy sending entity. When the receiving entity detects that the sending entity is a legacy system, by advertising transport high availability capability to the sending entity, if the sending entity does not opt-in to this capability, the receiving entity keeps the sending entity client “on hold”, that is, waiting for an acknowledgement (ACK) until the receiving entity delivers the message to the next hops (immediate destinations). This approach maintains at least two copies of the message until the message is successfully delivered (to the next hop(s)). Hence, if the legacy sending entity or the receiving entity fails, the message is still delivered successfully.

Abstract: The technique introduced here involves using a block address and a corresponding generation number as a “fingerprint” to uniquely identify a sequence of data within a given storage domain. Each block address has an associated generation number which indicates the number of times that data at that block address has been modified. This technique can be employed, for example, to determine whether a given storage server already has the data, and to avoid sending the data to that storage server over a network if it already has the data. It can also be employed to maintain cache coherency among multiple storage nodes.

Abstract: A system and method of allocating a job submission for a computational task to a set of distributed server farms each having at least one processing entity comprising; receiving a workload request from at least one processing entity for submission to at least one of the set of distributed server farms; using at least one or more conditions associated with the computational task for accepting or rejecting at least one of the server farms to which the job submission is to be allocated; determining a server farm that can optimize the one or more conditions; and dispatching the job submission to the server farm which optimizes the at least one of the one or more conditions associated with the computational task and used for selecting the at least one of the server farms.