Abstract: In one embodiment, a domain name system (DNS) server processes a DNS query based on a policy statement that is attached to the DNS query. Upon receiving the DNS query, the DNS server executes one or more commands specified in the policy statement to generate a query state. The query state controls DNS resolution behavior that the DNS server implements as part of processing the DNS query. The DNS server then performs one or more DNS resolution operations based on DNS query and the query state to generate a response. Advantageously, because the semantics of the policy statement are encapsulated within the policy statement, the policy statement enables a client to unambiguously control DNS resolution behavior. By contrast, conventional DNS resolution guidance mechanisms that rely on DNS servers to infer policies based on client data may not reflect the preferences of the clients.

Abstract: Methods and systems for analysis of a plurality of channels that provide a remote desktop session are described herein. Channel metrics for each of a plurality of communication channels may be received. Each of the plurality of communication channels may be configured to deliver, to a computing device and via a network, different aspects of a remote desktop session. A plurality of channel scores may be determined for each communication channel of the plurality of communication channels. Based on the plurality of channel scores, an aggregate score may be determined. Based on the aggregate score satisfying a threshold, a notification may be transmitted. For example, an indication of one or more executable scripts predicted to improve a performance of one or more of the plurality of communication channels may be transmitted.

Abstract: A method supports service level agreement monitoring in a software defined network. The software defined network has forwarding elements and a software defined network controller for controlling the forwarding elements. Data flows are transmitted between a first end-path forwarding element, of the forwarding elements, and a second end-path forwarding element, of the forwarding elements, via at least one intermediate forwarding element, of the forwarding elements. The software defined network controller configures the intermediate forwarding element such that a probe triggering packet is generated based on local information of the intermediate forwarding element. The software defined network controller configures at least one of the first end-path forwarding element or the second end-path forwarding element such that an end-to-end probing is triggered based on receiving the probe triggering packet. The end-to-end probing is performed in order to detect a service level agreement violation.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and software technology are disclosed herein for monitoring for and reporting on degraded connections between applications and application resources. In an implementation, a connection service receives requests from an application to ascertain whether or not a connection between the application and an application resource has become degraded. The service probabilistically determines whether or not the connection has become degraded and replies to the application with information indicative of the same.

Abstract: A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system is configured for direct communications between remote computing devices in a peer-to-peer configuration. Voice data from the communication is marked such that the voice data from the different endpoints can be combined into a unified audio stream. An authentication may be accomplished automatically prior to text or audio communication between a customer and a service agent. In some embodiments, authentication is accomplished automatically by authentication of the remote access device or accomplished by asking the customer questions. A single authentication of the remote access device may be used to authenticate a service request transferred between service agents. The authentication of the remote device may include, for example, use of a personal identification number, a fingerprint, a photograph, and/or a hardware identifier.

Abstract: An illustrative latency service system identifies, in response to a request by a user equipment (UE) device for performance of a distributed computing service, a latency performance level to which the UE device is subscribed. The system obtains real-time latency performance data for a distributed computing network that is to perform the distributed computing service for the UE device in response to the request, and, based on the real-time latency performance data, determines a characteristic of a geographic zone in which the UE device is located. The characteristic is associated with latency performance that the distributed computing network is capable of providing in the geographic zone. Based on the latency performance level and the characteristic of the geographic zone, the system arranges for the performance of the distributed computing service for the UE device by the distributed computing network. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: A redirection device and method, relating to identification of a data server capable of delivering content to a terminal, initiated by the transfer to a second name server of a second domain of a message for obtaining an identifier of the data server in the second domain received from the terminal. Following this transfer, the second name server sends a redirection message to a first domain, including a delegation chain including first data for redirection from the second domain to the first domain. The chain is updated recursively with the redirections between domains added by respective name servers until a name server is able to provide an identifier of the data server.

Abstract: Server devices operating on the Internet or another wide area network (WAN) are able to locate client devices using address information obtained from a shared location. Client devices initially determine their own network address information and submit the determined information for a priori storage at the shared location on the WAN. Each server device, in turn, contacts a message service or the like to establish a persistent data connection that is maintained between the message service and the server device over time. After the client device stores its own address information, the client initiates contact with the server via the message service having the previously-established persistent connection. Upon receipt of the instruction from the message service, the server is able to retrieve the client's previously-stored address information from the WAN storage and use the information to establish a connection with the client.

Abstract: An Internet of Things device is herein disclosed. The Internet of Things device comprises a communication module operable to connect to a network, a memory storing a device fingerprint having a plurality of predetermined system parameters, a processor coupled to the memory and operable to execute instructions stored in the memory, and an activity module, including at least one of a sensor and a control device, the activity module under control of the processor, to perform a predetermined operation with at least one of the sensor and the control device. The activity module communicates on the network via the communications module. The processor measures system parameters during performance of the predetermined operation, compares measured system parameters to predetermined system parameters of the device fingerprint, and disables the communications module, the processor, or the activity module responsive to the measured system parameters being out of compliance with the predetermined system parameters.

Abstract: The described technology is generally directed towards a transport protocol for latency sensitive applications. The disclosed transport protocol is “semi-reliable” in that it allows for specification of an importance of data being transmitted, thereby allowing important data to be sent reliably, while other data can be dropped if necessary, e.g., under bad network conditions. A deadline can be specified for such other data, and if the other data cannot be sent prior to the deadline, it can be dropped. Furthermore, the disclosed transport protocol can allow for early discovery of network jitter. A client device can send regular acknowledgments which identify most recently received data packets as well as a number of “heartbeat transmissions” received at the client device. A server device can use the acknowledgments to discover and respond to jitter.

Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for receiving, by a server, based on input by a user, a request to lock a set of data. Responsively, the server modifies the set of data to be locked, and determines whether an amount of bandwidth required to index the locked data exceeds a threshold. Responsive to determining that the amount of bandwidth exceeds the threshold, the server instructs a secondary server to allocate bandwidth to index a first portion of the locked data. The server indexes a second portion of the locked data in parallel with the secondary server indexing the first portion of the locked data, and generates an index by collating the indexed first and second portions of the locked data. The server receives a search request for a portion of the locked data, and retrieves the portion of the locked data based on referencing the index.

Abstract: A home computing cloud (HCC) supports one or more Internet of Things (IoT) devices, possibly with different connectively protocols, in a local environment. The HCC often reduces the amount of data traffic sent to a public computing cloud (PCC) by locally processing collected device data rather than by sending the device data to the PCC for processing. This approach reduces the amount of data traffic sent over the network, improves data privacy and helps to maintain a desired quality of service level. In order to do so, the HCC may download an appropriate data analytic model from the PCC, train the model, execute the trained model to obtain prediction information from collected IoT device data, and upload the trained model to the PCC. Alternatively, the HCC and PCC may execute sub-models of the analytic model and exchange the outputs of the sub-models with each other.

Abstract: A system and method for real-time discovery and monitoring of multidimensional topology models describing structural aspects of applications and of computing infrastructure used to execute those applications is disclosed. Different types of agents are deployed to the monitored application execution infrastructure dedicated to capture specific topological aspects of the monitored system. Virtualization agents detect and monitor the virtualization structure of virtualized hardware used in the execution infrastructure, operating system agents deployed to individual operating systems monitor resource utilization, performance and communication of processes executed by the operating system and transaction agents deployed to processes participating in the execution of transactions, providing end-to-end transaction trace and monitoring data describing individual transaction executions.

Abstract: A disclosed computer-implemented method may include receiving a request to generate a dating profile for a user of a community-based dating service of a social networking system based on information associated with the user and maintained by the social networking system. The method may also include accessing information associated with the user and maintained by the social networking system. The method may additionally include selecting, from the information associated with the user and maintained by the social networking system (1) a set of contextual information associated with the user, and (2) a set of media items associated with the user. The method may further include generating the dating profile for the user by arranging the set of contextual information and the set of media items within a dating interface of the social networking system. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: A processor may identify an action of a first device of the IoT devices. The processor may initiate a transfer from the first device to one or more other devices of the IoT devices. The processor may pause each thread being executed by the first device and the one or more other devices. The processor may transfer a unit from the first device to the one or more other devices.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for automating data center builds through the use of service proxies. A proxy is configured in a testing computing environment to receive service calls for a plurality of first services in the testing computing environment. The proxy forwards the service calls to at least one corresponding instance of the plurality of first services not in the testing computing environment. One or more second services in the testing computing environment that generate the service calls for the plurality of first services are then tested. The service calls are handled by the proxy during testing.

Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for host multihoming with no state synchronization between top-of-rack (ToR) switches coupled to multiple hosts. ToR switches of a multi-homing system share a virtual MAC address and respond to Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) requests and/or Neighbor Discovery (ND) solicitations for a default gateway IP address from the host with the virtual MAC address. Ports on a ToR switch may be configured either with a static ARP and/or ND entry, or be configured to learn via a discovery protocol. The lightweight host multihoming system may have modified flooding behavior, ARP/ND handling, and data path forwarding. ARP/ND traffic from a host is processed by a ToR switch, while other multicast traffic may be discarded. Embodiments of the host multihoming system provide a lightweight solution for software implementation with minimal changes imposed on the host or network design.

Abstract: Techniques for dynamic content delivery network (CDN) selection using the domain name service (DNS) protocol are described. A DNS resolver utilizes a network identifier provided within a DNS query seeking to resolve a domain to select between different CDNs. The selection can be based on an analysis of network metric summary data corresponding to the CDNs from the perspective of an approximate location of the requesting client, as determined via the network identifier as a proxy. The selection process and involved network metric types can be configured by the user associated with the domain via a selection policy. Network metrics can be provided by the user or collected based on reported data generated by remote clients through provided metric-generating code, and thereafter transformed into network metric summary data that is used for resolution.

Abstract: A method for configuring multiple electronic devices in a batch, is described. The method can include initializing, by a first computing device a communication network based on a pre-defined configuration parameter. The pre-defined configuration parameter is associated with a first instance of an application on the first computing device. Further, the method includes identifying, by the first computing device, an initialization of a second instance of an application at a second computing device. In response to identifying the initialization of the second instance of the application at the second computing device, the method includes, sending, by the first computing device configuration settings for the second computing device over a secured communication network. In this regard, the configuration settings can comprise at least the pre-defined configuration parameter for configuring the second computing device.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes methods and systems for establishing a Session Initiation Protocol Session. One method includes transmitting a first message requesting authentication configuration information; in response to the first message, receiving a second message that includes the authentication configuration information; transmitting a third message that includes authentication information based upon the received authentication configuration information; receiving an authentication challenge request that is formatted according to the second protocol; and in response to receiving the authentication challenge request, transmitting an authentication response to the second network node.