Abstract: An improved architecture is provided which enables significant convergence of the components of a system to implement virtualization. The infrastructure is VM-aware, and permits scaled out converged storage provisioning to allow storage on a per-VM basis, while identifying I/O coming from each VM. The current approach can scale out from a few nodes to a large number of nodes. In addition, the inventive approach has ground-up integration with all types of storage, including solid-state drives. The architecture of the invention provides high availability against any type of failure, including disk or node failures. In addition, the invention provides high performance by making I/O access local, leveraging solid-state drives and employing a series of patent-pending performance optimizations.

Abstract: An improved architecture is provided which enables significant convergence of the components of a system to implement virtualization. The infrastructure is VM-aware, and permits scaled out converged storage provisioning to allow storage on a per-VM basis, while identifying I/O coming from each VM. The current approach can scale out from a few nodes to a large number of nodes. In addition, the inventive approach has ground-up integration with all types of storage, including solid-state drives. The architecture of the invention provides high availability against any type of failure, including disk or node failures. In addition, the invention provides high performance by making I/O access local, leveraging solid-state drives and employing a series of patent-pending performance optimizations.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for implementing high performance digital wallets. In use, a digital wallet with a plurality of transactions to process is identified. Further, a plurality of digital proxy-wallets are associated with the digital wallet. Additionally, digital currency from the digital wallet is allocated to the plurality of digital proxy-wallets. Moreover, the plurality of transactions are automatically processed in parallel utilizing the plurality of proxy-wallets such that the transactions are processed against the digital wallet.

Abstract: An improved architecture is provided which enables significant convergence of the components of a system to implement virtualization. The infrastructure is VM-aware, and permits scaled out converged storage provisioning to allow storage on a per-VM basis, while identifying I/O coming from each VM. The current approach can scale out from a few nodes to a large number of nodes. In addition, the inventive approach has ground-up integration with all types of storage, including solid-state drives. The architecture of the invention provides high availability against any type of failure, including disk or node failures. In addition, the invention provides high performance by making I/O access local, leveraging solid-state drives and employing a series of patent-pending performance optimizations.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved approach to implement I/O and storage device management in a virtualization environment. According to some approaches, a Service VM is employed to control and manage any type of storage device, including directly attached storage in addition to networked and cloud storage. The Service VM implements the Storage Controller logic in the user space, and can be migrated as needed from one node to another. IP-based requests are used to send I/O request to the Service VMs. The Service VM can directly implement storage and I/O optimizations within the direct data access path, without the need for add-on products.

Abstract: Systems and methods for natural language question answering are described. For example, methods may include determining a set of candidate database queries, including respective sequences of tokens of a database syntax, based on a string; determining a first score for a first candidate database query from the set of candidate database queries, wherein the first score is based on a match between one or more words of the string and a token of the respective sequence of tokens of the first candidate database query; determining a second score for the first candidate database query, wherein the second score is based on natural language syntax data determined for words of the string; selecting, based on the first score and the second score, the first candidate database query from the set of candidate database queries; and invoking a search of the database using the first candidate database query to obtain search results.

Abstract: A search engine performs semantic analysis of unstructured search terms to generate relational database queries. By understanding the semantics, the search engine more effectively identifies and predicts what information the user is searching for and provides more in-depth user assistance. The search engine uses different ranking schemes to identify which data is most likely associated with search terms and provides both row level and object level data security. The search engine may identify ambiguous search requests and allows the user to select different join paths that create different mappings between the data. The search engine may generate worksheets containing the selected mappings.

Abstract: A computer-implement process generally pertains to ephemeral chat messaging, and in particular, maintaining context of a conversation between a BOT and a user from one webpage of a web browser to another webpage of the web browser. The computer-implemented process includes adding a message to a chat widget. The chat widget is displayed within the webpage of the web browser and the message being added is from the other webpage that the user responded to. The computer-implemented process also includes discarding one or more previous messages in the chat widget that are not responded to by the user, allowing the conversation between the BOT and the user to persist while retaining the context of the conversation from the other webpage.

Abstract: An improved architecture is provided which enables significant convergence of the components of a system to implement virtualization. The infrastructure is VM-aware, and permits scaled out converged storage provisioning to allow storage on a per-VM basis, while identifying I/O coming from each VM. The current approach can scale out from a few nodes to a large number of nodes. In addition, the inventive approach has ground-up integration with all types of storage, including solid-state drives. The architecture of the invention provides high availability against any type of failure, including disk or node failures. In addition, the invention provides high performance by making I/O access local, leveraging solid-state drives and employing a series of patent-pending performance optimizations.

Abstract: An improved architecture is provided which enables significant convergence of the components of a system to implement virtualization. The infrastructure is VM-aware, and permits scaled out converged storage provisioning to allow storage on a per-VM basis, while identifying I/O coming from each VM. The current approach can scale out from a few nodes to a large number of nodes. In addition, the inventive approach has ground-up integration with all types of storage, including solid-state drives. The architecture of the invention provides high availability against any type of failure, including disk or node failures. In addition, the invention provides high performance by making I/O access local, leveraging solid-state drives and employing a series of patent-pending performance optimizations.

Abstract: A method and system for managing de-deduplication of data in a virtualization environment, including receiving a write request for an item of data from a virtual user machine, determining whether de-duplication is enabled, upon determination de-duplication is enabled and a copy of the item of data exists, referencing the de-duplication extent and not creating a new extent for storing the item of data in an extent group comprising a plurality of de-duplication extents.

Abstract: A system for managing storage devices, includes a plurality of nodes that implement a virtualization environment, each node of the plurality of nodes comprising a hypervisor, a service virtual machine that sits above the hypervisor, and one or more user virtual machines that sit above the hypervisor; a plurality of storage devices that are accessed by the user virtual machines via the service virtual machines, wherein a first node of the plurality of nodes comprises a first hypervisor, a first service virtual machine and a first set of one or more user virtual machines, wherein a second node of the plurality of nodes comprises a second hypervisor, a second service virtual machine and a second set of one or more user virtual machines, wherein the first hypervisor and the second hypervisor are of different types, and wherein the first virtual machine and the second service virtual machine are of the same type.

Abstract: A system for implementing storage for a virtualization environment, including a plurality of nodes, wherein the plurality of nodes implements a virtualization environment, a plurality of storage devices that are accessed by virtual machines in the virtualization environment, and wherein the plurality of storage devices comprises a local storage device that is locally attached to one of the plurality of nodes, and in which the local storage device can be managed as part of a global storage space for the virtualization environment.

Abstract: A method for handling storage in response to migration of a virtual machine in a virtualization environment, including receiving an I/O request for a virtual disk, determining that a service virtual machine which implements a storage controller is not registered as owner of the virtual disk, obtaining ownership of the virtual disk by the service virtual machine, the service virtual machine handling the I/O request after obtaining ownership of the virtual disk.

Abstract: A method for handling storage in response to migration of a virtual machine in a virtualization environment, including receiving an I/O request for a virtual disk, determining that a service virtual machine which implements a storage controller is not registered as owner of the virtual disk, obtaining ownership of the virtual disk by the service virtual machine, the service virtual machine handling the I/O request after obtaining ownership of the virtual disk.

Abstract: An information retrieval system converts unstructured ad-hoc search queries into structured search instructions that retrieve data in a structured relational database or an unstructured database. Data from the database is uploaded into a distributed in-memory database system. Tokens are automatically generated based on attributes, measures, and other metadata extracted from the relational database. The tokens are then compared with the non-structured ad-hoc user search queries. The information retrieval system uses the tokens to identify or predict what structured data is associated with user search queries. The tokens guide the user through a set of search terms that the system then uses to generate the structured query instructions. The structured query instructions retrieve specific data and answers from in the database system.

Abstract: A system for managing de-duplication of data in a virtualization environment, that includes a plurality of nodes, wherein the plurality of nodes implements a virtualization environment, a plurality of primary storage devices that are accessed by virtual machines in the virtualization environment, and wherein data undergoes de-duplication in the virtualization environment such that an instruction to store a data item that is issued by a virtual machine is not duplicatively stored if the data item is already stored in the plurality of the primary storage devices.

Abstract: A method for handling storage in a virtualization environment including identifying a situation in which a storage controller ownership change is to occur for a virtual disk, identifying a candidate replacement owner for the virtual disk and transferring ownership of the virtual disk to the candidate replacement owner.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for preparing inorganic hydrogels with alkali halides such as common salt (NaCl) and methods of making such hydrogels. The present invention provides hydrogels that may be formed by the self-assembly or may be brought about by a change in one or more characteristics of the solution. A characteristic of the solution that may change includes pH, temperature, and concentration of one or more specific ion. This invention further discloses the use of only inorganic components towards the formation of inorganic hydrogels.

Abstract: A system for communicating to a storage controller in a virtualization environment, including a plurality of nodes, wherein the plurality of nodes implements a virtualization environment, and a node comprises a hypervisor and multiple user virtual machines; a plurality of storage devices that are accessed by the virtual machine; and a storage controller implemented as a service virtual machine on the node to manage access by the multiple user virtual machines to the plurality of storage devices, wherein a networking protocol is used to communicate between the multiple user virtual machines and the storage controller.