Abstract: A system and method to improve data access over a network. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a device for caching data from a server, such as e-mail messages, is provided at a location close to an end user. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a centrally stored address list is provided that may be accessed by a client to determine the best or nearest server for data access.

Abstract: A broadcast or multicast message from a network station is forwarded only to stations in the same virtual broadcast domain (VBD) as the sending station. In some embodiments, a VBD is virtual network (VLAN) or a workgroup (a group of stations, possibly within a VLAN). A membership of a network station in a VBD is determined based on the user who logged on to the station. When the station is first powered up, it is bound to a "default" VBD. When a user logs on, the VBD(s) assigned to the user are determined, and the user's station is switched to the VBD(s). When the user logs off, the user's station is returned to the default VBD.

Abstract: Collections of articles or entities are represented on a video display in a manner that allows one to view the relationship, if any, between those articles. One embodiment uses circular representations to model set membership of the entities in one or more of the collections. Another embodiment displays many-to-many and one-to-many relationships between the entities and the collections using two overlapping sets of connective representations with icons displayed at the overlaps to indicate the relationship.