Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for selective placement of promotional elements within a search result layout. For example, a search result layout may be constructed with one or more search results relevant to a search query (e.g., images, websites, and/or other content associated with a “vacation” search query). Promotional elements may be retrieved based upon the search query, and display ranks may be assigned to such promotional elements based upon various ranking factors, such as user engagement, search result correlation, and/or relevancy, etc. In this way, promotional elements may be interspersed amongst search results within the search result layout based upon display ranks (e.g., a download vacation app promotional element may be assigned to a layout portion between a first search result and a second search result). Because promotional elements may be interspersed with search results, visual labels may be assigned to promotional elements (e.g., “AD”).

Abstract: A system and method are provided for ensuring delivery of a communication from one computer system or node to another. A first node includes an object handler, such as an ORB (Object Request Broker), that receives object references from higher-level services operating on the first node, wherein the referenced object resides on a second node. The first node's object handler generates a message to an object handler on the second node and attempts to send the message to the second node through a transport module. The message is assigned a unique identifier, such as a sequence number. If the first object handler receives an uncertain status concerning the message (e.g., other than a certain success or failure), it issues a query to the second node to determine if the message was received. If the query is received by the second object handler before the message itself is received, the message is considered lost or rescinded by the first node.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates communications between a cluster of nodes within a clustered computing system in a manner that tolerates failures of communication pathways between the nodes. The system operates by configuring a distinct logical pathway between each possible source node and each possible destination node in the cluster, so that each distinct logical pathway is routed across one of at least two disjoint physical pathways between each possible source node and each possible destination node. In doing so, the system configures a first logical pathway between a first node and a second node across a first physical pathway of at least two disjoint physical pathways between the first node and the second node. Upon detecting a failure of the first physical pathway, the system reroutes the first logical pathway across a second physical pathway from the at least two disjoint physical pathways between the first node and the second node.