Abstract: A system and a method for dynamic or as-needed activation of Remote Method Invocation (RMI) layer remote objects in response to a client request. Object activation allows the system to clean up or delete currently unused remote objects, and then reactivate them when a client actually needs them. An object implementation can first be created in response to a client request. The client receives a remote reference (remote ref) and an activation identifier (activation id) identifying that particular implementation. The implementation can subsequently be cleaned up or deleted during garbage collection so as to save server resources, or alternatively the object can be reused if the system is set up to maintain a pool of objects. When the client requests the same object at a later point in time, the system activates an object based on the activation ID previously received from the server.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a beverage container is provided which includes an external indication that the beverage container includes a bottle opener or other food opener inside. Such external indication can be in the form of words, or a pictorial or symbolic representation of a bottle opener. When the consumer purchases the container of beverages, they can open the container to remove the bottle opener, and then use the bottle opener to open the individual bottles. This eliminates the need to purchase separately or find a previously-owned bottle opener, and can encourage sales of certain bottled beverages over others that do not include their own bottle opener.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling site failover in an application server or clustered environment. In addition to providing HTTP session state replication across servers within a cluster, the invention provides the ability to replicate HTTP session state across multiple clusters. This improves high-availability and fault tolerance by allowing clusters to be spread across multiple geographic regions, power grids, and Internet service providers.

Abstract: A session replication system provides real-time data replication without unnecessarily slowing down the user experience. A system in accordance with the present invention may utilize a primary server to serve requests from a network client, as well as a secondary server to replicate the session information. When a request is received on the session, an attempt may be made to serve the request on the primary server. If the primary is unable to receive or respond to the request, the request may be served on the secondary server or on a new primary server. If the secondary server receives the request, the secondary server may become the new primary server. If a new primary server is selected, the new primary may request the session information from the secondary server.

Abstract: A timer master can assign scheduled jobs to other application servers of a cluster. Leases for the timer master can be started in a lease table. The timer master can store job info for the scheduled jobs in a database. In case of a crash of the application server, another application server of the cluster can be assigned the time master and use the job information to assign scheduled jobs.

Abstract: A service access gateway is described that provides enforcement of service level agreements across geographically remote domains. Each domain can comprise an access tier and a network tier that can be scaled by adding or removing server nodes. At the network tier level, a master node can be selected in each domain in order to maintain budget state information for the domain. Additionally, a global master can be elected in order to maintain the state information across multiple domains such that the service level agreements can be enforced in a synchronized manner. A geographical configuration service can also be implemented to generate alarms in cases where service level agreements across the multiple sites are not identical.

Abstract: A system and method for communications between servers in a cluster. The system allows for point-to-point messaging to be used in a clustered environment to provide communication of services provided by each server or member of that cluster. Each server or member within the cluster advertises its services as before. If one of the receiving servers misses an advertisement, i.e. it becomes out-of-sync with the sending server, then the second (receiving) server makes a reliable point-to-point request to the first (sending) server asking for the missed services.

Abstract: A system and method for providing singleton services in a cluster of servers, where one server is designated as a cluster master, other servers are designated as migratable servers and where all servers in the cluster heartbeat their liveness information against a database. The cluster master monitors the heartbeats of all migratable servers. Upon failure of a migratable server's heartbeat, the cluster master first attempts to restart the migratable server on the same machine and if that does not succeed, the cluster master migrates the migratable server to a different machine in the cluster. In accordance with an embodiment, all migratable servers monitor the heartbeats of the cluster master. Upon failure of the cluster master's heartbeating, one migratable server takes over the role of being cluster master.

Abstract: A session replication system provides real-time data replication without unnecessarily slowing down the user experience. A system in accordance with the present invention may utilize a primary server to serve requests from a network client, as well as a secondary server to replicate the session information. When a request is received on the session, an attempt may be made to serve the request on the primary server. If the primary is unable to receive or respond to the request, the request may be served on the secondary application server or on a new primary server. If the secondary server receives the request, the secondary server may become the new primary server. If a new primary server is selected, the new primary may request the session information from the secondary server.

Abstract: A system and method for server load balancing that includes server affinity. The system can be incorporated into application servers to support load balancing algorithms for RMI objects that provide server affinity. Server affinity uses smart load balancing for external client connections in such a way that it uses preexisting connection and reduces overhead: the client considers its existing connections to the application server instances when choosing the server instance on which to access a service. If a service is configured for server affinity, the client-side stub attempts to choose a server instance to which it is already connected, and continues to use the same server instance for method calls. All stubs on that client will attempt to use that server instance. If the server instance becomes unavailable, the stubs fail over, if possible, to a server instance to which the client is already connected.

Abstract: A system and method for communications between servers in a cluster. The system allows for point-to-point messaging to be used in a clustered environment to provide communication of services provided by each server or member of that cluster. Each server or member within the cluster advertises its services as before. If one of the receiving servers misses an advertisement, i.e. it becomes out-of-sync with the sending server, then the second (receiving) server makes a reliable point-to-point request to the first (sending) server asking for the missed services.

Abstract: A system and method for communications between servers in a cluster. The system allows for point-to-point messaging to be used in a clustered environment to provide communication of services provided by each server or member of that cluster. Each server or member within the cluster advertises its services as before. If one of the receiving servers misses an advertisement, i.e. it becomes out-of-sync with the sending server, then the second (receiving) server makes a reliable point-to-point request to the first (sending) server asking for the missed services.

Abstract: A timer master can assign scheduled jobs to other application servers of a cluster. Leases for the timer master can be started in a lease table. The timer master can store job info for the scheduled jobs in a database. In case of a crash of the application server, another application server of the cluster can be assigned the time master and use the job information to assign scheduled jobs.

Abstract: Multiple application server instances can be arranged in a cluster that implements a distributed EJB timer system. A high availability database can store EJB timer info. The EJB timer jobs can be distributed among the application server instances of the cluster that implement the distributed EJB timer system. In case of a failure of an application server instance, the EJB timer info can be used to reassign the EJB timer jobs associated with the failed application server instance.

Abstract: A system and method for providing singleton services in a cluster of servers, where one server is designated as a cluster master, other servers are designated as migratable servers and where all servers in the cluster heartbeat their liveness information against a database. The cluster master monitors the heartbeats of all migratable servers. Upon failure of a migratable server's heartbeat, the cluster master first attempts to restart the migratable server on the same machine and if that does not succeed, the cluster master migrates the migratable server to a different machine in the cluster. In accordance with an embodiment, all migratable servers monitor the heartbeats of the cluster master. Upon failure of the cluster master's heartbeating, one migratable server takes over the role of being cluster master.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling site failover in an application server or clustered environment. In addition to providing HTTP session state replication across servers within a cluster, the invention provides the ability to replicate HTTP session state across multiple clusters. This improves high-availability and fault tolerance by allowing clusters to be spread across multiple geographic regions, power grids, and Internet service providers.

Abstract: A system and method for communications between servers in a cluster. The system allows for point-to-point messaging to be used in a clustered environment to provide communication of services provided by each server or member of that cluster. Each server or member within the cluster advertises its services as before. If one of the receiving servers misses an advertisement, i.e. it becomes out-of-sync with the sending server, then the second (receiving) server makes a reliable point-to-point request to the first (sending) server asking for the missed services.

Abstract: A system and method for server load balancing that includes server affinity. The system can be incorporated into application servers to support load balancing algorithms for RMI objects that provide server affinity. Server affinity uses smart load balancing for external client connections in such a way that it uses preexisting connection and reduces overhead: the client considers its existing connections to the application server instances when choosing the server instance on which to access a service. If a service is configured for server affinity, the client-side stub attempts to choose a server instance to which it is already connected, and continues to use the same server instance for method calls. All stubs on that client will attempt to use that server instance. If the server instance becomes unavailable, the stubs fail over, if possible, to a server instance to which the client is already connected.

Abstract: A system and a method for dynamic or as-needed activation of Remote Method Invocation (RMI) layer remote objects in response to a client request. Object activation allows the system to clean up or delete currently unused remote objects, and then reactivate them when a client actually needs them. An object implementation can first be created in response to a client request. The client receives a remote reference (remote ref) and an activation identifier (activation id) identifying that particular implementation. The implementation can subsequently be cleaned up or deleted during garbage collection so as to save server resources, or alternatively the object can be reused if the system is set up to maintain a pool of objects. When the client requests the same object at a later point in time, the system activates an object based on the activation ID previously received from the server.

Abstract: A system and a method for dynamic or as-needed activation of EJB's in response to a client request. Particularly, EJB object activation allows the system to clean up currently unused objects, and to recreate them on demand when a client needs them. EJB activation thus provides support for remote server objects that require persistent access overtime and that can be activated by the system. In accordance with one embodiment the object activation system activates a remote server EJB for a client based on an ActivationID previously received from the server. This relieves the container from keeping track of remote object interfaces, and allows the system to be more scalable.