Abstract: A “velvet rope” mechanism that enables customers of a shared distributed network (such as a content delivery network) needing to control their costs to control the amount of traffic that is served via the shared network. A given server in the distributed network identifies when a customer is about to exceed a bandwidth quota as a rate (bursting) or for a given billing period (e.g., total megabytes (MB) served for a given period) and provides a means for taking a given action based on this information. Typically, the action taken would result in a reduction in traffic served so that the customer can constrain its usage of the shared network to a given budget value.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for a swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT) system utilizing a fast scanning mechanism in the sample arm and a slowly swept light source. The position data is collected rapidly while the wavelength of the source is swept slowly. The system reduces the sweep speed requirements of the light source enabling higher power, greater imaging range, and linear sweeps of the source frequency. The OCT components (or most of them) may be implemented within a hand held imaging probe. In operation, a triangulation scan may be used to orient the imaging probe with respect to a fixed coordinate system; preferably, OCT data captured by the device is then transformed to that same orientation with respect to the fixed coordinate system to improve the scanning results.

Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) typically includes a mapping system for directing requests to CDN servers. One or more peer machines become associated with the CDN, and the CDN mapping system is then used to enable a given peer to locate another peer in the P2P network, and/or a CDN server. Using this hybrid approach, CDN customer content may be delivered from the CDN edge network, from the P2P network, or from both networks. In one embodiment, customer content is uploaded to the CDN and stored in the edge network, or in a storage network associated therewith. The CDN edge network is then used to prime the P2P network, which may be used to take over some of the content delivery requirements for the customer content. The decision of whether to use edge network or peer network resources for delivery may be based on load and traffic conditions.

Abstract: A database management system stores data form a plurality of logical tables as independent copies in different format. In one specific example the system organizes tables into table groups and de-normalizes the table in each table group. It also organizes data in a second format including vertical column containers that store all the data for one attribute, there being one column container for each table and each attribute within that table. The receipt of a query causes the system to develop a query plan that can interact with either or both of the container sets.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for facilitating communication between client computers is provided. The method provides for the use of ping probing by a server to determine the types of NAT devices and/or firewalls protecting the client computers. Once these are determined, the server can predict the response to communications from the client computers and instruct the client computers to contact each other. Once a session or tunnel is established it can be maintained through the use of a flag, even if contact with the server is lost.

Abstract: A method for enforcing a media stream delivery restriction uses a stream control service (SCS). The SCS is implemented in a distributed network, such as a CDN, in which a given media stream is delivered to authorized end users from multiple delivery servers, but where an authorized end user is associated with a single log-in identifier that is not intended to be shared with other end users. According to the method, an enforcement server of the SCS identifies first and second copies of the given media stream associated with the single log-in identifier being delivered from multiple delivery servers. It then issues message to terminate delivery of the given media stream from at least one of the multiple delivery servers.

Abstract: A web-based hosted solution (a managed service or system) through which business entities create and manage communications campaigns, such as interactive campaigns that afford target recipients an opportunity to be connected to a call center. To reduce latency of customer-to-agent connections, the system implements an agent stay-on-line function by which a persistent telephony connection is established and maintained between the system infrastructure and an available agent. In this manner, the agent may handle multiple customers while avoiding an ACD hold queue. In addition, preferably a service-side hold queue also is established and maintained on the service-side of the infrastructure. This hold queue maintains calls that are waiting to be connected to available agents. It ensures that any customer abandons (on the service side) do not impair the connections that are being established and maintained to the agents. The managed service carries out a communications campaign on behalf of a client.

Abstract: A domain to be published to an enterprise ECDN is associated (either by static configuration or dynamically) with a set of one or more enterprise zones configurable in a hierarchy. When a DNS query arrives for a hostname known to be associated with given content within the control of the ECDN, a DNS server preferably responds in one of three (3) ways: (a) handing back an IP address, e.g., for an ECDN intelligent node that knows how to obtain the requested content from a surrogate or origin server; (b) executing a zone referral to a next (lower) level name server in a zone hierarchy, or (c) CNAMing to another hostname, thereby essentially restarting the lookup procedure. In the latter case, this new CNAME causes the resolution process to start back at the root and resolve a new path, probably along a different path in the hierarchy. At any particular level in the zone hierarchy, preferably there is an associated zone server.

Abstract: A network architecture or framework supports hosting and content distribution on a truly global scale. The inventive framework allows a Content Provider to replicate and serve its most popular content at an unlimited number of points throughout the world. The inventive framework comprises a set of servers operating in a distributed manner. The actual content to be served is preferably supported on a set of hosting servers (sometimes referred to as ghost servers). This content comprises HTML page objects that, conventionally, are served from a Content Provider site. A base HTML document portion of a Web page is served from the Content Provider's site while one or more embedded objects for the page are served from the hosting servers, preferably, those hosting servers near the client machine. By serving the base HTML document from the Content Provider's site, the Content Provider maintains control over the content.

Abstract: A campaign strategy manager (CSM) component for a hosted communications campaign system allows users to define more granular and specific campaign strategies, including pass escalation for alternative channels (e.g., text and email) and/or based upon attempt results, contact attributes and response group data. The campaign strategy manager allows users to define pass strategies statically and dynamically, to manage lists across multiple campaigns, and to view results in real-time. A defined strategy is a static strategy created by a user for a particular campaign that, once created, typically is not modified. A dynamic strategy is one where, during the course of a day (e.g., as a sub-campaign is running), a user may alter the defined strategy, preferably just for that day (or portion thereof). In particular, the campaign strategy manager enables the user to make changes to the current strategy as a sub-campaign is running through a particular list.

Abstract: A web-based hosted solution (a managed service or system) through which business entities create and manage communications campaigns, such as interactive campaigns that afford target recipients an opportunity to be connected to a call center. To reduce latency of customer-to-agent connections, the system implements an agent stay-on-line function by which a persistent telephony connection is established and maintained between the system infrastructure and an available agent. In this manner, the agent may handle multiple customers while avoiding an ACD hold queue. In addition, preferably a service-side hold queue also is established and maintained on the service-side of the infrastructure. This hold queue maintains calls that are waiting to be connected to available agents. It ensures that any customer abandons (on the service side) do not impair the connections that are being established and maintained to the agents. The managed service carries out a communications campaign on behalf of a client.

Abstract: A method and system of load balancing application server resources operating in a distributed set of servers is described. In a representative embodiment, the set of servers comprise a region of a content delivery network. Each server in the set typically includes a server manager process, and an application server on which edge-enabled applications or application components are executed. As service requests are directed to servers in the region, the application servers manage the requests in a load-balanced manner, and without any requirement that a particular application server spawned on-demand.

Abstract: A content file purge mechanism for a content delivery network (CDN) is described. A Web-enabled portal is used by CDN customers to enter purge requests securely. A purge request identifies one or more content files to be purged. The purge request is pushed over a secure link from the portal to a purge server, which validates purge requests from multiple CDN customers and batches the requests into an aggregate purge request. The aggregate purge request is pushed from the purge server to a set of staging servers. Periodically, CDN content servers poll the staging servers to determine whether an aggregate purge request exists. If so, the CDN content servers obtain the aggregate purge request and process the request to remove the identified content files from their local storage.

Abstract: Method, procedure, algorithm, system, and computer program and computer program product for improving and optimizing or attempting to optimize performance of messaging campaigns, particularly to marketing campaigns in which advertisements or other messages are distributed over an interactive measurable medium such as the Internet. When message is an advertisement, campaign involves a list of ad alternatives and a target customer population. Goal of message manager or marketing manager is to allocate ad alternatives to customer population to optimize business objectives such as maximizing the number of positive responses received. This is achieved at least in part by segmenting customer population into segments and then finding best allocation of ad alternatives for each segment. The number of segments and grouping of a customer population changes at different stages of the campaign.

Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) service provider extends a content delivery network to gather information on atomically identifiable web clients (called “user agents”) as such computer-implemented entities interact with the CDN across different domains being managed by the CDN service provider. In one embodiment, a set of machines, processes, programs, and data comprise a data system. The data system tracks user agents, preferably via cookies, although one or more passive techniques may be used. A user agent may be a cookie-able device having a cookie store. As the user agent navigates across sites, a CDN-specific unique identifier used by the system to correlate user agents is generated. Preferably, the unique identifier is stored as an encrypted cookie. The unique identifier represents one user agent (and, thus, one cookie-able device's store).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the automatic migration of data via a distributed computer network allows a customer to select content files that are to be transferred to a group of edge servers. Origin sites store all of a customer's available content files. An edge server maintains a dynamic number of popular files in its memory for the customer. The files are ranked from most popular to least popular and when a file has been requested from an edge server a sufficient number of times to become more popular than the lowest popular stored file, the file is obtained from an origin site. The edge servers are grouped into two service levels: regional and global. The customer is charged a higher fee to store its popular files on the global edge servers compared to a regional set of edge servers because of greater coverage.

Abstract: A machine-implemented display method that, with respect to a volume dataset being rendered, enables a user to navigate to any position in space and look in any direction. Preferably, the volume dataset is derived from a computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. With the described approach, the user can see details within the dataset that are not available using conventional visualization approaches. The freedom-of-motion capability allows the user to go to places (positions) within the volume rendering that are not otherwise possible using conventional “orbit” and “zoom” display techniques. Thus, for example, using the described approach, the display image enables a user to travel inside physical structures (e.g., a patient's heart, brain, arteries, and the like).

Abstract: An infrastructure “insurance” mechanism enables a Web site to fail over to a content delivery network (CDN) upon a given occurrence at the site. Upon such occurrence, at least some portion of the site's content is served preferentially from the CDN so that end users that desire the content can still get it, even if the content is not then available from the origin site. In operation, content requests are serviced from the site in the usual manner, e.g., by resolving DNS queries to the site's IP address, until detection of the given occurrence. Thereafter, DNS queries are managed by a CDN dynamic DNS-based request routing mechanism so that such queries are resolved to optimal CDN edge servers. After the event that caused the occurrence has passed, control of the site's DNS may be returned from the CDN back to the origin server's DNS mechanism.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for forecasting cash demand for an automated teller machine (ATM) or any other cash dispensing devices for individual days, weeks and multi-day load periods. In one embodiment, an expected value of withdrawal for any particular period, as well as an upper limit on expected withdrawals for a given confidence level, are computed. The invention facilitates the creation of a daily and multi-day withdrawal forecast for a given ATM. The forecasts are also used to compute an optimum load amount for a given load period (the period between loading operations) for a given ATM, subject to given parameters (such as courier cost, interest rate, transit time, desired confidence level, cost of run-out, and the like) and given constraints (bundle size, maximum capacity, possible delivery days, and the like). The forecasts are also used to determine an optimal load period length and schedule.

Abstract: An archival storage cluster of preferably symmetric nodes includes a metadata management system that organizes and provides access to given metadata, preferably in the form of metadata objects. Each metadata object may have a unique name, and metadata objects are organized into regions. Preferably, a region is selected by hashing one or more object attributes (e.g., the object's name) and extracting a given number of bits of the resulting hash value. The number of bits may be controlled by a configuration parameter. Each region is stored redundantly. A region comprises a set of region copies. In particular, there is one authoritative copy of the region, and zero or more backup copies. The number of backup copies may be controlled by a configuration parameter. Region copies are distributed across the nodes of the cluster so as to balance the number of authoritative region copies per node, as well as the number of total region copies per node.