Abstract: The invention relates to a method and means of workload balancing for a multitude of applications servers. The method comprises a first-step, wherein an application client sends an application request to a request queue of a dispatcher. In a second step the dispatcher is extracting an application request from said request queue. Within the second step the dispatcher selects a certain one of the application servers to which the extracted application request is to be sent to based on a table. The table is administered by the dispatcher and the table comprises an indication of the workload of the application servers. Also within the second step the dispatcher administers the table according to the selection and the dispatcher sends the extracted application request to said certain application server. The method comprises a third step, wherein an application server after processing an application request returns to the dispatcher a response comprising an indication of its current workload.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for aggregating constraints and/or preferences using an inference engine and an enhanced scripting language. Values of multiple factors and the interrelationships between the factors and their values are aggregated, and the result is used to tailor or direct the processing of a software program. This approach enables representing complex decisions in a straightforward manner, and avoids the need to modify the software program to account for new factors and/or new values thereof.

Abstract: The invention ensures that a single and consistent reply is made to an ARP request in a system of connected IP networks. When an adapter becomes active, the relative network on which it resides is determined by transmitting control packets over it and all other adapters known to the host and observing if and where responses are returned to the adapters. One adapter on a network is designated as active. If the same network contains other adapters, they are marked as standby adapters for the purpose of responding to ARP messages. Special processing is provided for offload adapters that perform there own ARP processing.

Abstract: To provide a telephone information service system capable of providing good operability and rendering information services containing attractive services without placing any burdens on a user. A telephone information service system is disclosed, which allows a user to select and use various service items from the menu of a host system by telephone. The telephone information service system comprises first and second functions in the host system. The first function is a trigger restarting function for dynamically changing a menu composition for the user by bringing a service item hit by a trigger to the head of the menu when a trigger condition is established for a service item selected by the user, and starting up the target service item by notifying the user of the establishment of the trigger condition.

Abstract: The invention ensures that a single and consistent reply is made to an ARP request in a system of connected IP networks. When an adapter becomes active, the relative network on which it resides is determined by transmitting control packets over it and all other adapters known to the host and observing if and where responses are returned to the adapters. One adapter on a network is designated as active. If the same network contains other adapters, they are marked as standby adapters for the purpose of responding to ARP messages. Special processing is provided for offload adapters that perform there own ARP processing.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include methods, systems and computer program products which provide for a complex policy rule structured in a plurality of levels wherein the complex policy rule selects an action for execution based on a plurality of individual policy conditions. An event is received having an associated value defining a point in a space covered by the individual policy conditions. The following operations are performed if the complex policy rule is a CNF policy rule. A plurality of summary conditions are generated, each of the summary conditions being associated with one of the levels. The associated value of the received event is compared to a selected one of the summary conditions to determine if the selected one of the summary conditions is met.

Abstract: The invention ensures that a single and consistent reply is made to ARP requests in a system of connected IP networks in which each host can contain combinations of host adapters, offload adapters and virtual IP addresses.

Abstract: The invention operates in an MS/Exchange network comprising a plurality of servers each having a plurality of user subscribers and, for example, an Internet gateway server. The servers have unique X400 attributes and are adapted to independently allocate email aliases. The method of the invention creates unique Internet aliases for users by: exporting a user directory from a mail server in the network to the gateway server, the user directory containing a plurality of user X400 address attributes dependent on the unique attribute of the user's mail server; extracting from the directory an X400 mail address attribute for each user; and from the mail address attribute generating an Internet alias for the gateway.

Abstract: The invention improves communications between a queuing process and a dequeuing process. Elements are linked and unlinked from the queue using a special locking instruction that guarantees serialized operations. The queue structure includes a synchronization field that is used to pass information between the queuing process and the dequeuing process and which is also used by the locking instruction to guarantee serialized operation. The dequeuing process writes information into the synchronization field for the queuing process. The queuing process reads and acts on the information in the synchronization field. In the preferred embodiment, the information passed between the queuing and dequeuing processes allows the processes to control the initiation and termination of dequeuing processes. When the dequeuing process removes an element from the queue, it sets the synchronization field to a first or second state, depending on whether the queue is empty or not empty, respectively.

Abstract: Speech encoding in a client server system such as a laptop, personal data assistant or mobile phone communicating with an interactive voice response telephony application. A method of communication with a speech enabled remote telephony device such as a mobile phone is described comprising the following steps. Receiving user speech input into the mobile phone as part of a dialogue with an interactive voice response telephony application. Performing speech recognition to convert the speech into text and converting the text into tones such as DTMF tones. Transmitting the DTMF tones over the voice channel to an interactive voice response (IVR) telephony application an allowed response feature converts the users response to a known valid response of the IVR application. A language conversion feature allows a person in one language to speak in that language to an IVR application operating in a different language.

Abstract: A method for minimizing network traffic of distributed applications operating in a distributed environment in a networked computer system, comprising a plurality of workstations and a plurality of database management systems (DBMS) managing data in a set of distributed tables for use by the workstation. The method derives from process models a placement of tables resulting in minimal network traffic when the process model is executed and thereby lowering costs and average response times. The invention can be advantageously applied to workflow management systems.

Abstract: IPSec rules are searched in an improved manner to reduce processing overhead. For selected connectionless protocols, packets are treated as if they were part of a simulated connection. A pseudo-connection memory block is allocated with the creation of each socket and IPSec security binding information is stored in the pseudo-connection memory block on a first packet. Thereafter, as long as the source address and port in incoming packets on the same socket or destination address and port in outgoing packets on the same socket remain the same, the packets are treated as part of a simulated connection. The security rules are not searched again until the simulated connection terminates or the static rule table is modified. In the preferred embodiment, security binding is made only to the static rule or placeholder.

Abstract: A data communications apparatus connected to a network through which datagrams flow from the data communications apparatus to at least one other data communications apparatus also connected to the network, the apparatus having: a means for receiving data which is to be transmitted over the network, such data being broken up into data records; and a means for packing the data records into datagrams for transmission over the network, including a means for assigning data records to datagrams; wherein the means for packing takes the data records out of sequential order when assigning data records to datagrams.

Abstract: A data communications network comprises a plurality of geographically spaced wireless transmitters each for transmitting a different network address. At least one mobile user terminal has a wireless receiver for receiving the network addresses transmitted by the transmitters, a wireless transmitter for transmitting requests for delivery of data files from remote locations identified by the network addresses, a wireless receiver for receiving from the remote location the data files identified by the network addresses, and output means for outputting the data files received. Preferably, the network addresses each comprise a Uniform Resource Locator and the data files each comprise a World Wide Web page.

Abstract: Pacing algorithms and their benefits in predictive dialers in call center activities have been appreciated for a number of years. A predictive dialer automatically dials new customers before the call center agents or attendants finish talking with their current customers. Pacing processes use predictive engines to estimate how many currently busy agents may become available within a given timeframe. Most existing predictive engines predict the agent availability in terms of yes/no decisions on an agent by agent basis. The inventive pacing algorithm is based upon mathematical probability models and provides more accuracy in the dialing of outgoing telephone calls from a call center by taking into account a multi-dimensional probabilistic model as is described.

Abstract: There is provided method and apparatus for connecting computer network ip telephones using a speech recognition engine and a ip address database on an INTERNET server, The method comprises opening a voice channel from an ip phones to a speech recognition server; determining the name of the addressee from a speech input sent over the voice channel to the speech recognition server by the caller; determining an ip address from an ip address database corresponding to the determined addressee's name; opening a data channel from the database and transmitting the ip address to one or other of said telephones; and routing logic on said one or other ip phones using the ip address to establish a connection with the other ip phone. This allows the ip phones to access remote resources of speech recognition and a large database thereby taking advantage of more powerful resources that would be available locally.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for transferring a Virtual IP Address (VIPA) from a first application instance to a second application instance executing on a cluster of data processing systems having a plurality of communication protocol stacks. A list of dynamic VIPAs is distributed among the protocol stacks and a hierarchy of backup communication protocol stacks for the dynamic VIPAs is determined based on the list of dynamic VIPAs. Upon receiving notification of failure of the first stack the second stack evaluates the hierarchy of backup stacks to determine if it is the next stack in the hierarchy for the VIPA associated with the first application instance. If so, then the VIPA associated with the first application instance is transferred to the second communication protocol stack associated with the second application instance.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products are provided which provide connection information about connections to communication protocol stacks in a cluster of data processing systems by distributing location information between communication protocol stacks in a group of stacks within the cluster. The distributed location information about addresses and operating system images or data processing systems of communication protocol stacks is utilized to generate a list of addresses corresponding to stacks in the group so that this information may be provided to applications requesting the information from the communication protocol stacks.

Abstract: The present method and apparatus provide a searching operation of variable bit chain keys, the implementation being possible in software and cost effective in hardware. When implemented in the network routers, this solution sustains performance required for routing IPV4 OR IPV6 datagrams node insert and delete operations maintain the data base with no need for further garbage collection. The Extended patricia tree data structure of the invention the determination in advance of the process time and the storage resources which will be used. Variable bit chain keys padded with zeros and their prefix length are stored in the extended patricia tree. A search is performed in two parts, a first up-down displacement in the tree followed by a down-up displacement to find the key stored in one node in the tree having the longest matching prefix with the key to be searched.

Abstract: In a communication system pursuant to the frame relay (FR) architecture, to prevent disability of a data transmission due to the discarding of LMI data. When receiving FR frames from an FR terminal 16, a multiplexer 14-2 separates LMI frames stored with LMI data from user frames stored with user frames, based on values of DLCI address fields, and queues them separately. The multiplexer 14-2 sends all of the queued LMI frames via the data transmission path 18 in a preferential manner and, then, it sends a portion of the queued user frames that is transmissible by a remaining portion of the transmission capacity to the data transmission path 18, thereby causing the user frames alone to be subjected to shaping processing.