Abstract: A software provisioning environment can include several provisioning servers for providing software provisioning to one or more target machines. To assign provisioning servers to the target machines, a provisioning server can be configured to assign the provisioning servers utilizing the provisioning objects. The provisioning server can be configured to associate selected provisioning objects with respective provisioning servers. By associating a provisioning object with a respective provisioning server, the respective provisioning server will operate as the provisioning server for any provisioning processes performed on target machines utilizing the selected provisioning object. The provisioning server can be configured to associate the provisioning objects with the provisioning servers based on any number of factors such as location of the provisioning servers, specifications of the provisioning servers, load on a provisioning server, and performance of a provisioning server.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for detecting and reporting malfunctions in computer programs is described. A reporting library of an Application Programming Interface (API) is configured to direct a report of software malfunction to a specified server. The API is implemented in an application to be executed on a computer system. The application implementing the API is to report software malfunction of the application to the specified server.

Abstract: A method and system for distributing a secret to a plurality of computing systems. In one embodiment, the method determines the number (n) of shares to generate and a threshold number (k) of the shares from which the secret can be reconstructed. The method further chooses n coprime random bit strings in any one of general rings as moduli, the general rings including one or more non-integer rings. The secret is then embedded in a bit string which is at least one bit longer than the product of any k?1 moduli and at least one bit shorter than the product of any k moduli. The method further computes shares of the bit string for distribution to n computing systems, each share including one of the moduli and a corresponding remainder.

Abstract: A mechanism for dynamic placement of virtual machines (VMs) during live migration based on memory is disclosed. A method of embodiments of the invention includes determining candidate target host machines capable of receiving a VM to be migrated, obtaining a hash value for memory pages of the VM to be migrated, obtaining for each candidate target host machine hash values for shared memory pages utilized by one or more VMs hosted by the candidate target host machine, comparing for each candidate target host machine the hash values for the memory pages of the VM to be migrated with the hash values for the shared memory pages, and adjusting a score in a general selection algorithm for the candidate target host machine with the most identical matches of the hash values for the shared memory pages with the hash values for the memory pages of the VM to be migrated.

Abstract: An electronic transaction payment system is provided having a vendor terminal associated with a vendor who provides goods or services to a purchaser, a vendor smart-card and a vendor smart-card reader for transmitting data to and receiving data from the vendor smart-card. The system also includes a purchaser smart-card reader which is connected to the vendor terminal and which is operable for transmitting data to and receiving data from a purchaser smart-card. In operation, payment for goods purchased by the purchaser is made between the purchaser smart-card and the vendor smart-card. In a preferred embodiment, the payment data is encrypted using an encryption key specific to the transaction between the purchaser and the vendor. A third party registry terminal may also be provided for providing validation of the vendor and/or the purchaser.

Abstract: A mechanism for automatic adjustment of virtual machine (VM) storage is disclosed. A method of embodiments of the invention includes stopping, by a host computing device, a virtual machine (VM) hosted by the host computing device from running upon detecting a write error due to lack of storage on the VM, communicating, by the host computing device, an out-of-storage notification from a hypervisor of the host computing device to a host management agent, and sending, by the host computing device, data associated with the out-of storage notification and the VM to a host controller that manages the host computing device, wherein the host controller causes storage for the VM to be increased.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a group of phosphors of the formula M2(SiO4)1-x-y-z(TiO4)x(ZrO4)y(HfO4)z:A,S and light emitting devices which utilize these phosphors.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for composing electronic messages. In one embodiment, the method includes dividing a first electronic message into one or more segments, uniquely identifying each of the segments of the first electronic message, and storing the first electronic message in a repository with unique identifiers of the segments. The segments can then be individually accessible by a user viewing the first electronic message.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for verifying loadable objects. A request is received from an application to load a first loadable object into memory. A first signature value is calculated for the first loadable object. The first loadable object is loaded into memory if the first signature value matches one of a plurality of signature values, each of the plurality of signature values being associated with a distinct loadable object.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing security to Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) system. In one embodiment, a file system with noexec/nodev options is mounted on the POSIX system. The root directory of the mounted file system is changed with a chroot operation to generate a secured system directory structure. The secured system directory structure is assigned to a non-administrative user.

Abstract: A method and system to handle an asynchronous page fault in a virtual machine system. A computer hosts a virtual machine that includes a virtual central processing unit (CPU). The virtual CPU requests access to a page that is not resident in memory. The host operating system of the computer receives an indication of a page fault, and informs the virtual CPU of the page fault. The host operating system provides an identifier associated with the page fault. The host operating system performs page swapping operating in parallel with a new task rescheduled by the virtual CPU, and sends a wake-up signal to the virtual CPU when the page has been brought back into the memory.

Abstract: Some embodiments of virtualization management using a centralized server have been presented. In one embodiment, a centralized server obtains metadata of an operating system and information on provisioning computing resources from a software vendor. The centralized server is deployed within an internal network of a customer of the software vendor, where the internal network further includes a set of at least one physical machine. The centralized server may further generate a graphical user interface to allow users of the centralized server to manage a set of virtual machines running on the set of at least one physical machine. The set of virtual machines may include at least one virtual host and at least one virtual guest.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to systems and methods for instantiating and operating a virtual appliance monitor in a cloud. A network cloud environment can include a set of instantiated virtual appliances supported in the cloud. A cloud management system can control and organize the resource servers and other resources necessary to build the virtual appliances. In addition to the set of virtual appliances, the cloud management system can instantiate a virtual appliance monitor that communicates with the set of virtual appliances, to monitor their execution state, software complement, and other operational details. In implementations the virtual appliance monitor can be migrated from a physical on-premise platform. The virtual appliance store can store information related to the execution state of the virtual appliances to an off-cloud appliance data store. The instantiation and operation of the virtual appliance monitor can be metered for subscription-based usage charges.

Abstract: Some embodiments of generic network protocol scripting have been presented. In one embodiment, a script is received from a user. The script is associated with a set of connection oriented network transport based network protocols. The script may be executed to emulate a network transaction according to one of the set of connection oriented network transport based network protocols within a network.

Abstract: Some embodiments of a system and a method to detect contention for resource in a cluster file system have been presented. For instance, a processing device may measure time spent performing actual operations by each of a set of nodes in a cluster file system when a respective node holds a lock on a resource and time spent performing overhead operations by the set of nodes without synchronization of clocks across the cluster file system. Then the processing device can determine latency and throughput of the cluster file system based on the time spent performing actual operations and the time spent performing overhead operations.

Abstract: Users searching for common subject matter on a computer network are identified and enabled to communicate with one another, such as by engaging in an on-line chat. The users' search queries are transmitted to a server and processed to identify which users are searching for common subject matter within a time window. A dialogue such as an on-line chat is launched and the identified users are invited to join. The users may preview the chat before joining. The users can share links to resources such as web pages and provide annotations to accompany the links. Additionally, the users' search queries may be shared in the chat. The functionality may be provided by a plug-in to web browser software, or by an executable script embedded in a web page of search results.

Abstract: A server receives one or more hashes from a client, where each of the hashes represents a graphics structure maintained by the client. A first hash is generated from a graphics structure according to a hash algorithm, where the graphics structure is generated from an application hosted within the server, where the graphics structure represents a display output of the application. It is determined whether there is an existing hash from the one or more hashes received from the client that matches the first hash. The first hash is transmitted to the client without sending the graphics structure if there is an existing hash matching the first hash. The first hash is used by the client to identify a graphics structure maintained by the client for rendering a display of the client.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating a policy based on a pre-configured template is described. In one embodiment, source data having a tabular structure is identified. Further, one of multiple policy templates is used to automatically create a policy for detecting information from any one or more rows within the tabular structure of the source data.

Abstract: Some embodiments of application programming interface (API) enhancement in a networked system have been presented. In one embodiment, a servlet is initialized on a centralized server in the networked system. The capabilities of an application programming interface (API) accessible by the client are expanded to allow the client to have data converted to a predetermined format when executing an automation script in order to perform an administrative task on multiple computing machines in the networked system without user intervention.

Abstract: A redundant array of independent disk (RAID) stack loads a parity block of RAID data from a main memory into a first register of a processing device and loading the parity block into a cache memory of the processing device. The RAID stack loads a first data block of the RAID data from the main memory into a second register of the processing device without loading the first data block into the cache memory of the processing device. The processing device performs a first parity calculation based on the parity block of the first register and the first data block of the second register.