Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, receive a request for an address watch breakpoint to a variable, determine that the variable is referenced via a basing pointer expression, and monitor for initialization of the basing pointer prior to monitor for a change to the contents of the variable that is pointed to by the basing pointer expression. In an embodiment, the basing pointer expression is implemented as an instruction that uses an indirect addressing mode. In an embodiment, the basing pointer is determined to be uninitialized, and thus needs monitoring for initialization, by detecting an error that results from adding an offset for the variable to the contents of the basing pointer, or by detecting an error when the result of the adding is used as a pointer. In an embodiment, the basing pointer expression comprises a plurality of basing pointers, each of which is monitored for initialization in turn.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, display a time-lapse widget having time indicators associated with times. In an embodiment, each of the time indicators represents a relative ranking of changes to data at the times, and the size of the time indicators are proportional to the ranking. The data associated with the time indicators is displayed in response to a slider moving over the time indicators. In various embodiments, the time indicators may be associated with a time prior to the current time, in which case the associated data is historical or after the current time, in which case the associated data is forecasted. In an embodiment, data that has been changed associated with the time indicator currently selected via the position of the slider is emphasized. A current value and a previous value for the data associated with the time indicator may be displayed, and the current value may be changed to the previous value.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, determine whether a user at a first client has a chat session already active at a second client with a third client in response to a request for initiation of a chat session for the user at the first client. If the user does already have a chat session active, the third client is notified that the first client replaces the second client in the chat session. Then chat data from the second client is copied to the first client, and a disconnect message is sent to the second client from first client. In various embodiments, the determination may be made by sending a query to a plurality of clients connected via a network or by sending a query to a server that serves the first client, the second client, and the third client. The copied chat data, which may include messages sent between the second client and the third client, is presented at the first client.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment compare versions and mark an entire region as changed when the number of changes to the region exceeds a threshold. In contrast, when the number of changes in a region does not exceed the threshold, the individual changes are marked. In this way, a user can distinguish between versions both when the number of changes to a region is few and when the number of changes is large.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, receive elements and a goal for each of the elements. In various embodiments, the elements may represent commands or parameter values for a device to be tested. Testcases are generated based on the elements. If the numbers of testcases for the elements are equally distant from their goals, then a new testcase is generated based on an element chosen at random. But, if the numbers of testcases are not equally distant from their goals, then the new testcase is generated based on the element whose number of testcases if furthest from its respective goal. The number of testcases associated with the chosen element is then incremented, and the process is repeated. In this way, the generated testcases are based on the numbers of previously generated testcases, which, in an embodiment, results in more complete coverage of testcases for the device under test.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment determine whether a current number of buffers allocated to a queue pair is less than a maximum number of buffers for the queue pair, decide whether a current number of buffers allocated to an operation type is less than a maximum number of buffers for the operation, and allocate a buffer to the queue pair if the queue pair requests the buffer for an operation having the operation type and the determining and the deciding are true. In this way, too much buffer space is prevented from being assigned to particular operation and to a particular queue pair.

Abstract: In an embodiment, data models are stitched into a stitched data model, where each of the data models has nets and at least one of the nets crosses a package boundary. A subset of the nets from the stitched data model are selected based on a constraint, and the subset is stitched into a common rule. In various embodiments, the constraints may include a wire length, a name of the nets, and maximum numbers of vias or T-connections. If the nets are completely wired, then wire segments between nodes of the nets are connected and nodes that include non-branching vias are moved. If the nets are not completely wired, then for any of the nets that have an open connection, a rule is found with a same number of the nodes as the net with the open connection, and the nets are ordered based on the rule.

Abstract: In a method, data is partitioned into partitions, which are divided into levels. The levels are ordered by creation times of the levels. A request is received at a current partition, which includes a key that identifies a field in a record and a value for the key. A determination is made whether the value exists in the field in the current partition. If the determination is false, a message is sent from the current partition to a next-older partition, and the message instructs the next-older partition to move the record with the value from the next-older partition to the current partition. If the determination is true, the record with the value in the field is moved from the current partition to a next-newer partition if the next-newer partition sent the request, and the record is deleted from the current partition.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, determine an application server partition based on the context of a request from a client, and send the request to the application server partition if the application server partition exists. If the application server partition does not exist, the application server partition is created based on a creation rule, and the request is then sent to the application server partition if the request context is valid, as determined by a validation rule. Periodically, a remove rule is compared to a condition of the application server partition, and if the remove rule is met, the application server partition is removed. The condition may include, in various embodiments, the usage time and frequency of use of the application server partition or performance criteria. In an embodiment, the validation rule, the creation rule, and the remove rule may change over time.

Abstract: A current parameter file is periodically selected at random from an active pool, and testcases are generated and executed from the current parameter file against a device, where the execution of the testcases against the device hits events generated by the device over periods. A determination is made whether a number of the events hit by all testcases from the current parameter file in a current period meets a goal for the current parameter file. If the determination is false, the current parameter file is added to a miss pool if a number events for all periods for the current parameter file does not meet a goal for all periods for the current parameter file; the current parameter file is added to a retired pool if the number of events for all periods for the current parameter file meets the goal for all periods for the current parameter file; and the current parameter file is changed to another parameter file from the active pool.

Abstract: A method for processing a multidimensional array object in which a multidimensional array is implemented by an array of array objects. The multidimensional array object comprises array objects which constitute the multidimensional array. Flags representing that it is possible to optimize a process for elements of the multidimensional array object are added as additional information. The flags are stored in a storage device (main memory for instance). Then, a machine code corresponding to a state of the flags is executed.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a problem record associated with a query is saved to a log if the query encountered a problem. The amount of data in the record is increased if an access plan associated with the query has changed within a threshold amount of time and decreased if the access plan has not changed. In various embodiments, the problem is that the query executes longer than a historical average for the query, the query executes longer than a threshold, or the query encounters a functional error. In an embodiment, a benchmark record is also saved to the log, the problem record is compared to the benchmark record, and the difference is presented. In various embodiments, an oldest record is periodically removed from the log, or an oldest record is removed from the log if the associated query has more than a threshold number of records.

Abstract: A method that in an embodiment counts the number of times that a file or registry entry is added, changed, or deleted at clients in a network. If the count exceeds a threshold, then a warning is sent to the clients. The warning may prompt the clients to delete or rename the file or registry entry, run an anti-virus program, quarantine the file or registry entry, or issue a message. In this way, viruses may be detected at clients.

Abstract: A method that, in an embodiment, determines a tree representing links embedded in documents, creates a depth indicator having a size proportional to the size of the tree, and displays the depth indicator with a root link in a root document. The tree is determined by repeatedly probing the links to retrieve the documents. In various embodiments, the size of the tree may be the number of levels in the tree or the number of links in the tree. The depth indicator may include representations of the links and represents a possible future context of the root document. In various embodiments, a graphical representation of the tree may be displayed, hover help that includes the tree size may be displayed, and an indication of a condition reported by a document may be displayed. In various embodiments, the condition may include a message, updated content, new content, or an error.

Abstract: A method, system, and program product for generating a window scroll-bar. In the preferred embodiment, a controller displays the window scroll-bar on a display screen. The window scroll-bar contains sections associated with respective windows on the display. The window scroll-bar also contains a slider, which moves within a section and between sections. As the slider moves within a particular section, the window associated with that section moves on the display toward the nearest boundary of the display. Thus, by moving the window scroll-bar slider, the user can move overlapping windows out of the way and find the window of interest.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, filter packets received from a network based on rules. The filtering discards a subset of the packets based on the rules and keeps a remaining subset of the packets. The remaining subset is copied to a destination. The rules are created offline in a lower priority process from the filtering and copying by detecting whether symptoms exist in a sample of the remaining subset. In an embodiment, the order that the symptoms are detected is changed based on the frequency of the existence of the symptoms in the sample. In various embodiments, the symptoms may include receiving a threshold number of ping packets within a time period, receiving a threshold number of broadcast packets within a time period, receiving a packet with an invalid source address, receiving a packet with an invalid header flag, and receiving a threshold number of the packets within a time period that contain a sequence flag.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, determine a first number of execution cycles used by a calibration program for an event group with a collector inactive, determine a second number of execution cycles used by the calibration program for the event group with the collector active, and calculate a compensation value for the event group based on the difference between the second number and the first number of execution cycles. These determinations and calculations may be repeated for any number of event groups. When performance data is subsequently collected by the collector, collected events that belong to the event groups have their collected execution cycles adjusted based on the calculated compensation values.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, receive an allocation request for a resource and registers the resource as a non-voting participant if the resource desires to delegate commit voting to another resource. The registered resource is then prohibited from participating in an enclosing transactional context and instead is informed when the transaction completes. The resource is enlisted as a voting participant if the resource does not desire to delegate commit voting. In this way, when multiple resources are used in a transaction, a resource may be registered and receive notifications of transaction completion instead of being enlisted and voting on commit decisions. The result of a transaction in which a single resource takes responsibility for a number of other resources is that transaction completion avoids the two-phase commit protocol and the resulting performance degradation.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment convert e-mail into physical mail. In various embodiments, if a recipient identifier in the e-mail is an e-mail address, the recipient identifier is retained. But, if the recipient identifier in the e-mail is not an e-mail address, the recipient identifier, or a street address associated with the recipient identifier, is printed on an envelope, and the e-mail is also printed. Postage may also optionally be printed on the envelope. In this way, persons who do not have an e-mail address may still receive the contents of e-mail via physical delivery.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, in response to a request to create a target object, create a reference object for the target object and bind the reference object to a name space without the target object being instantiated. In response to an invocation of a method on the reference object, a determination is made whether a target object associated with the reference object exists. If the target object does not already exist, the target object is instantiated. If the target object does already exist, the target object is returned. In this way, target objects are not instantiated until a method on the reference object is invoked, which in an embodiment increases the performance of the invoking application.