Abstract: Architecture for a scalable, pluggable multi-party, and distributed multimedia conferencing. A centralized policy and control conferencing component allows the seamless plug-in of different distributed media components (e.g., data, audio/video, messaging) to accommodate client participation in a conference session. The centralized conference control component includes the following: a conference notification service for accepting subscriptions to the conference state and notifying subscribers about changes to that state; a conference policy and roster control service for storing and manipulating conference policy and rosters; a security service for user authorization/authentication based on user identity information; a scheduling service for conference scheduling; an allocation service for allocating the most available media component(s) for a conference session; and, an MCU management service for conference policy and roster management of the distributed media components.

Abstract: Systems, methods and computer program products for facilitating the recovery of lost real-time media packets within a computer network real-time application implementing Forward Error Control (FEC), such that server performance is not affected from a CPU and memory perspective, are disclosed. In an embodiment, a conference server that is part of a communication network compliant with the Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) is able to avoid regenerating FEC packets by not performing any FEC coding operation on the packets unless it is flagged to indicate regeneration via an FEC (e.g., Reed-Solomon) coding is necessary. Absent the flag, the conference server updates the received FEC packet as per the RTP and transmits the packet to its ultimate destination. Such disclosed systems, methods and computer program products are independent of the nature of the media being protected and flexible enough to support a wide variety of FEC techniques.

Abstract: Groups within an organizational directory are set up as real-time groups enabling subscribers of those groups to receive incoming content via feeds or to interact with the group through real-time chat sessions. Subscribers are enabled to switch between interaction modes, employ different real-time communication modalities for chat sessions, and access stored records of incoming content, discussions, and similar data.

Abstract: Color channel optical marker techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a plurality of color channels obtained from a camera are examined, each of the color channels depicting an optical marker having a different scale than another optical maker depicted in another one of the color channels. At least one optical marker is identified in a respective one of the plurality of color channels and an optical basis is computed using the identified optical marker usable to describe at least a position or orientation of a part of the computing device.

Abstract: The described implementations relate to updating views in a database system. One implementation can identify an active view that retrieves records from a database and determine one or more physical tables in the database that are referenced by the active view. The implementation can track one or more columns in the physical tables that are used by the active view and identify a change to the physical tables in a transaction log of the database. If the change does not affect the one or more columns, the change can be treated as an ignorable change for the active view.

Abstract: Selecting and providing context information relevant to a user at a particular time and location. Input parameters such as a location and time are selected. Context information is obtained for the selected location and time based on the input parameters. Exemplary input parameters include a user activity history, user content such as calendar appointments, social networking data, and a state of a computing device of the user (e.g., as collected by sensors of the computing device). The computing device of the user presents the obtained context information to the user at the selected location and time.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to mapping encryption policies to user data stored in a database using a policy column uniform resource identifier (URI). In one scenario, a computer system receives the following: a database schema name that identifies the name of a specified schema within a relational database in which user data is stored, a table name that identifies a specified table within the relational database, a column name that identifies a specified column in the specified table and a namespace identifier that identifies a set of relational databases. The computer system also receives an indication that identifies which type of encryption is to be applied when encrypting the column of data specified by the column name. The computer system then generates a policy column URI that includes a hierarchical string comprising the namespace identifier, the database schema name, the table name and the column name.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to implementing a transitional redo phase to allow pre-redo phase data access and to determining which data pages including unprocessed transactions are to be processed during a transitional redo phase. In an embodiment, a computer system initiates an analysis phase of a database recovery that scans a database transaction log and builds a dirty page table that includes pages corresponding to unprocessed data transactions. The computer system determines from the dirty page table which pages are to be processed during the transitional redo phase, before the final redo phase. The computer system processes the determined pages during the transitional redo phase, before the final redo phase is reached and, upon completion of the system transaction undo phase, makes available those pages that were processed during the transitional redo phase, as well as those database pages that are not scheduled for processing during the final redo phase.

Abstract: A system for enabling a tablet input object is described. A tablet input object can take various inputs from touch, a mouse, and a pen and sends their information to an application or operating system. Also, a pen message pathway may also be used to handle touch messages, thereby reusing an existing pen message pathway for messages created by something other than a pen.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards a robot device including a model that controls a robot's task-related operations to perform tasks and user-engagement operations to interact with the robot. The model controls the operating states, including transitioning from an autonomous task state to an engaged state based on current context determined from various stimuli, e.g., information received via sensors of the robot and/or learned data. The robot may seek to engage the user, the user may seek to engage the robot, or the user and robot may meet by chance in which either may attempt to initiate the engagement.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and computer-storage media for affinitizing datasets based on efficient query processing. In one embodiment, a plurality of datasets within a data stream is received. The data stream is partitioned based on efficient query processing. Once the data stream is partitioned, an affinity identifier is assigned to datasets based on the partitioning of the dataset. Further, when datasets are broken into extents, the affinity identifier of the parent dataset is retained in the resulting extent. The affinity identifier of each extent is then referenced to preferentially store extents having common affinity identifiers within close proximity of one other across a data center.

Abstract: A mobile device can detect, select and use an external antenna supported by an attached accessory device. The mobile device queries the accessory device whether it supports an external antenna and receives an indication of whether the accessory device supports external antennas. The indication can comprise a list of accessory device pins operatively coupled to supported external antennas. The mobile device selects an external antenna for use by the mobile device. The selection can comprise selecting a mobile device pin operatively coupled to the selected external antenna. The selected mobile device pin can be a predetermined pin or a pin that is both operatively coupled to a supported external antenna and configured to operate as an external antenna pin. The mobile device can use the selected external antenna. The mobile device can switch between an internal antenna and an external antenna operatively coupled to a selected mobile device pin.

Abstract: Various embodiments enable an application to obtain information associated with a link to content without navigating to the link. The application can be configured to identify a link, receive input to attain information associated with the link, and send a request to a service for the information. In one or more embodiments, a service can be configured to receive a request for information associated with a link, ascertain one or more sources from which to gather the information, determine appropriate mechanisms by which to obtain the information, and acquire the information. Alternately or additionally, the service can further assemble the information into a consumable format, and return the consumable format to a requesting application or device.

Abstract: Techniques relating to directed signature workflow of a document are described. In one instance, a process enables a publishing user to populate a body portion of a document with content. The process also allows the publishing user to populate an associated digital signature definitions portion of the document with at least one requested consuming user's name and at least one condition associated with a digital signature of the requested consuming user.

Abstract: Techniques are described to allow substation of blocks into a virtual machine image of an executing virtual machine. A patch may be applied to a first virtual machine image. One or more blocks modified by the patch are identified and copied to a host having a virtual machine executing from a virtual machine image that is based on the first virtual machine image (prior to the patch). While the virtual machine is executing, the substitution blocks are applied (supersede) corresponding original blocks in the virtual machine image. A guest operating system in the virtual machine may either begin using an executable file in a substitution block. In addition, the guest operating system may be forced to flush from memory and cache executable code replaced by the substitution block.

Abstract: One aspect relates to a process and associated device for managing digital ID lifecycles for application programs, and abstracting application programs for multiple types of credentials through a common Digital Identity Management System (DIMS) and Application Programming Interface (API) layer.

Abstract: Versioning management provides for efficient and effective handling of varying policy versions, client versions and client platform versions in one system. Software version negotiation provides for simplified, secure policy management in an environment supporting varying versions of the same software product. In conjunction with parameter stripping, which resolves differences among varying minor versions of a software policy, software version negotiation allows for management tools of one version to manage client software, clients and/or client platforms of another version. Policy schema translation, in conjunction with parameter stripping as needed, provides a mechanism for converting policies that normally would be impossible to interpret on varying clients and/or client platforms to policy versions that can be understood by these clients and/or client platforms.

Abstract: Systems and methods for compression of data to be transmitted are described. A data stream, such as a byte code sequence, is partitioned into one or more data chunks. The data chunks can be associated with an identifier, such as a signature that differentiates one data chunk from the other. Thus, different data chunks would be identifiable through different signatures. The data chunks associated with the signatures can be compared with a repository or a history buffer. The history buffer includes a collection of previously transmitted data chunks each associated with their respective signature.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to architectures for facilitating network-accessible or local backup or restore features in a manner that leverages event-oriented contextual information associated with one or more users of the data to be backed up or restored. In particular, a first restore-based architecture can interface with an associated second backup-based architecture that hosts or maintains a backup data store in order to retrieve a version of the data file that is desired by a user. Additionally, the first architecture can obtain a log of contextual event descriptions that can be aggregated by the second architecture or obtained independently from, e.g., a social networking service or a calendar application associated with the user.