Abstract: The system and method described herein may include a discovery engine that scans a network datacenter to inventory resources in the datacenter and populate a configuration management database with the resource inventory. One or more destination listeners created from the resource inventory may then selectively sample monitored flows in the datacenter to model interdependencies between the inventoried resources. For example, any monitored flows originating outside the datacenter or failing to correlate with the inventoried resources may be dropped, whereby the interdependencies may be modeled from a deliberately reduced sample of the monitored flows that have information relevant to modeling relationships between resources within the datacenter. Furthermore, directionalities for the monitored flows may be determined, wherein the directionalities provide further information relevant to modeling the relationships between the resources within the datacenter.

Abstract: A “fast approximation” of compression of current data involves using information obtained from an earlier compression of similar data. It overcomes the iterative process of discovering a unique set of optimal symbols. Representatively, a dictionary of symbols corresponding to original data from an earlier compressed file is extracted. Original bits are then obtained from the symbols. Sequences of the original bits are identified in the current data of a current file under consideration. A new bit stream for the current file is created from the original bits and according to the symbols they represent. Every occurrence of the symbols is counted in the new bit stream and a path-weighted Huffman tree is created from the counted occurrences. A coding from the Huffman tree ensues, along with an end-of-file marker. The latter is stored in a new compression file, including the dictionary earlier extracted from the earlier compressed file.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to receive, at a generating identity provider (IDP), original user credentials sufficient to authenticate a user directly from a user machine, or indirectly from an initial identity provider. Additional activities may include generating, by the generating IDP, generated user credentials having the lifetime of a login session associated with the user, the lifetime initiated approximately when the original user credentials or a token associated with the user are/is validated at the generating IDP. Still further activities may include receiving a request associated with the user during the login session to access an application protected by an agent, and transmitting at least part of the generated user credentials from the generating IDP to the application to authenticate the user to the generating IDP while the login session is not terminated or expired. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Abstract: Techniques for sharing virtual machine (VM) resources are provided. A relative location for a resource within a VM is created; the relative location dynamically resolves to a particular physical location when a principal requests access to the resource at runtime. The principal is located outside an environment associated with the VM. Authentication and access restrictions are dynamically enforced against the requests made by the principal before a connection is permitted between the principal and the resource (the resource located within the environment of the VM).

Abstract: Techniques for establishing a trusted cloud service are provided. Packages are created for services that include certificates, configuration information, trust information, and images for deploying instances of the services. The packages can be used to deploy the services in trusted environments and authenticated to deploy in sub environments of un-trusted environments. The sub environments are trusted by the trusted environments. Also, clouds are prospected for purposes of identifying desirable clouds and creating the packages for deployment.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for generating and managing temporary email addresses. A requestor having a requestor email address makes a request to receive a temporary email address. The temporary email address is generated and mapped to the requestor email address. Messages received that are associated with the temporary email address are mapped to the requestor email address and forwarded to the requestor. The temporary email address expires when an expiring event is detected.

Abstract: File mapping and converting for dynamic disk personalization for multiple platforms are provided. A volatile file operation is detected in a first platform. The file supported by the first platform. A determination is made that the file is sharable with a second platform. The volatile operation is performed on the file in the first platform and the modified file is converted to a second file supported by the second platform. The modified file and second file are stored in a personalized disk for a user. The personalized disk is used to modify base images for VMs of the user when the user accesses the first platform or second platform. The modified file is available within the first platform and the second file is available within the second platform.

Abstract: Techniques for universal content traceability are presented. A piece of content is tagged with one or more content identifiers and with a unique instance identifier. The content also is tagged with content and instance-level metadata. The tagged information is maintained with the document and separately from the document in a centralized or distributed database system or table. As operations are performed on the content, the tagged information may be updated as necessary. The content can then use the tagged information in connection with the database to trace its origins and history during its lifecycle.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus teach a digital spectrum of a data file. The digital spectrum is used to map a file's position in multi-dimensional space. This position relative to another file's position reveals closest neighbors. Certain of the closest neighbors are grouped together, while others are differentiated. Grouping ceases upon application of a stopping function so that rightly sized, optimum numbers of file groups are obtained. Embodiments of stopping functions relate to curve types in a mapping of numbers of groups per sequential rounds of grouping, recognizing whether groups have overlapping file members or not, and/or determining whether groups meet predetermined numbers of members, to name a few. Properly grouped files can then be further acted upon.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus teach a digital spectrum of a file for use in determining positional relationships between groups of files. The digital spectrum is used to reveal distances between the files to sort into groups of related files. Representatively, files determined by a nearest neighbor method to be related are sorted into groups of related files. In turn, the groups of related files are determined to be related, or not, according to positional location in N-dimensional space. A centroid location for each group of related files is determined, and a distance value from that centroid location to each member file of the group of related files is determined. In turn, centroid-to-centroid distance values are determined between each group of related files and rank-ordered. Comparing the centroid-to-centroid distance values and the distance values between centroid locations and files of the groups of related files reveals relatedness, or not, of groups of files.

Abstract: Techniques for validating services for deployment in an intelligent workload management system are provided. A service is created with workloads and software products. Test modules are integrated into the service to test each of the products. The service with the test modules is executed and test results are produced. The test results are compared against known results and a decision is made to deploy the service to a cloud processing environment or to require the service to be retested.

Abstract: Techniques for dynamic disk personalization are provided. A virtual image that is used to create an instance of a virtual machine (VM) is altered so that disk access operations are intercepted within the VM and redirected to a service that is external to the VM. The external service manages a personalized storage for a principal, the personalized storage used to personalize the virtual image without altering the virtual image.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus involve an original data stream arranged as a plurality of symbols. Of those symbols, all possible tuples are identified and the highest or most frequently occurring tuple is determined. A new symbol is created and substituted for each instance of the highest occurring tuple, which results in a new data stream. The new data stream is encoded and its size determined. Also, a size of a dictionary carrying all the original and new symbols is determined. The encoding size, the size of the dictionary and sizes of any other attendant overhead is compared to a size of the original data to see if compression has occurred, and by how much. Upon reaching pre-defined objectives, compression ceases. Decompression occurs oppositely. Other features include resolving ties between equally occurring tuples, path weighted Huffman coding, storing files, decoding structures, and computing arrangements and program products, to name a few.

Abstract: The system and method described herein may upgrade kernels in cloud images deployed in cloud computing environments without having to rebuild a machine image that contains a root file system for the cloud image. For example, the cloud image may include a ramdisk that compares the kernel booted in the cloud image to the root file system to verify whether the machine image contains a directory hierarchy matching an operating system release for the kernel. In response to the machine image containing the matching directory hierarchy, the root file system may be mounted for execution in the cloud computing environment. Alternatively, in response to the machine image lacking the matching directory hierarchy, the ramdisk may dynamically create the matching directory hierarchy and inject modules that support the kernel into the root file system prior to mounting and delivering control to the root file system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus teach a digital spectrum of a file representing underlying original data. The digital spectrum is used to map a file's position. This position relative to another file's position reveals closest neighbors. When multiple such neighbors are grouped together they can be used to indicate relevance in current data under consideration on a same or different computing device. Also, relevance can be found without traditional notions of needing structured data or users initiating searching for relevance or by examining metadata/administrative information associated with the files. A dynamic relevancy agent is configured for installation on the same or different computing device to monitor events regarding the current data and to initiate the examination of relevancy. It also presents to a user suggestions of data closest to the current data. Various triggering events to undertake a relevancy examination are also described as are predetermined criteria to define relative closeness.

Abstract: System and method for implementing a workflow of a first domain, wherein the workflow is implemented as a series of steps to accomplish a workload and wherein at least one of the steps utilizes a process, are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises establishing a mutual trust relationship between the first domain and a second domain; wherein one of the steps is authored by the second domain, the method further comprising associating with the step authored by the second domain a digital attestation for enabling the first domain to verify authorship and non-modification thereof.

Abstract: A machine receives a description of the relationships among members of a data set. The machine constructs a graph that represents the relationships among the members of the data set, organizing the members of the data set into groups. The groups are analyzed to determine their relative strengths. Unbalanced groups can be balanced by splitting off heavy sub-trees that include too large a percentage of the nodes in the group. The machine can then use the graph to answer queries about members of the data set.

Abstract: Techniques for content marking are provided. An Application includes a plug-in which permits an offset location within a document to be marked as a content marker. The content marker is stored independent of the application and is subsequently processed by a content marking service. The content marking service permits the content marker to be selected causing the application to be initiated, the document to be loaded within the application, and the offset location to be presented within the document.

Abstract: Cluster-free techniques for enabling a directory protocol-based Domain Name System (DNS) service for high availability are presented. A DNS service monitors a node for wild-carded IP address that migrate to the node when a primary node fails to service DNS requests for a directory of the network. The DNS service forwards the wild-carded IP address to a distributed directory service for resolution and uses the distributed directory service to dynamically configure the DNS service for directly handling subsequent DNS requests made to the directory over the network while the primary node remains inoperable over the network.

Abstract: Techniques for gauging performance of services are provided. A client agent is configured to process on a client and simulates operations of a transaction as instructed by a server agent. The client agent also gathers metrics for each of the operations as they process on the client and passes the metrics back to the server agent. The server agent analyzes the metrics in accordance with a policy and takes one or more actions in response thereto.