Abstract: A system and method are provided for establishing network connections. Initially, an attempt to establish a connection on a network is identified. A portion of memory is then allocated for storing data associated with the connection.

Abstract: The present invention facilitates routing traffic over a network and distributing application level support among multiple routing devices during routing. Routing nodes are configured to process the content of the traffic to provide the requisite application level support. The traffic is routed, in part, based on the resources available for providing the processing. The processing of the traffic may be distributed throughout the network based on processing capacity of the routing nodes at any given time and given the amount of network congestion.

Abstract: Instant messages are processed in accordance with restrictions associated with privacy codes. A privacy code is obtained from a sender system prior to acceptance or delivery of any instant messages from the sender system. If a privacy code is received from the sender system, then a recipient system accepts or delivers instant messages from the sender system.

Abstract: A system and method for transferring Very Large Files (VLFs) from a content provider to a requesting node over a network via a proxy are provided. The content provider processes a VLF to provide a chunked VLF. The chunked VLF includes a number of chunks each including a portion of the VLF. A transfer is initiated when a request for the VLF is sent from the requesting node to the proxy. The proxy then determines if any of the chunks of the chunked VLF are stored in proxy cache associated with the proxy. If not, the proxy directs the request to the content provider. In response, the content provider sends the chunks of the chunked VLF to the proxy. Upon receiving each of the chunks, the proxy stores the chunk in the proxy cache and sends the chunk to the requesting node.

Abstract: A traffic manager determines the geographic locations of end points on Internet traffic and routes the traffic in the most efficient manner. A set of analyzers may be disposed to analyze the network, such as the geographic locations of nodes in the network, latency times and speed between nodes, available bandwidth, etc. The traffic manager obtains this intelligence on the network from the analyzers and routes traffic accordingly. The traffic manager considers not only the most direct route but also considers the speed, available bandwidth, and reliability of the routing. The traffic manager can be disposed any within the network, such as part of DNS service or as an HTTP redirect. Thus, the traffic manager can be implemented in routers, switches, sprinklers, load balancers, DNS server, or other servers. In modeling the network traffic and behavior, the traffic manager may simply portions of the network and employ probability and statistics in approximating the network behavior.

Abstract: A system and method determines network configuration settings that provide optimal network performance for a user's computer (client machine). The computer is connected to a remote server via a network connection. A plurality of network configuration settings are selected for the computer. One or more performance tests using the selected network configuration settings are automatically conducted. An algorithm is used to determine the best network configuration settings and achieve the desired network performance characteristics for the computer based on preferences specified by the user. The network configuration settings of the computer are automatically adjusted based on the results of the performance tests. The user's computer can access network configuration setting recommendations from the remote server, based on network configuration settings and aggregate test results associated with other computers that previously were in communication with the remote server.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for masking errors that may occur during a delay of a client connecting with a server on a network. A connection utility requests a connection with the server. The connection utility determines if a timeout error occurred. If the timeout error occurred, a first browser page presented by the client is displayed to indicate a connection is being made. A browser page presented by the server is displayed when the connection is made.

Abstract: A system and method for estimating data conflicts in a multi-node system is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the invention, tracing the execution of a workload on a single node and analyzing the trace records makes it possible to predict how many data conflicts would occur if the workload were executed across multiple nodes. Also disclosed is a method and mechanism for generating a load distribution plan for a multi-node system.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for handling location information. The goal of the present invention is to allow users to collect and evaluate information from multiple sources, and thus make proper use of all available location information. Location sources for the present invention include mobile electronic devices such as mobile telephones, cell phones, hand-held computers, personal digital assistants, pagers, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, and other pervasive computing devices. Satellite-based or network-based positioning technologies make it possible to determine the geographic location of these wireless electronic devices and their users (e.g. location-based services for users of mobile telephones use such positioning technologies). Location sources for the present invention also include computer-based models, schedules or calendars that give a person's expected location depending on the date and time.

Abstract: A system and method for directing network connections. The invention enables a network device to direct subsequent connections from a client to a server for accessing resources. A process extracts a persistence key from a received message, and employs the persistence key to identify the appropriate server. An interface is provided, enabling a user program to direct the process of extracting the persistence key. The invention also provides a way for multiple clients to persist to a common server.

Abstract: In a specific embodiment of the invention, a peer-to-peer interfacing device is described. The particular embodiment of the invention facilitates access by a Web browser, allowing a Web user to benefit from the access capability of a peer-to-peer network, such as file sharing. The interfacing device can communicate using a standard protocol (e.g., HTML), thus allowing the Web user to access the peer-to-peer network with a conventional Web browser. The interfacing device can interact on the peer-to-peer network side, and thus appears to the peer-to-peer network as a peer machine.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for the configuration of a home-networking system. Home-networking configuration information may be stored on a host system in a manner accessible to the home-networking system and migrated to a home-networking gateway or router that has not yet been configured. Wireless configuration information may be stored on a home-networking gateway or router and used to configure one or more wireless access points through the use of a physical connection, such as a wired communications pathway. One or more wireless home-networking devices may be configured based on wireless configuration information stored in a central repository on a host system or a home-networking system. The wireless configuration information may be accessible only through the use of a security code.

Abstract: A method of identifying a plurality of nodes on a network, includes receiving at at least one of the plurality of nodes on the network a query posed by a caller node determining at the at least one of the plurality of nodes on the network an answer to the query, forwarding the answer to the query from the at least one of the plurality of nodes on the network to the caller node and receiving, at the caller node, the answer to the query from the at least one of the plurality of nodes on the network and maintaining a list of nodes which responded to the query.

Abstract: A web-enabled automation control module (ACM) includes an ACM central processing unit (CPU) and a web and file transfer system electrically connected to the ACM CPU, and embedded within the ACM. The system is configured to process hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) requests from a network.

Abstract: A switch device has an object ID rewrite unit and a file access control unit. The object ID rewrite unit, when an original object ID is contained in a reply to be transferred, rewrites the original object ID to an information entraining object ID by inserting server identification information into the original object ID, while when the information entraining object ID is contained in a reply to be transferred, restores the information entraining object ID to the original object ID. The file access control unit includes a table for managing a combination of address information of a server and server identification information, estimating address information of a server corresponding to server identification information contained in an information entraining object of a request to be transferred with reference to the table, and determines a destination of the request on the basis of the address information.

Abstract: A method and system for configuring elements of a distributed computing system based on evaluations of their value add and cost impact. The system and method for configuring elements of a distributed computing system comprises the steps of: determining one or more system metrics that relate to hardware and/or software elements of a configured distributed system; determining a system value in response to one or more system metrics, the value determined according to one or more value criteria; and, re-configuring elements of the distributed computing environment according to said determined system value.

Abstract: A method, system, and product are described for alleviating router congestion when the router is processing packets transmitted by computer systems having a congestion notification capability. The router marks packets transmitted between a first computer system and a second computer system when the first and second computer systems have the congestion notification capability. The marking indicates that the router is moderately congested. A marked packet is then received by the first computer system. The router then drops packets transmitted by the first computer system when the packets were transmitted subsequent to the receipt of the marked packet.

Abstract: A distributed computing system is provided. The system includes a first node, a second node in communication with the first node, and a device coupled to the first node and second nodes. The first node and the second node include component specific modules. The first and second nodes access the device via a selected component specific module defined in the first and second nodes, respectively. The selected component specific module corresponds with the device. An apparatus for using a device having quorum device functionality as a quorum device in a clustering environment, a method and computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for using a device as a quorum device in a cluster environment, and a method and a computer program embodiment on a computer readable medium for interfacing with a quorum device coupled to a node in a cluster environment, are also provided.

Abstract: A monitoring system of the present invention achieves highly reliable switching control by having a monitored response time creating/calculating unit calculate a maximum value and a minimum value between which a response time is judged as normal from a response time of the last measurement and from a response time of the last but one measurement, and by having a monitored response time comparing unit set a range in which a response time is judged as normal in a manner that agrees with past response times.

Abstract: A system and method for caching type information for parts (e.g., parameters) of an operation passed in a web service request. When an untyped request (i.e., a request in which the data types of operation parts are omitted) is received at a web service server from a client, a cache is examined to determine if type information for the requested operation's parts exists. If not, a cache entry specific to that operation is created and populate with the necessary type information (e.g., from a WSDL document corresponding to the web service). The type information for the operation, and any global type information (i.e., for data types global to the web service), is merged for use in unmarshalling the untyped request. The operation is invoked, and any results are returned to the client.