Abstract: A work flow system for circulating a digital document file to plural clients through a network, including: a transmission client for initially issuing a document file for circulation, circulation clients for sequentially circulating the document file, transmitted by the transmission client. The transmission client includes: a setup processor for setting destination information to specify destination and order of circulation; and a transmission processor for sending a circulation information file, including the destination information, and the document file to the next circulation client, which is preset so in the destination information. Each of the circulation clients includes: a transmission processor for sending the circulation information file and the document file to the next circulation client, which is preset so in the destination information, in response to a verification of the document file.

Abstract: A data processing system and method for use with a process control system enables a plurality of process plants associated with different business entities to share a remotely situated data processing facility. The data processing facility includes a cluster of redundant servers that are communicatively coupled via a local network. Each of the redundant servers is adapted to acquire and process data received from the plurality of process plants. The data processing facility also includes a plurality of redundant data historians that are communicatively coupled to each other and to the cluster of redundant servers for storage of process data and analysis results. Each of the plurality of process plants includes internet-enabled field devices, internet-enabled field device interfaces, and/or internet-enabled data concentration nodes that send information to and receive information from the data processing facility via the Internet.

Abstract: A network system that identifies a home network of a user by a network identification in an access request. When the access request is received in a network, the accessed network extracts a network identification from the access request and determines whether the access request is received from a subscriber or non-subscriber. If a non-subscriber, then a foreign network is identified and a network identification database is consulted to retrieve contact information for the foreign network. If the contact information is successfully retrieved, then the user may be routed to the foreign network (home network of the user). Otherwise (if the contact information is not in the network identification database), the user may be denied any access, and a purchase agreement for connect services may be offered.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for data synchronization and update conflict resolution between mobile clients and a server in a mobile system which maintains consistency of data between the clients and the server and enables the clients to continuously perform an effective update operation with respect to objects of the server even in a clients' disconnection state by the mobile clients performing an independent update operation with respect to disjoint fragments and associated objects for a specified object using the structure of the objects and the meaning of applications and then performing the data synchronization and the conflict resolution between the clients and the server during a reconnection operation.

Abstract: Binary executables are distributed in a distributed manner by equipping a server with a bootstrap program. The server provides the bootstrap program to a client computer in response to the client's request for the binary executables. The bootstrap program is designed to enable the client computer to obtain the binary executables in one or more portions from one or more peer locations that have already downloaded the said binary executables. In one embodiment, the bootstrap program also monitors the performance associated with obtaining the portions of the binary executables, and reports the performance data to a resource naming service that tracks peer locations that cache the binary executables. In one embodiment, the binary executables also includes a component that registers the client computer as a peer location that caches the binary executables, and provides the binary executables to other client computers responsive to their requests. In various embodiments, content is distributed in like manner.

Abstract: Aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure include a highly available database cluster that can maintain a connection with potentially geographically remote client application programs, including non-fault tolerant application programs, even in the event of one of the database management systems (DBMS) of the cluster becoming unavailable. For example, the database cluster can advantageously move a client connection between a failing, unbalanced, or overloaded DBMS, to another DBMS within the cluster. The database cluster can include connection managers that monitor a connection between a client application program and a primary DBMS. When one connection manager determines that the primary DBMS is unavailable, the connection manager of a secondary DBMS can assume the connection to the client application as if it were the primary DBMS. The connection manager can finish all open transactions, thereby avoiding the need to roll back the same.

Abstract: A system for connecting multiple users to multiple computers uses a switch for making and breaking connections between individual computers and input/output devices such as display screens, keyboards and pointing devices at user locations. A supervisory computer system includes one or more helper computers which run programs to aid the user in selecting connections to be made. The switch is arranged to capture preselected input sequences as designating commands, such as a command to connect the helper computer, and to forward these to the supervisory computer system. The supervisory computer system actuates the switch in response to these commands so that the user can establish communication with the helper computer.

Abstract: A circular VTOL aircraft with a central vertically mounted turboprop engine 14, driving contra-rotating co-axial propellers 24, above a central jet engine (or engines) 12, horizontally mounted on a turntable pod 11 which is steerable through 360 degrees. The turboprop provides vertical thrust from contra-rotating propellers compressing air from an upper circular intake 5 downward through a circular shaped rotor-chamber 6 to a circular vent 10 at the base of the craft. The resulting column of compressed air supports the craft during take-off and landing operations and provides a cushion of air in normal flight. The horizontally mounted jet turbine provides main thrust for horizontal flight and vectored thrust for VTOL. The passenger cabin 21 is circular and is situated in the main body of the disc-shaped craft. Fuel tanks are situated around the circumference of the craft to maximise fuel capacity. The flight-deck 2 is situated at the top centre of the craft, above the engine unit 15, which is detachable.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating a unique identification for each stack in partitions of a host data computer such that a plurality of partitions may share a single adapter card during an Input/Output operation wherein the adapter card is exchanging data between the host and a Local Area Network. The adapter card includes a unique identifier pool for maintaining values of unique identifiers which are available for identifying the stacks. The method and apparatus also provides that a deleted unique identifier for a stack may be reused by newly created stacks and may be reassigned to a recreated stack, if still available, when the stack had previously been deleted by the operating system, but is then recreated.

Abstract: A computer system having a memory for providing streaming media in one of a plurality of streaming media protocols includes a first plurality of interfaces configured to initiate reading of packet meta-data and packets of payload data from a memory, and a second plurality of interfaces configured to output streaming media packets to a client system at a requested pace, wherein the streaming media packets are determined in response to the packet meta-data, to the packets of payload data, and to a streaming media protocol requested, wherein the packet meta-data and the packets of payload data are read from the memory at a pace independent of the requested pace for the streaming media packets, and wherein the second plurality of interfaces support more than one streaming media protocol.

Abstract: A method for communication includes receiving a request from a first party, submitted via a first communication service provider to a telephony application, to place a call using the application to a second party. Responsive to a characteristic of the call placed by the first party, a second communication service provider is selected to carry the call between the application and the second party. The second party is then connected via the second communication service provider to communicate with the first party using the application.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing network access using network controllers and network interfaces. A network controller has one or more subsystems including a monitoring system that monitors a plurality of communication paths to detect a presence of link pulses in one of the communication paths, a communication providing system that routs the available network signal to a first device, and a communication halting system that prevents the available network signal from being transmitted to one or more other devices. A network interface has a first circuit path routing a first network signal received at a first input of the network interface to a first device. Moreover, the network interface has a second circuit path routing a second network signal received at a second input of the network interface to a first output of the first network interface to be received at a first input of a second network interface.

Abstract: A host router is logically partitioned into virtual router domains that manage independent processes and routing application copies but share a common operating system. Each v-net manages an independent set of sockets and host router interfaces, each associated with only one v-net at one time, but interchangeably repartitionable Traffic is removed from an interface during repartitioning. Duplicate arrays of global variables copied to each v-net are accessed by macro references. A v-net facility can separate route tables used internally from the externally visible route tables and can avoid conflicts between internal and external IP addresses that share the same identifier. For example a common FreeBSD operating system supports a dynamic routing protocol (DRP) application. Each v-net runs an independent copy of the DRP software and is logically independent. A failure in one DRP copy does not adversely affect other copies.

Abstract: A method is disclosed in which a print dialog is invoked to select printing options for a document. A department code is entered on the print dialog, and a print command is submitted while concurrently sending the department code for validation. A validation step is performed to determine whether the department code is valid. A print job is generated if the entered department code is valid. If the department code is invalid, the user is prompted to enter a valid department code.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems for coordination of interfering network devices.

Abstract: A method of recovering orphaned network resources in a network service having a network model. An audit state for each resource of the network service that is included in the network model can be identified. The audit states can include confirmed, unconfirmed, and suspect. The confirmed audit state indicates that evidence has been gathered for a resource of the network service that verifies the accuracy of the network model, the suspect audit state indicates that evidence has been gathered for a resource of the network service that challenges the accuracy of the network model, and the unconfirmed audit state indicates that no evidence has yet been gathered to indicate a resource of the network service as confirmed or suspect. The audit state for each resource can be stored and this information can be coupled with other information regarding the resource. The network service can be redesigned using only resources with a confirmed audit state and then reconfigured to correspond with the redesign.

Abstract: In methods and apparatus for acquiring VPN reachability information at a node of a data network, a VPN reachability information request is transmitted from a requesting node. The VPN reachabinty information request comprises a VPN identifier. Other nodes of the data network receive the VPN reachability information request and, if they have reachability information relevant to that VPN, they transmit such information to the requesting node where it is received and stored. The invention can be used in MPLS VPN architectures.

Abstract: A method (300) and system for preventing private information to be collected and sent to the INTERNET without the consent of a user of a client computer. Every time the user wishes (317) to run a new application program, an isolator engine is invoked (303). The isolator engine intercepts (329) all the output operations (327) of the application program attempting to send messages to the INTERNET. Each message is compared (330-345) with a privacy list storing a series of strings (such the name of the user, his or her private e-mail address); if a match occurs, the user is asked (352) whether he or she desires to continue or abort execution of the application program.

Abstract: The present invention describes a method and apparatus to ensure bi-directional connectivity between neighbor network elements in distance-vector protocol (e.g., EIGRP). The method further defines the dampening of neighbors that cannot establish a bi-directional connectivity. When a router receives an unreliable packet from a neighbor, the router adds the neighbor in neighbor table by gradually developing the reliability of the neighbor. First, the router adds neighbor's address into a dampening table and a ‘neighbor pending’ table. The router establishes a reliable communication with the neighbor. If the router cannot establish the reliable communication with the neighbor, the router dampens the neighbor and removes neighbor's address from ‘neighbor pending’ table. When the router establishes a reliable communication with the neighbor, the router ‘promotes’ the neighbor to the neighbor table.

Abstract: In methods and apparatus for acquiring VPN reachability information at a node of a data network, a VPN reachability information request is transmitted from a requesting node. The VPN reachability information request comprises a VPN identifier. Other nodes of the data network receive the VPN reachability information request and, if they have reachability information relevant to that VPN, they transmit such information to the requesting node where it is received and stored. The invention can be used in MPLS VPN architectures.