Abstract: Method, apparatus and program products for increasing the performance of communications using differencing data communications over a message queue supporting asynchronous communications from a variety of applications executing on a source device over a shared external communication link to destination devices are provided. A data stream between the source device and the destination device is segmented based on the type of the data stream to provide a logical segmentation which increases the occurrence of repeated transmissions of a segment. The segments are then placed in the message queue as a message for transport to a destination computer. Differencing is provided by replacing the segment with an associated identifier for segments which have previously been transported to provide a reduced volume of data for transmittal based on recognition and replacement of data segments which have previously been transmitted by the source device.

Abstract: A communication system for transmitting electronic messages is disclosed. The communication system includes a plurality of data processing devices and a data network for transmission of the electronic messages. The electronic messages include an assignment data block, in addition to text data, image data, audio data and the like. The assignment block includes specific assignments between particular data segments or blocks of the electronic message, such as image, text and/or audio, such that interrelation between particular segments/blocks of the data can be transmitted in a simple manner and be used for subsequent display or reproduction of the message.

Abstract: A method of routing a received message to a proper software controller in a home audio/video network of connected network devices. A message is received from a network bus by an intelligent device coupled to the network bus, wherein the intelligent device includes a memory having stored therein a plurality of software controllers for communicating with a plurality of network devices. The intelligent device examines the received message to determine a memory space indication and a source device identification stored therein. The intelligent device then determines whether any software controllers associated with the device match the memory space indication. Provided that only one software controller matches the memory space indication, the received message is dispatched to the one software controller.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for automated referencing of electronic information is disclosed. The apparatus for automated referencing of electronic information comprises means for receiving a message, the message having at least one attachment; means for applying detachment rules to the message, the detachment rules including criteria for detachment; and means for sending the message to at least one recipient. The method for automated referencing of electronic information comprises the steps of: (1) receiving a message, the message having at least one attachment; (2) applying detachment rules to the message, the detachment rules including criteria for detachment; (3) sending the message to at least one recipient; and if the detachment rules determine that the attachment should be attached, (4) detaching the attachment; (5) placing the attachment on a remote site; and (6) inserting a pointer into the message, wherein the pointer is linked to the remote site.

Abstract: IP network address translation (NAT) and IP filtering with dynamic address resolution in an Internet gateway system. Symbolic interface names are recognized in selected rule statements. An symbolic s-rule file is generated from these rule statements which includes symbolic interface names. During processing of a packet message, the s-rule file corresponding to the interface name in the packet message is processed, with symbolic addresses in the s-rule file resolved to the IP addresses obtained from the packet message.

Abstract: The onion routing network is used to protect Internet initiators and responders against both eavesdropping and traffic analysis from other users of the Internet. In the onion routing of the invention, instead of making connections directly to a responding machine, users make connections through onion routers. The onion routing network allows the connection between the initiator and responder to remain anonymous. Anonymous connections hide who is connected to whom and for what purpose from outside eavesdroppers.

Abstract: An automated method of and apparatus for Internet address management is provided. The method and apparatus receive requests for a host name/IP address assignment and automatically performs error checking on the request. The method and apparatus determine if there are available addresses in the address space for the requested subnet and if the new host name meets the requisite criteria for a valid host name. Once error checked, the requested amount of IP addresses are created and inspected for uniqueness. Individual host names are created and inspected for uniqueness prior to being assigned to respective IP addresses. Once assigned, the new host names/IP addresses are entered into the DNS database. Accordingly, the automated method and apparatus is less time consuming while being free from errors arising in prior Internet address management methods.

Abstract: A technique for sharing a resource among a cluster of devices in a computer network. The technique involves generating a vote count that includes votes from voting devices attempting to form a cluster until the vote count reaches a quorum. The technique further involves, when the quorum is reached, selecting a most advanced generation indicator from among the voting devices, advancing the selected generation indicator and storing the advanced selected generation indicator in memory as a cluster generation indicator. Upon the advanced selected generation indicator being stored in memory, the cluster is formed and includes the voting devices. The technique further involves sharing a resource among the voting devices after the cluster is formed.

Abstract: A method and system to establish and maintain cache coherency between a web server and one or more clients communicating through a network. The method includes designating monitor areas on a data segment of the server, determining if an activity occurs in one of the monitor areas, updating a change log if such activity occurs, and indicating the updated status of the change log to the clients. The method also handles requests from the clients and responding to those requests. Clients can then check the change log for updates, instead of resorting to dredging or web crawling.

Abstract: A system and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device upon sensing a triggering event is disclosed. A redirector program operating at the host system enables a user to continuously redirect certain user-selected data items from the host system to the user's mobile data communication device upon detecting that one or more user-defined triggering events has occurred. The redirector program operates in connection with event generating applications and repackaging systems at the host system to configure and detect a particular user-defined event, and then to repackage the user-selected data items in an electronic wrapper prior to pushing the data items to the mobile device. The mobile device and the host system share a common electronic address so that messages generated at either the host system or the mobile data communication device are configured using the common electronic address.

Abstract: A system with a network interconnecting a server and a plurality of user stations. The system provides the capability of allowing an administrator to configure a user application by running the application directly in the context of a user or user group, rather than in the context of the administrator. That is, the configuration of the application is performed by executing the application, configuring the application using the options provided by the application for that purpose, and then saving the configuration as if the actual user or group were executing the application.

Abstract: A method for updating a wallpaper for computer display, which operates on a server attached to a computer network. This method includes receiving a request from a client to fetch a wallpaper, and selecting the wallpaper from a collection of wallpaper based upon a personal profile of a user. It also includes retrieving the selected wallpaper, and sending the wallpaper across a network to the user on the client. In one embodiment of the present invention, the wallpaper is selected based upon a personal interest of the user. In a variation on the above embodiment, the client automatically requests new wallpaper at periodic time intervals, and also upon system initialization. Another embodiment of the present invention includes allowing the user to request an alternate wallpaper if the user does not care for the new wallpaper. Another embodiment includes registering a user for access to a collection of wallpapers for which there is restricted access.

Abstract: A method is provided for estimating the size of a computer network such as the Internet. A computer generates a random sample of potential network addresses and then determines whether those sample addresses are currently allocated to computers on the network. Using samples taken at multiple points in time, the computer statistically models the growth of the network. The model has unknown parameters, and values of the parameters are estimated using previously sampled data. Using the estimated parameter values in the model, the computer estimates the number of computers on the network at historical points in time. The computer also uses the model to forecast the number of computers on the network at future points in time.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for implementing a wireless/wired computer network in an indoor environment with inherent reliability is disclosed. A master network box connected to an AC power network and a master computer generates an RF field around the computer, the home, and AC power network. The integration and implementation of additional devices to the established network is made through additional appliance boxes. Once introduced into the generated RF field, or connected to the AC power network, the additional device is automatically and seamlessly registered and configured into the network without requiring any user intervention. The network is capable of multiple modulation schemes for providing robust wired or wireless communication for various devices which have different power and data rates.

Abstract: An improved method and system for initializing the logical units (LUs) in a Gateway between an SNA network having a mainframe host computer and another network. An activation procedure derives the Table of Boundary LUs on the mainframe host computer by noting the device logical unit numbers within the set of ‘Activate Logical Unit’ (ACTLU) SNA Request Units. If the mainframe host computer includes an LU in its Table of Boundary LUs, then the activation procedure creates a corresponding LU in the Gateway. The activation procedure also marks each of the created LUs in the Gateway as active. The newly created LUs are then added to the resource pool of LUs available to the network. Additional aspects include a method for assigning a logical unit type to an LU based upon whether a Bind request is received from the mainframe host computer within a certain amount of time after sending a positive sense code to the mainframe host computer.

Abstract: An improved method and system for initializing the logical units (LUs) in a Gateway between an SNA network having a mainframe host computer and another network. An activation procedure derives the Table of Boundary LUs on the mainframe host computer by noting the device logical unit numbers within the set of ‘Activate Logical Unit’ (ACTLU) SNA Request Units. If the mainframe host computer includes an LU in its Table of Boundary LUs, then the activation procedure creates a corresponding LU in the Gateway. The activation procedure also marks each of the created LUs in the Gateway as active. The newly created LUs are then added to the resource pool of LUs available to the network.

Abstract: An information provider and a searcher provide messages appropriate to a particular user of a terminal regardless of the sites of the World Wide Web the user accesses. The information provider establishes a physical communication line to the terminal. A first logical link is established on the physical communication line for forwarding a first image from the World Wide Web to the terminal. User identification is received from the terminal, and forwarded to a searcher storing user information and the transmittal conditions of a second message, through a second communication line. An second image appropriate for the particular user is searched for by a searcher from a message database based on the user information and the transmittal conditions, and transmitted to the terminal through a second logical link also established on the first communication line.

Abstract: The automatic object distribution of the present invention allows object oriented programs to be run as distributed programs without any explicit networking code, and without using an interface definition language (IDL). The present invention allows programmers to experiment with different distributions without complicating the programming task. It accomplishes this by generating two proxies that allow method calls written for local invocation to be invoked over a network. These dynamically-generated proxies allow calls to flow across a network as if they were local.

Abstract: A method and system for maintaining a unique reserve command relationship between an initiator and a target device in a Fibre Channel network across network address changes after a break in communication. The present invention maintains triplet tables containing data triplets, comprised of the network address, the port name, and the node name, for each initiator and each target device. Following a break in network communication that results in the network address of an initiator and/or a target device changing, the method of the present invention updates the recorded network addresses for the initiators and the target devices, maintains any previously-existing unique reserve command relationships and continues with I/O transmission. Although the network address of an initiator may change, the node name and port name of the initiator will remain the same.

Abstract: A router uses the destination address of its incoming packets to decide the proper outgoing interfaces by searching among all of the stored prefixes for the prefix which has the longest match when compared to the destination address in the packet. Prefix trees are employed to represent the set of prefixes to be searched and high-speed, longest prefix matches are performed. An efficient data structure compresses any prefix tree structure so that the number of memory accesses needed to find the longest prefix for any address depends only on the length of the prefix rather than on the number of stored prefixes. Illustratively, only four, 64-bit memory accesses are required to find the longest prefix match for each IPv4 address in the worst case, while only 3 Mbytes are required to store a 128K-entry routing table.