Abstract: A background event buffer manager (BEBM) for ordering and accounting for events in a data processing system having a processor includes a port for receiving event identifications (IDs) from a device, a queuing function enabled for queuing event IDs received, and a notification function for notifying the processor of queued event IDs. The BEBM handles all event ordering and accounting for the processor. The BEBM in preferred embodiments queues events by type with priority and by priority within type, and also handles sending acknowledgement to the device when processing on each event is concluded, and buffers the acknowledgement process. In particular embodiments the apparatus and method is taught as a packet processing router engine.

Abstract: A method device implementing a seamless user/service reservation network. A network is establishing having a user input module, an interface module and a vendor service module. The user input module accommodates different classes of potential users including golf reseller, an Internet based user and a dedicated function user. Regardless of the type of user input is targeted for, all user inputs accept the same input format and send all transactions via a bundled communication. The interface module comprises multiple servers designed to communicate with the user input module and the vendor service module and decode and process all bundled requests. Utilizing multi-thread processing, all transactions from either module are concurrently processed. The vendor service module incorporates multiple vendor systems running different software platforms.

Abstract: In an I/O subsystem comprising device drivers for controlling connection-oriented hardware adapters, connection-oriented data transports, and an integrating component allowing data transport drivers and hardware device drivers to be “bound” together to form data communication channels. The integrating component exposes a connection interface for creating and maintaining connections. Furthermore, a proxy client component is disclosed that interacts with a known application-level interface, such as TAPI, and converts such known application-level interface commands into appropriate commands for the connection interface of the integrating component. Additionally, the proxy client component will interact with the integrating component in order to represent the underlying connection-oriented devices and attendant device characteristics to the known application-level interface.

Abstract: Composite applications combine services from plurality of existing applications and information sources. Via user interface of such a composite application, an end-user wants to access different combinations of existing services in different usage contexts. This invention describes a method and apparatus for dynamically combining existing services without having to program case-by-case for each usage context. In this method, one constructs and stores a graph of object types and relationships among parameters of existing services and the objects of a composite application. By traversing paths in the stored graph, the apparatus (1) dynamically constructs menus of services relevant to any usage context, (2) automatically computes necessary inputs to a service selected from a menu and executes the service, and (3) automatically propagates changes and invokes appropriate services whenever objects are updated.

Abstract: A transport neutral technique allows an object manager to communicate with a CIM repository using any of a variety of protocols. The object manager software is independent of the transport mechanism used and need not be changed if the transport mechanism changes. A computer system to be managed includes a CIM object manager and any number of provider APIs that provide resource information about the computer system. A CIM repository stores classes and instances used by the object manager. A remote application computer runs a software management application that communicates with the object manager of the computer system using a local client API. A Repository API of the object manager includes an interface definition defining all methods called by the object manager. Also included is a protocol-specific class that implements the interface definition; there is a protocol-specific class for each protocol desired to be supported. Each class implements methods using a specific protocol.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an arrangement for simplifying the design and implementation of mobile services in a communication system, especially a telecommunications system, said system comprising distributed hardware and software components which interact in order to provide services to one or more users, and for the purpose of this improved availability it is according to the present invention suggested a solution of introducing in said system a mobility transparency, for thereby enabling facilitated application design including inter alia terminal or personal mobility. Special emphasis is made on solutions based on realising mobility transparency by in-line solution, broker solution and proxy solution.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for providing and integrating high-performance message queues. “Contexts” are provided that allow independent worlds to be created and execute in parallel. A context is created with one or more threads. Each object is created with context affinity, allowing any thread inside the context to modify the object or process pending messages. Threads in a different context are unable to modify the object or process pending messages for that context. To help achieve scalability and context affinity, both global and thread-local data is often moved into the context. Remaining global data has independent locks, providing synchronized access for multiple contexts. Each context has multiple message queues to create a priority queue. There are default queues for sent messages and posted messages, carry-overs from legacy window managers, with the ability to add new queues on demand. A queue bridge is also provided for actually processing the messages.

Abstract: A system for monitoring a user's usage of a target application on an application unit. Such a target application can, as examples, be a software program running on a computer or a workstation, an image forming device, an appliance, etc. The application unit includes a user interface with a plurality of commands which a user can select. In the example of the target application being a software program, the commands may be icons displayed on a computer screen which a user can point to with a mouse pointer and then click on. In the case of the application unit being an image forming device or an appliance, the interface may be an operation panel with buttons, a touch pad, etc. which a user can press. The present invention monitors the user's usage of such interfaces and logs data of the user's usage of such interfaces. The logged data can then be communicated by the sending unit to a designated location.

Abstract: A method, system and program product for operating a web imaging system for use with a browser on an imaging client, comprising the steps of: receiving a request from external web content for a reference to a resource; translating the request to an imaging client specific command; creating an opaque reference that is mapped to the imaging client specific command; and providing this opaque reference to the web content, without supplying a reference to the resource or the imaging client specific command to the web content.

Abstract: The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) can be decoupled from its Java-enabled browser. To maintain access to certain system resources (a “privilege”) by applets, each Java thread that enables the privilege will now create an entry that describes the privilege in a linked list based on the stack frame address. Sufficient information is stored in the link list for validation purposes. Further, system classes that require specific privileges will have them implicitly granted by an implicit privilege list.

Abstract: A technique and apparatus for efficiently and flexibly utilizing shared memory as a full duplex mailbox for both data and payload information. The invention allows payload messages of varying lengths to be passed in contiguous memory space, allowing an interrupt service routine (ISR) or other process to easily and quickly read or cache the passed payload data. In a disclosed embodiment, a processor-to-processor mailbox is formed using a shared memory (e.g., a dual port RAM). The shared memory is separated into three main portions: a processor 1 to processor 2 fixed portion, a processor 2 to processor 1 fixed portion, and an unallocated dynamic portion. Importantly, the other direction of the mailbox is located starting at the highest address of the shared memory, and works toward the lowest address of the shared memory. Preferably, write access for payload messages and other generally longer messages are dynamically allocated in the unallocated dynamic portion for use in either mailbox.

Abstract: A distributed virtual environment includes one or more entities represented in the virtual environment by at least a conceptual entity-model, a dynamic entity-model and a visual entity-model each of the entity models being mutually independent. A server provides a conceptual-model manager, arranged to provide conceptual entity-models, one or more dynamic-model managers arranged to provide dynamic entity-models, and one or more client apparatuses arranged to provide a visual-model manager arranged to provide visual entity-models. Communications is arranged to allow transmission of messages between the conceptual-model manager, one or more dynamic-model managers and one or more visual-model managers.

Abstract: A storage management system in which a volume provider incorporates an application programming interface (API) for receiving storage access information that characterizes high-level input/output (I/O) attributes of the storage volume such as intended access patterns, a desired level of fault handling and optimization preferences. The volume provider and the underlying storage devices conform to the specified attributes as best as possible and resolve any conflicts with the communicated attributes. The volume providers monitor the storage volumes and may reconfigure the storage volumes in order to accomplish the desired attributes.

Abstract: The invention comprises methods and apparatus for implementing a trader service. The present invention involves creating a trader service, preferably compliant with the CORBA CosTrader Specification, where the trader service is arranged to store persistent information using a directory service. This aspect involves creating a storage mechanism comprising a directory service, preferably a directory service compliant with LDAP version 2, which is arranged to store the persistent information for the trader service. An additional embodiment may be implemented by creating a data store interface for interacting with the directory service, wherein such interaction comprises the use of protocol compliant with LDAP version 2.

Abstract: To control the load on an agent server, it is necessary to store any inactive agent in a secondary storage device, release a memory and a thread occupied by the agent, and control the number of simultaneously active agents. The agent server reads out an agent from the secondary storage device when a processing of the agent starts, and writes the agent into the secondary storage device when the processing of the agent is terminated. By doing so, the memory and the thread occupied by the agents which are not processing are released. It also limits the number of simultaneously active agents by starting a processing of another agent upon termination of the processing of one agent. In the present invention, the start and the termination of the processing are determined by the start and the termination of a conversation between the agents. Messages are in compliance with a predetermined rule.

Abstract: A cluster includes hosts, a fabric including switches with forwarding tables, and I/O enclosures. I/O controllers that are within the I/O enclosures are assigned to the hosts by a subnet manager. A fabric control driver within each host determines a list of drivers which correspond to the I/O controllers assigned to the host and that need to be loaded into the host. Before loading the drivers into the host, the fabric control driver sends a verification message for each driver to the I/O enclosure containing the I/O controller that corresponds to the driver. As responses to the verification messages are received, the fabric control driver loads drivers and modifies the list of drivers accordingly.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program storage device for enabling the reading of data from a named pipe by a reader process while minimizing the use of system resources in an information handling system in which client and reader processes write data to and read data from a named pipe by issuing function calls to an operating system. A first reader process creates a named pipe if it does not already exist and issues a read function call to the operating system specifying the named pipe to attempt to read data from the pipe. If the read operation is successful, the first reader process repeats the step of issuing the read function call. Otherwise, the first reader process issues an activate-on-receipt function call to the operating system, specifying the named pipe, a new reader process to be activated upon the receipt of data by the named pipe and, optionally, data being passed from the first reader process to the new reader process, and then terminates.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for effecting data interchange among software tools and repositories in a distributed heterogeneous environment in a computer system having at least one repository of a first type and at least one software modeling tool of a second type. The method includes the steps of registering and storing metadata describing a meta model in the repository. Next, a set of rules and streams of data are generated based on the rules, and then documents conforming to each of the metamodels are generated by reading the set of rules. An importer is written for use in importing into the repository the streams of data; and, an exporter is written for use in exporting from the repository the streams of data.

Abstract: Application Programming Interface, methods and apparatus are disclosed for enhancing data network communication. In a network including a first and a second network interface, each interface has an associated MAC address, and each network interface has a driver storing the MAC address for its associated interface. Under certain circumstances, such as in a fail-over condition, or to improve throughput, the second driver is conditionally directed to replace its stored MAC address with the MAC address of the first network interface. Thus, the second network interface can process network traffic as if it were the first network interface. Disclosed are several features and advantages resulting from such MAC reassignment.

Abstract: A user mode device driver interface (UMDDI) is disclosed. The UMDDI is preferably implemented in Windows® NT® version 5.0 and similar systems. The UMDDI allows a device driver to execute in user-mode while the graphics engine (GRE) remains in kernel-mode. The UMDDI exists as a layer between the user-mode driver and GRE; from the perspective of GRE, it encapsulates the user-mode driver and makes it appear to be a normal kernel-mode driver. The UMDDI layer handles the kernel-to-user and user-to-kernel transitions, parameter validation, and management of the kernel-mode and user-mode data and objects.