Abstract: A method of determining a placement of services of a distributed application onto nodes of a distributed resource infrastructure. In an embodiment of the present invention, a placement indicator for a specific service is provided. Communication constraints between node pairs are also provided. The communication constraints ensure that a sum of transport demands between a particular node pair does not exceed a transport capacity between the particular node pair. Constraints can be expressed for preventing unwanted placements. Preferences can be expressed for preferring specified placements. Each term of the sum of transport demands comprises a product of a first placement variable, a second placement variable, and the transport demand between the services associated with the first and second placement variables. The placement indicator, the communication constraints, and an objective comprise an integer program.

Abstract: A dynamic session redirector provides the ability to receive requests for network accessible storage resources and redirect them to the appropriate resources as needed while providing a single system image to the system requesting access to the resources. The redirector provides an ability to reconfigure the network storage resources without altering the system image presented by the redirector to the clients on the network. This may be used to provide for dynamic reallocation of the resources in order to improve efficiency and reliability of the storage system, as well to provide support for a wide variety of protocols to be redirected, including stateful protocols.

Abstract: A method, system and graphical user interface for dynamically updating transmission characteristics in a web mail reply are described. In one embodiment of the invention, a graphical user interface includes a web mail reply form that includes: one or more address fields; an input area for inputting a reply message; and a plurality of response options selectable by a user. In response to selection of a response option by a user, one or more of the address fields in the reply form are changed while maintaining the reply message in the input area.

Abstract: A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product are presented for recordation and playback of transactions within a web browser or similar client application. A transaction recordation and playback utility captures dynamic information upon recordation and/or playback of a web-browser-based transaction. The dynamic information is derived from the DOM-related (Document Object Model) information that is maintained within the web browser application. Using information from a previously recorded transaction, the transaction recordation and playback utility searches the current DOM-related information for current values of dynamic parameters, thereby allowing generation of a complete and appropriate HTTP request on every subsequent playback of a recorded transaction.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically allocating resources is provided. The system includes one or more components for automatically allocating one or more resources, based at least in part on data associated with the one or more resources, the data including at least one of, type data, instance data, characteristic data, and dynamically modifiable metadata. An alternative aspect of the system provides one or more components for automatically allocating one or more resources distributed on a plurality of resource allocation servers. The one or more components for automatically allocating the one or more resources can improve utilization of the capacity of the one or more resources. In an alternative embodiment the system includes an Application Programming Interface (API) operable to configure and/or control the one or more components for automatically allocating one or more resources.

Abstract: Generating unique identifiers (UUIDs) for software objects and other components in a network in which a large number of components may exist simultaneously and/or over a period of time. UUIDs generated by a particular product are divided into two sub-fields. One sub-field is stored in non-volatile memory, and incremented infrequently. The other sub-field is stored in volatile memory, that can be incremented frequently. During operation, the product creating the UUIDs generates new UUIDs by incrementing the field stored in volatile memory. When overflow of the volatile memory field occurs, the field stored in non-volatile memory is incremented. A block of non-volatile memory is initialized to all of a first logical state, and the bits therein are then sequentially cleared to generate a subsequent unique identifier.

Abstract: An enterprise business process management system and method for definition and execution of business processes formed from portions of one or more business applications present in an enterprise. The enterprise business process management system includes a server, a router, and an interface for defining and executing such business processes. A data quality business process detects, corrects, analyzes, and reports quantitative and qualitative characteristics of application data and transactional data present in the enterprise. An interface module is provided by which a user may select and define function definition information for a business process.

Abstract: A server properly manages user names which users use in services. Based upon communication with a user terminal, a handle name and a character are selected. The information of the selected character is stored in association with the selected user name. The character profile of the character is stored as information of each associated character. Information relating to the user is also stored, and the information relating to the user is blurred when sent to a user terminal used by another user to maintain privacy.

Abstract: A method and system for collecting and transmitting data across or through a firewall using HTTP and/or XML between computer systems that do not otherwise grant access to each other. A method and system for preparing data reports using data and report generation modules using HTTP and/or XML between computer systems.

Abstract: In certain aspects, the invention features a system and method for receiving a parent job configured to produce one or more descendant jobs, and scheduling computation of the parent job on a node computing device that is one of a plurality of node computing devices of a distributed computing system. In such an aspect, the distributed computing system further includes a scheduler server configured to selectively reschedule computation of a job other than a parent job from any one of the plurality of node computing devices to another of the node computing devices. Such an aspect further includes preventing rescheduling of the parent job unless each of the descendant jobs is completed or terminated.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for monitoring service quality of at least one network connection point of a remote network connection service. The method includes establishing a network connection between a client device and the remote network connection service via the network connection point. The network connection point may be one of a plurality of remotely located network connection points via any one of which access to the remote network connection service is obtainable. The method includes monitoring access performance of the network connection point to generate access performance data, and processing the access performance data thereby to monitor the service quality of the network connection point.

Abstract: In a distributed printing system in which an original print job is divided into a plurality of distributed print jobs that are printed on a plurality of output devices, in order to stop outputting the pages subsequent to a predetermined page in the original print job, an instruction for outputting up to the predetermined page is inputted. It is determined which of the output devices outputs the distributed print job that includes the predetermined page. Based on this determination, an instruction to stop outputting the pages subsequent to the predetermined page is issued to the output device that outputs the distributed print job that includes the predetermined page.

Abstract: A system and method for awarding incentive points utilizing unique disc identification to provide access to disc storage media includes a disc storage medium with a permanently recorded disc identification, a user console with a set identification, a network, and a host server managing a user database and a disc database. Upon purchase of software stored on a disc storage medium, the unique disc identification and user identification are transmitted over the network from the user console to the host server. Permission to access the programs residing on the disc storage medium by the user console is obtained from the host server. The host server manages a point system. Points are awarded and recorded in point accounts stored in the databases.

Abstract: A method and system for managing electronic mail (email) based on a user oriented penalty count (PC) random rejection. The invention determines a threshold for a specific user and assesses a cumulative PC for usage of a resource that exceeds the user specific threshold. Different operating states are determined based on a status associated with the resource. In a normal operating state, virtually all sent email is processed. In a selective-rejection state, sent email from a user with a cumulative PC is rejected randomly, while others are processed. In a random-rejection state, sent email from a user without a cumulative PC is randomly rejected based on a resource usage factor and an adjustment multiplier, while sent email from a user with a cumulative PC is completely rejected. The user may be assigned an exempt status that enables processing of virtually all email from the user independent of user's PC.

Abstract: Handling a packet according to a gateway rule in a network gateway device ensures security. Centrally controlling the gateway rule in an administration center eliminates the need for individual user's consciousness of operation such as a firewall, which makes a network gateway system easy to use. Also, under certain conditions, the packet is handled according to a gateway rule in the network gateway device to reduce a network load. The administration center that holds and creates a gateway rule is provided. The network gateway device holds the gateway rule. When receiving a packet, if a gateway rule corresponding to the packet exists, the received packet is handled according to the gateway rule. If no gateway rule corresponding to the packet exists, the packet is transferred to the administration center, and then the corresponding gateway rule is received from the administration center so that update is performed.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to propose a method of effecting a protection control for use in a communication network which makes it possible to avoid conflict between a protection switch of a SONET apparatus and a protection switch of an RPR apparatus. To this end, when ring switching of the BLSR is validated, the protection function of the RPR apparatus is invalidated while when the protection function of the RPR apparatus is validated, the ring switching of the BLSR is invalidated. The apparatus of the present invention can be applied to a network in which a ring network formed of a BLSR is connected with an RPR apparatus.

Abstract: A search that is efficient and lightens the load on servers is conducted. An original program list containing IP addresses of a number of servers is stored in a center server. The center server supplies the original server list to a client computer, which proceeds to divide the list into a plurality of divided server lists. The divided server lists, together with a search command, are applied to respective ones of master servers. The master servers further divide the divided server lists into subdivided server lists, and each master server transmits the subdivided server lists, together with the search command, to respective ones of slave servers. These operations of dividing the server list and transmitting the divided server lists to subsequent servers are repeated. A search is conducted by the master and slave servers in accordance with the search command, data representing the search results are sent back to a transmit-source server and this server supplies the data to the client computer.

Abstract: To provide a system for providing information that allows operators who orally answer questions about certain products from users to deal with the users quickly and effectively. The level of information disclosure is specified for each electronic information to be used for customer support in an information server. In response to the reception of a request for information from an operator terminal, knowledge levels of the user and the operator are determined. The associated electronic information is edited according to rules of providing information that are determined according to the specified knowledge level. The edited version of the electronic information is supplied to the operator terminal. The extent to which information will be disclosed varies according to the level of the knowledge of the user or the operator for a certain product.

Abstract: A system for using a wide-area communication network, e.g. the Internet, as a conduit to communicate to and from the location of sports filed lighting, to control operation of the lighting, or monitor the lighting or other events at the location.

Abstract: A message exchange system includes a server system, a support center and client systems. The server system distributes message information and stores a message log. The support center can confirm whether a harassment message complained about actually was sent by determining if the harassment message is in the log. Furthermore, the support center determines whether the received harassment message differs from a message log record in the server system.