Abstract: This invention discloses a method for detecting a layout of a switched local network including at least one switching hub connected to a first plurality of elements, each identified by an address, via a corresponding second plurality of ports defining a corresponding second plurality of element to port connections, the method including determining all element to port connections for each switching hub, identifying the elements which communicate via each of that switching hub's backbone ports and based on the element to port connections and the elements communicating via each switching hub's backbone ports, determining the layout of the switched local network.An apparatus for monitoring a layout of a local network, the network including a first plurality of ports associated, via end-station to port connections, with a second plurality of end-stations is also disclosed.

Abstract: In order to enable monitoring of a computer of a monitoring target, by two or more computers by way of a network, without increasing the load of the computer of monitoring target, the capturing process invoked on each node of the parallel computer captures performance data, the collecting process invoked on a specific node collects these captured performance data, and transmits to the relaying process on the monitoring computer. If there is a display process and a logging process invoked on the same or different monitoring computers, the relaying process distributes the performance data to them. The display process displays the performance data for part of measurement items included in the distributed performance data on the display device. The logging process stores all the distributed performance data in the storage device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the technical field of computer systems with improved response time to a user request in a computer session. More particular, the present invention provides improved response time for a client/server- configuration of Personal Computers in a network as well as for stand-alone computer systems.The inventive concepts provide a `Services Supercharger` layer of programs and information tables, exploiting the capability to start many tasks in parallel, to prepare the execution environment for one or more user sessions and actions within such user sessions, and after session termination, performs epilogue actions only when appropriate.The described concepts realize a solution where the possibility of executing multiple tasks in parallel in a system like OS/2 can be exploited to reduce the response time for individual user requests against the system considerably. These concepts can be applied to stand-alone user workstations and in client/server environments.

Abstract: A session is conducted with an application resident on a host computer by loading terminal information at a computer, operatively associated with the host computer and which is part of a network including a plurality of resource locations, from a host access resource location of the plurality of resource locations. The terminal emulation information is processed to conduct a session between the computer and the application. A resource location of the plurality of resource locations is then accessed from the computer while the session persists. The terminal emulation information may be downloaded to the computer from a server of the network. According to one aspect, a common environment capable of being produced under a plurality of different computer operating systems, e.g., a Java environment, is produced at the computer. The terminal emulation information is processed under the common environment to thereby conduct a session between the computer and the application.

Abstract: A multimedia server capable of reducing a number of accesses to memory devices with low access speed. Whether a desired multimedia data requested by one terminal connected with one input/output unit is present in a buffer of another input/output unit is judged, and the desired multimedia data is transferred to a buffer of that one input/output unit, from the multimedia data storage device when the desired multimedia data is judged as not present, or from a buffer of that another input/output unit when the desired multimedia data is judged as present. It is also possible to predict future necessary multimedia data at each input/output unit, monitor the multimedia data transferred through the network, and pre-fetch the future necessary multimedia data from the monitored multimedia data.

Abstract: A computerized human communication arbitrating and distributing system, including a controller digital computer and a plurality of participator digital computers, each of the participator computers including an input device for receiving human-input information from a human user and an output device for presenting information to the user, each said user having a user identity. A connection, such as Internet, links the controller computer with each of the participator computers. Controller software runs on the controller computer to arbitrate in accordance with predefined rules including said user identity, which ones of the participator computers can interact in one of a plurality of groups through the controller computer and to distribute real time data to the respective ones of the groups.

Abstract: For use in a computer network having a plurality of nodes associated therewith, a network management system for maintaining compatibility among the plurality of nodes, comprising 1) polling circuit that retrieves node configuration information from the plurality of nodes, and 2) a comparison circuit that compares selected node configuration information associated with a first selected one of the plurality of nodes with known-good node configuration information to determine a level of compatibility of the selected node with the known-good node configuration.

Abstract: An internet monitoring system efficiently discovers topology data of a network by utilizing a distributed object model. The topology data represents the devices and interconnections of the network and can be used to display various conceptual views of the network at a management station. In accordance with the internet monitoring system, different sets of topology data are discovered with corresponding sets of computer-based stations, such as management stations or collection stations, by discovering the topology at respective regions of the network. Further, the different sets of topology data can be combined at a management station to derive a global view of the network. Both management and remote stations include a layout mechanism for receiving topology data and driving the output device based upon the topology data and a discovery mechanism for discovering and storing the topology data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for requesting and processing services from a plurality of workstations (30), remote computers (28) or electronic devices (34), i.e., "nodes," connected via the Internet (20) is provided. The nodes are categorized into classes of resources according to the type of resource or resources that node can provide. When an application run by a node requires a service from a resource, the node broadcasts a request for the service via Internet (20). The service request is received and stored by the nodes comprising the class of resource providing the requested service. The first node capable of processing the service request does so, and then broadcasts a message to the remaining nodes of the class indicating that the service request is in process. Consequently, the remaining nodes of the class defer processing the service request until they receive confirmation that the requested service has been performed.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for use on the world wide web, a programmed digital computer detects one or more web browser programs and, responsive to the user, selectively modifies the default home page of the detected web browser program or programs. The user may indicate whether, and in which web browsers, the default home page setting is to be altered. In one embodiment, a floppy disk contains a program which scans the memory of the user's computer to detect one or more web browsers and automatically change the default home page web site setting in one or more of the detected web browsers. In a second embodiment, a program is downloaded over the internet which scans the memory of the user's computer to detect one or more web browsers and automatically change the default home page web site setting in one or more of the detected web browsers.

Abstract: A management system for event management in a computer network includes management interfaces residing on an administrative computers, management engines residing on server computers, and management agents residing on managed computers within the network. The management agent uses alarms corresponding to predefined events to notify the management interface via the management engine if the predefined events occur, thereby allowing the system administrator to administer the managed computer network. The management agents may also include corrective scripts which are automatically executed in response to the predefined events and a threshold adjustment module which adjusts threshold values which are used to trigger the alarms.

Abstract: In a multimedia data stream system, deterministic response is provided by multimedia servers for VCR client commands, thereby ensuring the commands execute within a predetermined deterministic window of a base response time +/- a jitter j. A command is timestamped and blocked until within the determinstic response window, and then released from a queue. An I/O then issues to a decoder card in a time period less than 2j. Threads processing these commands run at elevated priority. Non-deterministic commands default to the high priority but priority of a thread receiving such a command is lowered before processing. The response time jitter is bound by high priority commands by issuing only non-blocking I/Os and limiting the number of concurrent SCSI bus commands.

Abstract: A method and system for estimating the actual demand on a resource in a computer or communication network is taught using patterns of the traffic volume carried by the resource. Monitors on network resources periodically measure queue size and average transmission occupancy over the period. The monitors also mark times of queue overflow. Data transmission populations within the system are estimated between queue overflows and the resulting pattern is used to distinguish actual user demand that may be camouflaged by a reduction in traffic caused by the transport protocol response to lost or corrupted data transmissions.

Abstract: Access rights of users of a computer network with respect to data entities are specified by a relational database stored on one or more security servers. Application servers on the network that provide user access to the data entities generate queries to the relational database in order to obtain access rights lists of specific users. An access rights cache on each application server caches the access rights lists of the users that are connected to the respective application server, so that user access rights to specific data entities can rapidly be determined. Each user-specific access rights list includes a series of category identifiers plus a series of access rights values. The category identifiers specify categories of data entities to which the user has access, and the access rights values specify privilege levels of the users with respect to the corresponding data entity categories.

Abstract: A method for redirecting communication on a network between a client and a network resource includes executing a software program, the software program configured to listen to at least one communications port of the client during the communication session, the software program redirecting a message received on the communications port to the network resource.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and system for storing and managing objects, such as binary large objects (blobs) in a digital library system which includes a plurality of clients, an object server for storing an object, a cache server for storing an copy of the object, and a centralized server for storing information identifying the object as being stored in the object server and associating one or more of the clients with the cache server, in which one of the clients, as a requesting client, requests retrieval of an object, a copy of the requested object is sent from the cache server to the requesting client if the object is stored in said cache server, and a copy of said object is sent from the object server to said requesting client if the object is not stored in the cache server; and a copy of the requested object is sent from the object server to the cache server after the object server sends the object to the client, in which the object sent to the client is made available to the client r

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of gathering information about a site of resources in a computer system includes the steps of retrieving a first one of the resources from the site; extracting from the first resource information about embedded hyperlinks to other resources in the site; extracting from the first resource meta-data describing aspects of the first resource and the other resources; and storing in a self-contained persistent data store the information about the hyperlinks and the meta-data.

Abstract: A high volume e-mail "newspaper" delivery system contains, for each customer, a personal configuration file containing the information resources that the customer would like e-mailed to his desktop. The configuration file is highly customizable, allowing the end-user detailed control over the content, format, and timing of the delivered e-mails. The e-mail messages to be sent are hashed to multiple, parallel transmission queues based on their destination MX hosts. This arrangement of transmission queues significantly increases total e-mail output because multiple queues are simultaneously processing the e-mail transmissions. A unique job number is appended to each e-mail message as it is created. The job number is used by the system to identify and track the e-mail message through the system before it is transmitted, and if the message bounces, when it returns to the system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for information processing which is capable of achieving a flexible floor control which can be shared by different applications, and which can respond to floor models of separate applications. An information processing apparatus is provided which controls floors of applications operated in a work environment formed by one or more computers. A FloorUnit representing an application which is an object of a floor control is controlled in association with each application. In addition, a FloorSpace representing a collection to which the FloorUnit belongs is controlled. When the application makes a request for acquiring the floor, the floor of the application in the FloorSpace to which the corresponding FloorUnit belongs is acquired by a FloorPolicy defined by the floor data in accordance with predetermined procedures.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention includes a method for managing a plurality of network elements in a Fiber-to-the-Curb (FTTC) telecommunications system. The FTTC system includes a computer system. The computer system is coupled in communications with the plurality of network elements. The method comprises the following steps. Display a plurality of choices on the computer system. The plurality of choices corresponds to a provisioning equipment function, a provisioning telephony services functions and a provisioning broadband services function. Receive a selection identifying a choice and identifying one or more selected network elements. Provision the one or more selected network elements.