Abstract: Provided herein are exemplary distributed architectures including a platform system communicatively coupled to a network, a social media system communicatively coupled to the network and configured for interaction by one or more users, and a social media application communicatively coupled to the network and configured for interaction by one or more users. Further exemplary embodiments include a third party service communicatively coupled to the network, a public auditor communicatively coupled to the network, and a public archivist communicatively coupled to the network. The one or more users may include any of individuals, businesses, charities and non-profit organizations, and government organizations.

Abstract: A method for providing a managed networking service for a cloud computing system enables users to consume managed virtualized network functions (VNFs) at edge locations. The method includes registering a plurality of third-party vendors for the managed networking service. The plurality of third-party vendors provide a plurality of VNFs for the managed networking service. The method also includes receiving user input from a user of the cloud computing system. The user input includes a request to deploy the plurality of VNFs at an edge location. The plurality of VNFs can be provided by different third-party vendors through the managed networking service. The method also includes causing the plurality of VNFs to be deployed on an edge device that is located at the edge location. The plurality of VNFs can be represented as logical entities in a database that is utilized by the managed networking service.

Abstract: A method for delivering multimedia content during a communal session at a media system commutatively coupled with a streaming application. The method includes receiving a request to initiate the communal session; retrieving contact information for user devices selected to participate in the communal session; retrieving an address for each of the user devices; receiving a source location for multimedia content selected in the streaming application; and sharing the source location with a player that is configured to transmit the multimedia content to each of the user devices. The method also includes, at an appointed time, initiating video playback for each of the user devices, synchronizing delivery of the multimedia content and social media content generated on each of the user devices, and exchanging playback control messages with the streaming application to direct the synchronized transmissions of the multimedia content and social media content to each of the user devices.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for monitoring the status and location of personnel using a remote timer. In some embodiments, a method includes execution of a subject application (app) on a network accessible device. A countdown timer of a remote server is initiated to monitor a time interval, the remote server communicating with the network accessible device over a network. Geo positions of the network accessible device are monitored during the monitored time interval. The remote server sends a notification to a monitoring device responsive to at least one of the following events: the monitored time interval ends without the remote server receiving an authorized personal identification (PID) value; or the remote server receives an unauthorized PID value prior to the conclusion of the monitored time interval. In further embodiments, a notification is sent based on an out-of-bounds geo position of the network accessible device during the time interval.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes determining, by a first router, service level agreement (SLA) requirements for an application and generating, by the first router, first SLA characteristics for the first router. The first router is in an active mode within a network. The method also includes comparing, by the first router, the first SLA characteristics for the first router to the SLA requirements and determining, by the first router, second SLA characteristics for a second router. The second router is in a standby mode within the network. The method further includes comparing, by the first router, the second SLA characteristics for the second router to the SLA requirements and determining, by the first router, whether to lower a first hop redundancy protocol (FHRP) priority of the first router.

Abstract: Provided are a request processing unit to send a first process distribution request to other information processing apparatuses via a communication I/F unit, the first process distribution request being a request for ordering execution of a first process on a first; and an order destination selecting unit to receive, via the communication I/F unit, as a response to the first process distribution request, a first estimated reply time calculated as the time required to receive the transfer of the first data and to reply a first process result obtained by executing the first process on the first data, to use the first estimated reply time to select an order destination to which the execution of the first process is to be ordered by the plurality of information processing apparatuses, and to order the execution of the first process on the first data to the order destination via the communication interface unit.

Abstract: A system for facilitating a plurality of virtual transmission control protocol connections between a target application and a source application is provided. The system includes a server proxy, a client proxy, and a network protection interposed between the server proxy and the client proxy. The server proxy is configured to receive an open request from the client proxy via a stateless protocol, including a target identifier, the open request originating from the source application, open a connection between the server proxy and the target application based on the target identifier, provide a response to the client proxy indicating a status of the open request, the response including at least one of a session identifier or a sequence identifier, receive, a data request from the client proxy, including the session identifier and an incremented sequence identifier, and provide the data request to the target application.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein are generally directed to a creation of an HA private cloud gateway based on a two-node HCI cluster with a self-hosted HMS. According to an example, a request to register a private cloud to be supported by on-premises infrastructure is received by a SaaS portal, which causes a base station to discover servers within the on-premises infrastructure. The base station is then instructed to prepare a server as a deployment node for use in connection with creation of a cluster of two HCI nodes of the servers to represent the HA private cloud gateway, including installing a seed HMS on the deployment node. The base station is further instructed to cause the seed HMS to create the cluster, install a self-hosted HMS within the cluster to manage the cluster, register the cluster to the self-hosted HMS, and finally delete the seed HMS from the deployment node.

Abstract: Gaze positions of an operator wearing a virtual-reality headset displaying a video stream define preferred view regions of the display. Starting with a reference gaze position, and for each subsequent distinctly different gaze position, the virtual-reality headset sends control data, including three spatial coordinates and a time coordinate expressed as a cyclical video-frame index, to a view adaptor receiving the video stream. The view adaptor stores contents of a number of most recent video frames of the video stream in a circular content-buffer and control data of a number of most recent gaze positions in a circular control-buffer. A content filter within the view adaptor determines a preferred view region surrounding a gaze position according to control data held in the circular control-buffer and extracts a partial content of a respective frame held in the circular content-buffer according to the preferred view region.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for tracking content consumed by a guest subscriber consuming content with a host subscriber. A host device accessing content transmits a discovery request to identify nearby devices. A guest device in the vicinity receives the discovery request and transmits a response to the host device. As content is played back on the host device, the guest device may receive a content identifier and a progress time from the host device. Using the content identifier and the progress time, a guest device may transmit a request to a server to update a viewing history or subscriber profile associated with the guest subscriber and/or device. A guest subscriber may later resume a program or series from where the content was left on his or her own home or mobile device(s). Communications between a host device and guest device may be direct or via network server and may be secured as private.

Abstract: A method for detecting network mis-cabling includes receiving, from a discovery process, an original remote device identifier (“ID”) and remote port ID of a port of a remote device connected to a port of a local device and storing the original remote device ID and remote port ID together with a local device ID and a local port ID of the port of the local device. The method includes receiving, from the discovery process, a new remote device ID and remote port ID for a remote device connected to the port of the local device, and comparing the original remote device ID and port ID with the new remote device ID and remote port ID. The method includes, in response to the original remote device ID and the original remote port ID not matching the new remote device ID and the new remote port ID, sending a mismatch alarm.

Abstract: The unique watermark system comprising: identifying a presenter attendee, a first recipient attendee, and a second recipient attendee through a video conferencing session; detecting the presenter attendee sharing the visual content with the first recipient attendee and the second recipient attendee; selecting a first unique watermark and a second unique watermark from the plurality of unique watermarks and assigning them to a first recipient attendee and a second recipient attendee, respectively; inserting the first unique watermark into the visual content for the first recipient attendee and the second unique watermark into the visual content for the second recipient attendee; and transmitting the visual content with the first unique watermark to the first recipient attendee and the visual content with the second unique watermark to the second recipient attendee, wherein the method is performed by one or more special-purpose computing devices for hosting the video conferencing session.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for estimating validation time that use an estimation of the amount of data fulfilling a rule or a set of rules. This estimation method may be more accurate because it considers how much data will match the rule versus how much data can be discarded. The disclosed systems and methods give visibility into how much time a rule set validation will take and how long the computer system will be unavailable due to the rule set being evaluated. This allows users to make better decisions about whether and when a rule set should be evaluated, and/or whether and how to modify implementation of the rule set.

Abstract: Techniques for policy-based connection provisioning using Domain Name System (DNS) requests are described herein. The techniques may include receiving policy data associated with one or more headend nodes that manage connections to computing resources. Additionally, the techniques may include receiving a DNS request from a client device to establish a connection between the client device and a first headend node of the one or more headend nodes. The DNS request may include an attribute associated with the client device. A provisioning service may determine that the connection should be established between the client device and the first headend node based at least in part on evaluating the attribute with respect to the policy data. Additionally, the techniques may include sending an internet protocol (IP) address, which is associated with the first headend node, to the client device to facilitate establishment of the connection.

Abstract: A method of enhancing data sharing between mobile or other computing device users includes receiving a submission request generated by user interaction with a first user interface on a first computing device, the submission request including content and associated submission data indicative of a recipient of the content, and updating a second user interface on a second computing device associated with the recipient to make the content available for display. The method may include sending a push notification to the second computing device indicating that the content is available for display for a period of time.

Abstract: Messaging devices and related methods for controlled sharing of visual objects using messaging applications are provided. A method includes allowing the user of the messaging device to prepare a message for transmission to a second user of a second messaging device including a visual object. The method includes automatically processing the visual object to determine whether the visual object can be classified as a visual object comprising nudity. The method includes: (1) in response to a first explicit request from the first user to share the visual object comprising nudity with the second user, allowing a transmission of the message including the visual object comprising nudity to the second user, and (2) in response to a second explicit request from the user to not share the visual object with the second user, preventing a transmission of the message including the visual object comprising nudity to the second user.

Abstract: An automatic system facilitates selection of media properties on which to display an advertisement, responsive to a profile collected on a first media property, where a behavioral-targeting company calculates expected profit for an ad correlated with the profile and arranges for the visitor to be tagged with a tag readable by the selected media property. The profit can be calculated by deducting, from the revenues that are expected to be generated from an ad delivered based on the collected profile, at least the price of ad space at a media property where the BT company might like to deliver ads to the profiled visitor. When the calculated profit is positive (i.e., not a loss), the BT company arranges for the visitor to be tagged with a tag readable by the selected media property through which the BT company expects to profit.

Abstract: Embodiments include methods for managed machine learning (ML) in a communication network, such as by one or more first network functions (NFs) of the communication network. Such methods include determining whether processing of an ML model in the communication network should be distributed to one or more user equipment (UEs) operating in the communication network, based on characteristics of the respective UEs. Such methods also include, based on determining that the processing of the ML model should be distributed to the one or more UEs, establishing trusted execution environments (TEEs) in the respective UEs and distributing the ML model for processing in the respective TEEs. Other embodiments include complementary methods for UEs, as well as UEs and NFs (or communication networks) configured to perform such methods.

Abstract: A method for monitoring operations of cloud server through virtual machines is used in a virtual machine monitoring system with a central monitoring system, a cloud platform, virtual exchangers, and virtual machines. The central monitoring system sends an instruction to obtain to the cloud platform. The cloud platform transmits the instruction to the virtual machine through the virtual exchanger. The virtual machine searches for operation information and sends such information to the cloud platform by the virtual exchanger. The cloud platform transmits the operation information to the central monitoring system. The central monitoring system monitors and manages the operation information. A virtual machine operation monitoring device and a virtual machine monitoring system applying the method are also provided.

Abstract: A data processing system for determining a capacity of a server farm implements determining a first operating parameter indicative of a utilization status of a server farm comprising a plurality of virtual machines; determining that the first operating parameter falls within a first range of operating values in which capacity testing of the server farm is performed; capacity testing the server farm to determine a capacity estimate by iteratively configuring a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines operating in an active state to operate in a sleep state until the first operating parameter reaches an upper threshold associated with the first range of operating values and monitoring performance of the plurality of virtual machines; modifying configuration parameters of the server farm to adjust an amount of available computing capacity based on the capacity estimate; and operating the server farm based on the updated configuration parameters.