Abstract: A premium messaging exchange. The premium messaging exchange can include a list of destinations supported by the premium messaging exchange. Each record in the list can include a specified destination, and a supporting external messaging system. Finally, the premium messaging exchange can include an interface to the list which can be accessed by querying external messaging systems and through which supporting external messaging systems can be identified for specific destination addresses provided by the querying external messaging systems through the interface.

Abstract: A method of interacting with a managed data network entity is provided. The method includes a sequence of steps. A change in the operational state of the managed data network entity is detected. A CLI dictionary entry is retrieved form a CLI dictionary associated with the data network entity. Based on the retrieved CLI dictionary entry, CLI commands are extracted therefrom to configure the managed data network entity to reflect the detected change in the operational state. A CLI command sequence is built from the extracted CLI commands. Each CLI command in the command sequence is sent to the managed data network entity for execution. CLI command responses are monitored. Based on a successful execution of CLI commands send, subsequent CLI commands in the CLI command sequence are sent for execution. The solution provides automated configuration management of data network entities from different vendors when SNMP is not a viable option.

Abstract: Systems and methods to enforce policy in a multi-computer service application are described. In one aspect, a scale-independent logical model of an application is generated. The application is for implementation in a distributed computing system. The scale-independent logical model includes multiple components representing logical functions of the application and intercommunication protocols. The model components are converted into one or more instances representative of physical resources used to implement the logical functions. The instances specify information such as communication ports on the physical resources and communication paths that link the physical resources.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for type of service classification of a communication request for an application executing on a server. An application plug-in associated with the application is provided in an operating system kernel of the server. The application plug-in receives the communication request and obtains application level information from the received communication request. The application plug-in further assigns a type of service classification to the received communication request based on the obtained application level information and provides the assigned type of service classification information for the communication request to a process executing on the server for processing communications from the server responsive to the communication request.

Abstract: A system (10) for transforming custom content generation tags (62) includes a web server (20) that receives a request (18) from a web browser (12). The request (18) identifies a file (24) that includes one or more custom content generation tags (62) that the web browser (12) is unable to interpret. The system (10) also includes a transformation engine (34) that receives the custom content generation tags (62) from the web server (20) and transforms the tags (62) into first output that the web browser (12) is able to interpret. The transformation engine (34) communicates the first output to the web server (20) and the web server (20) communicates the first output to the web browser (12) in response to the request (18).

Abstract: The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for locating and recommending a match to another. The invention provides people with a way to take an active role in matchmaking between a friend, family member or client of theirs and a prospect date from a database of prospect-users. For example, users may be provided with the ability to review a repository of users who have registered with a dating service (referred to as prospect-users) in order to search for a person who may be compatible with a friend or associate of the user performing the search (referred to as a searching-user). If the searching-user locates a prospect-user whom the searching-user thinks may be of interest to the searching-user's friend or associate (referred to as a client-user), the searching-user may recommend that person to the prospect-user. Thus, the invention provides a way to transmit a recommendation message to the prospect-user via a communication conduit such as a computer network.

Abstract: Systems and methods to enforce policy in a multi-computer service application are described. The application includes multiple software modules that execute on multiple computers. The multi-computer service application has access to a communications medium that allows data communications between different ones of the computers. The software modules have logical input and output ports and logical data connections between modules. Each logical port is defined by port software. In one aspect, a particular module sends a notification to a policy module. Responsive to the notification, the policy module (a) determines a request for one or more destination modules, and (b) provides the request to an output port of the policy module. The output port forwards the request to input ports of a plurality of the modules in accordance with the logical data connections.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for generating, collecting, and manipulating useful information for validating or defining SLAs of web servers on a network. Web servers comprising a web farm on the network are adapted for logging detailed runtime information regarding user transactions and performance parameters. An Accumulator device interacts with intelligent agents to collect and combine their log files, process the combined file and post information into a database. An operator enters committed performance parameters into an SLA Reporter system according to classes of users, classes of web sites being hosted on the web servers, classes of URLs, transaction, content and file type. When compared with the database, processing of SLA reports indicate how well the parameters of the SLAs are being met for users, web sites, classes, URL's and transactions, or other measurable elements.

Abstract: A method or system for synchronizing e-mail messages for a user, particularly for POP3 protocols. E-mail messages addressed to the user are received at an e-mail control at a local server, from an external e-mail server. The e-mail control stores each e-mail message in a consolidated e-mail storage at the local server. The e-mail control stores a message identifier for each e-mail message, in a message identifier storage at the local server. It is determined whether an e-mail message in the consolidated e-mail storage has been deleted from the external e-mail server, and if so, then the e-mail message is deleted from the consolidated e-mail storage. The invention provides for forward and/or reverse synchronization of e-mail messages. Optionally, the step of determining includes comparing message identifiers in the message identifier storage to message identifiers in e-mail received from the external e-mail server.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for reducing frame overhead in communications on local area networks are disclosed herein. The frame overhead is reduced in communications on local area networks by removing unnecessary addressing information from frames prior to transmission on the network. Logical addressing information, such as an Internet protocol address, is utilized to determine the corresponding physical addressing information, such as an Ethernet media access control address, via an address resolution protocol. The physical addressing information is then incorporated into the frames, and the logical addressing information is removed (or not incorporated into the frame) to provide additional space to carry data, thereby increasing the data throughput of the network connection and potentially reducing the number of frames needed to transmit a given communication from a source to a destination within the network.

Abstract: A network system includes a network having a network bus, such as unshielded differential twisted-pair wires, electrically connected to a plurality of remote devices, and a network controller for digitally directing transmissions with the remote devices via the network bus. The network system also includes a plurality of network device interface elements adapted to interconnect the network controller with respective remote devices via the network bus. Each network device interface element includes a local oscillator, and is capable of transmitting and receiving messages via the network bus. To at least partially limit electromagnetic emissions from the local oscillator, each network device interface element further includes a spread-spectrum clock. And to further aid in limiting electromagnetic emissions, each network device interface element can further include a suppression assembly.

Abstract: There is disclosed a network device in a network system connected to a directory server and a plurality of network devices, in which a combined function is generated utilizing two or more functions out of a plurality of functions able to be provided by a first network device constituting the plurality of network devices, and the generated combined function is registered in the directory server.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a client application for enabling access to an online service and displaying advertisements while the user is accessing the online service. The client application receives play lists from the online service provider. The play lists include information about advertisements to be played and the order of play. The client application also receives match lists from the online service provider. The match lists include information about advertisements to be played when the user performs certain actions. The client application also displays a wide variety of sponsorship information in connection with the online service. The sponsorship information is displayed in hypertext format. The client application provides the user with information related to a sponsor when the user clicks on hypertext associated with the sponsor.

Abstract: A method and system for recording and publishing traditional media source programs over a network is disclosed. According to the method, a request for publication of one or more traditional media source programs in one or more encoding formats is received from a network client that is connected to the network. In response to receiving the request, the one or more traditional media source programs are captured from a traditional media source that broadcasts the one or more traditional media source programs at a particular broadcast time. The one or more traditional media source programs are encoded in one or more encoding formats to produce one or more encoded media programs and then published to the network client over the network at a time that is different from the actual broadcast time.

Abstract: A method for managing a plurality of failures in a video and data network is provided. The method includes discovering a failure in the video and data network. The discovered failure is the root cause of the failure. Next, the root cause failure is correlated with the plurality of failures to determine related failures generated as a result of the root cause failure. The related failures are then suppressed. One or more user's affected by the root cause failure are determined. If the root cause failure is automatically resolvable, the root cause failure is automatically resolved.

Abstract: A method of controlling a network, which includes network elements connected via links and provides services, includes the steps of creating view-configuration information based on network-configuration information with respect to each of the services such that the view-configuration information is related to the network-configuration information, and displaying a view based on the view-configuration information with respect to each of the services, the view including both or either one of a physical network configuration of the network and a logical network configuration of the network.

Abstract: A distributed component system in which component object model (COM) clients can create components at run-time without knowledge of the specific names or capabilities of the network nodes servicing that creation is desirable. The components in the system are distributed among a client node and its server nodes. The system includes a client augmentation module to intercept and process client activation requests, and server augmentation modules monitoring activation requests from the client node. The server augmentation modules allow the client node to create remote components on the available server nodes without monitoring a detailed state of the network.

Abstract: Internet-based software and associated database provide group analysis overlay to monitor client-server web traffic and provide direct marketing to client group. Client car, patient, office or school sensor and interface provides overlay attribute for database comparison to classify usage pattern, location, timing, or family for targeted messaging for enhanced service from server source. Database group registry tracks client classification and provides adaptive context mapping according to set attribute relative to targeted on-line transaction.

Abstract: An application allows employees to submit suggestions and ideas for improving how a company does business. A presently preferred embodiment of the invention supports multiple points of entry, which can include an entry portal, which is a single point of entry to a Web application; a point of entry for employees within a specific business unit in a larger entity for submission of suggestions related to the business unit; a point of entry for motivated submitters with an idea about how to change the company's business; a central point of entry for ideas and suggestions; and a point of entry for ideas on improving a specific aspect of the company, for example the company's use of the Internet.

Abstract: A system and method generates configurations used for accessing electronic mailboxes. A database stores the configuration conventions that are sets of e-mail expressions formed by symbols. A transformer module expands configuration conventions stored in the database to generate configurations based on user supplied context data.