Abstract: A system and method for processing a request by a first control service using a first control specification language, and a second control service using a second control specification language includes steps of: receiving the request from a requestor; providing the request to the first and second control services; receiving a decision on the request from each of the first and second control services; and comparing the decisions. The first control specification language is an access control policy.

Abstract: A system and method for processing a request by a first control service using a first control specification language, and a second control service using a second control specification language includes steps of: receiving the request from a requestor; providing the request to the first and second control services; receiving a decision on the request from each of the first and second control services; and comparing the decisions. The first control specification language is an access control policy.

Abstract: In a virtual machine environment, a method and apparatus for the use of multiple heaps to retain persistent data and transient data wherein the multiple heaps enables a single virtual machine to be easily resettable, thus avoiding the need to terminate and start a new Virtual Machine as well as enabling a single virtual machine to retain data and objects across multiple applications, thus avoiding the computing resource overhead of relinking, reloading, reverifying, and recompiling classes. The memory hierarchy includes a System Heap, a Middleware Heap and a Transient Heap. The use of three heaps enables garbage collection to be selectively targeted to one heap at a time in between applications, thus avoiding this overhead during the life of an application.

Abstract: A computer system includes a virtual machine supporting an object-oriented environment, in which programs to run on the virtual machine are formed from classes loaded into the virtual machine by a class loader. A class must be initialized before being used by a program. A first application is started on the virtual machine, and a set of one or more classes are loaded and initialized for the first application, which is then run. After the first application has finished running, at least one class from the first application is reset. A second application is then started on the virtual machine. This (re)-initializes any classes that have been reset from the first application, prior to using them, but does not have to reload any reset classes.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of loading Java ClassFiles on to a Java Virtual Machine. On a regular JVM the ClassFile are loaded as and when required. In this specification there is described a method of implementing an object oriented program language such as Java on a computer. The method comprises identifying a class, one of the basic building blocks of the language, which is not within the program domain, that is not loaded into the Java a Virtual Machine. Next it introduces to the program domain only the minimum components of the class which are necessary for commencing processing of the class. The class may comprise several blocks of data representing the methods of the class, since the class may only have been identified because one of the methods within the class was referenced then only the block of data representing this method is loaded into the Java Virtual Machine along with the other essential components of the class.

Abstract: A computer system includes a virtual machine supporting an object-oriented environment, in which programs to run on the virtual machine are formed from classes loaded into the virtual machine by a class loader. A class must be initialized before being used by a program. A first application is started on the virtual machine, and a set of one or more classes are loaded and initialized for the first application, which is then run. After the first application has finished running, at least one class from the first application is reset. A second application is then started on the virtual machine. This (re)-initialises any classes that have been reset from the first application, prior to using them, but does not have to reload any reset classes.