Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for pre-setting the foreground view of a photograph. A reference image is captured by a camera. The reference image is compared to a current a current image displayed within a viewing field of the camera. One or more alignment guides are displayed within the viewing field of the camera to aid in aligning the reference image and the current image. If it is determined that the reference image and the current image are aligned, the capture of a preferred photograph is enabled.

Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system and method for reactivation of a software image from a source machine onto a target machine. Discovery is made of a static software application in the software image listening on a corresponding selected communication channel of the source address. Listening is performed on behalf of the static software application on the corresponding selected communication channel of the target address. An inbound message directed to the selected communication channel of the target address is redirected to the corresponding static software application on the selected communication channel of the source address.

Abstract: A search query including search criteria can be received. The search criteria can be a text string. An enhanced search against an enhanced index can be executed. The enhanced index can be metadata associated with an enhanced cluster. The enhanced cluster can be a document cluster associated with the metadata. The enhanced cluster can be aggregated into a merged document. The merged document can be a document including the enhanced cluster contents. The ranking algorithm can be executed on the merged document to obtain a final ranking of content within the single document.

Abstract: A search query including search criteria can be received. The search criteria can be a text string. An enhanced search against an enhanced index can be executed. The enhanced index can be metadata associated with an enhanced cluster. The enhanced cluster can be a document cluster associated with the metadata. The enhanced cluster can be aggregated into a merged document. The merged document can be a document including the enhanced cluster contents. The ranking algorithm can be executed on the merged document to obtain a final ranking of content within the single document.

Abstract: A method, system, and product for monitoring the availability of a data processing system are proposed. The system runs a management application involving the periodic transmission of blocks of data from multiple local computers to a central computer. Whenever a block of data must be transmitted by a generic local computer, an expected transmission delay of a next block of data (with respect to the current one) is estimated and attached to the block of data. The central computer receiving the updated block of data can calculate an expected receiving time of the next block of data accordingly. If the next block of data is not received in due time, the central computer determines a failure of the local computer. The central computer also scans a subset of ports of the local computer, to ascertain whether the problem is due to a temporary unavailability of the application.

Abstract: A solution is proposed for developing software applications on a data processing system. A corresponding method starts with the step of providing an analysis model of a software application (such as based on a use case diagram); the analysis model represents the software application with stereotypes (i.e., use cases) each one representing a requirement of the software application. The method continues by estimating an optimum number of features of the software application (each one representing a function of the software application); the optimum number of features is estimated according to the analysis model. The stereotypes are then organized in packages; each package includes a set of logically correlated stereotypes, which expose a corresponding feature. A number of the packages are determined according to the optimum number of features and used to implement the software application.

Abstract: A self-adaptive resource management method (200) is proposed. The system is based on an authority (105) that publishes multiple rules into a corresponding repository (115). Each rule defines a desired target configuration for a category of subjects (110); each category is specified by one or more attributes that are evaluated by corresponding scanners (233-239). Whenever new rules are published, a dedicated module (120) creates and publishes further rules for selectively installing the scanners that are required for evaluating the attributes included in the categories of the new rules. These further rules are defined according to an algorithm that attempts to minimize the cost involved by the installation of the scanners.

Abstract: A software application distributed as a virtual appliance is automatically installed, updated and removed in a virtual machine system running on top of a virtual machine monitor in a computer. The software application virtual appliance comprises a virtual disk, which is automatically detected and installed or removed at the customer by a virtual disk activation manager program, which executes scripts including commands through an API to the virtual machine monitor. The virtual appliance virtual disk is also created automatically by the software manufacturing using the virtual disk activation manager program. The virtual appliance virtual disk stores the binaries of the software application, a software package created by the software manufacturer using a software package tool, an installer to execute the software package, installation and un-installation scripts and a unique identifier which is a signature for the virtual machine virtual disk.

Abstract: An arrangement permitting a user for example in a internet point or using a different profile in the same machine can connect to a web server to download and install local client software such as a java application or a browser plug-in the first time he accesses to this service from that browser in order to customize his environment. Once authenticated, he can choose the personalization to be performed in whatever application installed and eligible to be user customizable. For example he can replicate in the system his browser settings (favorites, cookies, forms etc) or word templates as a clone of environment setting of his personal machine. The customization can depend on pre-defined profiles to allow the user customization of a subset of settings, for example only browser settings. Models of different operating environments are defined and called upon to enable interactions with different client devices.

Abstract: A resource management method and a corresponding system implementing an adaptive model are proposed. The method allows an authority to define a desired target state of several kinds of resources, which are directly controlled by different subjects. The authority publishes a series of rules in a shared repository; each rule indicates the target state of a resource for a corresponding category of the subjects. Each subject retrieves the rules corresponding to its category from the shared repository. The rules are then applied by the subject directly. In this way, the subjects self-adapt to the rules, without requiring any direct interaction with the authority.

Abstract: A software application distributed as a virtual appliance is automatically installed, updated and removed in a virtual machine system running on top of a virtual machine monitor in a computer. The software application virtual appliance comprises a virtual disk, which is automatically detected and installed or removed at the customer by a virtual disk activation manager program, which executes scripts including commands through an API to the virtual machine monitor. The virtual appliance virtual disk is also created automatically by the software manufacturing using the virtual disk activation manager program. The virtual appliance virtual disk stores the binaries of the software application, a software package created by the software manufacturer using a software package tool, an installer to execute the software package, installation and un-installation scripts and a unique identifier which is a signature for the virtual machine virtual disk.

Abstract: A solution for metering usage of services—for example, in a SOA Framework—is proposed. For this purpose, the submission of any invocation of a provider service by a consumer service is intercepted by a license manager; a corresponding request is then submitted to a dedicated licensing service, which returns an entitlement code when the consumer service is entitled to submit the service invocation. The service invocation is decorated with this entitlement code and actually submitted to the provider service. The (decorated) service invocation addressed to the provider service is likewise intercepted by another license manager; a request is then submitted to the licensing service for verifying the received entitlement code. The running of the provider service is then enabled only if the entitlement code is correct.

Abstract: A solution (300) for tracking computer software development (for example, based on UML diagrams) is proposed. In the solution of the invention, a completion coefficient is associated (312) with each activity concerning the development process (to indicate the effort required to complete it). The activities are organized into a tree (starting from a root node for the whole development process). In operation, a user tunes (333-336) a progress index for each micro-activity represented by a leaf node of the tree (to indicate its actual progress). The progress index of each macro-activity represented by a non-leaf node of the tree is instead calculated (357-360) by aggregating the progress indexes of its depending activities weighted according to the respective completion coefficients (with a recursive process down to the micro-activities). In this way, the progress of the development process can be tracked with an incremental approach at different levels of detail.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for implementing an adaptive model. The mechanism allows an authority to define a desired target state of several kinds of resources, which are directly controlled by different subjects. The authority publishes a series of rules in a shared repository; each rule indicates the target state of a resource for a corresponding logic or physic category of the subjects. Each subject retrieves the rules corresponding to its logic category from the shared repository. The rules are then applied by the subject; as a result, the physic category of the subject is updated. The subject now retrieves and applies the rules corresponding to its physic category. In this way, different dependency schemes may be implemented without any explicit definition in the rules.

Abstract: A method of route determination for mobile elements in a network comprising a plurality of paths each having a predetermined path capacity. The method comprises the steps of registering centrally a plurality of route requests from a corresponding plurality of mobile elements each of said requests defining a journey between an origin and a destination and registering centrally for each route request a journey start time. Routing instructions are centrally determined so as to optimise use of path capacity across all synchronous journeys requests in said network with reference to said registered information, and issued to corresponding mobile elements. The mobile elements adapt their route to comply with the routing instruction. There may be provided further steps of monitoring and rerouting the mobile element whenever new journeys requests can impact its remaining trip.

Abstract: A self-adaptive resource management method and a corresponding system. An authority publishes multiple rules into a corresponding repository. Each rule defines a desired target configuration for a category of subjects. Some rules are also associated with a corresponding stage in a predefined flow of application of the rules. A supervisor publishes the value of a current stage into a workflow repository. Each subject retrieves and applies the rules for its category and corresponding to the current stage. Information about the compliance of the subjects with the corresponding rules is published in a membership data repository. The supervisor detects the completion of the current stage when the subjects are compliant with the corresponding rules, and updates the value of the current stage to start a further stage.

Abstract: For routing information in a network across firewalls, virtual sessions between two remote nodes are implemented by means of multiple point-to-point sessions between pairs of adjacent nodes connected through a tunnel crossing the corresponding firewall. Each node stores a routing table that is used to pass the information to be provided to a desired target node to the correct adjacent node. A peer-to-peer communication scheme is supported for allowing each pair of nodes to exchange information. For this purpose, a specific algorithm is proposed for propagating the routing information dynamically among the nodes of the network, with rules that prevent the generation of any propagation cycle.

Abstract: A method of evaluating a cost associated with a test scenario, which test scenario comprises one or more branches making up a use case, the method comprising the steps of: determining a first parameter based on the complexity of the use case; determining a second parameter which indicates the criticality of the use case; determining a third parameter which indicates an execution cost of each action and decision point of the use case; determining a fourth parameter which indicates the priority of each branch of the use case; determining a fifth parameter which indicates the classification of each test parameter for each branch of the use case; determining a cost associated with the test scenario, based on a predetermined calculation using two or more of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth parameters.

Abstract: A method, system, and product for monitoring the availability of a data processing system are proposed. The system runs a management application involving the periodic transmission of blocks of data from multiple local computers to a central computer. Whenever a block of data must be transmitted by a generic local computer, an expected transmission delay of a next block of data (with respect to the current one) is estimated and attached to the block of data. The central computer receiving the updated block of data can calculate an expected receiving time of the next block of data accordingly. If the next block of data is not received in due time, the central computer determines a failure of the local computer. The central computer also scans a subset of ports of the local computer, to ascertain whether the problem is due to a temporary unavailability of the application.

Abstract: A self-adaptive resource management method (200) is proposed. The method is based on an authority (105) that publishes multiple rules into a corresponding repository (115). Each rule defines a desired target configuration for a category of subjects (110); each category is specified by one or more attributes that are evaluated by corresponding scanners (233-239). Whenever new rules are published, a dedicated module (120) creates and publishes further rules for selectively installing the scanners that are required for evaluating the attributes included in the categories of the new rules. These further rules are defined according to an algorithm that attempts to minimize the cost involved by the installation of the scanners.