Abstract: A network capture element is embodied on a virtual machine, and a utility function is embodied on the actual device, preferably within the virtual machine manager. Both the utility function and the traffic capture element are configured to monitor communication events. To minimize the overhead imposed, the utility function is configured to merely store the time that the event occurred on the actual machine, corresponding to an identifier of the event. The network capture element, on the other hand, performs the time consuming tasks of filtering the communications, selectively storing some or all of the data content of the communications, characterizing the data content, and so on. Instead of storing the virtual time that the communication event occurred at the virtual machine, the network capture element uses the identifier of the communication event to retrieve the actual time that the communication event occurred on the actual machine.

Abstract: A network capture element is embodied on a virtual machine, and a utility function is embodied on the actual device, preferably within the virtual machine manager. Both the utility function and the traffic capture element are configured to monitor communication events. To minimize the overhead imposed, the utility function is configured to merely store the time that the event occurred on the actual machine, corresponding to an identifier of the event. The network capture element, on the other hand, performs the time consuming tasks of filtering the communications, selectively storing some or all of the data content of the communications, characterizing the data content, and so on. Instead of storing the virtual time that the communication event occurred at the virtual machine, the network capture element uses the identifier of the communication event to retrieve the actual time that the communication event occurred on the actual machine.

Abstract: A network capture element is embodied on a virtual machine, and a utility function is embodied on the actual device, preferably within the virtual machine manager. Both the utility function and the traffic capture element are configured to monitor communication events. To minimize the overhead imposed, the utility function is configured to merely store the time that the event occurred on the actual machine, corresponding to an identifier of the event. The network capture element, on the other hand, performs the time consuming tasks of filtering the communications, selectively storing some or all of the data content of the communications, characterizing the data content, and so on. Instead of storing the virtual time that the communication event occurred at the virtual machine, the network capture element uses the identifier of the communication event to retrieve the actual time that the communication event occurred on the actual machine.

Abstract: A network capture element is embodied on a virtual machine, and a utility function is embodied on the actual device, preferably within the virtual machine manager. Both the utility function and the traffic capture element are configured to monitor communication events. To minimize the overhead imposed, the utility function is configured to merely store the time that the event occurred on the actual machine, corresponding to an identifier of the event. The network capture element, on the other hand, performs the time consuming tasks of filtering the communications, selectively storing some or all of the data content of the communications, characterizing the data content, and so on. Instead of storing the virtual time that the communication event occurred at the virtual machine, the network capture element uses the identifier of the communication event to retrieve the actual time that the communication event occurred on the actual machine.

Abstract: Generating a user interface for debugging a network simulation based on modeled network behavior by providing a user interface (UI) to depict both of a high level element and a low level element based on the simulation. The high level element may be presented in a hierarchical view representing a hierarchy of elements. The hierarchical view may be provided in a tree-view based on one of a topology or taxonomy of elements within the simulated network or the hierarchy of elements may be based on a simulation hierarchy of elements within the simulated network. An invoking element may be depicted higher in the hierarchical view than an element invoked by the invoking element. Both high and low level commands may be issued from an integrated command line.

Abstract: A native mutex lock of an operating system is embedded within an application-controlled spinlock. Each of these locks are applied to the same resource, in such a manner that, in select applications, and particularly in parallel processed applications, the adverse side-effects of the inner native mutex lock are avoided. In a preferred embodiment, each call to a system routine that is known to invoke a native mutex is replaced by a call to a corresponding routine that spinlocks the resource before calling the system routine that invokes the native mutex, then releases the spinlock when the system call is completed. By locking the resource before the native mutex is invoked, the calling task is assured that the resource is currently available to the task when the native mutex is invoked, and therefore the task will not be parked/deactivated by the native mutex.

Abstract: A system and method for modeling the replication of a packet uses a header that contains unique information relative to the replicated packet, and a pointer to the information that is common to the original packet. At each level of the protocol hierarchy, and particularly at the transmission layer, the unique information is contained in the header information that is added at that level, while the common information is the information in the protocol stack created prior to the appending of this header information. Only network elements that traverse and modify the contents of the prior protocol headers are fully instantiated, and thus the resources required for replicating packets is substantially reduced.