Abstract: When an application is installed, a list of one or more communication ports used by the application is received. In addition, a list of communication ports that are currently open in a firewall is received. The two lists are compared to determine if there is a conflict. In response to finding a conflict, a control port option is taken. For example, a control port option may be: 1) where a port management window is displayed that allows the administrator to change the list of one or more communication ports and/or the list of communication ports currently in use, 2) where an auto configuration option window is displayed, or 3) where open communication ports are automatically selected to resolve the conflict. If a conflict is not found, a message is sent to a firewall to automatically open the one or more communication ports for the application.

Abstract: When an application is installed, a list of one or more communication ports used by the application is received. In addition, a list of communication ports that are currently open in a firewall is received. The two lists are compared to determine if there is a conflict. In response to finding a conflict, a control port option is taken. For example, a control port option may be: 1) where a port management window is displayed that allows the administrator to change the list of one or more communication ports and/or the list of communication ports currently in use, 2) where an auto configuration option window is displayed, or 3) where open communication ports are automatically selected to resolve the conflict. If a conflict is not found, a message is sent to a firewall to automatically open the one or more communication ports for the application.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing a centralized management system with an integrated license server and pluggable license features are provided. More particularly, the administration of application instances or other assets through the centralized management system results in the initiation of a license validation process by the central management system in cooperation with a license server. The system management application providing centralized asset management and the license server performing license validation are co-resident on a central management server. The availability of assets requiring a license is implemented through asset administration data maintained by the central management server, to indicate the existence of a required license, where the license server indicates that the required license is available. Access to an asset is denied where the license server indicates the absence of a required license to the system management server.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing a centralized management system with an integrated license server and pluggable license features are provided. More particularly, the administration of application instances or other assets through the centralized management system results in the initiation of a license validation process by the central management system in cooperation with a license server. The system management application providing centralized asset management and the license server performing license validation are co-resident on a central management server. The availability of assets requiring a license is implemented through asset administration data maintained by the central management server, to indicate the existence of a required license, where the license server indicates that the required license is available. Access to an asset is denied where the license server indicates the absence of a required license to the system management server.

Abstract: A distributed processing system (100) includes a protocol server (101) that enables a plurality of clients (103-104) to share the use of one set of Signaling System 7 (SS7) links (99), that centralizes the link-termination circuitry (110) for use by the plurality of clients, and that provides access to upper layers (215-219) of the SS7 protocol stack (200) by distributing the processing of different layers of the stack between the protocol server and the clients. The protocol server terminates the lower layers (210-213) of the SS7 protocol, while each client terminates the upper layers of the SS7 protocol. Communication between the protocol server and the clients of information expressed in the upper layers of the SS7 protocol is effected via the TCP/IP protocol over a LAN (102).

Abstract: A fault-tolerant call-processing adjunct processor comprises a redundant, duplicated, service unit provisioning and maintenance processor), a duplicated LAN connected to both service units, and plurality of served units (voice-processing processors) each connected to both LANs. Each service unit and each served unit has a duplicate copy of mission-critical information (customer records and commands). Both service units are continuously exercised by operating in an active-active configuration. The service units alternate the use of the LANs, thereby continuously exercising both LANs and providing independent duplicate sources of the mission-critical information to the served units. All sending units rely on having their mission-critical communications timely acknowledged by all receiving units. Served units retry with the other service unit those communications that failed with a preferred service unit. All units store failed communications for subsequent retry.

Abstract: Large sheets of float glass or other large sheets of material are transferred from a vertical storage position to a horizontal surface automatically. A carriage is mounted on a support frame near the stack of sheets of material, which rest against an inclined surface such that the bottom of each sheet is located forward of the top thereof to cause the plane of the stack of sheets to tilt a few degrees past vertical. A sheet engaging member is located on the carriage for pulling the top sheet of the stack forward, pivoting the sheet on its bottom, to a point where the top of the sheet is moved past vertical on the opposite side from the stack of sheets to an unstable position. In this position, the sheet is released to free fall to a horizontal position on a support surface located in a horizontal plane adjacent the bottom of the sheets in the storage position.