Abstract: A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer readable code that, when executed by a processor, is configured to receive, from a user network device, a first request to execute an application on the user network device. The first request includes a user identification, routing information, and requested application information, encrypted using a public key. The user network device is configured to display the application on a television display device. The code is further configured to decrypt the routing information and requested application information using a private key, send a second request for subscription information to a service provider, receive the subscription information from the service provider, and determine that a license corresponding to the application is associated with the user. The code is further configured to generate and send an application package configured to deploy the application using a Java Runtime Environment on the user network device.

Abstract: A computer readable medium including computer readable code for causing a computer system to perform a method. The method includes receiving an application, receiving application information for the application, and determining an access privilege for the application based, in part, on the application information. The method also includes generating a deployment package for the application using the application and the access privilege, and publishing the application.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer readable code that, when executed by a processor, is configured to receive, from a user network device, a first request to execute an application on the user network device. The first request includes a user identification, routing information, and requested application information, encrypted using a public key. The user network device is configured to display the application on a television display device. The code is further configured to decrypt the routing information and requested application information using a private key, send a second request for subscription information to a service provider, receive the subscription information from the service provider, and determine that a license corresponding to the application is associated with the user. The code is further configured to generate and send an application package configured to deploy the application using a Java Runtime Environment on the user network device.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer readable code that, when executed by a processor, is configured to receive, from a user network device, a first request to execute an application on the user network device. The first request includes a user identification, routing information, and requested application information, encrypted using a public key. The user network device is configured to display the application on a television display device. The code is further configured to decrypt the routing information and requested application information using a private key, send a second request for subscription information to a service provider, receive the subscription information from the service provider, and determine that a license corresponding to the application is associated with the user. The code is further configured to generate and send an application package configured to deploy the application using a Java Runtime Environment on the user network device.

Abstract: A mechanism for describing dynamic display objects in a distributed computing environment is described. A service in a distributed computing environment may generate results data for a client in response to client requests. The service may provide schemas describing the presentation characteristics of results data. The schemas may include information for use in presenting the results data. The results data may include data elements, and the presentation schema may include presentation elements each including information describing the presentation characteristics of one or more of the data elements. The client may map data elements to corresponding presentation elements from the schema, and may use the element corresponding to a data element to present the data element. Using the dynamic display objects, display behavior may be altered without having to rebuild code.

Abstract: A system and method for establishing communications channels between and among peers in a peer-to-peer networking environment. Pipes may be used as communication channels for sending and receiving messages and other data between services or applications over input and output endpoints. Pipes may be asynchronous, unidirectional, stateless and unreliable. Bidirectional pipes may also be supported. Pipes may have ends that may be moved around and bound to different peers at different times. Point-to-point and propagate pipes may be supported. Pipes may connect peers that have a direct physical link and peers that do not have a direct link. Peers may communicate through pipes without knowing on which peer a pipe endpoint is bound. A message is sent to all peer endpoints currently connected (listening) to the pipe. The set of connected endpoints may be obtained from a pipe service using a pipe binding protocol.

Abstract: Embodiments of a system and method for establishing reliable connections between peers in a peer-to-peer networking environment. In one embodiment, a reliable communications channel may use transmit and receive windows, acknowledgement of received messages, and retransmission of messages not received to provide reliable delivery of messages between peers in the peer-to-peer environment. In one embodiment, each message may include a sequence number configured for use in maintaining ordering of received messages on a receiving peer. A communications channel may make multiple hops on a network, and different hops in the connection may use different underlying network protocols. Communications channels may also pass through one or more firewalls and/or one or more gateways on the network. A communications channel may also pass through one or more router (relay) peers on the network. The peers may adjust the sizes of the transmit and receive window based upon reliability of the connection.

Abstract: A system and method for establishing communications channels between and among peers in a peer-to-peer networking environment. Pipes may be used as communication channels for sending and receiving messages and other data between services or applications over input and output endpoints. Pipes may be asynchronous, unidirectional, stateless and unreliable. Bidirectional pipes may also be supported. Pipes may have ends that may be moved around and bound to different peers at different times. Point-to-point and propagate pipes may be supported. Pipes may connect peers that have a direct physical link and peers that do not have a direct link. Peers may communicate through pipes without knowing on which peer a pipe endpoint is bound. A message is sent to all peer endpoints currently connected (listening) to the pipe. The set of connected endpoints may be obtained from a pipe service using a pipe binding protocol.

Abstract: A peer-to-peer platform that may provide mechanisms through which peers may discover each other, communicate with each other, and cooperate with each other to form peer groups is described. The peer-to-peer platform may comprise several layers including a peer-to-peer platform layer, a peer-to-peer services layer, and a peer-to-peer applications layer. At the highest abstraction level, the peer-to-peer platform may be viewed as a set of protocols. Each protocol may be defined by one or more messages exchanged among participants of the protocol. In one embodiment, the peer-to-peer platform may include, but is not limited to, one or more of a peer discovery protocol, a peer resolver protocol, a peer information protocol, a peer membership protocol, a pipe binding protocol, and an endpoint routing protocol. To underpin this set of protocols, the peer-to-peer platform may define a number of concepts including peer, peer group, advertisement, message, pipe, and endpoint.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer readable code that, when executed by a processor, is configured to receive, from a user network device, a first request to execute an application on the user network device. The first request includes a user identification, routing information, and requested application information, encrypted using a public key. The user network device is configured to display the application on a television display device. The code is further configured to decrypt the routing information and requested application information using a private key, send a second request for subscription information to a service provider, receive the subscription information from the service provider, and determine that a license corresponding to the application is associated with the user. The code is further configured to generate and send an application package configured to deploy the application using a Java Runtime Environment on the user network device.

Abstract: A system and method for establishing communications channels between and among peers in a peer-to-peer networking environment. Pipes may be used as communication channels for sending and receiving messages and other data between services or applications over input and output endpoints. Pipes may be asynchronous, unidirectional, stateless and unreliable. Bidirectional pipes may also be supported. Pipes may have ends that may be moved around and bound to different peers at different times. Point-to-point and propagate pipes may be supported. Pipes may connect peers that have a direct physical link and peers that do not have a direct link. Peers may communicate through pipes without knowing on which peer a pipe endpoint is bound. A message is sent to all peer endpoints currently connected (listening) to the pipe. The set of connected endpoints may be obtained from a pipe service using a pipe binding protocol.

Abstract: A mechanism for describing dynamic display objects in a distributed computing environment is described. A service in a distributed computing environment may generate results data for a client in response to client requests. The service may provide schemas describing the presentation characteristics of results data. The schemas may include information for use in presenting the results data. The results data may include data elements, and the presentation schema may include presentation elements each including information describing the presentation characteristics of one or more of the data elements. The client may map data elements to corresponding presentation elements from the schema, and may use the element corresponding to a data element to present the data element. Using the dynamic display objects, display behavior may be altered without having to rebuild code.

Abstract: A computer readable medium including computer readable code for causing a computer system to perform a method. The method includes receiving an application, receiving application information for the application, and determining an access privilege for the application based, in part, on the application information. The method also includes generating a deployment package for the application using the application and the access privilege, and publishing the application.

Abstract: In a distributed computing environment, a service advertisement may include information for a client to access a particular service. A service may publish the service advertisement in a space which stores documents such as eXtensible Markup Language (XML) documents. The advertisement may include a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and an XML schema for the service that specifies XML messages which are usable to invoke functions of the service. A client may access the space and read the advertisement to construct a gate for access to the service. The client may send a first XML message to the service at the URI, wherein the first XML message is specified in the XML schema, to invoke one or more functions of the service. The service may send a second message specified in the XML schema (e.g., a message including the results of the invoked function(s)) to the client.

Abstract: A mechanism for describing dynamic display objects in a distributed computing environment is described. A service in a distributed computing environment may generate results data for a client in response to client requests. The service may provide schemas describing the presentation characteristics of results data. The schemas may include information for use in presenting the results data. The results data may include data elements, and the presentation schema may include presentation elements each including information describing the presentation characteristics of one or more of the data elements. The client may map data elements to corresponding presentation elements from the schema, and may use the element corresponding to a data element to present the data element. Using the dynamic display objects, display behavior may be altered without having to rebuild code.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are directed toward overlaying a cluster of nodes over peers in a peer-to-peer network using a peer identification and communication mechanism. A string based name for a resource in a peer-to-peer network is received and is used to generate a unique identifier using a secure hash algorithm. An advertisement specifying at least one address associated with the resource is associated with the unique identifier. The advertisement is broadcasted. The unique identifier and/or the resource in the peer-to-peer network is associated with a resource in the cluster. A network packet may be addressed to the resource in the cluster by the unique identifier. The network packet may be routed to the address associated with the resource in the cluster using an Open System Interconnection (OSI) Level 2 or above protocol.

Abstract: System and method for facilitating communications between peers in a peer-to-peer environment and network email clients. In one embodiment, network nodes including peer nodes may host mail transfer agents. The mail transfer agents may act as bridges between peer-to-peer protocols and email communication protocols. The mail transfer agents may communicate with peers according to peer-to-peer protocols and with email clients according to email communications protocols. Peers may communicate with mail transfer agents to send peer-to-peer messages to email clients. Email clients may communicate with the mail transfer agents to send email messages to and receive email messages from other email clients via the peer-to-peer network and to obtain peer-to-peer messages from peers.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are directed toward managing cluster membership through a discovery process that enables selection of a master for the cluster. If a node on a network is the first to initiate the discovery process, it assumes the master role. Where two or more nodes enter the discovery process at the same time, or where a cluster is disjointed, views of the potential members to the cluster are shared among the nodes. Each node coalesces and sorts the views. The master may then be determined from the sorted views. In one embodiment, the master is that node in the results having a highest unique identifier. The identified master sends an assertion of its role to the other nodes. If no assertion is received, or multiple assertions are received, updated views are again shared and sorted. In one embodiment, the nodes may be within a peer-to-peer network.

Abstract: A service discovery mechanism may allow clients in a distributed computing environment to search for services. The service discovery mechanism may allow a client to request a capability credential from a service. In one embodiment, the client may present to the service a set of desired capabilities. The service may then respond with a capability credential that may convey to the client the rights to use the requested capabilities. A complete service advertisement may be needed to create a message endpoint for accessing the service. In an embodiment, the capability credential may be used by a client to obtain a complete advertisement for the requested capabilities. The capability credential may provide an additional level of security for the service provider. The capability credential that may be used to receive the complete advertisement may also be used to construct a message gate to communicate with the service where the gate embeds the capability credential in each message to the service.

Abstract: Embodiments of a system and method using message authentication with message gates are described. A message gate is the message endpoint for a client or service in a distributed computing environment. A message gate may provide a secure endpoint that sends and receives type-safe messages. Gates may perform the sending and receiving of messages between clients and services using a protocol specified in a service advertisement. In one embodiment, the messages are eXtensible Markup Language (XML) messages. For a client, a message gate represents the authority to use some or all of a service's capabilities. Each capability may be expressed in terms of a message that may be sent to the service. Creation of a message gate may involve an authentication service that may authenticate the client and/or service and that generates an authentication credential. A message gate may perform verification of messages against a message schema to ensure that the messages are allowed.