Abstract: A solution is proposed for metering the usage of Java programs. For this purpose, each Java program to be metered is associated with a fingerprint defined by a reference sequence of classes that must be loaded for its execution. The sequence of classes that are actually loaded by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is monitored, for example, by means of a wrapper for a class loader of the JVM. The sequence of loaded classes is then used to identify the Java program in execution (which fingerprint matches this sequence of loaded classes).

Abstract: A solution is proposed for populating a policy file in a Java environment automatically. For this purpose, there is provided a wrapper for a security manager in charge of controlling any access to protected resources. A generic Java application is run in a test environment. Whenever a specific operation must be executed on a secured resource, the Java application submits a corresponding permission request to the wrapper. The wrapper forwards the permission request to the security manager, which verifies whether the required permission is available in the policy file. The wrapper logs any denied permission. In any case, the wrapper always grants the required permission to the Java application, so that its operation can continue without any problem. At the end of the running of the Java application, the logged missing permissions are added to the policy file.

Abstract: Metering execution of interpreted programs on a data processing system is accomplished. An interpreted program requests a service to an interpreter running the interpreted program. The interpreter invokes a native external function for implementing the service. The invocation of the external function is intercepted. The interpreted program identified according to the external function by accessing a catalogue which associates native functions with interpreted programs. A license management operation is performed according to the identified interpreted program.

Abstract: A solution (300) is proposed for populating a policy file (320) in a Java environment automatically. For this purpose, there is provided a wrapper (325) for a security manager (315)—in charge of controlling any access to protected resources. A generic Java application (310) is run in a test environment. Whenever a specific operation must be executed on a secured resource, the Java application submits a corresponding permission request to the wrapper (A1). The wrapper forwards the permission request to the security manager (A2), which verifies whether the required permission is available in the policy file (A3-A4). The wrapper logs any denied permission (A5); in any case, the wrapper always grants the required permission to the Java application (A6-A7), so that its operation can continue without any problem. At the end of the running of the Java application, the logged missing permissions are added to the policy file (A8).

Abstract: A solution (403-481) is proposed for metering the usage of Java programs. For this purpose, each Java program to be metered is associated (406) with a fingerprint defined by a reference sequence of classes that must be loaded for its execution. The sequence of classes that are actually loaded by the JVM is monitored (409-436)—for example, by means of a wrapper for a class loader of the JVM. The sequence of loaded classes is then used to identify (439-475) the Java program in execution (which fingerprint matches this sequence of loaded classes).

Abstract: In a data processing system (100) supporting an electronic mail messaging system, a method of managing e-mail messages comprising, under the control of a mail user agent of a message sender user (QRS): keeping a list (455,450) of messages sent by the message sender user; enabling the sender user selecting (500,505,510) a wrong message (513) from the list of sent messages; causing a correcting message (520) to be sent to at least one of the message recipient users (ABC,DEF,JKL) of the selected message, the correcting message including message qualifier (X-replace-mail) qualifying the correcting message as a message intended to correct the selected message. Under the control of a mail user agent of said at least one of the message recipient users, the correcting message is received; using the message qualifier included therein, the selected message is identified among the received messages (715,720,730), and a correcting action on the selected message is performed.

Abstract: In a data processing system (100) supporting an electronic mail messaging system, a method of managing e-mail messages comprising, under the control of a mail user agent of a message sender user (QRS): keeping a list (455,450) of messages sent by the message sender user; enabling the sender user selecting (500,505,510) a wrong message (513) from the list of sent messages; causing a correcting message (520) to be sent to at least one of the message recipient users (ABC,DEF,JKL) of the selected message, the correcting message including message qualifier (X-replace-mail) qualifying the correcting message as a message intended to correct the selected message. Under the control of a mail user agent of said at least one of the message recipient users, the correcting message is received; using the message qualifier included therein, the selected message is identified among the received messages (715,720,730), and a correcting action on the selected message is performed.

Abstract: A method and a corresponding system (200) for metering execution of interpreted programs (220) are proposed. Typically, an interpreter, such as the Java Virtual Machine (215), lacks built-in capabilities for communicating with the hardware and software platform of the computer directly; for this purpose, the virtual machine invokes external native functions through the Java Native Interface (225). The solution of the invention is based on the idea of stubbing the dynamic libraries (235) that implement those native functions. Therefore, when the virtual machine needs a native function (for example, to load a new class), a stub library (250) is loaded in place of the required dynamic library. As soon as the virtual machine calls the desired command, the stub library takes control and identifies the interpreted program that is run by the virtual machine; preferably, this operation is performed by querying a catalogue that associates the new class with the corresponding interpreted program.

Abstract: In a data processing system (100) supporting an electronic mail messaging system, a method of managing e-mail messages comprising, under the control of a mail user agent of a message sender user (QRS): keeping a list (455,450) of messages sent by the message sender user; enabling the sender user selecting (500,505,510) a wrong message (513) from the list of sent messages; causing a correcting message (520) to be sent to at least one of the message recipient users (ABC,DEF,JKL) of the selected message, the correcting message including message qualifier (X-replace-mail) qualifying the correcting message as a message intended to correct the selected message. Under the control of a mail user agent of said at least one of the message recipient users, the correcting message is received; using the message qualifier included therein, the selected message is identified among the received messages (715,720,730), and a correcting action on the selected message is performed.