Abstract: A method for controlling payment in a communications system including the steps of providing a service accessing a service provider from the or one user device, selecting a product for purchase from the service provider, the service agent receiving a request for payment from the service provider via a payment operator and the service agent issuing a payment authorisation to a payment provider via the payment operator. The service agent is installable in a variety of user devices and provides a uniform interface to the payment system from a plurality of the user devices. The service agent may also provide a uniform interface to an ordering system from a plurality of the user devices.

Abstract: A complex event processing system comprises a complex event processing engine (52) and an event harvesting system, wherein the event harvesting system is operable to monitor a computer network (10, 21, 22, 31, 32, 33), generate simple event reports in response to the result of monitoring the network and pass these to the complex event processing engine for processing. The event harvesting system comprises a central configuration control module (51, 53) and a plurality of capture node modules (41, 42) each of which is operatively connected to the central configuration control module. Each capture node module is operable to receive configuration instructions from the central configuration control module to determine what simple event reports are to be generated by the module and in response to what conditions detected on the monitored computer network.

Abstract: A client server system uses a client subsystem, a server subsystem and an interconnecting data network. The client subsystem client application initiates a secure connection over the network with the server subsystem which includes a server application cooperating with the client application to complete a secure connection with the client application and which transmits output data over such a connection in response to requests for service by the client application. The server subsystem additionally generates a notification, in response to detecting an event in the absence of a secure connection between the server and the client, and transmits the notification to the notification server which forwards the notification over the interconnecting network to the client application.

Abstract: A complex event processing system comprises a complex event processing engine (52) and an event harvesting system, wherein the event harvesting system is operable to monitor a computer network (10, 21, 22, 31, 32, 33), generate simple event reports in response to the result of monitoring the network and pass these to the complex event processing engine for processing. The event harvesting system comprises a central configuration control module (51, 53) and a plurality of capture node modules (41, 42) each of which is operatively connected to the central configuration control module. Each capture node module is operable to receive configuration instructions from the central configuration control module to determine what simple event reports are to be generated by the module and in response to what conditions detected on the monitored computer network.

Abstract: A computer network monitoring controller for monitoring the performance of a plurality of virtual machines in a cloud computing environment, each virtual machine being a set of resources hosted on a hardware platform and arranged to appear as a real hardware to a client, the virtual machines being allocated and generated by a management system, the monitoring controller comprising: a plurality of interfaces, each one connected to a monitoring system having links to at least one of the virtual machines, and each monitoring system being arranged to capturing event messages relating to the status of the virtual machine and outputting these event messages in a monitoring system specific format; an data store for storing event messages received from each of the monitoring systems via the interfaces; a receiver for receiving monitoring requests from said management system, each request specifying monitoring requirements relating to at least one of the virtual machines; a converter for converting the messages from t

Abstract: A method and system for controlling service requests from a client to a server involves intercepting and controlling the transmission of service requests from the client to the server. The service requests are queued at the client and the transmission of the queued service requests are delayed to smooth the frequency of service requests transmitted to the server.

Abstract: A system for providing tickets to a user terminal (4), comprising a network interface (6) for communicating with the user terminals (4), a ticketing module (5) and a application interface to enable a number of ticket issuers and service providers to access the ticketing module.

Abstract: Apparatus for delivering a message to a user comprising means for communicating with service providers and means for communicating with device agents operating on respective user devices, wherein the service provider communicating means is configured to receive a request to communicate with a specified user and to selectively output a message for the user to said device agent communicating means and wherein the device agent communicating means is configured to maintain a list of connected device agents, to receive said message and to transmit said message to a selected device agent dependent upon a routing policy for said user.

Abstract: A method for controlling payment in a communications system including the steps of providing a service accessing a service provider from the or one user device, selecting a product for purchase from the service provider, the service agent receiving a request for payment from the service provider via a payment operator and the service agent issuing a payment authorisation to a payment provider via the payment operator. The service agent is installable in a variety of user devices and provides a uniform interface to the payment system from a plurality of the user devices. The service agent may also provide a uniform interface to an ordering system from a plurality of the user devices.

Abstract: A client server system (100, 200, 300) comprises a client subsystem (100), a server subsystem (200) and an interconnecting data network. The client subsystem includes a client application (110, 120, 130, 140, 150) operable to initiate a secure connection over the interconnecting network with the server subsystem (200). The server subsystem includes a server application (254, 255, 256, 257), which is operable to co-operate with the client application to complete the setting up of a secure connection with the client application upon initiation of the connection by the client application and which is further operable to transmit output data over such a connection in response to requests for service provided by the client application.

Abstract: A client-side intermediary (30) is provided to balance the loading of Web service requests between a plurality of servers (32). The status of the Web service servers (32) is monitored by a monitoring server (35) which provides status updates to the intermediary (30) upon request. The intermediary then uses the information on the status of the servers (32) to decide where to send web service requests. Additionally, the intermediary is able to direct requests for Web service descriptions to the least busy server on the basis of status information. The intermediary (30) substitutes its own identifier for the service name and port in the Web service description before passing it to the client so that all requests are directed through it, thus allowing the continual provision of service for the client even in the event that one of the servers fails.

Abstract: The invention addresses the problems of server overload by installing an integrity manager (32) which intercepts calls from the client (10) to the server (12) and delays them. In addition the Integrity manager (32) can be downloaded automatically when a server service is first invoked.