Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed which provide a system for secure and reliable communication between client computers residing on separate private networks but connected via a public network such as the Internet. The communications described herein are designed to function even if a persistent link can not be established between the two computers. Further, the systems and apparatus described herein are designed to traverse any locally installed gateways or firewalls to obtain access to a remote destination.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed which provide a system for secure and reliable communication between client computers residing on separate private networks but connected via a public network such as the Internet. The communications described herein are designed to function even if a persistent link can not be established between the two computers. Further, the systems and apparatus described herein are designed to traverse any locally installed gateways or firewalls to obtain access to a remote destination.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed which provide a system for accurate time and usage based metering of client application or client application feature usage and the reporting of said usage to a site on a public network. The present invention can be used as an alternative to traditional license granting systems, or be used for any other purpose where tracking and metering of valuable resources or services is useful. While the current invention can provide metering and billing capability to software applications akin to the billing systems deployed by telecommunication companies for line and feature usage, the metering can also emulate traditional licensing models and operate in conjunction with traditional licensing systems.