Abstract: Systems and methods of a load-balancing print server system are disclosed. A representative load-balancing print server system of the present invention includes a primary print server. The primary print server is configured receive printing request data corresponding to a printing request and determine if the primary print server is able to process the printing request data. The primary print server also is configured to communicatively couple with another print server and transmit print queue data to another print server. Additionally, the primary print server is configured to transmit secondary destination print data to the source of the primary request data indicating that the source is to transmit the information corresponding to the print task to another print server.

Abstract: A method for enabling a remote processor to control a device coupled to a local processor, where the local processor is coupled to a computer network and a firewall is operatively interposed between the local processor and the computer network. The firewall routes messages from the local processor to the computer network, and only when authorized, routes messages from the computer network to the local processor. The local processor initiates communication with the remote processor, authorizes the firewall to pass a message from the remote processor to the local processor, and executes commands to manage the device as indicated in the message from the remote processor. The exchange of messages is continued when the message from the remote processor directs the local processor to send a next message to the remote processor. A reverse HTTP connection is established when the messages received from the remote processor are requests, and the messages sent to the remote processor are responses.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and method for authenticating use of a network appliance. In some arrangements, the system and method involve receiving a use request from a user, forwarding the request to an authentication agent configured to determine whether the user is authorized to use the network appliance, receiving an indication from the authentication agent as to whether the user is authorized, and enabling or disabling use of the network appliance by the user based upon the indication received from the authentication agent.

Abstract: A method for locating and recovering network-connected devices includes the steps of: employing one or more discovery techniques to discover devices on the Internet or on an Internet-connected computer network; acquiring identifiers of discovered devices; storing information pertaining to the discovered devices in a discovery database; accessing a database of information pertaining to devices of interest; comparing the identifiers to the database of information to identify devices of interest among the discovered devices; tracing network addresses of the identified devices of interest; and providing information pertaining to the identified devices of interest and/or the discovered devices to a party of interest. In a preferred embodiment, the network addresses of the identified devices of interest are traced through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The party of interest is, for example, a law enforcement agency or a purchaser of market research data.

Abstract: A computing system is configured to identify product attributes, including components, associated with a product and to resolve the attributes to determine licensing dependencies for the product. In another embodiment, the licensing dependencies are resolved with other product attributes to identify a potential license for the product.

Abstract: The invention enables a tunneling action that allows a remote processor to communicate with a local processor when the remote processor is coupled to the local processor via a reverse proxy device, a computer network, a firewall and a proxy agent device. Initially, the local processor establishes a communication channel with the remote processor by dispatching a local request message to the proxy agent device. The proxy agent device dispatches the local request message via the firewall and network to the reverse proxy device, thus enabling the firewall to receive a remote response message to the local request message. Thereafter, the remote processor issues a remote request message to the reverse proxy device, which in turn dispatches a remote response message with the remote request message contained therein, to the firewall.