Abstract: The present invention provides a method, apparatus and computer program product in which a web client request for a web service is intercepted and the target of the request updated according to policy data associated with the client. Further the application layer protocol in which the web client request is specified may be changed. As a result a web client which makes a request for which the target web service is hard-coded may be adapted to take advantage of managed access to web services resulting in access to web services which, for example, provide quality of service characteristics which more appropriately match the requirements of the web client.

Abstract: A computer system includes a virtual machine supporting an object-oriented environment, in which programs to run on the virtual machine are formed from classes including methods. Applications run on the virtual machine. After a first such application has run on the virtual machine, a reset is performed on the virtual machine. The reset calls a first method in a class to perform a tidy-up operation which effectively puts the virtual machine back into a clean state. Subsequently a second application can be started on the virtual machine. As part of this start-up, the system calls a second method in the class to perform a reinitialization of the class.

Abstract: A system includes first and second virtual machines (VM) representing a master and a client respectively. A class file is loading by the first virtual machine into shared memory. The class file includes sharable and non-sharable data, and also references sharable and non-sharable data (including code). When it is desired to load the same class into the second virtual machine, the class is first located within said shared memory. A mirror copy of the class is then formed within private memory in the second virtual machine. Finally the non-sharable data of the class is completed in the private memory. Thereafter, an application in the second virtual machine can utilise the class on the basis of the sharable data in the shared memory of the first virtual machine, and the non-sharable data from the private memory of the second virtual machine.