Abstract: A pay-per-use or metered-use computer uses a balance manager to monitor usage and update a value balance according to a first usage schedule when the computer is in active use. When the activity level of the computer is reduced below a threshold, the balance manager may update the value balance according to a second usage schedule. Activity level of the computer is determined by monitoring the activity level of a one or more components of the computer including input devices, communication controllers, and the processing unit. Rules can be applied to determine when to switch between usage schedules and if credits to the value balance should be made.

Abstract: A namespace management module utilizes a persistent reservation store that associates URI namespaces with one or more permissions. The reservation store can contain a number of reservation entries that each include a URI identifying a URI namespace and a corresponding Access Control List (“ACLs”) that includes permissions for the identified URI namespace. When a request to register a URI namespace is received, the permissions of an appropriate ACL can be checked to determine if the registration is approved. When a resource request is received, permissions of the ACLs can also be checked to determine if the resource request should be routed to a registered process. Preemptive wildcards can be included in aggregated URIs to identify aggregated URI namespaces. Aggregated URIs can be included in registration requests to override the registration of unauthorized processes.

Abstract: A namespace management module utilizes a persistent reservation store that associates URI namespaces with one or more permissions. The reservation store can contain a number of reservation entries that each include a URI identifying a URI namespace and a corresponding Access Control List (“ACLs”) that includes permissions for the identified URI namespace. When a request to register a URI namespace is received, the permissions of an appropriate ACL can be checked to determine if the registration is approved. When a resource request is received, permissions of the ACLs can also be checked to determine if the resource request should be routed to a registered process. Preemptive wildcards can be included in aggregated URIs to identify aggregated URI namespaces. Aggregated URIs can be included in registration requests to override the registration of unauthorized processes.

Abstract: A scaleable hash table for shared memory multi-processor (SMP) that supports very high rates of concurrent operations (e.g., insert, delete, and lookup), while simultaneously reducing cache misses. The SMP system has a memory subsystem and a processor subsystem interconnected via a bus structure. The hash table is stored in the memory subsystem to facilitate access to data items. The hash table is segmented into multiple buckets, with each bucket containing a reference to a linked list of bucket nodes that hold references to data items with keys that hash to a common value. Individual bucket nodes contain multiple signature-pointer pairs that reference corresponding data items. Each signature-pointer pair has a hash signature computed from a key of the data item and a pointer to the data item. The first bucket node in the linked list for each of the buckets is stored in the hash table.