Abstract: A system and method in which user personalized directories of information are maintained on portable and wireless personal data devices. The personal data devices include a storage medium, a wireless transmitter, and a state machine suitable for implementing a wireless protocol such as Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11b. Typically, the personal data devices are small enough to clip or otherwise attach to a user's clothing. The personal data device is configured to transmit a signal that includes personal data device (PDD) identification information. When the user is within range of a suitably enabled workstation, the workstation “hears” the signal and deciphers the PDD ID. If the user attempts to log on to the network, the workstation will prompt the user for a username/password combination and compare the user's responses to information password and user ID information stored in a table that is accessible to the workstation.

Abstract: In a searching or browsing session for Web pages on the World Wide Web (Web), a system for precluding repetitive accessing of documents linked to hyperlinks in a plurality of hypertext documents is presented. The system is directed to a Web communication network with user access via a plurality of data processor controlled interactive receiving display stations for displaying received hypertext documents of at least one display page containing text, images and a plurality of embedded hyperlinks, each hyperlink being user selectable to access and display a respective linked hypertext document. The system includes user interactive means for discounting hyperlinks in received Web documents and means for keeping track of each discounted hyperlink in each received or accessed document. The system further includes means for precluding the accessing of any document linked to a previously discounted hyperlink.

Abstract: A World Wide Web (Web) distribution site monitors hit rates for the Web documents distributed through the site and applies its server computer resources to meet surges in hit rates for the various Web documents. A Web server system is provided for accessing said Web documents from resource databases and transmitting said Web documents onto said Web comprising a plurality of server computers of different computer powers at a resource location, a plurality of Web documents, each accessible from said resource database by a designated at least one of said server computers. The rate of user hits for each of said plurality of Web documents is monitored, and the server computers for said respective Web documents are designated based upon said rate of user hits. The server computers of the most computer power are designated for the Web documents having the highest hit rate. If needed, a plurality of said server computers may be designated for the Web documents having the highest hit rates.

Abstract: A serialization detection arrangement determines whether a received IO request requires serialization. An overlap detection arrangement then determines if the received IO request produces an impermissible overlap condition. Each IO request producing an impermissible overlap condition is blocked so that it cannot be executed by a storage device while the impermissible overlap condition exists. However, IO requests avoiding an impermissible overlap condition are passed on to the storage device to be executed at the device. Blocking or passing IO requests is preferably performed by an IO request control arrangement. Upon receipt of an IO done signal for a particular IO request, a completion arrangement starts any IO request that had been blocked by the particular IO request and updates the records for both pending requests requiring serialization and blocked IO requests.

Abstract: The present invention involves the recognition that since an eavesdropper listening adjacent to a wireless LAN is likely to be mobile and operating on a short time cycle, he himself is likely to be wirelessly transmitting his test message. Consequently, the present invention provides the combination of apparatus for eavesdropping within an area layer adjacent to and surrounding the LAN area periphery for potential wireless transmissions of an intruder having a lower frequency within a level below the LAN frequency and addressed to the network location of any one of the computer terminals in the LAN; and an implementation responsive to said eavesdropping means for changing the encryption code of said encrypted wireless transmission upon the eavesdropping detection of a wireless transmission of said lower frequency addressed to a network location of one of the terminals in said LAN. There is the recognition that there are several factors contributing to the success of the process of the invention.

Abstract: A data processing system that supports verifiable IPSec network communication. The data processing system comprises an IPSec network adapter that connects the data processing system to an external network and provides IPSec encryption and routing of IPSec packets. The data processing system also comprises a network adapter verifier, which is a secondary network card that is utilized to verify that IPSec packets being transmitted to the external network by the IPSec network adapter have been encrypted. The network adapter verifier comprises a device driver, which caches a copy of an IP address from a generated IPSec packet prior to the packet being received by the network adapter. The network adapter verifier is connected to the external network and monitors the transmission of packets out to the network connection by the network adapter. The IP identification (ID) of the packets are compared to the captured IP address of the generated IPSec packet.

Abstract: A system and method for recovering data from parallel mirror drives following a system crash. During a parallel write to a mirrored disk array, it is unknown which of the disks comprising the disk array write the data to disk first. A completion array is used to record the first disk that stores a data item at a given address. During recovery from a system failure, the completion array is read to identify the last writes performed before the system failure occurred. The disk identified in the completion array is used as the master disk for the particular address identified. Data is read from that disk and address and propagated to the other disks in the mirrored disk array. Other items in the completion array may identify different disks to be used as the master for other addresses. In one embodiment, the completion array is stored in a reserved area of memory that is dumped to disk during a system failure and restored from disk during a subsequent system recovery.

Abstract: A pointer is added to each web page identifier which points to the previous linking web page in the navigational path. Another pointer maybe added to each web page identifier which points to the next linking web page in the navigational path. In other embodiments, pointers may be added which reflect browser navigational paths from web pages. The browser is thereby enabled to store and display information regarding a navigational path for accessing linking network node addresses.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for synchronizing an offline mirror to a working mirror while allowing access to data stored in the working mirror are provided. A mirroring map is created. The mirroring map includes at least two working mirrors and an offline mirror. When the offline mirror is to be synchronized with one of the working mirrors, the two working mirrors are disassociated from each other, making each one an independent storage system. The offline mirror is then synchronized to one of the disassociated mirrors. The working mirror that is not being used to synchronize the offline mirror is used to provide access to stored data if needed. After the offline mirror is synchronized, the two working mirrors are re-associated with each other.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for cascading backup mirrors are provided. A mirroring map is created. The mirroring map includes at least three mirrors. A first mirror of the three mirrors is set to synchronize to a second mirror and a third mirror is set to synchronize to the first mirror. The first and the third mirror are backup mirrors and the second mirror is a working mirror. One of the backup mirrors is located remotely and the other locally.

Abstract: A system and method for designating and deleting expired files includes a means for storing expiration dates along with file identification data maintained by the file system. An earliest expiration date is stored in data maintained by the file system pertaining to each directory. In this manner, a check of the directory data indicates whether one or more expired files exist in the directory. The system date is compared to the earliest expiration date for a directory, for example when a “list contents of directory” command is received. If the earliest expiration date is earlier than the system date then a comparison is made with the files in the directory and individual files with expiration dates earlier than the current date are deleted. The earliest expiration date is then update to the correspond to the next earliest expiration date falling after the current date.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for exporting file systems without having to mount them first are provided. Most Unix-based servers usually mount some system operation critical files at startup. Thus, directories have to be mounted. One or more of these directories are usually used as mount points for mounting other file systems when needed. An extended attribute file is used to provide all information needed to export a file system. Thus, a server need not mount a file system to obtain this information. That is on startup, a server needs only refer to these extended attribute files to obtain the information needed to export the file systems.

Abstract: Embedded links or hotspots in source Web pages are upgraded to reflect the new Universal Resource Locations (URLs) of moved target Web Pages. In a World Wide Web communication network with user access via a plurality of data processor controlled interactive display stations for displaying Web pages transmitted to receiving display stations from Uniform Resource Locations (URLs) remote from said stations, said Web pages being linkable with each other through embedded links in source Web page, a system is provided for updating said embedded links in source Web pages when the URL of a target Web page is moved.

Abstract: In a search session through a browser for pages on the World Wide Web (Web), a system for precluding repetitive accessing of documents linked to hyperlinks in a plurality of hypertext documents. The system is directed to a Web communication network with user access via a plurality of data processor controlled interactive receiving display stations for displaying received hypertext documents of at least one display page containing text, images and a plurality of embedded hyperlinks, each hyperlink being user selectable to access and display a respective linked hypertext document. In addition to precluding hyperlinks which had been activated in previous pages and/or hyperlinks which have been discounted merely by having been present in previous pages, the Web browser may be setup to permit the user to specifically discount individual hyperlinks or groups of hyperlinks. Also, the Web browser may be setup to preclude repetitive hyperlinks in subsequent Web pages from searches from different search engines.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for storing data into two incompatibly formatted storage systems are provided. When a data is to be stored, it is first determined whether the data is to be stored into the two incompatibly formatted storage systems which are each being managed by a logical volume manager (LVM). If so, the data is forwarded to the two storage systems. In a particular embodiment, when the data is to be stored, one of the two LVMs determines whether the data is to be stored into the two storage systems. If so determined, the LVM that has made the determination passes a copy of the data to the other LVM. The two LVMs then ensure that the data is appropriately stored. When data is to be read from an incompatible storage system, the first LVM will request the data from the second LVM, when the data is received, the first LVM converts the data into an understandable format before the data is used.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for allowing a mirroring map to be used with more than one piece of data are provided. First, a mirroring map is created and given a name. Then, the name of the mirroring map and the mirroring map itself are stored into the computer system. When a piece of data is to be stored in accordance with the mirroring map any time thereafter, the name of the mirroring map is used to associate the mirroring map with the piece of data.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for reducing the number of physical storage systems needed for a volume group to remain active are provided. This is accomplished by creating mirroring sets out of the physical storage systems in the volume group and by setting up a policy that so long as one mirror out of each mirror set is available, the volume group should remain active. To activate a volume group (i.e., when the computer system is turned or reset), there have to be at least one full mirror set and at least one mirror out of each remaining mirror set available. These two policies guarantee that there will always be valid metadata in the system.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for downloading software product fixes, updates, enhancements etc. only when absolutely needed and only for temporary use are provided. When the software product begins to execute, a feature uses a web address, embedded in the software product, to access a Web site where changes such as updates, fixes, enhancements etc. are logged in. Each fix or update has a tag or title that corresponds to a tag or title in the product. These tags or titles are downloaded. When information indexed by a tag or title is going to be used, the feature accesses the network to download the information (i.e., the update or fix). This information is used until the user stops execution of the software product.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for predicting a download time for a file using historical data are provided. A cross-reference table is used to archive an average time taken to download at least one file from a first computer system (e.g., a server) to a second computer system (e.g., a client). Whenever a file is to be downloaded from the first computer to the second sometime in the ufture, the size of the file is divided by the time stored in the table to predict how long it will take for the entire file to be downloaded.

Abstract: A method and system for running, on different computers at the same time, multiple operating systems from the same shared system resource is provided. This is accomplished, for example, by using persistent elemental disk reservations. Each machine reads the master boot record without reservation to determine the partition of the operating system to be booted. Each machine then makes an elemental exclusive write persistent reservation for accessing the operating system boot partition. This is followed by each machine making another elemental exclusive write persistent reservation for accessing the operating system partition itself. Each machine is assigned a different operating system partition even if they are running the same operating system. The unique reservation key for these reservations is created from at least on of a Processor ID, a Cluster ID, a Multiple Processor partition ID, a Non-Uniform Memory Access complex ID, and/or a Non-Uniform Memory Access node ID.