Abstract: Arbitrating node failures. A method includes determining at a first node that communication to a second node has been lost. The method further includes sending an arbitration request to a plurality of arbitrators. The method further includes receiving from the plurality of arbitrators a sufficient number of arbitration reply grant messages to have arbitration reply grant messages from a quorum of the arbitrators. As a result of receiving a sufficient number of arbitration reply grant messages to have arbitration reply grant messages from a quorum of the arbitrators, the method further includes declaring the second node down.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for allocating and reclaiming resources within a rendezvous federation. Embodiments of the invention include formulating and routing messages in accordance with cached two-way agreements between adjacent nodes on a ring of nodes. Cached two-way agreements divide responsibility for at least unoccupied identifiers between the adjacent nodes on a ring. When a message is received at a node, the node can refer to a cached two-way agreement to determine if it or an adjacent node is responsible for the message. The node then sends the message to the next appropriate component in accordance with the cached two-way agreement.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for appropriately detecting node failures in a rendezvous federation. A monitor node monitors a subject node. The subject node intermittently renews a time-to-live duration value with the monitor node to indicate the monitor node that the subject node has not failed. In some embodiments, each node in a pair of nodes monitors the other nodes in the pair of nodes. Thus, each node is a subject node and a monitor node. In further embodiments, an arbitration facility arbitrates failure reports.

Abstract: Managing peer-to-peer application components. A method may be performed, for example, at a computer system that includes application components including peer-to-peer application components. The peer-to-peer application components allow the computer system to communicate with other agents, such as host computers, operating systems, frameworks, application code and the like, in a peer-to-peer fashion. The computer system includes a launch pad module for coordinating the peer-to-peer application components. The method includes providing an extensible interface that allows peer-to-peer application components to be registered with the launch pad module. Peer-to-peer application components are registered with the launch pad module. Requests are accepted from agents directed to the peer-to-peer application components registered with the launch pad module. Launch functions are performed for the peer-to-peer application components registered with the launch pad module in response to the requests.

Abstract: Communicating a message using between networked agents. Some embodiments may be practiced, for example, in a network including one or more interconnected agents. A method facilities communicating a message to one or more of the interconnected agents. The method includes receiving feedback including information about the network. The information about the network is tracked. The method further includes consulting a set of policy rules. The policy rules include logic which takes into account the tracked information about the network. The policy rules further include information about how messages should be sent based on the logic which takes into account the tracked information about the network. The method also includes sending the message according to the information about how messages should be sent.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for broadcasting communication within a rendezvous federation. Embodiments of the invention include inter-ring and intra-ring communication. Inter-ring communication includes sending a message to destination rings included in a node's Collateral Ring Set entry table. When a node identifies a destination ring that has not yet received a message, the node can send a ring notification message. The ring notification message propagates towards a publishing node until a responsible node in the message path to the publishing node is identified. The responsible node updates its entry table to include the ring and forwards the message to the destination ring. Intra-ring communication can include recursively partitioning ranges of nodes within a ring and forwarding the message to nodes included the partitioned ranges.

Abstract: A system and method for mitigating problems associated with automatic execution of initialization code is provided. The system includes an initialization method activator that can call a class initialization method at a pre-determined execution point. The system also includes a deadlock analyzer that can determine whether calling the initialization method will create a deadlock, and, if a deadlock is detected that can resolve such a deadlock. The system also includes a semantic analyzing component that can analyze a semantic type associated with the initialization method and a domain uniqueness analyzer that can analyze the uniqueness of the domain with which the class will interact, to facilitate determining where to place code that will check whether a class is initialized, and if the class is not initialized that will invoke the class initializing method.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for facilitating inter-proximity communication within a rendezvous federation. Nodes maintain collateral ring set entry tables that include collateral rings and corresponding entry nodes into the collateral rings. Nodes can exchange collateral ring set entry state to update one another on the configuration of rings within a tree of rings. Nodes can refer to collateral ring set entry tables, as well as to other nodes, to identify entry nodes into rings that are collateral rings of the node. Messages can be sent to entry nodes in collateral rings. A message can include an indication that an entry node in a target proximity ring is to resolve the message to the node in the target proximity ring which has a node ID closest to an indicated destination node.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for facilitating inter-proximity communication within a rendezvous federation. Nodes maintain collateral ring set entry tables that include collateral rings and corresponding entry nodes into the collateral rings. Nodes can exchange collateral ring set entry state to update one another on the configuration of rings within a tree of rings. Nodes can refer to collateral ring set entry tables, as well as to other nodes, to identify entry nodes into rings that are collateral rings of the node. Messages can be sent to entry nodes in collateral rings. A message can include an indication that an entry node in a target proximity ring is to resolve the message to the node in the target proximity ring which has a node ID closest to an indicated destination node.

Abstract: The transfer of raw data from a source data structure to a target data structure that represent the same item. During the data transfer, if there is a given field in the target data structure that does not correspond to a field supplied by the source data structure, the transfer mechanism determines whether or not it is mandatory that the source data structure supply the field. If it is mandatory, the transfer fails. Otherwise, the transfer continues. If there is field of the source data structure that does not correspond to a field of the target data structure, the transfer mechanism determines whether or not it is mandatory that the target data structure have the field. If it is mandatory, the transfer fails. Otherwise, the corresponding data may be provided to a residual field of the target data structure dedicated for unknown data.

Abstract: Implementations of the present invention relate in part to optimizations to peer-to-peer communication systems. For example, one implementation relates to use of a smart transceiver that creates, caches, and manages communication channels dynamically between peers. Another implementation relates to use of a central tracking object that can be used to efficiently register and distribute peer messages among the various peers. In one implementation, the central tracking object is shared amongst peers in the group. Still another implementation relates to associating peer groups with namespaces, and for including peer groups of one namespace within still other peer groups of different namespaces. These and other aspects of the invention can also be used to ensure delivery intent of a given peer message is preserved, and to ensure that optimal numbers of messages are communicated to any given peer at any given time.

Abstract: Implementations of the present invention relate in part to optimizations to peer-to-peer communication systems. For example, one implementation relates to use of a smart transceiver that creates, caches, and manages communication channels dynamically between peers. Another implementation relates to use of a central tracking object that can be used to efficiently register and distribute peer messages among the various peers. In one implementation, the central tracking object is shared amongst peers in the group. Still another implementation relates to associating peer groups with namespaces, and for including peer groups of one namespace within still other peer groups of different namespaces. These and other aspects of the invention can also be used to ensure delivery intent of a given peer message is preserved, and to ensure that optimal numbers of messages are communicated to any given peer at any given time.

Abstract: Implementations of the present invention relate in part to optimizations to peer-to-peer communication systems. For example, one implementation relates to use of a smart transceiver that creates, caches, and manages communication channels dynamically between peers. Another implementation relates to use of a central tracking object that can be used to efficiently register and distribute peer messages among the various peers. In one implementation, the central tracking object is shared amongst peers in the group. Still another implementation relates to associating peer groups with namespaces, and for including peer groups of one namespace within still other peer groups of different namespaces. These and other aspects of the invention can also be used to ensure delivery intent of a given peer message is preserved, and to ensure that optimal numbers of messages are communicated to any given peer at any given time.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for rendezvousing resource requests with corresponding resources. Doubly linked sorted lists are traversed using modulo arithmetic in both directions. Sorted lists can be partitioned based on a multiple proximity metrics. Node routing tables provide a logarithmic index to nodes within the ID space of the federation infrastructure to facilitate more efficient routing. Messages can be routed to nodes within a ring and proximally routed to nodes in other partitioned rings.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for reliable messaging using clocks with synchronized rates. Embodiments of the present invention insure at-most-once delivery of messages. A source and a destination utilize clocks with synchronized rates. Messages are assigned Time-To-Live (“TTL”) values such that state information is updated the source and removed at the destination when a corresponding message timer based on a TTL value expires. Accordingly, resources consumed to maintain state information at the destination can be freed up in a shorter period of time. The source can retransmit state information to the message destination if relevant state information has been removed. Message processor instance IDs insure at-most-once delivery when a message destination suffers an involuntary memory loss. Embodiments of the present invention can also be used for exactly-once-delivery, for example, when TTL values are infinite and instance IDs are not used.

Abstract: A generic mechanism to persist data objects into databases without a fundamental dependence on the underlying data store is provided. Rather than relying on the expertise of a programmer to know what the structure of a database should look like, data types are defined and adorned by the programmer with attributes that suggest what the corresponding data will be used for, and without the programmer defining the structure of the database that will be used to store the data. Thereafter, the database is dynamically created to satisfy the needs suggested by the adorned attributes. In particular, a number of different tables are created according to the intended needs for accessing the data. By doing this an optimized database can be created to provide the desired results without requiring the programmer to have any specific knowledge regarding databases and corresponding database schemas.

Abstract: Serialization and deserialization using data contracts. The data contract specifies data types that are serialized and deserialized for data objects that are associated with the data contract. During serialization, the data contract associated with the data object is identified. Then, the data fields that correspond to those specified data field types are extracted from the data object and serialized into a serialization format. During deserialization, the serialization mechanism receives a serialized data structure having a particular serialization format. A data contract is then identified as being associated with the serialized data structure. After deserialization of the serialized data structure into abstract data, a corresponding data object is populated with data fields that correspond only with those data field types specified in the data contract. Accordingly, data abstraction is enabled while serializing and deserializing.

Abstract: A system and method for interacting with an object is provided. The system includes a method call interceptor that intercepts a method call made on an object and that routes the method call to a proxy. The method call interceptor is accessible to application code. The system also includes an application code generic proxy that after overriding a base class invocation method can receive intercepted method calls, can invoke methods on the object that the proxy images, can receive results from the object that the proxy images and can pass results to the entity that generated the intercepted method call.

Abstract: An application program interface (API) provides a set of functions, including a set of base classes and types that are used in substantially all applications accessing the API, for application developers who build Web applications on Microsoft Corporation's .NET™ platform.

Abstract: An application program interface (API) provides a set of functions, including a set of base classes and types that are used in substantially all applications accessing the API, for application developers who build Web applications on Microsoft Corporation's .NET™ platform.