Abstract: Techniques and technologies for an Internet Protocol (IP) address management (IPAM) system to track and manage IP address workflows in a network. The IPAM system can be used to define and enforce management policies or rules regarding IP address management, such as allocation policies, refill policies, and so forth. For instance, the IPAM system can enforce allocation policies that define rules to allow or deny allocation of IP addresses based on types of resources for which the IP addresses are requested, registered user accounts that are requesting the IP addresses, the purpose of the resources receiving the IP addresses, and so forth. Additionally, the IPAM system can enforce refill policies that define rules for replenishing inventories of IP addresses that have been allocated for different domains in the network. The IPAM system can improve the management of IP address workflows by enforcing policy and tracking IP address workflows in networks.

Abstract: Techniques and technologies for an IP address management (IPAM) system to monitor the usage of IP addresses across regions in one or more networks of resources. The IPAM system may be used to allocate IP addresses to resources in networks and track what IP addresses are being used by resources or available for allocation. The IPAM system may periodically obtain usage information that indicates actual, current IP address usage by the resources in the networks, identify differences between the current IP address usage and an inventory maintained by the IPAM service, and reconcile the differences. Additionally, the IPAM system may further respond to network administrator queries about their resource and IP address usage. Further, the IPAM system may emit various utilization metrics to the network administrators which may be tied to alarms or alerts around non-compliant resources or IP addresses.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for distributed network address allocation management. In one embodiment, a first instance of a plurality of instances of an allocation management service assigns a first portion of a network address space to the first instance and a second portion of the network address space to a second instance of the plurality of instances. The second instance receives a request to allocate a particular network address block. The second instance allocates the particular network address block from the second portion of the network address space by updating an allocation data structure. An allocation of the particular network address block is returned in response to the request. A copy of the allocation data structure maintained by the first instance is updated asynchronously based at least in part on the allocation of the particular network address block.

Abstract: A puzzle which includes components of a shape or design printed on at least one side of a substrate such that when the substrate is properly folded, the components of the shape or design align to form the completed shape or design. The inventive concept can be applied to numerous different shapes and designs.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for selecting farms to grow a crop of interest and/or for performing economic analysis relating to growing a crop of interest. One such disclosed apparatus includes a database and a farm identifier in communication with the database to develop a set of farms capable of growing the crop of interest. The apparatus also includes a competition analyzer cooperating with the farm identifier to estimate profits to be earned by farms in the set of farms for growing at least one crop which is different from the crop of interest. The apparatus is further provided with an offer developer cooperating with the competition analyzer to determine possible offers to be made to the farms in the set of farms based at least in part upon the estimated profits to be earned for growing the at least one crop which is different from the crop of interest.