Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to an efficient and flexible method and system for managing a pool of computational resources that can be allocated from a resource pool, used for varying periods of time, and eventually returned to the resource pool. Certain embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and system for efficiently managing ephemeral ports used for short-duration communications connections. In one embodiment of the present invention, an array of port tables is employed to store and manage a large space of ephemeral protocol ports. Each port table is a circular buffer, each entry of which includes a port number that uniquely identifies a communications port, a sequence number that allows the port to be immediately reallocated, and any other additional protocol-specific information that may be associated with the port.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to computationally efficient methods and systems for managing connection-associated and exchange-associated resources within network proxies. In one embodiment of the present invention, a circular connection-switch queue is employed for allocating, de-allocating, and maintaining connection-based or exchange-based data resources within a proxy. The connection-switch queue includes a free pointer that identifies a next connection-switch queue entry for allocation, and an idle pointer that is incremented continuously or at fixed intervals as timers associated with connection-switch entries expire. In an alternate embodiment, the connection-switch queue includes a free pointer, an idle pointer, and a clear pointer.

Abstract: A computer apparatus for creating a trusted environment comprising a trusted device arranged to acquire a first integrity metric to allow determination as to whether the computer apparatus is operating in a trusted manner; a processor arranged to allow execution of a first trust routine and associated first operating environment, and means for restricting the first operating environment access to resources available to the trust routine, wherein the trust routine being arranged to acquire the first integrity metric and a second integrity metric to allow determination as to whether the first operating environment is operating in a trusted manner.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide for immediate allocation of virtual memory on behalf of processes running within a computer system. One or more bit flags within each translation indicate whether or not a corresponding virtual memory page is immediate. READ access to immediate virtual memory is satisfied by hardware-supplied or software-supplied values. WRITE access to immediate virtual memory raises an exception to allow an operating system to allocate physical memory for storing values written to the immediate virtual memory by the WRITE access.

Abstract: A combined-hardware-and-software secure-platform interface to which operating systems and customized control programs interface within a computer system. The combined-hardware-and-software secure-platform interface employs a hardware platform that provides at least four privilege levels, non-privileged instructions, non-privileged registers, privileged instructions, privileged registers, and firmware interfaces. The combined-hardware-and-software secure-platform interface conceals all privileged instructions, privileged registers, and firmware interfaces and privileged registers from direct access by operating systems and custom control programs, providing to the operating systems and custom control programs the non-privileged instructions and non-privileged registers provided by the hardware platform as well as a set of callable software services.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a hierarchical data structure for storing sparse data that can be traversed from root node to data-level node without incurring translation-cache misses. By contrast with currently used hierarchical data structures, the family of hierarchical data structures that represent one embodiment of the present invention employs non-data-level nodes that contain virtual-memory translations rather than memory references. The family of hierarchical data structures that represent one embodiment of the present invention are traversed from root node through successive layers of non-data-level nodes to data-level nodes in a manner similar to traversal of currently used hierarchical data structures.

Abstract: A computer apparatus for creating a trusted environment comprising a trusted device arranged to acquire a first integrity metric to allow determination as to whether the computer apparatus is operating in a trusted manner; a processor arranged to allow execution of a first trust routine and associated first operating environment, and means for restricting the first operating environment access to resources available to the trust routine, wherein the trust routine being arranged to acquire the first integrity metric and a second integrity metric to allow determination as to whether the first operating environment is operating in a trusted manner.

Abstract: A combined-hardware-and-software secure-platform interface to which operating systems and customized control programs interface within a computer system. The combined-hardware-and-software secure-platform interface employs a hardware platform that provides at least four privilege levels, non-privileged instructions, non-privileged registers, privileged instructions, privileged registers, and firmware interfaces. The combined-hardware-and-software secure-platform interface conceals all privileged instructions, privileged registers, and firmware interfaces and privileged registers from direct access by operating systems and custom control programs, providing to the operating systems and custom control programs the non-privileged instructions and non-privileged registers provided by the hardware platform as well as a set of callable software services.