Abstract: System and method for providing client awareness in a high-availability application architecture. One embodiment is a method of servicing a service request in a network maintained by an organization and comprising a plurality of servers. The method comprises responsive to an initial request for service by a client via a service broker, providing to the client through the service broker a response identifying an available one of the servers; and connecting the client directly to the available server, the client thereafter sending successive requests for service directly to the available server without involvement of the service broker.

Abstract: A system for merging product characterization information with a characterized product employs a merging rule database and a product characterization database. A merging processor receives the product characterization information and the merging criteria to create a characterization information result. The characterization information result is created by extracting a trigger merging rule form the merging rule database and determining whether the trigger merging rule has been met to initiate merging the product characterization information with the product. If the products have no characterizations that meet the merging criteria, a union map and an intersection map for the characterized product are created. The merged product characterization information is connected to the product by marking the product to identify it as having met the merging criteria.

Abstract: System and method for detecting suspicious process faults. A preferred embodiment comprises determining a strength relationship between wafer acceptance test (WAT) parameters and process steps. The strength relationships indicate the affect of a failed process step on the value of a WAT parameter. Thus, if a WAT parameter is not within the parameters set in the WAT, then the suspicious process steps that caused the failure are the process steps that had a strength relationship with the failed WAT parameter. Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, negative inferences are determined and utilized to determine a degree of suspiciousness. The degree of suspiciousness is used to determine a total degree of suspiciousness.

Abstract: A system for merging product characterization information with a characterized product employs a merging rule database and a product characterization database. A merging processor receives the product characterization information and the merging criteria to create a characterization information result. The characterization information result is created by extracting a trigger merging rule form the merging rule database and determining whether the trigger merging rule has been met to initiate merging the product characterization information with the product. If the products have no characterizations that meet the merging criteria, a union map and an intersection map for the characterized product are created. The merged product characterization information is connected to the product by marking the product to identify it as having met the merging criteria.