Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for handling requests in a data processing system. A plurality of processes is provided to handle the requests. Each of the plurality of processes is assigned to handle requests from a subset of foreign ports within a plurality of foreign ports such that a set of foreign ports assigned to a process is unique with respect to other subsets of foreign ports within the plurality of foreign ports. A foreign port is identified in a request in response to receiving the request. The request is sent to a process assigned the subset of foreign ports having a match to the foreign port in the request, wherein the process handles the request.

Abstract: In a method comprising an embodiment of the invention, an original application initially binds to a port, and selects or designates a confidential key, which usefully may be a conventional cookie. The invention also sets a socket option, referred to by way of example, as SO_SECURE_REUSEPORT. The confidential key, together with the port number, is then registered with the operating system of a host associated with the port. In order for another application to subsequently bind to the port, such application must provide the operating system with a key that is identical to the confidential key. In one useful embodiment of the invention, a first application binds a socket to a particular port associated with the host. A specified key is registered with the operating system, and a second application is allowed to bind to the particular port only if the second application can furnish the operating system with a key that matches the specified key.

Abstract: Administering acknowledgment messages (‘ACKs’) in the Transmission Control Protocol (“TCP”) that include establishing a TCP connection between a sender and a receiver, receiving by the receiver one or more TCP messages from the sender, and transmitting an ACK from the receiver to the sender only when necessary. Administering ACKs in TCP according to embodiments of the present invention may include measuring by the sender a round trip time for transmission of TCP messages between the sender and the receiver and transmitting to the receiver a data-bearing TCP message once per round trip time. Establishing a TCP connection between a sender and a receiver may include measuring by the receiver a round trip time for transmission of TCP messages between the receiver and the sender. Transmitting an ACK only when necessary may include transmitting an ACK when no message from the sender arrives at the receiver for two round trip times.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and computer instructions are provided for automatically activating standby shared Ethernet adapter in a Virtual I/O server of a logically-partitioned data processing system. A standby shared Ethernet adapter (SEA) is set up with a virtual Ethernet adapter that belongs to the same network as the primary shared Ethernet adapter (SEA). The standby SEA monitors periodically for a failure of the primary SEA. If a failure occurs, the standby SEA is activated by connecting a path between its physical adapter and virtual trunk adapter, such that the virtual trunk adapter becomes the primary SEA for the client partitions. Responsive to detecting a recovery of the primary SEA, the primary SEA determines if external communications are received from the standby SEA. If no external communications are received, the primary SEA is reactivated by connecting a path between its physical adapter and virtual trunk adapter.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are provided for tunneling IPv6 packets. Embodiments include receiving, by an origin IPv6 border router from an origin IPv6 host, an IPv6 packet having an IPv6 destination address; receiving, by an origin IPv6 border router from an origin IPv6 host, an IPv4 address for a destination IPv6 border router retrieved from a data structure associating IPv6 destination addresses with IPv4 addresses for destination IPv6 border routers; encapsulating, by the origin IPv6 border router, the IPv6 packet in an IPv4 packet; and sending the encapsulated packet to a destination IPv6 border router at the IPv4 address. In many embodiments, encapsulating, by the origin IPv6 border router, the IPv6 packet in an IPv4 packet is carried out by adding an IPv4 header to the IPv6 packet.

Abstract: DHCP lease negotiation is performed in advance of a specified time when the IP address is needed. The client sends a DHCP discover message with an advance lease option indicating a future time when an IP address is needed. The DHCP server reserves an IP address available at the requested time for the requesting client and sends a DHCP acknowledgment of the reservation. Thereafter, the client sends a DHCP discover message requesting the reserved IP address, and the DHCP server assigns it to the client at the scheduled time.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for enabling a telephone caller to generate a brief message for transmission to an intended call recipient, as part of the initial procedure of setting up a phone call between the caller and recipient. The message is sent and displayed or otherwise made available to the recipient before the recipient is required to answer the call. The message could comprise a sequence of alphanumeric characters that conveyed an abbreviated message, or otherwise indicates the purpose to the call to the recipient or provides other information. Respective characters could be transmitted as corresponding sequences of binary tones sent to the call recipient between telephone rings.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for waking up client devices. A method comprising determining a first network address associated with a client device and a second network address associated with the client device and transmitting at least a portion of the first network address and the second network address to a remote device while the client device is in sleep mode.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for delivering data, received from a network on a network adapter to a pre-assigned port, to a storage buffer assigned to an application are disclosed. An application designates an application-specific buffer within a local data processing system for buffering data communicated with the application. The local data processing system reports to a network interface of the local data processing system a memory address of the designated application-specific buffer, and the data processing system designates a port on which to receive packets addressed to the memory address. The data processing system then sends a port registration message to the local network interface, enabling the network interface to compare the port number of incoming traffic to a registered port number and route incoming traffic from a remote data processing system directly to the designated application-specific buffers in the event of a match.

Abstract: Data communications through a split connection proxy in a data communications protocol, including receiving in a proxy from a client, asynchronously with respect to any other messages between the client and the proxy, one or more client messages including client message data items including a connection request for a connection between the client and the proxy, destination connection data identifying a destination server, and a message from the client to the destination server; and sending from the proxy to the server, asynchronously with respect to any messages between the client and the proxy and asynchronously with respect to any other messages between the proxy and the server, one or more proxy messages including proxy message data items including a connection request for a connection between the proxy and the destination server and the message from the client to the destination server.

Abstract: Retrieving dated content from a website including receiving a URL for dated content with a date field; inserting the current date in the date field; and retrieving the dated content with the URL bearing the current date in its date field. In some embodiments, date field bears an encoded date and inserting the current date in the date field includes replacing the encoded date with the current date. Typical embodiments also include bookmarking the URL, including replacing an encoded date in the date field with a date tag. Some embodiments include prompting the user for a date format. In many embodiments, the date tag includes a default date format. Some embodiments include configuring the browser with a default date format.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method of improving network data traffic between interconnected high-speed switches are provided. As is well known, when a packet of data is longer than a path maximum transmission unit (PMTU), the packet will be fragmented. In the case of the invention, the packet is fragmented by a transmitting router connected to a high-speed switch. When a receiving router, which is also connected to an high-speed switch, begins to receive the fragments, it will check to see whether its sub-network may handle data of a substantially longer length than the length of the fragments. If so, the receiving router will collect the fragments, reassemble them into the original packet and transmit the reassembled packet to its destination.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for handling address resolution protocol requests for a device having multiple interfaces. The method comprises receiving a message transmitted by a remote device to a host. The message includes a request to provide a value representative of an address associated with the host and the message includes a value representative of an address associated with the remote device. The method further comprises comparing at least a portion of the value representative of the address associated with the remote device to a value stored in an address field on a storage unit and discarding the message in response to determining that at least the portion of the value representative of the address associated with the remote device is substantially equal to the value stored in the address field.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for multicast tunneling for mobile devices. The method comprises receiving a multicast packet directed to a plurality of mobile nodes, the mobile nodes being associated with a home subnet and identifying if any of the plurality of the mobile nodes are coupled to a subnet other than the home subnet, wherein each of the identified mobile nodes has an associated transmission path through which that mobile node can be reached. The method further provides that in response to determining that at least some of the mobile nodes are coupled to the subnet other than the home subnet, determining which of the identified mobile nodes has a common next hop in their associated transmission path and generating a packet including at least a portion of the multicast packet and including in the packet a list of mobile nodes that have the common next hop. The method further provides for transmitting the generated packet to the common next hop.

Abstract: A method and system for providing subgroup conversation during a teleconference enables side conversations during a virtual meeting. A passcode is used by parties to join the subgroup conversation, so that privacy of the subgroup is maintained. Alternatively, an administrator may set up subgroups and either join or invite members, who may toggle between the main teleconference and a subgroup teleconference using a standardized user input. The system may be implemented in any telephone network and across telephone networks such as public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), wireless networks, voice over Internet protocol networks and/or private branch exchanges (PBXs).

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for negotiating a protocol for a conversation in which data packets are transmitted. Responsive to establishment of a link aggregation with an endpoint for the conversation, an algorithm for processing the data packets in the conversation is selected to form a preferred algorithm. A request is sent to the endpoint. This request indicates the preferred algorithm for processing the data packets in the conversation. A reply to the request is received from the endpoint. A determination is made as to whether a convergence has occurred. The data packets in the conversation are processed using the preferred algorithm in response to a determination that the convergence has occurred.

Abstract: Returning to normal power mode a sleeping device operating in low power mode, where the sleeping device is connected to a network, and the sleeping device has a network layer address and a link layer address. Typical embodiments include configuring an administrative device connected to the network with the network layer address of the sleeping device, the link layer address of the sleeping device, and a network layer address of a last router on a route to the sleeping device; instructing the router to store the network layer address of the sleeping device in association with the link layer address of the sleeping device; sending from the administrative device to the sleeping device through the router a unicast message to return to normal power mode.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for redirecting client connection requests among sockets providing a same service are provided. An application requests multiple sockets from a kernel. In addition, the application generates a socket call option to bind the sockets to a particular port number and passes a list of the sockets to the kernel, where the list indicates that the sockets will all provide access to server systems providing the same service. In response, the kernel sets up the sockets, bound to the same port, and set to reference one another. Then, when a connection request is received for a first socket in the list with a queue that is full, the kernel redirects the connection request to a second socket in the list with available queue space. Thus, rather than drop the connection request from the first socket when it lacks available queue space, the connection request is redirected to another socket providing access to the same service.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for reactivating an existing connection to a remote data processing system. A data packet is created using a previously acknowledged sequence number for the connection. The sequence number is used to uniquely number data bytes sent in a connection, such as a TCP connection. With this sequence number, devices and components, such as routers and fire walls will forward the packet to the destination. A special data sequence, such as a MAC address of the remote data processing system repeated a selected number of times, is placed in the data packet. This special data sequence causes the remote data processing system to wake up from a sleep mode when received by the remote data processing system. The data packet is sent to the remote data processing system using the existing connection. The use of a subnet directed broadcast is avoided. Thus, problems associated with routing wake up packets are avoided.

Abstract: A system and method of reducing data corruption due to recycled Internet Protocol (IP) identification numbers are provided. When IP packets are being fragmented and the IP identification number of the packets is cycling through a specific group of numbers, the size of the first fragment of a packet is decremented each time the IP identification cycles through the numbers. Initially, the size of the first fragment of a packet will be set to a maximum number. This size will be decremented at each pass of the IP identification through the numbers until the size of the first fragment of a packet reaches a pre-defined minimum size. When that occurs, the size of the first fragment of a packet will again be set to the maximum number. By decrementing the size of the first fragment, fragment offset of the other fragments that make up the packet will be changing. This then reduces the likelihood of having two fragments having the same IP identification number be mistaken as being from the same packet.