Abstract: A method for updating an application on a host system includes steps or acts of: installing an application on the host system; installing a virtual machine monitor on the host system, installing a first virtual container on the host system, wherein the first virtual container comprises at least one update to the installed application; and instantiating the first virtual container under the virtual machine monitor in a mode wherein the host system can be accessed but not modified and wherein instantiating the first virtual container includes updating the installed application in the first virtual computer and running the updated application in the first virtual container. The method may also include a step of confirming that the updated application runs properly. Optionally, the virtual container may be devirtualized.

Abstract: A method and system for scoring and ranking a plurality of component links in a social technical system having a plurality of components representing people and objects are provided. In one aspect, a degree of consistency relative to two or more people working on one or more objects and dependencies between the objects is determined to derive scores for the component links. The method and system identifies gaps in the link and determines the impact of filling the gaps. In another aspect, component links may be ranked and scores aggregated to provide system level quantifications.

Abstract: A method and system constructs a socio-technical network representing design and development processes. In one aspect, a network of inter-personal interactions comprising at least a plurality of nodes representing actors in design and development process is established; an artifacts network comprising at least a plurality of nodes representing a plurality of heterogeneous artifact types is established; one or more relationships between the nodes in the network of inter-personal interactions are determined; one or more relationships between the nodes of the artifacts network are determined; and one or more relationships between the nodes in the network of inter-personal interactions and the nodes of the artifacts network are determined.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for communicating information in a data structure between applications. According to the method, a description of a data structure is sent from a first application to a second application, and there is received from the second application an identification of at least one portion of the data structure that is requested by the second application. The first application marshals a subset of the data structure consisting of the at least one portion that was identified, and there is sent from the first application to the second application the marshalled subset of the data structure.

Abstract: A method for minimizing total cost of interaction among components of a computer program, each of the components being characterized by at least one implementation property includes steps of: a) carrying out at least a partial run of the program; b) monitoring the at least partial run of the program to measure an amount of interaction between each pair of components; c) determining a cost of interaction between each pair of interacting components; d) determining a choice of implementation properties which minimizes total cost of the at least partial run; and e) assigning that choice of implementation properties to the components for a subsequent at least partial run of the program.

Abstract: Libraries and individual program components are provided with a common interface and a number of alternative implementations (e.g. hash table, tree, compressed) which can be selected. The component is instrumented to measure a cost of each of its alternative implementations, both independent of and in the context of the interaction of that component with other components of the computer program. Based on measured cost, the desired implementation is chosen for the component by an external controller that is generic to the computer program or by an application program that interfaces with the library or component.

Abstract: A reactor and method configured to maintain data consistency. The reactor includes an inbox configured to receive update information. An apply operation is configured to apply the update information to a prestate to determine a stimulus state based on the update information. A response state is derived in accordance with the stimulus state. The response state is an only state externally visible from the reactor.

Abstract: A system and method for managing resources includes providing mutable entities having related data including triples, and listening for changes in the related data. A first construct is triggered in accordance with the changes in the related data to update the mutable entities.

Abstract: A system and method for minimizing total cost of interaction among components of a computer program which are each characterized by at least one implementation property. A implementation property may, for example, be a choice of string representation (e.g. ASCII, UNICODE, EBCDIC or choice of data structure (e.g. hash, tree, compressed). The method comprises the steps of: carrying out a run of the program; monitoring that run to measure an amount of interaction between each pair of components; determining a cost of interaction between each pair of interacting components; determining a choice of implementation properties which minimizes total cost of the run; and assigning choices of implementation properties to said components for a future run of the program.

Abstract: A task management system, method and computer program product for determining optimal placement of task components on multiple machines for task execution, particularly for placing program components on multiple computers for distributed processing. First, a communication graph is generated representative of the computer program with each program unit (e.g., an object) represented as a node in the graph. Nodes are connected to other nodes by edges representative of communication between connected nodes. A weight is applied to each edge, the weight being a measure of the level of communication between the connected edges. Terminal nodes representative of the multiple computers are attached to the communication graph. Then, the communication graph is divided into independent nets and a min cut is found for each independent net. The min cut for the communication graph is the combination of the min cuts for all of the independent nets.

Abstract: The present invention is a task management system, method and computer program product for determining optimal placement of task components on multiple machines for task execution, particularly for placing program components on multiple computers for distributed processing. First, a communication graph is generated representative of the computer program with each program unit (e.g., an object) represented as a node in the graph. Nodes are connected to other nodes by edges representative of communication between connected nodes. A weight is applied to each edge, the weight being a measure of the level of communication between the connected edges. Terminal nodes representative of ones of the multiple computers are attached to the communication graph. Independent nets may be separated out of the communication graph.

Abstract: A task management system, method and computer program product for determining optimal placement of task components on multiple machines for task execution, particularly for placing program components on multiple computers for distributed processing. First, a communication graph is generated representative of the computer program with each program unit (e.g., an object) represented as a node in the graph. Nodes are connected to other nodes by edges representative of communication between connected nodes. A weight is applied to each edge, the weight being a measure of the level of communication between the connected edges. Terminal nodes representative of the multiple computers are attached to the communication graph. Independent nets may be separated out of the communication graph. A cut is made at each terminal node and the weights of the cut edges are summed.

Abstract: A task management system, method and computer program product for determining optimal placement of task components on multiple machines for task execution, particularly for placing program components on multiple computers for distributed processing. First, a communication graph is generated representative of the computer program with each program unit (e.g., an object) represented as a node in the graph. Nodes are connected to other nodes by edges representative of communication between connected nodes. A weight is applied to each edge, the weight being a measure of the level of communication between the connected edges. Terminal nodes representative of the multiple computers are attached to the communication graph. Then, dominant edges are identified within the communication graph. For any non-terminal node, a connected edge is dominant if it is at least as heavy (its weight is greater than or equal to) as the sum of the remaining non-terminal edges and the heaviest of the remaining terminal edges.

Abstract: An enterprise process model that comprises a plurality of actors, actions performed by said actors, objects acted upon by said actions, and roles. Data characterizing the view of the attributes of at least one of the objects of the model is generated by associating a plurality of situation/role pairs with the at least one object; and then, for each particular situation/role pair, defining a view definition for subsequent use. In another aspect of the present invention, an enterprise application for use in an information system that comprises diverse software services and hardware platforms is generated by providing a model of the enterprise process, wherein the model comprises a plurality of actors, actions performed by said actors, objects acted upon by said actions, and roles. A configuration defining software services and hardware platforms that support the model is generated. Finally, program fragments that support the model are generated.

Abstract: An enterprise process model that comprises a plurality of actors, actions performed by said actors, objects acted upon by said actions, and roles. Data characterizing the view of the attributes of at least one of the objects of the model is generated by associating a plurality of situation/role pairs with the at least one object; and then, for each particular situation/role pair, defining a view definition for subsequent use. In another aspect of the present invention, an enterprise application for use in an information system that comprises diverse software services and hardware platforms is generated by providing a model of the enterprise process, wherein the model comprises a plurality of actors, actions performed by said actors, objects acted upon by said actions, and roles. A configuration defining software services and hardware platforms that support the model is generated. Finally, program fragments that support the model are generated.

Abstract: There is provided a method for laying out objects corresponding to an object-oriented application. The method including the step of determining whether any two given objects have opposing directionalities. A virtual function table pointer is shared between the two given objects, and the directionalities of the two given objects are changed to mixed, when the two given objects have opposing directionalities.

Abstract: A system and method for providing symbolic mode checking of business application requirements. A language allows for building a model for the business process, the model comprising a plurality of actions, with each action having a precondition and a postcondition or outcome. Specifications are constructed for the properties of the business application, with the specifications describing both the states of the business process and the order in which they may occur. Finally, the model and the specifications are analyzed to determine if the model satisfies the specifications. If the model fails to satisfy the specifications, a problem may be indicated in the business application. The process can be automated to permit the system to make assumptions for conducting a thorough analysis of selected potential problem areas in the application.

Abstract: A method is provided for characterizing objects generated during an initial run of a program, each object being characterized by a number of alternative properties which can be chosen. The method entails instrumenting an initial run of program to determine characterization information about each of objects, then determining a desirable property for each object, then determining a correlation between the desirable property and the characterization information for each of said objects. This correlation is then used to select an property for an object that is subsequently created during a run of the program based only upon characterization information about the subsequently created object.

Abstract: Libraries and individual program components are provided with a common interface and a number of alternative implementations (e.g. hash table, tree, compressed) which can be selected. The component is instrumented to measure a cost of each of its alternative implementations, both independent of and in the context of the interaction of that component with other components of the computer program. Based on measured cost, the desired implementation is chosen for the component by an external controller that is generic to the computer program or by an application program that interfaces with the library or component.

Abstract: A system and method for minimizing total cost of interaction among components of a computer program which are each characterized by at least one implementation property. A implementation property may, for example, be a choice of string representation (e.g. ASCII, UNICODE, EBCDIC or choice of data structure (e.g. hash, tree, compressed). The method comprises the steps of: carrying out a run of the program; monitoring that run to measure an amount of interaction between each pair of components; determining a cost of interaction between each pair of interacting components; determining a choice of implementation properties which minimizes total cost of the run; and assigning choices of implementation properties to said components for a future run of the program.